Manas National Park National Park

Address: Manas National Park, Assam, India

Manas National Park is a protected area in the foothills of the eastern Himalaya in northern Assam, India, along the Assam-Bhutan border. It is internationally recognised for its biodiversity and for populations of endangered large mammals.

The park supports species such as Bengal tiger, Indian rhinoceros, Asian elephant and wild water buffalo, and includes grassland, riverine forest and tropical moist broadleaf habitats. It has been managed as a wildlife reserve and tiger-protection area under India’s conservation programmes.

Over the 20th and 21st centuries the park has been subject to conservation and restoration efforts to address poaching and habitat pressures while maintaining its value as a transboundary ecological zone with adjacent protected areas in Bhutan.

Manas lies in northern Assam, rising from alluvial plains into foothill terrain; access is typically via local roads from nearby towns and the park is seasonally affected by monsoon rains.

• Wildlife significance: The park is notable for its populations of endangered species such as the Bengal tiger, Indian one-horned rhinoceros and wild water buffalo, and is managed as a Project Tiger reserve.

• Plan your visit in the dry season (roughly November-April) when trails and jeep tracks are open and wildlife sightings - elephants, gaur and birds - are most likely.
• Arrange permits and safaris through the Assam Forest Department or an established lodge in advance; park access is regulated and a local naturalist/forest guide is required for core-area drives.
• Start game drives at first light - early morning safaris give the best chance to see shy mammals and birds before temperatures rise and habitats become noisy.