Tour Price | Land only: £ 1750 per person on twin sharing basis With flights: £ 2350 per person (price depends on flight prices at the time of booking) Prices are all inclusive with no hidden or local payments |
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Flights | We can arrange to book flights for you through our partner travel agent or you can arrange your own flights and we will arrange for your transfer from the place where the tour starts | |
Best time of visit | November-April | |
No of days | 12 days | |
Tour Dossier | Download Dossier | Booking Enquiry |
Overview
The north-eastern state of Assam opens up a whole new world for wildlife lovers, poetically removed from any wildlife tour that one may have experienced previously. The sobriquet ‘Blue Hill’ that was given to its misty mounds, is just a prologue to the book of adventure that the region promises to read out. Admittedly one of the richest biodiversity zones in the world, Assam has an ecosystem that includes tropical rainforests, deciduous forests, riverine grasslands and wetlands. In this wildlife tour you will visit Manas National Park and Kaziranga National Parks, both are Tiger reserves. You will get the opportunity to see many endangered and rare species of mammals and birds including one- horned rhinos, water buffaloes, wild boars, wild elephants, deer, etc. Kaziranga has the highest density of tigers. You will also get to visit the state of Meghalaya and trek the living root bridges. From jeep safaris to elephant rides, nature treks to boat rides we can assure you a wildlife trip like no other.
Detailed Itinerary
Arrive at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi airport in Guwahati where our representative will meet you, before driving you to Manas Wildlife National Park (148 km., 4 hrs.). A UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site, Manas is also a Project Tiger Reserve, an Elephant Reserve and a Biosphere Reserve. Resting on the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas, it extends upto the foothills of the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan. Here stay at a jungle lodge.
Early next morning, go for an elephant safari. After breakfast, go for a village walk to a nearby Bodo village, indigenous tribe of Assam, who have a rich culture of textile, handloom, dance and music and witness their way of life. In the afternoon go for a 4-hour long jeep safari that takes you through the deep of the jungle and drives you upto the Bhutan border.
After breakfast, start your journey towards Shillong (240 km., 6 hrs), the capital city of Meghalaya. On the way visit Lake Umiam, a beautiful tourist spot. Rest of the day relax in the hotel.
In the morning after breakfast visit the Don Bosco museum, which showcases the entire of North East under one roof. Then visit Elephant falls and Shillong peak and get a bird’s eye view of the entire city. After lunch visit a local Khasi marketplace and then go see a game of ‘Tir’ or archery gambling involving archers to shoot over a thousand colourful arrows to get the lucky number and learn about the mythical story behind this game. Evening in the hotel.
Drive to Cherrapunjee (60 km., 1.5 hrs), the erstwhile rainiest place in the world. On the way, experience the beautiful rolling hills, the flora and the waterfalls, most importantly the Nohkalikai or Seven Sisters Falls, a seven segmented waterfall which falls from a height of over a 1000 ft. Also visit Dawki lake near Indo- Bangladesh border. Overnight in Cherrapunjee.
In the morning, after breakfast, hike through meandering paths and thick tropical woods and little villages on the way down to the Double Decker Living Root Bridge. The War Khasis, the local tribe of the place discovered an indigenous form of making bridges by intertwining the roots of rubber tree and use trunks of betel nut tree as root guidance systems. Overnight in Cherrapunjee.
Leave for Kaziranga National Park (270 km., 6.5 hrs), home of the world renowned one-horned rhino. Check-in at a jungle lodge and the rest of the day at leisure.
The Park is divided into three regions- Western, Eastern and Central. The western range has maximum short grass areas, wetland, patches of tall grassland and woodland and is the optimum habitat for Rhino and Water buffaloes. The Eastern Range is situated towards the eastern part of the park, less frequented and the area is excellent for birding. It includes nesting of the globally threatened Pallas’s Fish Eagle, Spot-billed Pelicans, Migrant waterfowl, the drive through this range is very scenic and swamp forest elephants can be seen, as well Water Buffalo and Swamp Deer. The Central region is characterised again by short grass and it gives an ideal introduction to the park and its ecology as the route passes through the entire spectrum of habitat types prevalent in the Kaziranga area. Sightings include elephants and other big animals especially the swamp buffalo and rhino.
Early in the morning go for an elephant safari in the Western range, which is a good opportunity to see the animals from close. In the afternoon go for a jeep safari in the Eastern range, which takes you deeper into the jungle.
Go for an elephant safari in the Central range and after breakfast visit an ethnic village of the Mising tribe. In the afternoon go for a boat safari which takes place along the Eastern range.
After breakfast drive to Guwahati (180 km., 4 hrs). In the afternoon, visit Deepor Beel, a freshwater lake in a former channel of Brahmaputra river. Besides being a birding hotspot, it has a large no. of Aqua and land fauna. Overnight at a hotel in Guwahati.
After breakfast, you will visit Kamakhya temple, located atop Nilachal Hills on the Western part of Guwahati. The temple is one of the oldest of the 51 Shakti Peethas and an important pilgrimage destination for general Hindu and especially for Tantric worshippers. Enjoy a panoramic view of the city from there. In the evening go for a river cruise and enjoy traditional folk dance and music and a buffet dinner on board.
You will be dropped at Guwahati airport for your onward journey home.
Inclusions & Additional Information
- All meals
- 12 Nights’ accommodation on tour
- Transport by 4×4 vehicles
- English speaking local guide
- All entrance fees
- All transfers
- Bottled water
- 1 elephant safari in Manas and 2 in Kaziranga
- 1 jeep safari each in Manas and in Kaziranga
- 1 boat safari in Kaziranga
- Evening river cruise with dinner
- Boat ride on Deepor beel
- Allentry fees to the park
- All other day to day activities as mentioned above
- International Flights
- Visa
- Travel/medical Insurance
- Alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, snacks between meals
- Camera and video charges in the Parks
- Local tips
The accommodation in this tour includes jungle lodges and hotels.
Food is Indian food, local cuisine, Continental and Chinese. If you have any dietary requirements, please mail us at the time of the booking and we will take care wherever possible.
In the Assam plains, the days are going to be warm and evenings cooler, and you can expect a few showers in April. Carry jackets and fleece.
A passport (with at least six months remaining validity) and a current Indian visa are required for this trip. Please note that you are required to have a passport with a machine-readable bar code. You will need to apply for your Indian visa in advance from the relevant issuing authority in your home country. British Passport holders can apply for an e-Tourist Visa, a single entry visa valid for 30 days. Please visit the website: www.hcilondon.in/pages.php?id=28
It is recommended that you take out appropriate insurance to cover personal accident, medical costs, repatriation, loss of baggage and holiday cancellation.
Please visit your GP for guidance for vaccinations while travelling to India. Please also visit this website for more details: www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk/destinations/asia-(east)/india.aspx
The currency used is Indian Rupee.