Manas National park

Manas is not as famous as Kaziranga but is pretty well known for its endemic species of Golden langurs (found mostly on the Bhutan side), pygmy hog and hispid hares not found anywhere else. Did not manage to see those but the rest was just as much fun. There are only 6 rhinos in the park out of which 1 had died so this was not going to be like Kaziranga. The park itself is huge but I spent most of the time close to the central area near Beki river (also called Manas in some areas and something else in Bhutan). Manas does extend into Bhutan as well.

Stayed in a lodge just outside the jungle which was very comfortable and nice. The jungle lodge inside the park in Mathanguri of course much better for sightings as most wildlife is concentrated there but lacks electricity and food. Morning is not very good for sightings so took my own car inside. The only route option there is then the main road to Mathanguri and back. Due to quite a few vehicles on the road, wildlife sightings on it during the day are very slim. However we did manage to see quite a few peacocks, great horn-bills, jungle owlet, lots of other birds and a Himalayan squirrel. Walked up to and across the Bhutan border, no real security there as it is forest again but the view of the river is just fantastic from there.

Evening we took a jeep safari, this allowed us to leave the main road and go deeper in to the forest. The sightings include elephants (a really huge herd), bison (there are none in Kaziranga), buffaloes, hog deer, more horn-bills and other birds. We watched the sunset at Mathanguri on the river banks and waited for it to get dark before we left for a 15 km journey back. As rains threatened intermittently we still managed to spot a herd of bison and hog deer. As we pulled down the covers once more the driver alerted us to 2 leopards strolling down the side of the road. While they disappeared into the bushes, the guide alerted us to another one in the bushes. Must have been the mother of the earlier ones.

Next morning we took an elephant ride in the rains, hoped to see a Bengal florican but only managed to see some hog deer, peacocks and a wild boor. The ride itself was very different from the ones in Kaziranga with a no built seats on the elephants and only 2 people per elephant. Since it had been a really early ride (5.30 am) the rain hadn't played spoilsport with mild drizzles intermittently as after we were done it started pouring cats and dogs.

The evening jeep safari was through a different route. Managed to spot a yellow-throated marten which is really rare at that altitude. The usual suspects were there as above but this route had a greater abundance of smaller birds. Missed shots of paradise flycatcher (saw 4 males) and sultan tits but managed some great captures of 3 species of woodpeckers and emerald dove. A lone juvenile male tusker playing about in an open field really showed how untouched by humans this park was as I have not seen such behavior. It ran away as it noticed us. Another buffalo stood up to take a better look at us and then sat down facing away as we were not worth its attention. The drive back was in the night with pouring rain and the lightening lighting up the surrounding forest which did not show us many animals but was really amazing.