Trip to Manas National Park

During a discussion with Sankara about birding trips, Good Friday weekend plans cropped up. I had not thought about it as I had planned to visit Amritsar, Dalhousie and Dharamshala before that long weekend. Staying in Bengaluru during the long weekend looked like a crime, but getting stuck in a crowded tourist place was a greater offence!!

Eventually, we made a plan to go on a birding trip to Manas National Park in Assam. It was always on my wishlist, and now I had an opportunity. Manas was a less visited place, and it suited our needs. As usual, as it happens in all birding trips, Sankara did all the heavy lifting of travel and stay.

About Manas National Park

Manas National Park is situated in the foothills of Eastern Himalayas bordering Bhutan. It was a difficult time for this sanctuary during the 1990s and early 2000s. Insurgency and rampant poaching had led to the destruction of flora and fauna. By 2005, every Rhino in the forest was poached, forcing UNESCO to list this sanctuary as a heritage site in Danger.

Things changed after signing the Bodoland peace accord. With the waning of insurgency, conservation efforts gained momentum. The rehabilitation of poachers and increased security started bearing fruits. Rhinos were successfully shifted and relocated from other forests like Kaziranga. Now, Manas has regained much of its lost glory, and tourist activities have increased.

Our travel to Manas

Travel to Manas was a breeze. We landed in Guwahati on time, and our driver was waiting at the airport. My last visit to Guwahati airport was in 2016, and things looked the same!! Lunch was at a roadside restaurant near the airport. We crossed the mighty Brahmaputra river, bypassed Guwahati city and continued on NH 27, the East-West highway connecting Porbander in Gujarat with Silchar in Assam. The drive was super smooth, thanks to the four-lane road. At Pathshala, we took the deviation towards the Bhutan border.

We were now in Bodoland, an autonomous region in Assam. The culture change was visible. People were wearing traditional attire (especially women). Houses looked unique, with fish ponds, pigs and ducks revered and areca plantations. I was surprised to see areca plants with fruit in April!! In my native place, this happens only after the monsoon!!

We reached Thobgang Jungle camp in the evening and settled in our room. It was a nice place located next to the forest.

Day 1 – Bhuyapara forest, searching for Floricans and night safari

Manas is divided into three divisions. West (Panbari range), Central (Bansbari range) and East (Bhuyapara). Bansbari receives the maximum number of tourists, and only a fraction of travellers visit other ranges.

The weather was a concern. It was raining heavily for the past 20 days and may play spoilsport. But luckily, it rained mostly at night. The thunder and lightning in the middle of the night were so strong that I jumped out of my bed!! But to our relief, the rain subsided by sunrise.

We started our jeep safari at six in the morning. As we entered the forest check post, a forest guard with a gun joined us. The gun looked like an antique piece, and I was doubtful whether it worked when required!!

Bird activity was everywhere in the forest. Due to recent rains, the whole area was green. Birds like the oriental Pied Hornbill and Great Hornbill made their appearance. I was super happy to see them easily. But the same could not be said about photographing birds. The light was low, and the dense forest made it difficult to take good photographs.

After about three hours of birding session, we reached the Dhiwamari camp at the Bhutan border. We had our late breakfast at that beautiful location.

An event to remember while returning was the sight of a turtle on the road. It promptly snugged into its shell. Though we were sure that it would never put out its head in our presence, we still waited for some time. It opened its shell slightly to look at us!!

Floricans!!

After the forest safari, our driver drove the Jeep on the bed of the Phota river. The richness in bird species was evident at this location also. We spotted river birds like  River Lapwing, little ringed plover and others. Our guide also showed us the large tailed Nightjar, a nocturnal bird.

The afternoon saw at the fields near the village. It was the place for Bengal floricans. They are a highly endangered species, now limited to only a few areas. We could see the floricans, but there was far away. To go near them, we had to walk in the fields. Due to rains, the fields were filled with slush and water. We left our shoes in the vehicles and went into the fields with knee-deep water. Our efforts bear fruits when we see them close enough. We spent till sunset in that area.

