Contains: Basics / Transportation / Sleep / Food / See and Do
India’s Kaziranga National Park is home to the great one-horned rhinoceroses, Asian elephants, swamp deers (barasingha) and wild water buffaloes.
It is very easy to spot a bunch of rhinoceroses and deers on any given day, but you have to test your luck with the elephants and buffaloes. Usually, visitors venture into the park once or twice in the span of two days.
Find below all the quick info you need to plan your trip to Kaziranga in a matter of minutes!
Basics
Kaziranga National Park has a number of entrances. The main one is located in the small town of Kohara, in the Golaghat district of Assam, India. Kohora lies on the National Highway 37, between Nagaon and the city of Golaghat which gives name to the district.
The park is open from late October/early November till the end of April, depending on the year.
The Jeep Safari Booking counter is located at 26.583839, 93.403669.
The entrance fee is 650 INR for foreigners (100 INR for Indians). The price of the jeep ride depends on the zone you wish to visit; the cheapest ride is 1,750 INR for the central range. See more prices below.
By the main crossing in Kohora Village, there is a Tourist Office which also gives free wi-fi access.
Transportation
Get to Kaziranga
Unless you are staying at a resort, the best place to stay is Kohora Village, where the entrance to the Central Range is. It is located near one of the main entrances to the park, and has the ticket counter plus a lot of accommodation and eating options.
Kohora is located on the National Highway 37, or the Guwahati-Jorhat route, which is covered by many buses in the region.
Public buses, private buses and minibuses reach Kohora from all main bus stations in nearby cities such as Guwahati, Tezpur and Jorhat.
As a foreigner, the easiest way is to show up at a station and ask around until you find a bus or minibus. Make sure that the bus is leaving soon before you make any arrangements, otherwise you might be stuck inside it for hours before it departs.
Another option is a shared taxi ride, also available from main transportation hubs in nearby cities. In Kohora, it is fairly easy to just flag down a car going in either direction of the highway. Although hitch-hiking is easy, most cars will expect you to pay a fee like the rest of the passengers.
Once in Kohora, you will be dropped at a crossing. The highway extends east- and westward, the path north leads to the entrance of the park, and the path south leads to an area with many lodges and the safari ticket counter.
Get around Kohora
One can easily get around Kohora on foot.
If you wish to visit the resorts, restaurants and shops that are spread along the highway far from the town, the easiest way is to flag down a cab.
If you struggle, the guys at the Tourist Office located at the crossing will help you out.
Sleep
Budget:
- Drongo Guesthouse, 700 RS/night. Great location, next to the tourist office with free wi-fi and a family restaurant, by the main crossing. Rooms a bit noisy at night due to traffic and people outside.
- Bonani Tourist Lodge, 600 RS/night. Located further south, near the safari ticket counter. It has no wi-fi, but it has hot water and the cheapest rates in town. Do not confuse with Bonani Lodge, which is 2.5 km further east on the national highway.
- Aranya Guesthouse, 1350 RS/night. Located next to Bonani, and fancier.
- Pallabi Homestay, from 2200 RS/night. Run by a lovely old couple, this simple homestay offers simple but sufficient rooms. Ideal for families.
Mid-range:
- Pumpkin Bora Homestay, from 5000 RS/night. A few hundred meters east of the Kohora main crossing area. Rooms are great, fresh and clean, and the staff is lovely.
- Pumpkin Brahmaputra Guest House, also from 5000 RS/night. Next to the other Pumpkin and for a similar price, rooms are simpler and the staff is nice.
- Kaziranga Eco Camp, from 3,500 RS/night. Also nearby, this place offers a more in-the-jungle vibe, as the name suggests. Simple yet cozy rooms, and great atmosphere and nice staff.
Food and Drinks
Eating options in Kohora are very limited, and some restaurants might close earlier than usual.
Right at the main crossing in Kohora is Rhino Cafe, with a simple yet delicious menu at low prices.
There is also a non-descript family-run restaurant called Kohora Fast Food next to the tourist office and the Drongo Guesthouse. You will find similar places along the path to the park and along the highway, although they don’t show up on Google Maps or Maps.me.
About 150m to the east on the highway, Pelican Dhaba Cum Restaurant is a very good place to enjoy local Assam dishes at a reasonable price.
All resorts have their own restaurants, but do not expect other types of lodging options to offer any food services at all.
Activities: visiting the park
How to book a jeep ride
Jeep rides are booked on the same day or in advance at the Kaziranga Development & Jeep Safari Association, run by the local tourism association.
If you are travelling alone, you can either pay for an entire jeep ride, or wait around until you can join a group that has room to spare.
I showed at the counter early in the morning, and waited around till some visitors arrived and booked rides. I asked around till I found a group of 4 university students from Kolkata, and right before the jeep departed we were joined by a middle-age woman who was also travelling alone. Once we were 6, we split the price and we set off for the park!
Professional photographers have to pay additional fees. The guards at the entrance of the park will check your backpack for any cameras, and charge you extra if you carry any.
Maps of the park
Here-s a map with park topography and nearby towns. Click on it to see a bigger version of it.
An additional map which shows park zones for each animal can be found here.
Rates
| Zone/package | Rate (INR) |
|---|---|
| Central range | 1,750 |
| Western range | 1,850 |
| Eastern range | 2,250 |
| Burhapahar range | 2,750 |
| Burhapahar (trekking) | 2,450 |
| Dhanbari ghat (boat) | 2,050 |
Booking online is more expensive than booking on the spot.
Finally, a picnic package for 1,550 INR is offered at this counter, which includes a picnic spot and a visit to Ganesh temple, a tea garden and to a nearby Mishing village.
If you wish to know the prices for elephant rides, go find another website. Free the elephants.
