Wild Walk Tours
Kaziranga Expedition
KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK
In the heart of Assam, in North Eastern India, Kaziranga is one of the last areas in eastern India undisturbed by a human presence. One of the most sought-after wildlife holiday destinations in India, Kaziranga National park’s 430 square kilometer area sprinkled with elephant-grass meadows, swampy lagoons, and dense forests is home to more than 2200 Indian one-horned rhinoceros, approximately 2/3rd of their total world population, as well as many mammals, including tigers, elephants, panthers and bears, and thousands of birds. Kaziranga is regarded as one of the finest wildlife refuges in the world. The park’s contribution in saving the Indian one-horned rhinoceros from the brink of extinction at the turn of the 20th century to harboring the single largest population of this species is a spectacular conservation achievement. The National Park also harbors significant populations of other threatened species including tigers, elephants, wild water buffalo, and bears as well as aquatic species including the Ganges River dolphin. It is an important area for migratory birds.
Kaziranga is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, inhabited by a number of globally threatened species including tiger, Asian elephant, wild water buffalo, gaur, eastern swamp deer, Sambar deer, hog deer, capped langur, hoolock gibbon, and sloth bear. The park’s location at the junction of the Australasia and Indo-Asian flyway means that the park’s wetlands play a crucial role in the conservation of globally threatened migratory bird species. The Endangered Ganges dolphin is also found in some of the closed oxbow lakes. It’s also one of India's densest tiger habitats.
Kaziranga is also popularly known as the home of the “Big Five”.
One Horned Rhino, Wild Water Buffalo, Swamp Deer, Bengal Tiger, Elephant
During our stay, we will be visiting various ranges of the park and forest of Panbari so that different habitats in the park – grasslands, marshes, Beels, and forests are well covered.
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Itinerary ​
DAY 1: GUWAHATI TO KAZIRANGA
The tour begins with anmorning arrival at Guwahati Airport . Leaving Guwahati airport we will travel by road to Kaziranga. Our journey will take about six hours and follow the course of the Brahmaputra river. We will stop to watch Greater Adjutant and Lesser Adjutant Storks on the way and explore a suitable habitat for White-vented Myna and Eastern burmanicus race of Baya Weaver. If we are lucky, we may spot the elusive Finn’s Weaver in the mixed weaver flocks.
Night stay at a wildlife lodge at Kaziranga.
DAY 2 TO 5: KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK
We will go for open-top jeep drive (walking is restricted) to see the birds and mammals in the park in the morning and evening. One morning we will walk in the Panbari forest and adjacent tea plantation to find woodland birds. To watch the rare Bengal Florican we will use an elephant to find the bustard in the grassland. Indian Rhinoceros, Indian Elephant, Wild Water Buffalo, Swamp and Hog Deer can not be missed in the park. Hoolock Gibbon, Capped Langurs and Smooth Indian Otter are the other mammals of the park. There are good numbers of Tigers in the reserve but due to high grasses one generally needs a good amount of luck to come across one. We will look for Grey-headed Lapwing, Kaleej Pheasent, Swamp Francolin, Pied Harrier, Pallas’s Fish-Eagle, Banded Bay Cuckoo, Green-billed Malkoha, Lesser Coucal, Oriental Pied Hornbill, Lesser Necklaced Laughingthush, Chestnut-capped Babbler, Pale-chinned Flycatcher, Ruby-cheeked Sunbird, Green Magpie and more birds during three full days.
Night stay at a wildlife lodge at Kaziranga.
DAY 6: KAZIRANGA TO NAMERI
In the morning we will drive to Nameri National Park via Tezpur on the bank of the Brahmaputra river. There is a good possibility of adding a few more forest birds during our stay in Nameri including the rare White-winged Duck. After lunch we will explore the area around the camp and species we may encounter include Oriental Hobby, Red-breasted Parakeet, Greater Yellownape, Lineated and Blue-throated Barbets and Orange-bellied Leafbird.
Night stayat a wildlife tented camp.
DAY 7: NAMERI NATIONAL PARK
We will cross the Jia Bhareli river in a small boat in the morning and walk in the forest and woodland habitats. Our main target would be White-winged Duck. In the open areas of the park we will look for the threatened Pallas’s Fish-Eagle and widespread species like Oriental Honey-Buzzard, Crested Serpent Eagle, Common Kestrel and Peregrine Falcon. Nameri is a good place to look for raptor specialities like Oriental Hobby and Pied Falconet. Forest species we are likely to encounter include Red-breasted Parakeet, Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Greater Yellownape, Lineated and Blue-throated Barbets, Great Pied Hornbill, Lesser Coucal, Orange-bellied Leafbird, Maroon Oriole, Streaked Spiderhunter and Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker. There will also be variety of doves and pigeons - Barred Cuckoo-Dove, Oriental Turtle, Spotted and Emerald Doves, Wedge-tailed, Pin-tailed, Ashy-headed Green (split from Pompadour) and Green Imperial Pigeons. In mixed hunting parties we would see Black-winged Cuckooshrike, Pied Flycatcher-Shrike, Long-tailed and Scarlet Minivets, Large Woodshrike, White-throated Fantail, Common Iora, Sultan Tit, Yellow-browed, Greenish and Grey-hooded Warblers and Chestnut-bellied and Velvet-fronted Nuthatches. Other species that we should find include Himalayan Swiftlet, Asian Palm-Swift, Himalayan Black Bulbuls, Asian Fairy Bluebird and Ashy and Spangled Drongos. We will take a rafting trip on the river Jia Bhareli to look for the elegant Ibisbill and Great Thick-knee.
DAY 8 : DRIVE TO GUWAHATI
After morning birding around the campsite at Nameri, we will drive for 5 hours to catch our onward flight to home.
** This itinerary is indicative and the number of days can be modified.
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ACCOMMODATION
We will use a comfortable wildlife lodge at Kaziranga, permanent and comfortable wildlife tented accommodation at Nameri a
TRANSPORT
Domestic flights from Delhi to Guwahati and back to Delhi are easily available. We will use cars or jeeps and on the game-drives in Kaziranga, we will be in 4 x 4 jeeps. At Nameri we will use boat to cross the river. At Panbari, Nameri we will be walking.
CLIMATE
Kaziranga and Nameri are expected to be warm and moderately humid during mid-day. During jeep rides in the morning and evening, it is expected to be cool.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Kaziranga offers excellent opportunities of photographing big mammals. Nameri is a great places for bird photography, though the light conditions can vary depending on the weather.