Chronologically this trip should be featured along with my Arunachal pradesh post .We were driving back from Tawang to Tezpur and went to kaziranga for a few days before returning home . And the highlight of the trip is the early morning safari on an elephant back
Now that , I call is an experience . Its dark and misty . If you are sleepy, you can easily mistake a tree for an elephant or a rhino . We are a motley crowd of wild life enthusiasts across the country who dont know each other and make polite conversation in the early hours , waiting for the elephants . A herd soon gathers including a couple of calves who totter beside their mothers and insist on meeting the rhinos
We mount the elephants and we are now almost as tall as the grass ...is that why they are called elephant grass ? I wouldnt know ..The tall dry grass - some of them have been burnt are tickling us as we cut through them . Its still dark and the expedition is almost surreal like ..The silence is mesmerising except for the rustle of the grass and then , there is a hush ...
A rhino stares at the elephant and poses for the camera. I alternated between the handy cam and the camera when suddenly there is chaos. The rhino charges at the elephant which in turn strikes back with a trumpet almost throwing all of us down; but for the mahout who holds on to the elephant..another rustle and its all over in a jiffy and the expedition continues ..We saw more rhinos , these well behaved and a few birds and bisons before returning .
Located on the banks of the river Brahmaputra , Kaziranga is home to the one horned Indian rhino .Over a 1000 live in this sanctuary along with elephants, bisons and some wonderful species of birds .Stretching over 400 sq feet of area, the sanctuary is divided into three zones and you can spend your entire day travelling from one to another and going on safaris .
For bird watchers , this place is awesome... Im quite a novice in this space and often had to look at Dr Salim Ali's guilde to understand the species ...from the pallas fishing eagle to the brahminy kite , to turle doves to migratory water birds, we were in for a treat
We went in the evening again on a jeep safari and chanced upon some more rhinos grazing .Its surprising that these burly fellows are vegetarians and they look as mild as sheep , except when they chance upon some elephants .
I didnt have enough of kaziranga and in my next trip, I planned to go to Manas as well ..maybe I will have some better pictures in my gallery then and will learn more about birds as well .
Getting there
Kaziranga is in Assam and Jorhat is one the closest points (84 kms) if you are travelling by rail . My suggestion would be to get to Guwahati and drive down from there . The distance will be about 217 kms . The main gate is at Kohara and there are several resorts around the place.My suggestion would be Bon habi Resort though Wild Grass resport is one of the oldest around there ...there are several others which may suit your budget as well .
Best time to visit
November to March . During the monsoons the Brahmaputra floods the entire sanctuary and all animals are forced to move within .
June is the time of the year when 'jazz on the beach' occurs at the annual Hua Hin Jazz Festival. The popular event attracts world class jazz musicians from Thailand and all over the world, including performers like Lazaro Valdes from Cuba and Bill Bruford from the UK. Stages are set up right on the beach and performances take place each evening.