Manas National Park was established as a national park in 1973. This Picturesque park is nestled near the foothills of the Kamrup district in the state of Assam and famous for its majestic tigers and Golden Leaf moneky. Named after Manas river, which separates bhutan from India, the manas national park has dense deciduous forests spread over an area of 2840 sq km which provide a sanctuary to twenty highly endangered species of birds and animals, including the hispid hare, pygmy hog and the red panda which can be seen occasionally at higher altitudes. The sanctuary is situated in both India and Bhutan, the two parks, both named Manas, being contiguous. The National park has also been declared a biosphere reserve along with being a world natural heritage site. It is one of the 19 parks under the watchful eye of the Project Tiger.
A visit here feels a true outing into the lap of nature due to it's distance from any kind of proper civilization. It is located at around 40km from the first hint of civilization at Barpeta. The park actually continues across the international border into Bhutan, where it is known as the Royal Manas National Park. Birds which can be seen here are the giant hornbills, both pied and gray varieties, pheasants, jungle fowl, scarlet minivet, partridge, florican, and a variety of water birds like the brahminy ducks, mergansers and a range of egrets, herons and pelican. Visitors to the park especially mention the stunning sight of large numbers of hornbills flying over the Manas river early mornings and evenings.
Best Season :
The best time to visit this sanctuary is from November to April, with the best period being January to April.
Access :
The nearest airport is Guwahati, a distance of 176 km and about 6 hours away while the nearest railway station is Barpeta Road, about 40 km from the park.
The headquarters of the manas national aprk are located at Barpeta road and the necessary clearances and permits should all be arranged from here before venturing further to the park.
The nearest town to the park is Barpeta Road (41km)
The nearest Railway Station to the park is located at Guwahati (186km)
The nearest Airport to the park is also located at Guwahati, which is a 3 hour drive or train journey from the park.
The best time to visit the park is between November and February. A majority of the year, the climatic conditions are not really suitable for visits due to the excessively heavy rainfall.
