Kaziranga, Nameri and Hoollongappar: Information & Tips

 

See my photo-essay from Kaziranga, Nameri & Hoollongappar here

Travelled in: February 2012

 

Overall Itinerary:

Bangalore – Guwahati - Nameri (3 nights) - Kaziranga (5 nights) - half-day trip to Hoollongappar –Guwahati - Bangalore. The total trip was for 8 nights / 9 days.

Overall trip cost:

The 8N / 9N trip cost me INR 20,500 (all expenses, every penny I spent) excluding flights from & to Bangalore. This cost was on a 4-sharing basis for safaris and twin sharing basis for rooms. Individual break-ups for Kaziranga, Nameri and Hoollongappar are mentioned in the respective sections. This cost is for the travel date of Feb 2012.

Kaziranga

Getting to Kaziranga:

Kaziranga can be accessed via Guwahati, Assam’s capital. Guwahati is well connected by flights from most major cities. Guwahati is also accessible via a long train journey from many parts of the country. Most early morning flights to Guwahati, except from Delhi or Kolkata, have 1 stop and land there by noon. There is a restaurant serving basic food right opposite the airport and is a convenient place to eat lunch before you drive on. Budget for a 5-hour drive, to reach Kaziranga by evening (though we did manage it in 4.5 hrs on one of the drives). You can begin your safaris the next morning onwards.

 A tip - Definitely hire an air-conditioned vehicle, even in winter. Most of the Kaziranga-Guwahati road is extremely dusty. We made the mistake of hiring a non-AC vehicle and reached our destination looking like we'd emerged from the earth.

When to go:

Jan & Feb are the best months as the forest is filled with winter migrant birds. The park is closed during the monsoon period from approx. May till October. Carry woolens for early mornings in winter.

The safari arrangement:

Safaris can be arranged through your hotel. It is advisable to book the safaris weeks or months in advance, when you book your room. Last minute permits may be difficult to arrange for, especially during peak season.

Wildgrass's (where I stayed) USP has to be its guides. Most of them have worked here since they were young and are passionate about wildlife. Our guide was Nekib and he was fabulous - excellent spotting skills, ID skills and information about flora & fauna. He could also anticipate our camera angles and guide the driver to stop accordingly. Other guides with good recommendations (who guided our friends): Palash & Kunwar. Actually, all guides at Wildgrass are known to be good so there should be no worries on that front.

The worry is the gypsy. Wildgrass gypsies have seats facing sideways. Also, they're too small for 4 people with large cameras. After our disastrous experience in it on our first safari, we hired a gypsy with front-facing seats from an external agency, for our other 9 safaris, at a marginal extra cost (Rs.300 extra per safari). Wildgrass helped arrange for this gypsy.

Our Gypsy driver was Nando. He was from the external agency from which we hired the Gypsy with front-facing seats.

The safaris: 

The Eastern zone is very good for birding and has fewer mammal sightings in comparison to the sheer variety of bird-life you see. Visit this zone in the morning, for good light. The Western zone is good for safaris in the evening light. The Central zone has areas where you can watch ‘murmurations’ at sunset which leave you spellbound, if you care to spend some time waiting for it without scouting around for other mammals & birds.

Wildgrass and most other resorts are close to the Central Zone. To visit other zones, plan to leave early.

Morning safaris – 6 am to 11:30 / 11:45 am

Evening safaris - 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm

(Check with the guides & authorities about the latest timings)

Elephant safaris are available at Kaziranga, for which you can purchase tickets beforehand. That is advisable as the tickets get sold out quite quickly. Arrange for some transport from your hotel to drop you & pick you up from the elephant safari. This safari allows you to experience the forest while moving through the tall ‘elephant grass’, so known as it is tall enough to conceal elephants. Gypsies never venture into these paths and have to stick to a road network cleared of the grass.

Accommodation:

I stayed at Wildgrass, close to Kaziranga’s central zone. They have a reasonably large property with beautiful trees which are labelled for guests' benefit. If you enjoy birding, you'll enjoy ambling around the property as the trees attract a lot of birds.

