A safari tour. Yes, come October, and it’s the call of the birds and wildlife.

The rain has stopped. Just a drizzle… Under the soft October sun, a dark, bulky rhino quietly loiters around in the moist grassy plains around a shallow water. By the water lies a gentle fawn sweetly suckling up to the mother deer. And an elephant stomps out on to the road, enjoying the freedom and the dominion in this cool and quiet place.

Yes, the flood water has subsided. The vast grassy plains and forest area, now, lie await for travellers and visitors. It’s time for a safari tour in Assam’s Kaziranga.

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Following the long extended holidays across the country, the Assam government has opened the Kaziranga National Park for the 2017-18 tourist season.

The state forest department has advanced the tourist season by a month. The wildlife sanctuary used to open for tourists from November 1 until April 30.

“The puja vacation is on in schools and… keeping the vacation season in mind, we have decided to open the park on October 2 this year,” state Forest and Environment Minister Pramila Rani Brahmatold reporters.

Kaziranga claims to have the highest number of one-horned rhinos in the world. It is famous for three giant herbivores: Asiatic elephants, swamp deer and Asiatic water buffaloes. The area has also been marked as a significant Bird Area by the Bird Life International.

Unfortunately, the UNESCO World Heritage Site was badly hit this monsoon. The severe flood situation caused the death of 430 wild animals in the park that covers an area of  430 sq.km.

“We are going to launch only jeep safari in Bagori range today. We expect to begin elephant safari from October 11,” officials said.

Kaziranga has five ranges:

1. Eastern Range at Agaratoli, at about 4 km northeast of Bokakhat
2. Central Range at Kohora, at about 20 km west of Bokakhat
3. Western Range at Bagori, at about 12 km west of Kohora
4. Burapahar Range at Ghorakati, at about 25 km west of Bagori on the NH 37
5. Northern Range at Biswanath, at about 44 km northwest of Bokakhat by air, and 168 km by road

Where is Kaziranga National Park?

The Kaziranga National Park is spread over Nagoan, Sonitpur and Golaghat districts in Assam. The park is headquatered in Golaghat’s Bokakhat division.

How far is Kaziranga from Guwahati

If you are travelling by road, the National Highway 37 runs through it and the park HQ, Bokakhat, is about 240 km east of Guwahati.

How to reach Kaziranga

Guwahati is the main flight point, if you are travelling from outside Assam. After landing in Guwahati, you can catch a taxi to Kohora, which the nearest range of the Kaziranga Park. The cab will take you the National Highway-37. It takes about four to five hours by cab from the Guwahati airport.