In The Jungle, The Mighty Jungle
Bhutan may be best known for its mountains, monasteries and fortresses but it is also home to some of the world’s finest jungles. A case in point is the Royal Manas National Park.
Deemed as a safe sanctuary for several rare and endangered species, the park is also a tiger, elephant and a biosphere reserve. The park gets its name from the River Manas, which flows through it and is also the major tributary of the Brahmaputra River in India. Sprawling over an area of 1,057 square kilometers, the park shares its southern boundaries with the Manas Tiger Reserve (a UNESCO World heritage site) in Assam, India.
The Royal Manas Park is home to the Royal Bengal Tiger, the Asian elephant, the greater one-horned rhinoceros, the clouded leopard, the pigmy hog, the Himalayan black bear and the nowhere else found golden langur to name a few. The Gangetic dolphin and the pangolin also call the park home.
The Manas river that runs through the park along with its tributaries host three species of rare migratory fish called mahseer – the deep-bodied mahseer (Tor Tor), the golden masher (Tor Putitora) and the chocolate mahseer or katle (Acrossocheilus hexangonolepis).
The official numbers of bird species spotted in the park exceed 426. And the globally endangered bird species found in the park include the threatened rufous-necked hornbill, pallas fishing eagle, white-bellied heron, spotted wren-babbler, blue-headed rock thrush and the emerald cuckoo.
The best time to visit the park is now – from November to March when the monsoons are over. On safaris, visitors can also meet and interact with the locals who live in isolated clusters within the park. There are over 5,000 people who live within the boundaries there and human wildlife conflict is a part of their everyday lives.
Orog Travel organizes exclusive safaris, rafting, birding and fishing tours for our interested guests, which include five star accommodation and freshly prepared meals. You can opt to explore the national park on foot, by boat or on jeeps.