Our room and external bathroom

View of the room

Wildgrass has a few rooms with 3 or 4 beds in them, with a bathroom outside the room (but, for exclusive use by the room; not shared with any other room). These rooms are very spacious & economical and make for a great option for groups. They are like cottages, a little away from the main building. Since we were a group of 4, we opted for one such room. It was extremely spacious, with 4 beds that were almost the size of double beds. Besides, we had seating arrangements within the room itself. Despite being non-airconditioned, the room was comfortable. I would highly recommend staying in one of these rooms. The lighting in the room was a little dim, though. The external bathroom was as large as a bedroom and had towels, toilet paper & hand-soap. But, when you have many people sharing a bathroom, the hot water runs out pretty quickly so budget for time between baths. Both the room and the bathroom were clean. Wildgrass also has regular double rooms (air-conditioned, I think) in a building near the main building. 

The tariff includes breakfast. Lunch & dinner is a set menu based on your preferences, indicated at the beginning of your stay (veg/non-veg, Indian/continental). Though meals here seem expensive, they are reasonable value for money as food options are varied and portions are large. Complimentary tea & snacks are also served when you return from your afternoon safari. Food service at Wildgrass is slow so budget for that before your afternoon safaris or if you plan to have breakfast before your morning safaris. We always had breakfast boxes packed, to carry with us, to eat at designated points within the park. The leisurely dinners are enjoyable, though.

The staff is courteous and helpful. Not gregariously friendly, but, friendly in a quiet & efficient way.

Airport transfers & vehicle hire: 

We had Wildgrass drop us at Guwahati airport. The vehicle & driver were both satisfactory. We also had Wildgrass arrange a car for a half-day visit to the gibbon sanctuary at Hoollongappar. It was hassle-free.

To summarise, I would highly recommend Wildgrass as a stay option in Kaziranga, for wildlife enthusiasts.

Trip cost - Kaziranga:

For a 5-night stay, cost = INR 12,500 per person (on a 4-sharing sharing basis for the room & the safaris). Includes travel from Nameri by car, travel to Guwahati airport by car, 8 jeep safaris, 1 elephant safari, food, accommodation & tips.

Hoollongappar Gibbon sanctuary

About the park:

India's only ape, the Hoolock Gibbon, is found here. The forest here is a rainforest and is also home to other primates like the Pig-tailed macaque, Stump-tailed macaque, Assamese macaque, Capped langur & Rhesus macaque. This park is also good for birding. Another primate, the Slender Loris, is also found here. Camping in the night to try & spot the Slender Loris is possible, with permission from the Forest department. The permit is extremely difficult to obtain, though & is usually given only to researchers.

The forest has leeches so go prepared with leech socks or just pluck the leeches off you when they crawl.

Getting to Hoollongappar:

Hoollongappar gibbon sanctuary is easily accessible from Kaziranga. The roads on this route (via Jorhat) are good. The drive takes 2 to 2.5 hrs each way. Set aside about 3 hours to spend in the forest. Leave before dawn to return to Kaziranga in time for lunch and the afternoon safari.

Guide & permit:

Gibbon sanctuary guide: Mr. Deven Baruah

Phone number: 096139-29595

Call a couple of days beforehand to check if he is free & to book him. An advance permit is not necessary. It can be obtained when you get there.

Cost - Hoollongappar:

For a half-day trip from Kaziranga, cost = INR 1000 per person, on a 4-sharing basis. Includes travel from Kaziranga by car, forest entry fee, camera fee, guide charges & tips.

Nameri

Getting to Nameri:

Fly into Guwahati by an early morning flight. This allows you to reach Nameri by evening. My 7:40 am flight from Bangalore landed in Guwahati at 12 pm, after a halt at Kolkata.

For lunch, there's an airport restaurant outside the airport. This restaurant serves reasonably okay food. Another lunch option is a dhaba on the national highway, called NH52 dhaba. This dhaba makes for a good bathroom break too. This is about 1.5 hrs away from Guwahati airport.

