KAZIRANGA-Call of the WILD!!
The northeastern part of India boasts of virgin mesmerizing landscapes that is yet to be fully explored by many travelers. Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya boasts of a wide range of innumerable natural treasures.
Of them, Assam is also the home of India's rarest wild animals and birds which one can explore in the famous Kaziranga National Park (for birds and wild animals) and Manas sanctuary which is the home for a wide variety of birds.
We visited the Kaziranga National Park in the month of January to experience in short 'the call of the wild'. To reach the Kaziranga National Park we boarded a short flight from Kolkata (the largest city in the eastern part of the country) to Guwahati the starting point for most of the northeastern travel in the country. Kaziranga National Park is an eight hours drive from Guwahati. The journey is fantastic through picturesque hilly roads along with the lovely villages of Assam and small forests on way to Kaziranga. Traveling all day we finally reached the national park at 9 pm. The jungle safari timings are from 7 am to 11 am and again from 2 pm to 5 pm. We stayed at a jungle resort situated at a distance of around 10 minutes from the main starting safari point of the National park.
The next day we embarked on our first safari in an open jeep along with our guide and a driver at 6.30 am in the morning. The short journey from the resort till the national park was very pleasant and the fresh smell of nature uplifted our moods. The Kaziranga National Park covers an area of 440 square kms and has 16 gates. The park is world-famous for her inhabitants like deers, one-horned Indian rhinoceros, wild elephants, water buffalo, and the Royal Bengal Tiger. Kaziranga is also home to about 200 varieties of birds like the Indian Roller, Jungle Fowl, Fishtail eagle, Whitetail eagle, the Kingfisher, Pelicans, Indian owl, and also migratory birds like the Siberian Cranes, etc. Such a breathtaking variety of wildlife. My excitement to meet them was growing every minute.
As we entered through the gate the never-ending stretch of grassy landscape welcomed us and heightened our excitement as we drove along the narrow roads heading further into the forest. Just after the sunrise, the whole forest was under a veil of fog that added to the mystery and serenity of the place. What a calm weather!!! A cool breeze was blowing and we were slowly getting immersed in the quietness of the forest. Suddenly a herd of deer crossed our path. Wow!!! Their graceful movement simply blew my mind away and it was as if they have not seen us at all. They just ran past our Jeep and gave us the most memorable welcome that we could ever imagine in the forest. Our naturalist was constantly helping us to spot birds or species that came on our way and next we spotted an Indian owl duo at one of the branches of a big banyan tree. They looked amazingly cute together. We continued with our drive along the yellow earthen jungle path for few kilometers with our eyes constantly searching to spot any wild animal. Next, we saw few Rhinoceros at a distance taking their morning bath at a shallow water body. My first Rhino experience and I could not resist myself clicking a few pictures of them. Experiencing the wild first hand is an amazing feeling. I looked up and saw the beautiful line of trees that were giving us shade from the sun along our pathway. The jungle road had a tremendous appeal with unexpected visitors at the next turn. I realized why people fall in love with the serene ambiance of the place. This was my first visit to any jungle and right on the first hour, I was already a confirmed member of the Jungle lovers club. We also encountered many species of birds along our drive like the India Rollins, Pelicans, Wild duck, Jungle fowl, etc. So beautiful! Wow! I consider myself lucky to meet so many of them. Returning from the safari around the afternoon a delicious lunch was awaiting us. Pure bliss and ultimate relaxation at the lap of mother nature.
The afternoon safari and the second day went more or less the same and we could only spot many more deers, elephants, and the rhinos. But no luck till now with the tiger. Our safari would be incomplete without meeting him. It's a long-cherished wish to see the wild cat in his own habitat. As per our naturalist, our timing was not fully perfect for the tiger spotting as during the winter the grass length of the forest remains in full form and hence spotting the tiger among that was difficult and matter of sheer luck. Mostly the tigers remain hidden among the wilderness. So we just hoped that our luck favoured us.
On the third and last day of our safari, we entered via the central gate of the park. Our naturalist got a message from his sources that there was a possibility of getting a glimpse of the tiger from the western watchtower in the central forest range. We were hoping that the possibility becomes a reality! Reaching the tower we quietly went to the viewpoint. A few minutes passed in utter silence except once in a while chirping of a bird. Our hearts were beating fast.. And then from among the thick forest came out the most awaited resident of the forest. The great Royal Bengal Tiger! Eureka!!! At last, we had the perfect meeting with the VIP of the region. What a beauty ...No wonder the name 'Royal Bengal'. The confident and graceful presence of the tiger kept us in awe. The tiger came to the nearby pond to drink water, we were informed. We literally forgot to click any picture and continued watching the tiger mesmerized by the grandeur of his beauty lines. The tiger was there displaying his stature for about ten minutes before vanishing again amidst the grasslands. What a lovely and thrilling experience it was, couldn't thank our luck more. It was the last day of our safari and we saw the tiger!! On that day we also witnessed the sight of an injured water buffalo which our naturalist said was injured after being attacked by the tiger.
Kaziranga undoubtedly is one of those places which will always have a special place in our heart. What a cherishing experience it was. For all nature lovers, it’s a must-visit place. With a heavy heart, we left for Shillong the next day in the morning with a promise to come back again in future.
