How to visit Kaziranga National Park to see the Great One-Horned Rhino
Updated: Dec 7
In this travel guide, I will tell you how to visit Kaziranga National Park, a pristine rhino-packed wildlife reserve in Assam state in Northeast India. I visited as a solo female traveller in October 2024 using public transport, and this is how I did it.
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How to visit Kaziranga National Park to see the Great One-Horned Rhino as a solo traveller on a budget
Things to Know About Visiting Kaziranga National Park
Kaziranga National Park is a 468 square km nature reserve in the state of Assam in Northeast India. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 and is home to the world's largest population of Great Indian One-Horned Rhinoceroses.
Honestly, I thought I would be lucky to catch a glimpse of a bit of a rhino (much like the tiger safari I did in the Sundarbans) - but in actual fact, Kaziranga is basically rhino-land! I saw no fewer than 15 rhinos on my 3-hour safari there.
Kaziranga National Park is prone to seasonal flooding from the mighty Brahmaputra River during the monsoon season, so it is only open from October to May. I also think it is nice that the animals get a summer holiday from being observed! There are different entry timings for both jeep and elephant safaris, as well as varying prices for whether you are a foreigner, have a camera, etc. Details can be found on their website here.
About Travel to India
I have been to India several times and I have written about every aspect of travelling there in My India Travel Guides.
The Northeast is probably the most offbeat part of India, which to me is part of its appeal! There is very little hassle and I did not experience any sexual harassment here, with tourism just a trickle compared to much of the rest of the country the art form of the elaborate scam doesn't seem to have reached here and hopefully, it never will.
I found the people of Assam to be very friendly and welcoming, although English is not widely spoken. So, if you do not speak Hindi or Assamese, lots of miming and Google Translate will be needed!
These two articles will get you started when planning to travel to India:
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How to Get to Kaziranga National Park
To get to Kaziranga National Park, you'll likely start in Guwahati, the capital of Assam and home to a well-connected airport. In Guwahati, I stayed at Baruah Bhavan in Izan Bazar, a stunning property majestically furnished and of great value.
I didn't do much in the city apart from some life admin and a visit to Michinga – one of Guwahati's most well-known restaurants serving ethnic Naga and Assamese cuisine, it was brilliant.
To get to Kaziranga NP from Guwahati, a 4-hour bus is the cheapest and quickest option. You can jump on the frequently running ASTC state buses (approx 350rs) where there is no need to book, or you can reserve an AC seat or bed on a luxury bus (approx 650rs) via redBus. It is worth noting that the only bank card of mine redBus accepts is Revolut (but they do accept Indian cards.)
I booked an AC Bed on the 'Ashish Luxuria' Bus, leaving from the main ISBT bus station. An Uber from Izan Bazar to ISBT was 250rs. Once at the bus station, if you head inside to the main terminal all the buses will be lined up, as soon as I walked in a kind lady offered her help and showed me to my bus.
As I said, there is very little hassle in Assam, but what is also true is I have never been scammed by a woman in India – only ever men, so I normally will take the offer of help from a female. If it is a man (unless they are in uniform) I normally just go for a firm “No Thanks” and walk away.
The journey was fairly painless, and the Kaziranga Bus Stand was just outside Kohora Gate (central gate) and within walking distance of some of the accommodations. My homestay was a 45-minute walk away, which I did not fancy with my bag, so I paid 200rs for an Auto instead.
For travel insurance, I have put my trust in Safety Wing, and I use their 4-week rolling policy as it is affordable and covers almost every country. They have been great so far!
Where to Stay near Kaziranga
For accommodation near Kaziranga National Park there are quite a few options on booking.com, I chose the cheapest which is Tranquil Bambusic Bliss. It is called Bambusic because everything is made of bamboo!
This homestay is very 'rustic' but it is clean and has everything you need for a night or two. It is snuggled amongst some homesteads and tea fields away from the main road, and the owner is kind and gentle and incredibly helpful, he organised a safari for me at a really fair price, and the meals he made were delicious. If you do not need luxury, this place is ideal.
Not sure what to pack for your trip to India? Check out my article:
My Top 3 India Packing Essentials for 2024:
Scrubba - An awesome 'washing-machine bag' so I can handwash my own clothes while travelling, paired with this clothesline and laundry soap. (It only weighs 150g!)
Lifestraw - So I can drink rainwater and boiled tap water instead of constantly buying plastic bottles. This one is made of stainless steel, so it can be taken inside National Parks that have banned plastic (there are many!)
Head Torch - You will use this more than you ever think... there will be plenty of outdoor loos, power cuts and poorly lit streets and a head torch comes in so handy!
On Safari at Kaziranga National Park
Things to know
There are two types of safaris: Jeep or Elephant Riding. I do not believe in riding elephants, I would much prefer to observe them living freely on the reserve, so I will just brush past this option and talk about the jeep safari.
The jeep safari is 3500rs including hotel pick-up and drop-off, so if you are travelling in a group you can split this cost. This includes the National Park fee.
Jeeps are allowed in the park at set times, there is a slot in the morning and in the afternoon. My guide collected me at 7:30am (arranged by my homestay) for the morning timing.
There are free toilets and refreshment stalls at the entrance to the park.
No plastic is allowed in the reserve and you will be searched, this includes water bottles, so you'll need to bring a metal or glass bottle if you want to hydrate during your safari.
There are four entrance gates to Kaziranga, and we entered through the Kohora Gate which is the central gate. My safari was 3-hours long which to me was the perfect amount of time.
The park is immaculate! My guide was telling me that within the 468 sqkm park, there are 32km of roads, but during October only 18km are driveable as the rest are still underwater from the monsoon season.
You are only allowed to step down from your vehicle at the observation towers, which when I went were clogged with selfie-taking domestic tourists, so I did not bother climbing up.
Correct safari etiquette is basically to shut up. It may be obvious to some but loud noises scare off the animals. Many domestic tourists do not seem to know this, so while the park was not very busy during my visit the Indian family groups were quite loud. Thankfully my guide was sensitive to this and pulled over and handful of times to wait for these groups to drive off before we continued our safari.
Going in, I thought I would be lucky to see one Rhino, but actually, I saw more than 10 including a Mama Rhino and her baby! The iPhone long-distance shots are pants so I do not have photo evidence of this, but it was still great to see with my own eyes!
We also saw elephants, buffalo, eagles, otters, boars, deer, herons, and pelicans. Kaziranga is a beautiful park and I am really glad I went there.
The roads at Kaziranga are decent so you don't get thrown all over the place (like in The Mara!)
Moving on from Kaziranga
After my safari, I wanted to go to Tezpur, an Assamese town close to the border of Arunachal Pradesh which is the state I was headed to next.
My host told me ASTC buses run frequently from nearby Bambusic Bliss to Tezpur, so my safari guide kindly waited for me to pack and then took me to the bus stop. He stood with me, and when my bus was coming he flagged it down for me and carried my bag on board – what a guy!
My Budget for Visiting Kaziranga
Guwahati accommodation incl. breakfast – 2100rs
Dining at Michinga - 550rs
Transport Guwahati to Kaziranga – 900rs
Auto Kaziranga bus stand to homestay – 200rs
Kaziranga accommodation incl. breakfast – 1000rs
Kaziranga homestay lunch & dinner - 485rs
Kaziranga safari – 3500rs
Bus Kaziranga to Tezpur – 150rs
TOTAL – 8885rs (£80)
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