Allow for 5.5 hrs to reach Nameri from Guwahati airport, with a short break. It usually takes 4.5 to 5 hrs of driving time, without breaks. The route is via Tezpur (on a road which leads all the way to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh). The roads are good till Balipada. Beyond that, they are abysmal. Tip - Definitely hire an air-conditioned vehicle (even in winter) and a vehicle with good suspension and ground clearance. The road is very dusty and filled with pot-holes and craters.

When to go:

Jan & Feb are the best months as the forest is filled with winter migrant birds. The park is closed during the monsoon period from approx. late April till end October. Carry woolens for early mornings, late evenings & the rafting trip. Afternoons are quite warm even in Jan & Feb.

Accommodation & contact details:

I stayed at Kanyaka lodge near the haathi gate within the national park. When approaching from Guwahati, drive about 500 mts beyond the gate to see a board for Eastern planters to your right. Turn right at the board to enter the lodge premises.

Care-taker: Mr. Sarat Sarmah.

Phone number:  094353-81990, 3712-220093 or 3712-220091.

The caretaker is not very tech-savvy & hence, e-mail exchanges are not possible. Call to reserve your room. He's reliable & will note down your reservation. Call a few days before your trip to re-confirm.

Caretaker's wing (left) & Main wing (right)

The lodge has 1 building with 3 rooms. 2 of the rooms have small double beds with attached bathrooms & western WCs. But, there is no hot water provision in the bathrooms. These rooms cost approx 800 INR per night. The other room is a deluxe room with hot water available in the attached bathroom & a TV in the room. This room too has a double bed. The room costs approx. 1000 INR per night. The caretaker lives in another building in the lodge. This building also has 2 rooms for rent. These rooms have two separate double beds each. But, all the 3 rooms in this wing share a single bathroom. This bathroom has a geyser, though. The rent for these rooms is INR 800.

Other options for stay at Nameri: Eco camp (which is highly recommended) and Jiyabharali resort.

Food:

Food is available at Kanyaka lodge. Breakfast is basic - bread, butter, biscuits & boiled eggs. They can pack the breakfast to carry along, if you leave early in the morning to go birding until lunch. Lunch & dinner are simple but hearty local food. Food costs are extra and not included in the room tariff.

Activities:

Rafting on Jiya Bharali

The lodge arranges permissions for rafting and trekking. They also arrange local autos to transport you to & from the river.

Note: Assam, being in the NE, has earlier sunrise & sunset than the rest of India. It's daylight by 5:30 am & darkens by 5:30 pm. So, time your treks and bird-watching accordingly. Morning visibility in winter is a little poor though, due to mist.

Rafting on the Jiya Bharali River is a great way to see water-birds. Kanyaka lodge has 4-seater rafts. Two rafts-men accompany you. Eco camp has smaller, 2-seater rafts.

Trekking

Forest guard - ask for Meenaram Gogoi. He accompanies you on forest treks from Potasali camp, across the river. Trekking is only allowed until 2 pm. You can begin at 6 am. This forest has many elephants and hence, trekking without an armed guard is dangerous & prohibited.

Visit the Pygmy Hog breeding center one afternoon. You can see a couple of Pygmy hogs within an enclosure and learn about them from the panels at the information center there.

If you stay at the Kanyaka lodge, visit the fruiting trees and a small stream beyond the army eco task force camp. It's a short walk away and a great spot for some birding. Visit in the evening, when trekking elsewhere isn't allowed. You have a good chance of spotting Hornbills returning to roost.

Trip cost - Nameri:

For a 3-night stay, cost = INR 5500 per person (on a twin sharing basis for the room & 4-sharing for the raft). Includes travel from Guwahati by car, 2 rafting trips, 2 forest treks including boat trips to reach the forest, food, accommodation & tips.

Read my friend Sumeet's blog about this trip: Nameri and Kaziranga

Bangalore: what your guide-book may not tell you

For a city that’s often visited, surprisingly little is written about it. I often get asked a lot of questions about the city, from a motley bunch: visitors on business, their families who tag along for a holiday, travellers using Bangalore as a stop-over en-route other places in Karnataka, people living in the city looking for a place to eat or visit, or, students moving to the city.

