Manas Wildlife Sanctuary near Guwahati

Travel to India > Guwahati > Manas Wildlife Sanctuary near Guwahati

Location: It is 180 k.m away from Guwahati, Assam.

Why it is Famous :

Manas Wildlife Sanctuary is an abode to a great variety of wild animals. The Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, a Project Tiger reserve, lies among the foothills of the Bhutan Himalayas, in the far eastern state of Assam. Standing on a gentle slope in the foothills of the Himalayas, the Manas Wildlife Sanctuary is a home of many endangered species. The Manas River flows through the western part of the park, where it splits into three separate rivers, and joins the Brahmaputra some 64km further south. Initially known as North Kamrup, Manas was given the status of a wildlife sanctuary way back in 1928 and in 1985 and was also declared a `World Heritage in Danger' site. The Major attractions here are - tigers, elephants, rhinos and golden langur.

Type of weather:

The climate is warm and humid (up to 76% relative humidity) with most rain falling during the monsoon season (May-September). The mean maximum summer temperature is 37 deg.C and the mean minimum winter temperature is 11 deg.C. Mean annual rainfall ranges from 3332mm at Batabari to 4489mm at Kachugaon.

Total Area : 2,837 sq km.

The Fauna:

Manas is one of the best kept parks in Assam India. This is the only tiger reserve in Assam. Manas is home to India's second-largest tiger population, and you may often have an encounter with tigers as you ride through the park. Some of the other animals sighted while exploring the park are elephants, rhinos, swamp, golden langurs, deer, capped langurs, Assamese macaques, gibbons, smooth Indian otters, sloth bears, barking deer, hog deer, sambar and chitah.

The animal population of Manas National Park Assam is very diverse in nature. Some of the more potentially aggressive creatures apart from tigers confined in Manas are elephants, rhinos, wild buffaloes, leopards, clouded leopards and the incredibly beautiful and rare black Panthers. Manas is the most loved dwelling for more than 450 species of birds.

Mode of Visit : Air, Rail or Road.

Best time to visit : October to April

Nearest Town : Barpeta (40 km).

How to reach Manas

It is 150 k.ms away from Guwahati. Guwahati has a good public transport system. Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport at Borjhar is about 20 km west of the city center, where air connectivity has improved considerably in the last couple of years and all major domestic airlines fly into Guwahati

Manas can be reached by railways too. The nearest rail-station is Barpeta, which is well connected from Guwahati and other major places like Delhi, Kolkota. Major trains serving Guwahati like Guwahati Rajdhani Express, Saraighat Express, North-East Express etc all come via Barpeta.

Manas is very well connected with adjoining regions via bus services. A government agency - ASTC (Assam State Transport Corporation) and many private operators provide a considerably good city-bus system. Two nodal points, Adabari and Paltan Bazaar, provide bus services to some of the neighbouring areas of Manas. From there, vehicles are available to go to Manas.

Kolkata International Airport: At Kolkata (1182 km) from Guwahati.

Guwahati Internatonal Airport: Guwhat176 kms.

Railhead : Barpeta 40 kms

Road : The road head closest to Manas is the town of Barpeta Road, which is at a distance of 41 km from the park.

Inside Manas, there are few options to observe the wildlife in their natural habitat. The ride on elephant is both exciting and beautiful. At Manas one can also venture by a boat on the Manas and Hakua rivers. But, Elephant ride is the best bet for seeing wildlife here. The park boasts of small meadows located among densely forested foothills with many rivulets, streams and natural drains flowing all around. The sanctuary is occupied by both resident and migratory bird species.



To Stay there:

There are two lodges maintained and run by the tourism department that provide good and comfortable stay near the sanctuary. One lodge is located at Barpeta Road and other is at Bansbari. The state department has two bungalows at Mathanguri inside the forest. Regarding food, the tourists need to bring their own food-stuff but there are cooks in the bungalows.