Located
on the foothills of the Himalayas, in Kamrup-Golapara district, that lies
south east of river Manas along the Assam- Bhutan border. Earlier known as
North Kamrup, the Manas National Park spans over an area of 391 sq km. The
national park was declared a sanctuary on December 01, 1928. Established in
1973 as the core of the Manas Tiger Reserve, the reserve was later turned
into a National Park status on September 7, 1990. Manas got listed in World
Heritage Site in 1985 for its rare wealth of endangered species.
Location of Manas National Park :
Manas stretches over the national boundary to Bhutan where it is known as
the Royal Manas Park. The nearest airport is Guwahati, a distance of 176 km
and about 6 hours away while the nearest railway station is Barpeta Road,
about 40 km from the park.
Wildlife at Manas National Park :
The national park houses 20 of the most endangered species of animals that
include the rare golden langur, hispid hare, pygmy hog, red pandas etc. The
major attraction of the park is the Giant hornbill, two subspecies of which,
the pied and grey varieties are found here. The park is rich in mammals and
birds, which includes elephants, tiger, panther, leopard, clouded leopard,
gaur, wild-buffalo, great one horned rhinoceros, rare golden langur,
capped-langur, civet cat, squirrel, sloth beat, sambar, swamp deer, hog
deer, otter, monitor lizard, gharial, python, great hornbill, florican
cormorants, ergets and many other species of migratory and predatory birds.
Greenery
at Manas Wildlife Sanctuary :
The forests is majorly occupied by tropical moist deciduous forest that are
divided by swamps. The Vegetation ranges from Khairsissoo-bhabhar grass
community to semi evergreens. There are intermediate stages of
succession-deciduous forests, swampy reed lands and Sal forests. The simul,
khoir, udal, sida, bohera and kanchan are the common trees in and around the
park.
Safari at Manas National Park :
There are different ways one can explore the great national park. There are
rides on boats, jeeps and elephants available. Elephant ride is the best to
see the animals from close range rather than the boat rides. You van pot for
3 hour elephant ride that starts from Mothanguri. In order to view more
animals, one can move along the Manas river where you can spot many water
birds like mergansers, brahminy ducks, a range of egrets etc and otters can
be commonly seen in the river.
