Main Info
Manas National Tourism Park
Manas national tourism park is also known as Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, it is a UNESCO natural World Heritage Site, it is also a project Tiger reserve, an elephant, and biosphere reserve in Assam. It is not to be confused with the Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan, as they both share a common border. The park is located at the Himalayan foothills, it is the only tiger reserve in Assam, and is also known for its rare and endangered wildlife species such as the golden langur, and the red panda. Manas is one of the best kept parks in India, it has widely gained popularity for its rich blend and mixture of culture and also for its rich unique environment and nature endowed hills, alluvial grasslands and tropical evergreen vegetations.
It shelters India’s second-largest tiger population, and is famous population of wild water buffalos.
This park is home to majority of the species in india, this is also recorded in the IUCN Red Book, hence, the alternative name “Manas Wildlife Sanctuary”.
At the park also, if you want to ride on an Elephant, you only need to meet the forest officials. The Elephant ride is usually from Mathanguri to Manas and while cruising it is easy to spot rhinos and tigers, this all adds to the fun and excitement of the ride.
You can also see tea pickers during the tea season.
The time of the month filled with so much activity that you shouldn’t miss is from October up until the first week of December not forgetting mid- march.
Visit Manas National Park
The name Manas was derived from the Manas River that runs along the center of the national park. The river itself was giving the name from the serpent goddess Manasa. The river is a primary stream of the Brahmaputra River. Before it was given the title of a sanctuary on October 1st 1928, it was first an unpopular forest called Manas R.F and North Kamrup R.F visited by the Cooch Behar royal family and Raja of Gauripur often and used mainly for hunting. The park legally started functioning in 1990 after it was announced that UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. One village in the park that is in close proximity to many other villages is Agrang. The park is divided into two biomes, the grassland biome and the forest biome. The grassland biome houses native animals such as the pygmy hog, rhinoceros, Florian, and buffalos.
The forest biome on the other side of the park shelters animals like the capped langur, slow Loris, sambar, Malayan giant squirrel, great hornbill, and a host of many more animals.
One reason why the Manas National Park is widely known is because of the number of native species it houses. For instance, you can find about 55 types of mammals, 380 types of birds, 3 unique types of amphibians, 50 spectacular type of reptiles and several other native animals like elephants, rhinoceros, water buffaloes, tigers, leopards, Macaques, barking deer, and black panthers. Some very unique types of animals can be found too, like the roofed turtle,hispid hare, golden langur and pygmy hog. Most of all these species of animals listed above can only be found in Manas National Park and nowhere else. The park has an abundance of beautiful and rare flora and has a rich biodiversity. Beyond the bend of the Manas river lies the summer palace of the King of Bhutan, on the Bhutan side of Manas National Park.
As tourists visit the Manas National Park, hiring a boat is required to cross the river to the Bhutan side but before this is done, adequate permission must be taken from the officers, after which you can visit the Bhutan king’s palace, which is heavily secured by a watchman.
Activities at the Park
White water rafting is one of the major activities at the Manas river which creates the opportunity for a thrilling and exhilarating experience one will surely remember in a long time to come.
The Manas Maozigendric Eco-Tourism Camp
Natives of the Bodo tribe of Assam have a rich cultural heritage of native music, textile, and handloom, with the set up their very own eco-tourism society in the national park by the Bodo locals. They perform shows which showcases their traditional music and dance whenever they have tourists at the eco-tourist camp site. Tourists get to witness the local craftsmanship and see handlooms and textiles woven by Bodo women, and also get a chance to observe their lifestyle up close as they take walks through the villages. Occasionally, the natives offer to take tourists out on foot safaris, and even offer a night stay in the forest.
The Manas River Bank
Among the three other river systems in the region, the Manas River is the largest river in the entire Bhutan area.
It sits in-between the two countries at the Himalayan foothills, known to rest at the south of Bhutan and India.
The name originates from the Hindu deity the serpent goddess, Manasa. The total approximate length of the river is 367 kilometers.
The river flows through Bhutan to Assam to finally converge with the Brahmaputra river at Jogighopa. Adjoining the river on its sides are the two well known forest reserves, that is, the Manas Wildlife Sanctuary and the neighboring Royal Manas National Park. The Manas national park forest reserves focuses its attention on majorly elephants, biosphere and tiger reserve projects.
Bird Watching
Bird watching is one of the activities at the park.
To get a good view of the birds, the main bird watching spots in the park are on the east and northern side of the park at Kokilabari and at Alabari respectively. The national park creates an abode to the largest population of Florican birds in India, and also shelters about 500 different species of birds. Some of the popular birds which are the top picks for tourist sitting include the herons, serpent eagles, falcons, grey hornbills, mergansers, jungle fowls, bulbuls, harriers, ospreys, giant hornbills, magpie robins, pied hornbills, Brahminy ducks, scarlet minivets, bee-eaters, Kalij pheasants, egrets, pelicans and fishing Kokilabari and Alabari.
Local Foods and Restaurants in Manas National Park
There are a variety of local cuisines at the Manas national park, and meals can be gotten at the Manas Maozigendri eco-tourism camp. The common local meals contain a lot of rice and fresh vegetables. Other common ingredients include pork, chicken, and fish, as the Bodo natives are traditionally non-vegetarians. To top off the taste of the local cuisine, the favourite drink of the Bodos known as ‘Zu Mai’, a rice wine is a must try for tourists to complete the experience. Meals are also provided at the forests department guest house at affordable rates.
One Day Itinerary
Starting your day bright and early at 5:00am with an elephant ride, a 1-2 hours trip. After the thrilling elephant ride through the jungle, a stroll can be taken along the Manas river banks, taking in the beautiful scenery. Tourists can pay a visit to the Manas Maozigendri eco-tourism society for a traditional Bodo style meal with the locals, while also enjoying their native music and dance. Tourist can go river rafting after launch which will take about 2-3hours. To fully complete the experience, tourists can take the jungle safari to enjoy bird watching and fully bask in the sights of the wildlife. If you desire to see more of the park such as the Summer Palace and Panbang, spending more time in the jungle so you can sight more animals, a 2-3days trip is preferable which makes for ease since all areas around the park cannot be covered in a day.