If you’re not worried about travel, stay or other miscellaneous information, skip this post and go straight to what you can do in Bangalore. And, read this to see what Bangalore offers those who want to wine & dine. For the others, here’s my attempt at deciphering the city fondly called ‘Namma Bengaluru’ or ‘Our Bangalore’. Hopefully, it’ll answer at least a few questions travellers have.

Let’s begin with how you get here

Arrival by flight

If you’ve flown in & have a lot of luggage, or, are a group of 3-4 people travelling to the same destination, a taxi is a good option to get to the city from the airport. Just walk out of the airport building, go to the designated taxi stand & board one. They're metered and air-conditioned taxis.

If you don't have too much luggage, buses are convenient & economical. You can board any of the red, air-conditioned Volvo buses from the bus station outside the airport. This link will help you figure out the bus number you need to take: BMTC volvo bus service

There is also a help-desk at the bus station entrance. The staff there can guide you to the right bus number. Alight at the stop nearest to your destination and take an auto from there. Or, have somebody pick you up.

Arrival by train

If you’re chugging into the city, pick from City station, Cantonment station, Yeshwantpur station or any of the other smaller stations, based on the train’s scheduled stops and the nearest station to your hotel / destination. All stations have a pre-paid auto counter with fixed fares, so you can pay & board one, without the hassle of haggling with auto drivers. They're shut if you arrive post 10:30 pm or pre-dawn, though. Of course, pre-paid autos work only if you have little luggage (1 or 2 carry-on sized, with a maximum of 1 or 2 people in the auto).

Stations unfortunately do not have a comprehensive ‘any-time’ taxi service like the airport; however, a fledgeling service of ‘Fast track’ taxis or some yellow-coloured cabs is available for you to try. The counters should be located near the pre-paid auto counters. Else, you’ll need to arrange for a hotel pick-up or ask family & friends to pick you up.

The City station is also located opposite the Majestic bus terminal. If you have almost no luggage, and are familiar with the city, take a bus. Help is a little hard to come by here, if you are unfamiliar, as it is a vast bus terminus.

Now, where do you stay?

The city has no dearth of hotels; from grand old properties to contemporary business hotels. If you want budget options, look at basic lodges and small hotels. Choose your accommodation wisely, though, to cut down on commute as much as possible. If you need to work at an office in Whitefield or South Bangalore, it would be pointless to live near MG road. Choose an area close to your work-place. But, if shopping & sightseeing is what you’re here for, stick to areas around MG road.

For stays longer than a week, these are some options you have:

If you need a place for a few weeks, try Serviced apartments. They work well as you get a furnished apartment to yourself, with basic appliances & laundry facilities. Many also have breakfast options. 

For a few weeks, another option is to ask for a discounted rate at hotels or home-stays; some may oblige.

For those looking to stay for a few months or for stays of a year or more with a low budget, consider a paying guest accommodation (called PG). This is a popular choice of accommodation amongst working professionals & students. They have basic rooms (shared by even 3 to 4 people), with shared bathrooms. You get a bed and a cupboard or shelves. Common facilities may also include a TV & a fridge. Meals are also provided in some PGs, while some may have kitchens you can cook in. Choose your PG wisely; else, you’ll be roughing it out a bit. A few up-market PGs have a limit of 2 people per room and have rooms with attached bathrooms. Most PGs require a deposit upfront & then, a monthly rent.

For stays of a year or more, with a larger budget, you can try renting an apartment. This requires you to pay a deposit upfront & then, a monthly rent. If your stay duration is just a few months, you may not find too many people willing to rent you an apartment, but, asking them doesn't harm. 

