Kaziranga National Park

Kaziranga National Park in Assam's Golaghat and Nagaon districts is one of India's most successful conservation stories. The park covers 430 sq km of Brahmaputra floodplain — a unique ecosystem of tall elephant grass, marshlands, and dense tropical broadleaf forest. As of the 2022 census Kaziranga hosts 2,613 greater one-horned rhinoceros — roughly two-thirds of the world's wild population, up from a near-extinction count of 12 in 1908 when the area was declared a reserve. Kaziranga also has the highest density of tigers in any Indian protected area (one tiger per 5 sq km in the core), a healthy population of wild Asian elephant, the rare Indian gaur, and over 480 bird species including the rare swamp francolin. UNESCO inscribed Kaziranga in 1985. Standard wildlife viewing is by jeep safari (4 zones) or elephant safari (rhino-spotting at close range, mornings only). The park closes May–October due to annual Brahmaputra flooding. Avoid the December-January peak weekend crowds; Tuesdays-Thursdays are far quieter.