Nature Tourism in Assam is mainly covered with forests, rubber plantations, and the mighty Brahmaputa River. Manas Tiger Reserve is a World Heritage Site. It lies 80 kilometres west of Guwahati off the NH-31 on the border with Bhutan. Reopened in 2001, the park was closed for many years because insurgency. It is worth a visit for its varied natural beauty with water buffalo grazing on expansive stretches of sand and Sal tree forests flanking the Manas River. The park is also home to 400 species of birds, capped and golden langurs, and swamp and hog deer. While entering this wildlife park the tourists may have to pay a little extra if they are carrying cameras.
Nameri National Park is located 35 km north of Tezpur and is only reachable by taxi. The 200-square-kilometre park flanks the River Bharali and is a lovely, quiet place for fishing, rafting, bird-watching or guided walks in safe areas of the park. There are over 300 species of birds here, including the rare white-winged wood duck, as well as fish eagles and hornbills. You may also see deer, but the park`s larger wildlife - tigers, elephants and bison - are rarely sighted. Guides can be arranged at the park entrance, while fishing and walking can be arranged via the Eco Camp. The best season to visit the park is from November to March.
Kaziranga National Park is a World Heritage Site covering an area of 430 square kilometers on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra. The magnificent park lies 217 km east of Guwahati and occupies the vast valley floor against a backdrop of the Karbi Anglong hills. Its rivulets, shallow lakes and the semi-evergreen forested highlands blend into marshes and flood plains covered with tall elephant grass. A visit here, especially in the early morning, is an exhilarating experience and visitors will likely see elephants, deer, wild buffalo and the park`s famous one-horned rhino - numbering around 1500. Though its estimated 80 tigers are very elusive, driving through the park`s landscape of open savannah grassland interspersed with dense jungle is a wonderful experience. The abundant birdlife includes egrets, herons, storks, fish eagles, kingfishers and a grey pelican colony.
The rhinoceros is best seen from the back of an elephant. They seem oblivious to camera-clicking tourists, although like the unpredictable wild buffalo, they`re equipped with lethal horns and are potentially ferocious. Jeeps will take you deeper into the forest than elephants but they cannot get nearly as close to the rhinos.
Kaziranga Park is open from November to early April. During the monsoons (June-September), the Brahmaputra bursts its banks, flooding the low-lying grasslands and causing animals to move to higher ground within the park.
About 60 km north of Dibrugarh lies the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park that is rich in birdlife and popular for its wild horses.