Choose any of these options depending on your budget & preferences. If you plan to rent or get a PG accommodation, stay at a hotel for a few days when you get to Bangalore & browse through newspapers (Ad Mag or similar papers, which have rental listings) or get in touch with brokers. See the apartment before you finalise it; doing it based on photographs before you get here may be unwise. If you’re here on work, you can also get in touch with your office in Bangalore; your colleagues can help you find a convenient place nearby.

Off-beat stay options include one of the many spas, wellness resorts or ashrams at the outskirts of the city.

Shopping 

Sarees (Saris) & fabrics 
Sarees (Saris) constitute the bulk of traditional clothing in India and are worn by many women. Fabrics, weaves, patterns and designs of sarees vary geographically and are influenced by the weather, art, traditions and culture of a particular state in India.

Karnataka is famous for ‘Mysore silks’. These can be purchased at KSIC showrooms across Bangalore. Karnataka is also known for its Ilkal and Kasuti embroidery sarees. Other than these three local weaves, generic Indian sarees too are available in plenty at the shops mentioned below. If you don’t wear sarees, you can buy fabrics to use as you like.

Chikpet is a crowded market area with shopping to suit all budgets. I've bought Sarees from Laxmi Silks in Chikpet & found some good variety there. Of course, there are many shops around so definitely check them out before you decide. On MG road, you have Vijayalakshmi silks, Prasiddhi silks & Deepam (good collection, but, very expensive). Another store near MG road is the Mysore Saree Udyog at Commercial Street. In South Bangalore, Angadi silks in Jayangar has unique and reasonably-priced sarees of different weaves.

Souvenirs

Bangalore is famous for Sandalwood handicrafts. The Cauvery Emporium on MG Road is a good bet. Also look for sandalwood sachets, which are great to place inside your wardrobe (if you like the fragrance) and make for inexpensive gifts for friends & family back home.

Bidri-ware is another option in handicrafts (black metal inlaid with silver - very attractive, but, very heavy if you already have lots of luggage).

Look out for wooden toys called 'Channapatna toys'; they're very innovative & use non-toxic colours. If not in Bangalore, you can also buy this at Channapatna, a small town en-route Mysore, where this craft originates from.

Rarely, you can also find 'Yakshagana' masks or 'Gombe aata' puppets.

All these arts & crafts are specific to Karnataka, the state where Bangalore is located. Other than this, generic Indian souvenirs are available in plenty.

Sight-seeing, activities & day-trips

Bangalore may not look like it has many sight-seeing options, and, compared to a lot of other cities, choices are limited. But, if you scratch the surface, there are enough and more options to entertain you for 2-3 days. Bangalore is also blessed with many day-trip and weekend trip possibilities within easy access. Consider this - I travel more often than the average person, yet, I still have many places to see and enjoy my weekends in.

Staying in central Bangalore (around MG road) will allow you to walk easily to some of the sights. For others, you will still need to hire a vehicle. For those unfamiliar with travel in India, travelling by autos or local buses is a challenge and recommended only for the adventurous. But, I find that some friends who visit do like to try it out, despite the problems, which is why I've mentioned the option. Hiring a car for the day is much simpler and highly recommended. Due to the unfortunate lack of a good public transport system, most locals too use cars to get around. The fairly new metro system connects a few localities in Bangalore (broadly: MG road, Ulsoor, Indiranagar and Byappanahalli) and is gaining popularity.

Cars can be hired from one of the many agencies listed online. If you have a vehicle but do not want to drive, driver rental services too are available. 

I would recommend going around the city yourself. Most sightseeing trips I know do a hop-skip-jump through all sights. If you do it on your own, you have the flexibility of staying as long as you want, at places you like. Get a good guide-book, though, as a lot of sights do not have guides available. Another option you have is to hire private guides or contact agencies like I've mentioned in this post.

Photography is allowed at most places except inside some like the Bangalore palace and the HAL Aerospace museum. In temples, priests do not encourage taking pictures inside the inner sanctum. You can click the temple from outside and indulge in some people-photography. 

While many trendy Bangaloreans dress pretty much like people around the world, it is advisable to dress modestly (no 'skimpy tops' or shorts) while visiting places of worship.

Check my detailed recommendations on what to visit, here.

