Kaziranga Travel Guide: Safari Ranges, Seasons and Getting There

The park is seen through its four tourist ranges, each with its own range office and safari tracks. Outside the boundary, a waterfall, an archaeological site and tea gardens fill the hours between drives.

Kohora and Bagori, the central and western ranges

Kohora, the central range, is the park's main stop: the range office is here, and the state tourism department's lodges are nearby. Bagori, the western range (also spelt Baguri), is the other range with elephant safaris. The Forest Department describes the morning elephant rides as a close look at rhinos and swamp deer, and both ranges also have jeep tracks. Seats on the elephants are limited, so book them early.

Agoratoli and Burapahar

Agoratoli, the eastern range, and Burapahar, whose range office is at Ghorakati, are worked by jeep only, with no elephant rides. Adding one of them to Kohora and Bagori takes you into more of the park's mix of tall grass, shallow lakes and woodland. The park's own notices warn that a jeep circuit can be shortened or closed without notice when a range's roads or the weather are bad, so check with the range office before setting out.

Kakochang Waterfalls

Kakochang, known locally as Keipholangso, is a waterfall in the Karbi hills 13 km from Bokakhat and a short drive from the park. It is reached on foot, a walk of about 4 km from Naharjan village, and has a pool to swim in at the foot of the falls and views over the ruins at Numaligarh and the tea and rubber plantations below. Go between October and March, and take a towel and dry clothes if you plan to swim.

Deopahar at Numaligarh

Deopahar, "the hill of the god", is an archaeological site at Numaligarh where the remains of Shiva temples, sculpture and carved stone lie spread over about 135 hectares. It is a protected archaeological park with a site museum, run by Assam's Directorate of Archaeology. On Deoparvat hill above it stands an ancient stone temple that was either never finished or brought down, possibly by the earthquake of 1897. It pairs well with Kakochang for an afternoon off the safari tracks.

Tea gardens around the park

There are tea estates close to the park, with sprawling plantations around Kakochang and the Numaligarh ruins. A garden visit shows how tea is grown and manufactured, with a cup to taste, and fits the gap between a morning and an afternoon drive. Ask your lodge which estates nearby receive visitors on the day you want to go.

Safaris are the reason to come. Jeep safaris run in all four ranges and elephant safaris in Kohora and Bagori. Assam Tourism's website links to an online booking portal for both, and says jeep safaris need no advance reservation. Our private Kaziranga rhino safari adds a naturalist guide, a vehicle and driver, and the permit for your booked range and slot, with a morning and an afternoon drive, each within one range. Its page is plain about what to expect: a strong chance of rhinos, wild buffalo and elephants, and a tiger only as a bonus, though tigers do live here. All our trips here are on the Kaziranga tours and experiences page, and the safaris are also listed under wildlife safaris in Kaziranga.

Birdwatchers should bring binoculars: the Forest Department has recorded 480 bird species in the park. Away from the tracks, there are boat trips at Bhomoraguri on the Brahmaputra to look for Ganges river dolphins, treks in the Karbi hills with Karbi food, cycling tours in and around the park, and visits to nearby villages. If tigers are your priority, compare the reserves in our guide to India's tiger parks.

Come between November and April, the season the Assam Forest Department gives for the park; the state tourism board rates late February to early April as the best weeks for sightings. The park closes to visitors through the monsoon, when the Brahmaputra floods its grasslands, and safaris resume once the water has gone down, usually in October or November; the dates are announced each season.

Winter mornings are cool and often foggy. IMD's January averages at Guwahati and Dibrugarh, the stations either side of the park, are about 23–24°C by day and 10–11°C at night, so bring a warm layer for an open jeep at dawn. Winter is also when migratory ducks and geese arrive on the wetlands. Most of the valley's rain falls from June to September, about two-thirds of the yearly total at both stations.