Most famous National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries of Northeast India

Northeast India still comes in the list of unexplored regions of India. Although it has some of the most mesmerizing scenic beauty in southern Asia. Sandwiched between the Himalayan range in the north, Bangladesh in the south and Myanmar in the east, the seven sisters of India is a vast ecosystem of a variety of flora and fauna. This terrain is home to millions of species of birds and animals. If you are a wildlife enthusiast and are fascinated by them, then here is a list of safe havens for wildlife from this part of the country.

• Manas National Park, Assam

Asian Elephants (ImageSource)

Manas National Park is home to some rare and endangered species like the Assam Roofed Turtle, Golden Langur, Indian Rhinoceros, Tigers, etc which is spread across an extensive area of 950 sq. kilometres. It lies on Chirang, Udalguri, Darrang and Kokrajhar districts of Assam. It has been given the title of Natural World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Manas is a Project Tiger reserve with the second-largest tiger population in India, Elephant reserve and a biosphere reserve in Assam.

Royal Bengal Tiger (ImageSource)

Giant Squirrel (ImageSource)

The National Park boasts of 380 types of birds, 55 species of mammals, 50 kinds of reptiles and 3 types of amphibians. It is divided into two habitats, the grasslands and the forest. Wild Asian Buffalo, Pygmy Hog, Indian Rhinoceros live in the grasslands, while Capped Langur, Sambar, Great Hornbill, Giant Squirrel and others live in the forest biome. The Manas National Park gets its name from the Manas river which flows through it and is a major tributary of Brahmaputra.

• Kaziranga National Park, Assam

One-horned Rhinoceros (ImageSource)

The national pride of India and home to 66% of the endangered One-horned Rhinoceros, Kaziranga is a famous UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site. It was created in 1904 and declared a Forest Reserve in 1908, later it was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1950 and finally a World Heritage Site in 1985. Spread across 430 sq. kilometres, it lies in Nagaon and Golaghat districts of Assam. It is marked as an important area by Birdlife International Society as it is home to many species of migrating birds and boasts the highest number of tigers worldwide after being declared as a tiger reserve in 2006. 

Swamp deers (ImageSource)

Golden Langur (ImageSource)

The park is crisscrossed by four major rivers Brahmaputra, Diphlu, Mora Diphlu and Mora Dhansiri which led to the creation of different types of forests such as Tropical Semi-Evergreen forest, Deciduous forest, Alluvial grasslands and Alluvial woodlands. Other than the One-Horned Rhinoceros and Tigers, Kaziranga is home to a population of Wild Elephants, Wild Boar, Sambar, Eastern Swamp Deer, Jungle Cat, Leopard Cat, Mongoose, Sloth Bear, Golden Jackal and Golden Langur are some of the animals. King cobra, Russel's viper, reticulated Python and Monitor Lizard are some of the reptiles. Indian vultures, Slender-billed Vultures and Bengal Florican are some of the birds which are nearly extinct while the more common species are the Blabbers, Hornbills and Weavers. The park also has around fifteen species of turtles.

• Namdapha National Park, Arunachal Pradesh

Red Panda (ImageSource)

 Located at an elevation of 200 to 4500 metres, Namdapha spans over an area of 1985 sq. kilometres. It is the largest national park in Northeast India and one of the largest ecosystems for wildlife in Asia. A major river crosses the park from east to west, called the Nao Dihing river. Several tribes like the Singpho, Tangsa and Lisu live here and practice cultivation. Dark evergreen forest is common in the low lands, Temperate, Subtropical Forests, Subalpine Meadows and Bamboo Forests can also be found there.

Hornbill (ImageSource)

Clouded Leopard (ImageSource)

Due to the huge ecosystem that lies in this national park, one can find over 100 species of mammals which includes 4 species of cats, leopards, snow leopards, clouded leopards and tigers, other mammals include the Spotted Linsang and Hoolock Gibbon. The more common species that can be spotted easily are Musk Deers, Mongoose, Wild Boars, Red Pandas, Goral and Red giant flying Squirrels. Some rare species of birds can also be found like the White Heron, Snowy Blabber and Hornbills. Other birds like Kingfishers, Woodpeckers, Eagles and Owls are seen quite often.

• Keibul Lamjao National Park, Manipur

Keibul Lamjao, the only floating park in the world (ImageSource)

Located amidst the Loktak lake in Bishnipur district of Manipur, what makes it stick out of the ordinary is that Keibul Lamjao is the only floating park in the world, which makes this park one of a kind. It covers a very small area of just 40 sq. kilometres and his home to several tribes like the Thang, Brel and Maril. The terrain comprises wetlands, swamps, semi-evergreen forests and marine.

Brow-antlered Deer (ImageSource)

Blue-winged Teal (ImageSource)

Different species of reptiles like Pythons, Rat Snake, Blue-Crested Lizard, Viper, Wild Boar, different types of Cats and Deers and Flying Foxes are spotted. The park is home to the endangered Brow-antlered Deers. The Kingfishers, Skylark, Black Kite, Blue-winged Teal, Ruddy shell Duck and cranes are significant attractions for the bird watchers.

• Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam

Dihing river at Dehing Patkai (ImageSource)

Spread over an area of 111 sq. kilometres over the Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts of Assam, Dehing Patkai is a part of the tropical evergreen forest that consists of Dirok rainforest, Jeyore and upper Dihing river which stretches over 575 sq. kilometres across Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and Charaideo districts. A part of the forest was declared a wildlife sanctuary on 13th June 2004 which is a part of the Dehing-Patkai elephant reserve called Dibru-Deomali.

Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve (ImageSource)

Dehing Patkai is a four-layered rainforest and hence abundant biodiversity can be found here. It is home to 30 types of butterflies, 47 types of reptiles and 47 types of mammals. As many as 293 species of bird can be found in this forest any time of the year. Some common birds found in the area include Marsh Babbler, Spotted Eagle, Yellow-vented Warbler, White-winged Duck, Osprey, Grey Peacock and Hill Myna. Apart from the fauna, this rainforest is laden with exotic species of Orchids and Bromeliads. Hollang, Dhuna, Nahar, Samkothal, Hollock, Elephant apple are some of the important tree species of the region.

Osprey (ImageSource)

Apart from the wildlife, you can find visit the Second World War cemeteries, the first oil refinery of India, Digboi oil refinery and the Stillwell or Ledo Road which was built during the Second World War to deliver supplies from the Western Allies to China.

• Balpakram National Park, Meghalaya

The canyons of Balpakram National Park (ImageSource)

Valley of Balpakram National Park (ImageSource)

Situated in the Southern Garo Mountains of Meghalaya at an altitude of 910 m, Balpakram is spread over an area of 220 sq. kilometres in the Balpakram district of Meghalaya close to the border of Bangladesh. These woodlands on both sides of the gorge are home to a wide species of plants and animals. This park was inaugurated in December 1987 and accommodates animals like Wild water Buffalo, Red Panda, Bengal Tiger, Indian Elephants, Asian Golden Cats, Marbled Cats and many more.

Grey Peacock (ImageSource)

The local tribes believe that the hill is a resting place for spirits on their path because of some mysterious and unnatural phenomena that occur in the valley which cannot be explained by logic like some unusual yet natural structures of the trees can be found there.

Suggested light reads:

1. The entrancing land of Northeast India
2. The famous folk dances of Northeast India
3. The exotic delicacies of the Seven Sisters of India