Kaziranga National Park is situated on the shore of the Brahmaputra River in the heart of Assam and in 1985 was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Before we departed Delhi, our research revealed that the park is one of the last areas in eastern India undisturbed by a human presence. It is inhabited by the world’s largest population of one-horned rhinoceroses, as well as many mammals, including tigers, elephants, buffalo and bears, and thousands of birds.

We arrived at Guwahati Airport at mid-day on a Friday and commenced a 200-km (5.5 hour) drive, which provided great views of the mighty Brahmaputra. We arrived at our destination – Wild Grass Lodge – just after dark. The lodge has 18 double rooms and 2 jungle lodges. We were surprised to learn that they were fully booked for the weekend, with most of the visitors being foreigners. Luckily, we had a reservation. After checking in and washing up, we proceeded to the veranda of the main building for a pre-dinner drink, where we met Hana and Ken Moyles. They had come all way from the State of Oregon on the west coast of the USA. There were other American guests and many from the UK all of whom had come for the game viewing and nature.

On Sunday morning we were awaken early and taken to the park for our first excursion. This was on elephant back and within fifteen minutes from the time we mounted our unique mode of transportation, we were amongst the rhinoceroses. They are used to elephants, therefore we were able to get very close as individuals stood munching on the long grass. In a couple of cases, mothers were accompanied by their babies. The elephant-back excursion lasted about an hour and we encountered several other species of mammal – a herd of deer, wild boar, one lone elephant at a distance, and several wild buffalo. There were about ten people-laden elephants in all and some baby elephants accompanied their mothers on the excursion. On completion, visitors were given the opportunity to thank their elephant by hand feeding them with fresh bananas. The cute ones – the babies – ended up receiving the most treats.

Our day included two more game drives – the first into the central area of the park and the second in the eastern reaches. Both of these were conducted in a Maruti Gypsy. We were told that there was a good possibility of encountering a tiger in the eastern section, because there had been three sightings in the previous week. While we didn’t spot a tiger, we weren’t disappointed. After all, we had come to see the one-horned rhino and saw our share of these. A tiger sighting would have thus been a bonus. The highlights of the second drive were a lone rhino on the bank of a narrow river and a fish eagle snatching his meal from the water. We encountered the fish eagle on his perch while he scanned the water below. The moment of his strike was too sudden and fast to provide a photo opportunity.

All in all, the weekend was very pleasant – the lodge was excellent; we saw lots of wildlife including several endangered species; we experienced nature at it best; and, we made new friends. We therefore recommend the destination.