Kaziranga National Park To Reopen For Tourists From October 15 With New Rules, Timings For Jeep Safaris

The Kaziranga National Park administration plans to introduce an online booking system for jeep safaris apart from new activities in the park.

One-horned rhinos inside the Kaziranga National Park in Nagaon district of Assam

The Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve in Assam will reopen for tourists for the 2023-24 season from Sunday (October 15). Field director of Kaziranga National Park Sonali Ghosh said the park would be declared open for tourists in the presence of the state Environment and Forest Minister along with a host of other ministers and dignitaries.

Several new activities will be included this time and the timing for jeep safaris will start from 7 am. The administration also plans to introduce an online booking system for jeep safaris.

"We will introduce new activities in the park this time, including cycling in the nearby villages. The women's self-help groups will also install souvenir shops where they will exhibit and sell their traditional products," Ghosh said. 

"This time, the jeep safaris will start from 7 am. We are also planning to introduce an online booking system for jeep safaris so that the tourists can make their bookings in advance and do not have to wait for manual booking," Ghosh further said.  

However, elephant safaris will commence from November 1. "We want the tourists to stay here for at least three days so that they can explore everything, including sightings of river dolphins and birds, boat rides, waterfall and archaeological sites in the nearby Karbi Anglong hills," she said. 

The park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, remains closed for tourists from May till mid-October every year due to rainfall, which makes the road inside the park unmotorable for jeep safaris. Elephant safaris also become difficult due to the muddy conditions of the grasslands.  

The Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, famous for the "Big Five" animal species -- one-horned rhinoceros, Royal Bengal Tiger, Asian Elephant, Asiatic Wild Buffalo and the Eastern Swamp Deer -- is one of the most favourite destinations in India for both the domestic and foreign tourists.

According to the last rhino census conducted in March 2022, the park, spread across three districts of Assam -- Nagaon, Golaghat and Sonitpur, boasts of an estimated 2,613 one-horned rhinoceros, which is the highest in the world. The park also has the highest density of Royal Bengal Tigers in India.