Manas Wildlife Sanctuary Review
The Manas Wildlife Sanctuary is a home to innumerable varieties of flora and fauna. It rests on the foothills of the Himalayas and is one of the listed World Heritage Site. This sanctuary is also commonly referred as the Manas Tiger Reserve, as it was created right after the Project Tiger was launched in 1973.
The rich variety of wildlife one gets to spot in this forest includes many endangered species like the pigmy hog and the hispid hare. The various animals found here are Assamese macaque, hoolock gibbon, sambar, wild buffalo, elephants, Indian bison, black bears and of course tigers. Few other colorful birds that add to the beauty of this park include jungle fowls, scarlet minivet, giant hornbills, egrets, pelicans and many more.
The best season to visit this sanctuary is from the month of October to April. It is advisable to avoid visiting this place in monsoons as the park may get flooded due to heavy rains and thus one may not get to see any animals, which prefer hiding out.
There is a minimal entry fee for this park for Indians, like say Rs.10/-. Foreigners are charged Rs.200/- Apart from this they definitely charge you additional for cameras and video recorders.
The park is divided in to three ranges, namely the Western range, the Eastern range and the Central range. The western range is situated at Panbari, the eastern range at Pathsala and the central range at Barpeta Road.
The Manas National Park or Manas Wildlife Santuary is very densely populated. Apart from the Manas River many other rivers flow through this sanctuary including the Brahmaputra, the Beki and the Bholladuba.
Since it's a forest area, there are selective accommodation facilities available. Within the forest there aren't any hotels or motels but the forest departments have set up two lodges, in two distinct areas for people who plan to stay over for a night. These lodges are beautifully located within the jungle and are quite comfortable.
Apart from the lodge, there are two bungalows available for families. These bungalows belong to the State department and are located in Mathungiri. The location is beautiful just beside the river in a complete tranquility. The only problem is that there isn't any food catered within the bungalow. You need to cook yourself. Cooks are available on additional charge and if you plan to hire the cook, you need to inform the authorities. This is a bit inconvenient, but it's just a matter of a day, hence no worries.
Reaching Manas isn't that difficult at all. The nearest airport is Guwahati and from there various transport services are available that ply regularly to Manas. It is very well accessible by road too as it is connected to major highways throughout the city.
The jungle safari is amazing, unlike the other wild life safaris the safaris of Manas Wildlife sanctuary promises to show you all the animals that you wish to see in their natural habitats. There are three safaris, and you get to choose the one which you prefer the best. The various safaris are jeep safari, elephant safari and the boat safari.
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