With much encouragement and persuasion from my parents I was able to ride the elephant. As I clung to my seat the elephant started its safari of Manas National Park from Mathanguri. We were supposed to spend the entire day in the park. Armed with powerful binoculars we started our vigilance of the forest in search of endangered species like Assam Roofed Turtle, Hispid Hare, Golden Langur and Pygmy Hog. The dense forest sometimes obstructed our vision but we were enchanted by the variety of flowers and birds. I could only recognize ibisbill and Great Hornbill. But the unknown ones did not fail to charm the spectators.
Your post on Manas National Park brought back some pleasant memories to me. Few years back, I visited Manas. Instead of the elephant ride, we opted for the boat ride in the river Manas, which flows through heart of the park and gives its name too. Our journey started from Mathanguri. We were enchanted by the crystal clear water of the river. The trees bordering the river banks hindered our vision but still we could spot several of the mammals for which Manas is famous. We were lucky to notice several rare birds also. The 35 km boat ride gave us enough scope to explore the pristine wildlife of Manas.
Orang National Park Assam has a number of wildlife sanctuaries of which Orang National park is a prominent one. The park is also called mini Kaziranga because of one- horned rhinoceros that are found here. We opted for an elepahant safari in Orang and toured the entire park. Moving through the thick foliage we kept a sharp look for rhinos. In the beginning we spotted a few at a distance. Other small mammals like porcupines, hares and civets crossed our path. Late in the afternoon we chanced upon a herd of elephants. We saw Bengal Floricans also. The birds were beautiful. The forest kept us captivated with its twittering of birds and rustling of leaves.
Orang National Park As we soaked in the beauty of it suddenly a pair of rhinos came in front of our elephant. They stared at us for some time and we sat frozen on the elephant. Then they moved away and we all sighed in relief. The scary feeling of those few moments will always stay with me. Orang shelters Bengal Tigers also but we were not fortunate enough. But we were enthralled by the variety of birds we saw there. I was absolutely delighted by the sight of turtles bathing in the pond. The safari of Orang was hugely satisfying for me as I felt nature very closely.
Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary When my uncle came to visit us in winter we planned for a trip of Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary. I was excited with the prospect of viewing One Horned Indian Rhinoceros. It was a difficult safari as the area is quite hilly. There were a lot of coconut plantations. I quickly learnt names of a few trees from our guide. Shortly after entering the park we were greeted by the sight of a family of rhinos grazing peacefully. Throughout our safari we saw several animals like Civets, Asiatic Buffalo and Wild Boar. As it was winter we were lucky to watch a lot of migratory birds also. I felt lucky that due to my uncle I could visit this sanctuary which is quite close to my city.
Golaghat We visited the Negheriting Shiva Mandir in Golaghat on our first day. It is situated on a hill top amidst luxuriant tea gardens. We enjoyed the journey through the tea gardens. The temple has the shrine of Bana Lingam which is engraved in a large slab in the main sanctum. The temple also has other sanctums devoted to Lord Ganesha and Vishnu and Goddess Durga. We spent the rest of the day in Uncle Robin’s Children Museum. It is a private museum full of artifacts, mementoes and dolls. It also has a collection of movies and paintings of Dr. Robin Banerjee. We really enjoyed there by exploring the beautiful items.
Garampani Though a small wildlife sanctuary, still Garampani has everything it needs to entice nature lovers. From Golaghat we reached Garampani on a chilly winter day. The safari began immediately with lot of anticipation. The forest is thick with impenetrable canopy that created a strange myriad of images. We came across the hot springs for which this area is famous. We had some refreshments there to beat the chilly wind. Then we moved on towards thicker forests in search of rare animals like Hoolok Gibbons and Golden Leopards. As we moved deeper we were silenced by trumpeting of elephants. A herd of elephants were moving towards the National Highway. We maintained complete silence and watched them. As the day ended we came back with lots of exciting stories for our friends.
Jaintia Hills When we started from Shillong for Jowai we were unaware of what was in store for us. We travelled through lovely pine forests and winding terrains. We often took halts to view small brooks and waterfalls. The journey was splendid as nature provided us with lots of excitements. The Myntdu River gave us company along with the beautiful plateaus. Our journey ended at the Thadlaskein Lake. It is a historical lake which is believed to be dug by bow tips of Jaintia war leaders. Another memorable place of Jaintia Hills was the Syntu Ksiar- a vast pond of calm water. The river Myntdu after encircling the town of Jowai ends here.
Jaintia Hills The beauty of Jaintia was enchanting with the river suddenly coming to a halt. We also went on to visit Nartiang. The cluster of giant monoliths was jaw dropping. These are one of the tallest in India. Against the setting of open fields they created an indelible impression in the viewers’ mind. We took lots of snaps there. But the most spectacular was the Syndai caves in the village Syndai. A small path through the forest brought us to the entrance of the cave. The entrance was low but once inside the cave we it was spacious. The cave contains striking formations of calcite in different shapes. We spent a lot of time there exploring the interior.
