Namdapha National Park

Arunachal Pradesh, the name of a frontier north eastern state is known for natural beauty. The land of rising sun witnesses no less tourists footfall in season and out of season. The tourists from the country and outside are deeply impressed by the state’s flora and fauna. If a tourist wants to enjoy the real sights and sound of nature the right spot to be visited is the Namdapha National Park. Situated in the Changlang district bordering Myanmar, the park is an abode of a number of rare species of birds and animal. Locating a few kilometers away from Miao, the place of real beauty covers an area of 1985 square kilometer. A tourist need not come back without catching a glimpse of mithun, elephant, Himalayan black bear, takin, wild goat and what not. Others include musk deer, slow loris, binturong and the red panda. Snow leopard and clouded leopard, white winged wood duck are also there inside the higher reaches of the park. But a huge portion of it is not accessible.

Those who are spotted easily are macaque, pig-tailed macaque, hoolock gibbon, hornbills, jungle fowl.

According to statistics, the park is proud of at least 425 bird species of birds. The hornbill alone have 5 spices. These are apart from several other species of wren-babblers. Some other chirping birds that catch the eye of the tourists include laughing thrushes, parrotbills, fulvettas, shrike babblers, scimitar babblers, snow throated babblers. These birds are believed to have migrated from the neighbouring northern Myanmar. The lucky tourists do not miss the leaf warblers, amur falcons, white bellied heron.

Much to their delights the domestic and foreign tourists makes it an added occasion to visit a tiny hamlet locating at a stone’s throw distance from the park. Popularly known as Gandhi gram, this is the last village inside the Indian territory bordering China and Myanmar, a safe abode of around 200 Lisu (Yobin) tribe.

Since the national park is said to be the heaven on the earth for the birds, the authorities have restricted jeep safaris apprehending disturbance.

A tourist needs to obtain two permits to visit the national park. Firstly, the tourists require the inner line permit to reach the frontier state. Finally, they need to obtain permit from the park authority before visiting it. The tourists, mostly, take delight in elephant rides, trekking, rafting and river crossing during their visit to their place of interest. The best time to visit this national park is November to February. This is followed by the showers .

Those who come by air need to land in Mohanbari airport in Dibrugarh which is 160 km away from the park. The journey from Dibrugarh to Namdapha via Miao is adventurous. From Guwahati airport buses and sumos are available to cover the 600 km distance. For the tourists who visit by train, the nearest station is Tinsukia. But by road, the route is free from Dibrugarh to Miao via Tinsukia and Digboi and Kharsang.