Kaziranga national park - A family travelers guide!!

If you're into wildlife or a parent searching for a fun trip with the kids, you’ve got to check out Kaziranga National Park in Assam. It was part of our awesome 10-day vacation through Assam and Meghalaya, and honestly, Kaziranga was just incredible.

Home to 70% of the world's population of one horned Rhinos, your chances of spotting one here are almost certain. A Unesco world heritage site this national park does everything right to protect its ecosystem and is probably one of the prettiest looking national parks in the country.

Home to Royal Bengal tigers, Swamp deers, wild water buffallows and a host of other animals and birds this park is split into 4 different zones. The bhagori western range, the Kohora central range, The Agratoli eastern range and the Bhurapahar range. While the western and the central ranges are the most popular with tourists and gives you higher chances of sighting a Rhino or a tiger, the eastern and the Bhurapahar range are more quiter and are frequented by bird enthusiasts.

THE TYPES OF SAFARIS:

You’ve got two main safari options to pick from, or you can try both: the jeep safari and the elephant safari. The jeep safari runs twice a day, in the mornings and afternoons, and lasts about 2 to 3 hours. You’ll have a naturalist and a driver with you, and I’d say this is your best bet for spotting animals and getting great info and tips from the naturalist. The jeep makes several stops, giving you plenty of chances to check out and snap photos of the local plants and animals. The naturalist also doubles as a guide and can take awesome animal photos for you, so if you're not confident with your photography skills, just hand over your phone or camera to them!

The elephant safari is definitely worth checking out. I know it might sound controversial, but hear me out. You can do your own research and decide for yourself if it seems ethical to you. If it does, then go for it. I might not go on an elephant safari again once Dhriti is older, but I have to admit she had an amazing time, even though we had to wake up at 4 am. While the jeep safari takes you along the roads winding through the jungle, the elephants follow a different path and give you a unique perspective. We spotted some adorable moments between mom and baby rhinos during the elephant safari and captured some amazing shots of the sunrise. Riding on the elephant as it swayed through the jungle, with other elephants walking in front and behind us, munching on leaves and grass, and getting kissed by the first rays of the sun, was an incredible sight.

Trust me pictures can just not do justice to what we witnessed during the elephant safari!! and so adding as many as possible here, scroll along to see the magic that was the elephant safari in Kaziranga national park on a clear winter morning!!

BEST TIME TO VISIT:

The best time to check out Kaziranga is between November and May! Winters can get pretty chilly, dropping to around 5°C, while summers can be scorching, hitting up to 40°C. Although summer gives you a good shot at spotting tigers as they come out searching for water, winter has its own charm with the sun's rays beautifully piercing through the mist and fog. We visited in December and heard that tigers were seen the day we arrived, but, as usual with our safaris, we weren't lucky enough to see one ourselves.

The Kaziranga national park is also shut every monsoon between july to october as the rains here can be pretty brutal and make it literally impossible to travel or even spot evening even a few feet from you.

HOW TO GET THERE:

If you are from outside the north east of India then the nearest airport to Kaziranga would be the Guwahati airport which is about 220 kms away. Private cabs and taxis are easily bookable for a few thousand rupees but if you are on a budget there are also plenty of buses which ply between Guwahati and Kaziranga daily.

Again for those arriving by train from outside the north east the closed railhead would be the Guwahati railway station and from here too buses, shared cabs and private cabs are easily available to reach kaziranga.

WHERE TO STAY

While there are host of hotels right from budget homestays and dormitories available on a budget, I would recommend quite a few resorts that are available in 3 and 4* categories around the resort for the familes, sharing the names of a few decent resorts we found in booking.com. we did not visit all of them we stayed at the iora resort which was a safe and beautiful resort with all the necessary amenities and great food

1. The nature hunt eco camp

2. Kodom bari retreat

3. Iora retreat

It's also recommended to book your full arrangement through a tour operator so that the right stays along with the safari tickets are booked in time without any hassle to you.

WINTER PACKING ESSENTIALS:

Are you from a tropical place planning to explore Kaziranga on winter? dont miss these essentials in your bag!! while the maximum in kaziranga during the day could touch 15 degree celcius, the minimum during the nights could go down to single digits and all the greenery and forest around adds to the chill during the nights

1. Ensure that the hotel/ resort you book provides a heater in the room.

2. pack your layers, while thermals may not be necessary, for people from a tropical place we would need atleast 2 to 3 layers on top of the warmest and thickest outfit you have

3. socks and gloves, ensure you pack enough wollen socks and gloves to keep your feet and hands and therby yourslevs completely warm

4. moisturizer is an absolute must as your skin begins to crack in the cold there.

5. A good moisturizing lip balm is also needed for the lips get chapped so easliy

6. when within the national park doing a safari I would always recommend you were earthy colors, so you are camoflaged with the environment around, also dont underestimate the amount of dust and sand that the air and passing vehicles can kick up which can make your light and pastel shaded dresses absolutely brown, also ensure you have a Scarf to cover your hair and mouth and a hat which saves your hair from getting ruined from all the dust.