Tuesday, December 15, 2020
Elephants and jeeps are no longer the only types of regulated transport to see the rhino in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, known as the best-conserved home of the one-horned animal.
The park can now be explored by boats while bicycle tracks are being finalized. One can go trekking as well.
However, the new activities are beyond the 1,302-sq. km Kaziranga’s core area of 482 sq. km.
“Our priority is conservation with some amount of commercialisation. At the same time, we want domination of the areas added to the tiger serve and better monitoring by way of utilising the fringe areas for tourists,” said Kaziranga Field Director P. Sivakumar.
In November, the park authorities started a boat safari at Bhomoraguri after adding up of 3,053 hectares to the park. The opening of the Bhomoraguri wildlife beat office under the Nagaon Wildlife Division of Kaziranga made this feasible.
Bhomoraguri is about 30 kms from Kaziranga’s westernmost range Burapahar.
A couple of vacant buildings constructed in the 1980s for work on the Kalia Bhomora bridge across river Brahmaputra to the west of the boating point were transformed as the beat office. The park authorities also refurbished an abandoned ferry for visitor use as a selfie point.
“We are using speedboats and country boats to involve locals in eco-tourism. There are three boating routes covering 5-12 km, the longest being the 44.06-sq. km Burachapori Wildlife Sanctuary to the west of Kaziranga.
But most tourists prefer the areas near the bridge where river dolphins can be sighted,” said Mr. Sivakumar.
Tags: Kaziranga National Park
Monday, January 1, 2024
