Nameri National Park
Nameri National Park is around 35 km from Tezpur on the Tezpur-Bhalukpong-Bomdila route.
Understand
Nameri National park is a 200-km² tiger reserve in Assam, contiguous with Pakhui Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh. The park is home to a large variety of flora and fauna. Jai Bhoroli river flows through it.
Get in
From Tezpur you can hire a private cab for anything between ₹600-800. Budget travelers can take a shared taxi to Balipara, around 20 km from the Tezpur ASTC (bus stand), for ₹30 per head. From Balipara, there are another 15 km. You can either take Itanagar-Bomdila bus that passes through Balipara around 11AM to drop you on the Nameri bus stop (you will see "Bhalukpong 22 km" milestone there) or can negotiate with one of the numerous shared taxis for a drop on Nameri bus stop. A dusty road leads to the park, and no public transport runs in this stretch of 2.3 km.
Do
River rafting
The route is around 18 km (duration 2-3 hr) on the quiet and serene Jia Bhoroli river. You can also combine your rafting with a picnic (duration 4-5 hr in this case) on the banks of Jia Bhoroli.
Jungle walk
A jungle walk can be done along with an armed guard (mandatory as per government regulations) who can also second as a guide. The walk is for approximately (7km) 3 hr, which include walking on the banks of Jia Bhoroli, crossing the river on boat, and then completing a circuit inside the jungle. It's recommended to do this early in the morning, as there is a better chance to spot wild animals, although chances of spotting a tiger are usually extremely low.
Sleep
- Nameri Eco Camp, ☏ +91-9854019932, +91-94351455563, +91-94335250025. The camp could become fully booked on weekends or national holidays well in advance. They also organize jungle walks and rafting tours. ₹1800 per night.
- Jia Bhorelli wild resort, ☏ +918011159372, +918822022088. They also organize jungle walks.