Our activities continued post-sunset as we went in search of nocturnal creatures. It was a completely different experience at night. Except for the faint light coming out of Bhutan hills, the entire area was dark!! We saw birds like Savannah Nightjars and hispid hare that night.

Day 2:  Bhuyapara grasslands and Bansbari range

It was one more night of torrential downpour, but it stopped dramatically at the start of the dawn. Perfect!! While our first day was packed, the second day promised to be more hectic. Our day started early as we had to reach Bhuyapara main check post by 6 AM. It took about 30 minutes from the camp.

Bhuyapara grassland gave a different perspective of Manas. It was the place where we spotted many grassland birds. Many birds like the Striated babbler, Indian grassbird, slender-billed babbler, etc, were sighted and photographed. Elephants were omnipresent in the grasslands. At one place, we had to cross an Elephant herd. While the bull seemed least bothered by our presence, a dominant female detested us and chose to attach. Thankfully, we were on the Jeep and moved away. Elephants are highly unpredictable.

After the morning session, we proceeded to the Bansbari range. Until now, we had rarely encountered other tourists. But Bansbari changed that scenario. Thanks to resorts near Bansbari, it receives the lion’s share of tourists in manas. The long weekend crowd was there, but it was nothing to the scene that I had seen in other National parks.

Bansbari range

We had lunch at a hotel near the park entrance and then drove into the forest. The main safari path went along the Manas river till the Bhutan border at Mathanguri. This area was dense, and we found many birds like Ruddy Kingfisher, White-throated Bulbul, Rufus necked laughing thrush, Pale chinned blue flycatcher, etc. The safari path ended at Mathanguri. The place was picturesque and demanded some time. The Manas river was inviting, and I got down. It was a beautiful location. The mightly Manas river and the hills of Bhutan all added to the beauty of the place. I was amazed to see the border of Bhutan on the riverbed!!

Mathanguri is known for its forest guest house. Located on the hillock overlooking the Manas river, it is the best place to stay in Manas. But, it is hard to get a booking to stay at that place. Most likely, it would be reserved for Government connected people and their stooges. Our guide mentioned that even if we managed to get the booking, it may get cancelled if some Government person decides to stay!!

Elephants crossed our path again in the evening. There were two herds crossing from opposite sides. We were cautious this time and allowed them to cross the road. But the herds stood on the road and blocked us!! As more safari vehicles arrived, a commotion broke out. People started taking videos and selfies with elephants. After some time, some people got bored but elephants refused to move. One enterprising jeep driver decided to barge his Jeep into the herd thinking that they may run away. Instead, elephants chased him!! It was a stalemate as Elephants kept silent as long as we remained so, but continued blocking us.

After some time, they started moving out. I think they did not like the sounds of the people.

Day 3: Birding in river and forest

We started our day on the Phota riverbed where we found elusive the Brown crake and other water birds. Later, we entered the forest road leading to the Bhutan border. But our way was blocked by a fallen tree, leading to a change in our plans. We then went on the main road, and later decided to try our luck in the fields. Due to heavy rains, the muddy path became a challenge to drive the Jeep. Eventually, our safari vehicle got stuck in the mud!! It was a 4W vehicle but due to some malfunction, the front wheels were not powered. With no traction for the back wheel, our driver could not pull the Jeep out. Luckily, we were in the area with the network coverage. Our guide called for a tractor, which pulled the jeep from the mud. It was a nice ending to our trip.

After three eventful days, it was time to move out. Personally, it was a great trip for me. While I had visited Assam before, the culture of Bodoland and Manas National Park for new to me. We saw more than 120 species of birds, and about 30-40 of them were lifers for me!!

The return journey was uneventful. We had our late lunch at a traditional Assamese restaurant on the outskirts of Guwahati. Promising to return to North East again, we said goodbye to Assam.

Information and tips

• Manas National Park is about three hour’s drive from Guwahati.
• Most resorts are located near the Bansbari range. Few jungle camps are available at other ranges.
• Manas National park closes from June to September due to rains.
• The park is open from 6 AM to 6 PM, allowing two safaris.
• Bansbari range has some restaurants. Pure veg restaurants are not available, but finding vegetarian dishes is not a problem. Rice is a staple food in Assam.