Our country is home to thousands upon thousands of species of flora and fauna. As such India is dotted with reserves, national parks and sanctuaries. Many are located in the under appreciated, much maligned North East of the country.
To rectify this we decided to list seven national parks you must visit in the North East.
A UNESCO world heritage site, Kaziranga National Park is one of the better known names on our list. Their main attraction is the Great One-horned Rhino. Two-thirds of the world’s population of these rhinos can be found in Kaziranga. This park is a biodiversity hotspot due to it featuring four major rivers {including the Brahmaputra}, and numerous small water bodies, and is one of the largest protected parks in the area.
Named after the Kangchenjunga mountain {third highest peak in the world}, the Khangchendzonga National Park is home to many endangered species such as the Snow Leopard, the Red Panda and the Himalayan Black Bear. A temperate broadleaf and mixed forest, it is home to oaks, firs, birches and maples. A great location for trekking and lodging.
Near the Garo Hills you can find the Balpakram National Park. Near the Bangladesh border, the park is a birder’s paradise you can find a large variety of birds ranging from the Long tailed Broadbill and Scarlet Minivet to the Burmese Roller and the Spotted Forktail. Other activities include spelunking, taking tribal tours and interacting with local communities.
Just over 160 square kilometers, the Trishna National Park is Tripura’s premier national park. The star of the show here is the Indian Gaur {or bison}, and a series of rare flora. Find the right spot to stay and you can get easily arranged, and extremely picture friendly, jeep safaris.
Home to many local tribes and communities, chief among them being the Zeliangrong tribe. The name Ntangki is derived from their dialect. The park is famous for the golden langur, the black stork, the tiger, the hornbill, the python and the white-breasted kingfisher. The best time to visit is in the late winter and early summer months.
Bearing the name of the Blue Mountain of Mizoram, the Phawngpui National Park houses lots of animal and bird species. Bit hitters include tigers, leopards, Asiatic black bears, and langurs. Birds such as the falcon, hume’s pheasant, hornbills and the grey sibia. A lesser known park, Phawngpui is actually a naturalist’s delight, with little to no human settlements in the main area.
The largest national park in the North East {and third largest in India}, the Namdhapa National Park has a special place in India’s national park circuit. It is home to four types of feline; the common Indian leopard, snow leopard, clouded leopard and tiger. The king of the Eastern Himalaya biodiversity area, you can take safaris and explore the wilderness, or take well worn tribal tours among the four major indigenous communities that exist in the area.