Food & Drinks

Read about what Bangalore has to offer and about my recommendations & favourites, here.

Miscellaneous information

Solo woman traveller?

It's okay to travel alone in Karnataka as long as you take some precautions. Book good accommodation. And, annoying though it is to advise this, dress 'conservatively' to avoid attention. Use public transport wherever possible (buses & trains) to travel overnight between destinations; you'll feel safer in a crowd than travelling alone by a hired taxi. For some places, you can hire a guide; you get a better insight into the place & some company as well. People all around Karnataka are very friendly. I wouldn't worry excessively about travelling solo, but, at the same time, it would be wrong to say that it's totally safe.

Bangalore, I'm sorry to say, is not very safe for women, especially after 8 pm. This isn't meant to scare you off, but, just to let you know that you have to be careful. There are autos & buses to get around but I wouldn't advise that you travel alone in autos after 9 pm. Demands of excess fare and refusal to ply to your destination are the least of your worries. If you do have a car, you should be better off. Get a cab, booked through a reputed agency or use your hotel cab, even if it costs way too much. In any case, take all the precautions that you usually would, in any new city / country.

Money & payments

You can use your credit card at almost all shops, restaurants & hotels. It's the smaller road-side stores & eateries that don't accept them. You can pay many air-conditioned cab services using a credit card. Visa & Mastercard are most widely accepted. Amex is not accepted everywhere, so, check. I've had family & friends with American and European accounts use their cards easily; just ensure you notify your card companies about your travel plans before you leave. ATM machines in India require a 4-digit pin so you might want to check yours. An option is to retain your 6/7 digit pins on some cards but change at least one card to a 4-digit pin.

I wouldn't advise paying using foreign currency like Euros or Dollars. Most places wouldn't accept them anyways. Even if they did, you will get a very poor exchange rate. Changing money on Saturdays / Sundays is usually not a problem. But, beware as some agencies work on Saturday only until lunch time (1 or 1:30 pm) and may be shut on Sundays. I think most of the bigger forex agencies should be open.

Shopping and entertainment

The smaller neighbourhood convenience stores or small super-markets open from about 8am. Malls and larger stores open 10 am onwards. Stand-alone stores  (not within a mall) may be shut on Sundays, though, increasingly, many choose to remain open.

Movies can be watched at multiplexes in any of the ubiquitous malls around Bangalore. Smaller, stand-alone theatres which are economically-priced are hard to come by nowadays. Some of them still hanging around in the face of demolition are: Urvashi, Symphony, Rex, Abhinay, Vaibhav, Cauvery, Vision cinemas, Innovative multiplex etc.

Walks, runs & jogs

Avoid jogging or running along roads. Even if you want to, you can’t; most roads don't have footpaths (pavements). Cubbon Park & Lalbagh are great for running. Of course, it depends on whether they are easily accessible to you (distance from where you intend to stay). If they're not, no sweat; most areas of Bangalore have smaller parks called 'mini forests' with a paved track where Bangaloreans step out for their morning walk & jog. Attire - many women nowadays do run in shorts as well. Most, though, wear capris or track pants. If you are very uncomfortable in something longer, it's okay to stick to your shorts. Similarly, wearing a T-shirt with a sleeve or a basic sleeveless top attracts less attention than a spaghetti / racer back.

Guide-books

If you are staying in Bangalore for a few months and plan to utilise your weekends, buy ‘21 Weekend getaways from Bangalore’ by the Outlook group. It's not too comprehensive, but, handy enough.

Travel forums like tripadvisor.com and indiamike.com have a lot of information and inputs from travellers and locals. They can be used to answer specific queries you may have.

For a light read, you can try "Bangalored" by Eshwar Sundaresan. It has a collection of short narratives by non-Bangaloreans about their lives in the city they now call home. There's also a bit of history thrown in at the end, about some places in Bangalore.

Disclaimer:

None of the links in this post are sponsored nor have I been paid to ‘recommend’ them. All links mentioned here are links that I, family or friends have found useful.