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Nameri National Park
Location: Sonitpur district, Assam
Area: 212 sq. km.
Major Wildlife Attractions: Hornbill
Best time to visit: November to March
Places to Stay: Eco Camp, Assam Tourist Lodge
About Nameri National Park
The Nameri National Park is situated
in the Sonitpur district of Assam, about 35 km from Tezpur. The area
was set up as a sanctuary in 1985 with an area of 137 sq. km. Later in
1998, another 75 sq. km were added to the total area and it was
accorded the status of a national park.
The park stretches along the banks of the beautiful Himalayan river,
Jia Bhoroli, which was once known for its thriving population of the
golden Mahseer. The park has lost much of its charm owing to
negligence and other reasons, but the eastern bank of the Jia Bhoroli
still has patches of natural forest that provide habitat to the myriad
variety of fauna, both animals and birds.
There are no motorable roads so you will have to hire a boat to get
across the river, from where a hike through the forest will reveal
amazing beauty and other wild secrets of the area. It is advisable to
reach the park early as boats may not be available at noon.
Wildlife Attractions in
Nameri National Park
The floral wealth of the park is extremely diverse and a significant
part of its ecosystem. Some of the commonly found tree species include
Bombax ceiba, Dalbergia sisoo, Sterculia villosa, Trewia nudiflora,
Zizypphus jujuba, Litsaea polyantha, etc. Among the non aquatic
grassland species the prominent are Phragmites karka, Arundo donax,
Imperata cylindrical and Saccarum.
Nameri provides refuge to a number of rare animal and bird species,
prominent among those are Tiger, Black bear, elephant, Leopard,
Clouded Leopard, Indian Bison, Pangolin, Indian wild dog, deer, Civet
Cat, Capped Langur and Jackals.
Various species of avifauna found here include white winged wood
duck, four species of Hornbill, butterflies and reptiles.
Best Time to Visit Nameri National Park
The ideal time to visit the Nameri National Park is between the
months of November to March.
How to Get there
Air: Tezpur is the nearest airport. Indian Airlines connects
Tezpur to Kolkata (Dep. 11:30, Thu, Sat)
Rail: Rangapara is the nearest railhead, about 21 km from the
park, while it will be a good option to travel to some of the nearer
cities and then take a connecting train to Rangapara from there.
Road: Regular buses connect the place to Tezpur, which is also
connected to other major cities of Assam. Buses plying between
Guwahati and Itanagar can be boarded to reach Baliapara, just 20 km
from Nameri. Cars can also be hired from Guwahati, which are generally
available for Rs. 1200/day plus fuel. |
