Keibul Lamjao National Park National Park

Address: Keibul Lamjao National Park (Loktak Lake area), Manipur, India

Keibul Lamjao National Park is a protected area in Manipur, northeastern India, situated on the southeastern part of Loktak Lake and noted as the only floating national park in the world. The park protects a unique floating ecosystem composed of phumdis and is the primary habitat for the endangered sangai deer.

Visitors explore the park by boat to view the floating mats, birdlife and the sangai within its specialised habitat; walking trails exist on the lake shore and surrounding wetlands. The park is small compared with many national parks and conservation is focused on managing the floating ecosystem and the delicate balance between local livelihoods and wildlife.

Established to conserve the distinctive ecological and cultural character of the Loktak area, the park plays a central role in regional conservation programmes for the sangai and wetland habitats. Management efforts address hydrology, local fisheries and the maintenance of phumdis.

The park lies within the Loktak Lake system in the state of Manipur; its floating landforms and wetlands sit amid a lowland lake landscape surrounded by agricultural and settlement areas of the Imphal valley region.

• Unique ecology: It is the only national park in the world located on floating biomass (phumdis) on a lake, and it protects the endangered Manipur brow-antlered deer, commonly called sangai.
• Access: Boat access from the Loktak Lake shoreline is the normal way to enter park areas; local guides and boat operators run trips to observe wildlife and the floating islands.

What to See#

• Phumdis: Floating mats of vegetation and organic matter that form a distinctive floating ecosystem on the lake and provide habitat for the park’s flora and fauna.
• Sangai habitat: Core habitat areas where the endangered sangai deer is found within the floating biomass and adjacent marshy sections along the park’s shoreline.

Keibul Lamjao National Park sits on Loktak Lake near the town of Moirang in Manipur. From Imphal (the regional hub) you can drive or take a bus/taxi to Moirang - the road journey is roughly an hour or so (timetable and exact duration vary with traffic). Visitors normally reach the park from Moirang and use local boats to access the floating phumdis and the park area; boats are arranged at the Moirang/Loktak lakeshore.

• Visit Keibul Lamjao in the dry season (roughly October-March) when the floating phumdis are more stable and sangai deer sightings are easier to arrange.
• Base yourself in nearby Moirang and take an early‑morning guided boat safari with park rangers or licensed local guides who know the best spotting channels across the floating meadows.
• Respect local livelihoods: use designated boat channels, avoid stepping on phumdis, and coordinate with guides so you don't interfere with fishing or reed‑harvesting areas.