KAZIRANGA - WHERE CREATURES DIVE INTO COLORS
The North East India is one of the most beautiful parts of our subcontinent where the variation of animals and birds are accompanied with diversified trees and vibrant flowers. Such a land of astonishment is the Kaziranga National Park. Located in the Kohora village of Assam, January to March End is the best time to relish these jungles.
Just a 5 hour drive from Guwahati, Assam the trip will offer you a view of Rhinos and Barasinghas on the road while you are yet to reach your guest house! The forest is an extensive land covering 1090 sq Kms of area. The place has been named as UNESCO World Heritage Site for the number of One Horned Rhinoceros it has been a shelter to.
I covered 6 Safaris here, covering four different zones of the forest. Lets dive into the greens!
Kohora or Central Zone is the closest to any guest house you decide to stay in. Its just few minutes of walk to the central gate where gypsies are lined up. In this zone you can expect the most tiger sightings compared to any other zone. All the species of the national park are riled up here in the Kohora zone which is usually covered by huge elephant grasses in these months of Feb-March. But starting from the love of Mother and Baby Elephants, Rhinoceros family and a herd of Hog Deer, you can also experience the beauty of Great Hornbill, Pied Hornbill, Slender Billed Vulture, Asiatic Wild Buffalo and Western Swamp Deer.
Most interesting part? If you are a bird photographer, the central zone will amaze you since there is a place near watch-tower where you can get off the jeep and lie down by the lakeside photographing Ruddy Shelducks, Bar Headed Geese, Plovers, Adjutant Storks and many other waders.
Let me tell you - tracking tigers in Kaziranga is not possible because of the extensive grasses. So we should not expect tiger tracking and sighting chances like we do in National Parks of Tadoba/Pench/Kabini etc.
Agratoli is a zone for birders as it provides shelter to huge amount of waders, territorial birds and raptors. This is a place where you document their behavior and get action shots.
....... TO BE CONTINUED (WOK IN PROGRESS)