National Parks in Assam

Assam is home to 7 national parks.

Table of Contents

Dehing Patkai National Park

Location: Coal- and oil-rich districts of Dibrugarh and Tinsukia Districts, Assam, India; within the Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve, Upper Assam.
Reserved Forest: Declared in 1924 during the British period.
Wildlife Sanctuary: Notified as Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary in 2004.
National Park: Upgraded on 13 December 2020; officially notified on 9 June 2021.
Area: ~231.65 sq.km (89.44 sq miles).
Hills: Patkai Hills region.
River: Dehing River (southern part).
Tribe: Tai Phake, Khamti, Singpho.
Plants: Dipterocarp forests, canopy trees, orchids, ferns.
Animals: Bengal tiger, clouded leopard, Asian elephant, hoolock gibbon, Chinese pangolin, dhole, Himalayan black bear, Malayan sun bear, white-winged wood duck.
Special Notes: Only protected area in India hosting seven wild cat species—tiger, leopard, clouded leopard, leopard cat, golden cat, jungle cat, marbled cat.

Location: Dibrugarh and Tinsukia Districts, Assam, India; floodplains of the Brahmaputra River.
Reserved Forest: Dibru Reserved Forest declared in 1890; Saikhowa Reserve Forest notified in 1929.
Wildlife Sanctuary: Dibru Reserved Forest upgraded to Wildlife Sanctuary in 1986.
Biosphere Reserve: Dibru-Saikhowa Wildlife Sanctuary expanded with Saikhowa Reserve Forest in 1997.
National Park: Declared in 1999.
Area: ~340 sq.km (130 sq miles).
River: Brahmaputra and Lohit (north), Dibru (south), Saikhowa River.
Tribe: Mishing, Deori, Sonowal Kachari, Moran, Ahom.
Plants: Indian laurel, diu, silk cotton tree, Indian blackberry, swamp forests.
Animals: Bengal tiger, Asiatic water buffalo, Gangetic dolphin, hoolock gibbon, dhole, feral horse, white-winged wood duck, Bengal florican, Assam roofed turtle, Indian softshell turtle.
Special Notes: Known for feral horse (wild pony) population; important habitat for white-winged wood duck.

Location: Golaghat, Karbi Anglong, and Nagaon Districts, Assam, India; southern bank of the Brahmaputra River.
Game Sanctuary: Notified as Kaziranga Game Sanctuary in 1916 (non-poaching area).
Wildlife Sanctuary: Renamed Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary in 1950.
National Park: Declared in 1974.
UNESCO Status: World Heritage Site since 1985.
Tiger Reserve: Notified under Project Tiger in 2008–09.
IBA Status: Identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International.
Area: ~430 sq.km (166 sq miles).
Hills: Burapahar Range, Bagori Range.
River: Brahmaputra River, Diphlu River.
Plants: Indian gooseberry, elephant apple, Indian rosewood, Indian mahogany, Indian gum tree, Indian kino, Indian fig, Indian almond.
Animals: Royal Bengal tiger, one-horned rhinoceros, Asiatic wild water buffalo, swamp deer, Indian elephant, sambar, hoolock gibbon, sloth bear, Gangetic dolphin, Bengal florican, Assam roofed turtle.

Location: Bongaigaon and Barpeta Districts, Assam, India; foothills of the Eastern Himalayas; contiguous with Royal Manas National Park, Bhutan.
Reserved Forest: Declared as Manas Reserve Forest in 1907.
Game Sanctuary: Notified in 1928 under the Forest Act, 1927.
Wildlife Sanctuary: Declared in 1950.
Tiger Reserve: Designated under Project Tiger in 1973.
UNESCO Status: World Heritage Site in 1985; removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2011.
Biosphere Reserve: Declared in 1989.
National Park: Notified in 1990.
Elephant Reserve: Declared under Project Elephant in 2003.
Area: ~390 sq.km (150 sq miles).
River: Manas River.
Plants: Tropical evergreen forests, semi-evergreen forests.
Animals: Bengal tiger, one-horned rhinoceros, wild water buffalo, pygmy hog, golden langur, red panda, Asian elephant, swamp deer (barasingha), hoolock gibbon, hispid hare, black panther, Brahminy duck, Assam roofed turtle, fan-throated lizard.

Location: Sonitpur District, Assam, India; Assam–Arunachal Pradesh interstate boundary; northern boundary with the Pakhui Wildlife Sanctuary (Arunachal Pradesh); Eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspot.
Reserved Forest: Declared in 1978.
Wildlife Sanctuary: Notified in 1985.
National Park: Declared in 1998.
Tiger Reserve: Included under Project Tiger in 1999–2000; second Tiger Reserve of Assam after Manas.
Area: ~200 sq.km (78 sq miles).
River: Jia-Bhareli River (southern boundary); Nameri, Upper Dikorai, Bor Dikorai tributaries.
Plants: Assam silk tree, elephant apple, Indian rosewood.
Animals: Tiger, clouded leopard, wild dog, elephant, Indian flying fox, slow loris, white-winged wood duck, red-headed vulture, Assam roofed turtle, Indian softshell turtle.

Location: Darrang and Sonitpur Districts, Assam, India; situated on the north bank of the Brahmaputra River.
Game Reserve: Notified in 1915 for rhinoceros protection.
Wildlife Sanctuary: Declared in 1985 under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
Renaming: Renamed Rajiv Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary in 1992.
National Park: Upgraded in 1999; named Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park.
Tiger Reserve: Declared under Project Tiger in 2016.
Renaming Update: Renamed Orang National Park by Assam Cabinet in 2021.
Area: ~78.81 sq.km (30.42 sq miles).
River: Brahmaputra (north bank); Pachnoi, Belsiri, Dhanshiri rivers.
Plants: Indian almond, silk cotton tree.
Animals: Indian one-horned rhinoceros, tiger, wild buffalo, Asiatic elephant, pygmy hog, Gangetic dolphin, Bengal florican, Indian tent turtle, brown roof turtle, Indian softshell turtle.
Special Notes: Known as “Mini Kaziranga”; only stronghold of one-horned rhinoceros on the north bank of the Brahmaputra.

Location: Gossaigaon and Kokrajhar subdivisions of Kokrajhar district, Assam, India; within the Bodoland Territorial Region.
Surroundings: Bordered by Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary (Bhutan) to the north, Buxa Tiger Reserve (West Bengal) to the west, and Manas National Park to the east.
National Park: Declared a national park in 2021.
River: Sonkosh River on the west and Saralbhanga River on the east (both tributaries of the Brahmaputra); the Pekua River forms the southern boundary.
Flora: Sal trees, teak trees.
Fauna – Tiger, golden langur, Asian elephant, clouded leopard, wild water buffalo, Asian golden cat, hispid hare, slender-billed vulture, Bengal florican, scaly thrush, Indian tent turtle.