National Parks In India

Namdapha National Park

The Namadapha National park has a status of being the largest protected area among the biodiversity hotspot of the eastern Himalayas. The park is located in the north eastern state of India, Arunachal Pradesh. In terms of area it is the largest National park in India. The eastern Himalayan sub region encompasses the park. The biodiversity of the park is considered to be the riches biodiversity in India. The northernmost lowland evergreen rainforests  areharboured by the park which lie at 27°N latitude. This area is famous for having the exclusive Dipterocarp forests. The rugged hills of the park are spread over an area of 1985 square kilometres. The two rivers flowing through these hills are Noa-dihing and the Namdaphariver. A large number of small streams also flow through this region. The forest is located at a remote destination but still many visitors visit this place to interact with the wild life. Since many generations, the tribes like  Lisu (Yobin), Singpho and Tangsa practice shifting cultivation in this region. The place was a hump air route from Assam to china at the time of World war 2 and old crashes of the aircrafts are still found on the hills.

The average altitude of the park is around 200 meters to more than 4500 meters above sea level. The habitats at the Namdapha have lots of diversity to show. The vast lowlands are covered by the dark and tall evergreen forests. In the areas having mid elevation, the subtropical and temperate forests are found. Reaching to the more elevated regions, the subalpine meadows and stunted rhododendron forests are located.  The canebrakes and bamboo forests are commonly found here. These are spread over the impassable thickets of the valley along with the bed of the streams.

The national park is a home to hundreds of species of the mammals. This is the only park in the country and in the world that houses four species of the cat including leopard, tiger, snow leopard and clouded leopard. There are around five hundred bird species found in the park.  These include White-bellied Heron, global rarities like the Snowy-throated Babbler, Rufous-necked Hornbill, ward’s trogon etc. The known species of the reptiles and amphibians include King cobra, pit vipers and the giant tree frog.

Most of the species remained indefinable in such a large diversity of Namdapha. Birds are found in abundance but the mammals are rarely spotted. Sometimes a glimpse of animals crossing the dense forest is seen. From the lowland areas the tigers and elephants had been hunted out. The prey species are also rarely sighted.

General Information

State	Arunachal Pradesh
District(s)	Changlang
Established	1974
Nearest city	Margherita
Time zone	IST  (UTC +05:30)
Area	1,985.23 km2
Elevation	4500 m
Climate
Precipitation	6300 mm
Temperature
Summer	27-37° C
Winter	8-20° C

History

The Namdaphaforets was established as a wild life sanctuary in the year 1972. In the year 1972 the Miao-Vijaynagar road (M-V Road) was built which is 157 kilometer in length which runs down the park. This road was motor able earlier in 1980s but had been obsolete since 1990s. In the year 1983 this region was declared as a Tiger reserve and a National Park. The people belonging to the Lisu ethnic group opposed distinction of the eastern park boundary which was near to their village as most of the people were dependent on the forest. This group had been closely in touch with the park. They migrated from Myanmar across the Patkal range. This area is included in the Vijaynagar area in India presently. It was done during the years 1930 to 1940. These tribal people settled at various places near the Noa-dihingriver. At that time the Indo Myanmar border was not demarcated and this area was no man’s region. Dense forests and rugged terrain was covering the whole region. The Lisu people practice the settled cultivation of wet rice in the community forest. They are living in four villages now which are located close to the eastern border of the park. They are having longest historical association with the park. Lisu people have a great knowledge of the jungle and know how to survive in the jungle.  They are mosltly Christians as they had been in close contact with the missionaries of Americain 1930s and 1940s.

Best Time To Visit- Detailed Information

The climate of Namdapha National Park is subtropical type. The mains seasons experienced are summer, monsoon and winters. The summers are moderate and winters too are moderate here. The good amount of rainfall is received during the monsoon season. The best time to visit the park is during the winter season.

Distance From - National Park

Margherita- 91 km

Changlang city- 136 km

Tinsukia- 141 km

Dibrugarh- 186 km

Miao- 152 km

How To Get There

Air:  The nearest airport is located at Mohanbari, Dibugarh in Assam. It is 182 kilometre away from the Forest Rest House at Deban which comes under the Namdapha National Park region.

Rail: Tinsukiais the nearest railway station and located at a distance of 141 kilometers from the Forest Rest House Deban which is housed within the area of Namdapha National park. Margherita is the nearest passenger railway station and is 91 kilometer away from the national park area.

Road: 

The park is connected with good motor able roads up to Miao, the gateway of the park. The Forest rest house Deban is located at a distance of 186 kilometres from Dibugarh, 141 kilometers from Tinsukia, 91 Kilometersfrom Margherita. All these places are well connected to Namdapha via road.

Things To Do In - National Park

The Namdapha Tiger reservelocated  inChanglang district in the state of  Arunachal Pradesh is having a great variation in the altitude from 200 meters to 4500 meters, The park is spread into the snow covered mountains and has a diversity in the habitat of flora and fauna. The rugged terrain spread within an area of 1859 sq km is an ideal spot for wild life lovers. One can enjoy trekking and hiking to a great extent here.

The Flora

Namdapha National Park is a paradise for botanists. The comprehensive survey of all the botanical sources available in the park can be completed within around fifty long years. Nampapha has more than one hundred and fifty species of timber. The PinusMerkusi and AbiesDelavavi in India are found exclusively at Namdapha. The Blue Vanda which is one of endangered variety of orchids is found here. MIshimiTeeta is the local medicinal plant used by the tribal people for treatment of different kind of diseases. Its export is prohibited.

The Fauna

Varied birds and animal’s species are found in the park. This is the only park in the country and in the world that houses four species of the cat including leopard, tiger, snow leopard and clouded leopard. The primate species found in the park include pig-tailed Macaque, Assamese Macaque, stump-tailed Macaque. The ape species which is highly endangered is found only in this part of India. Black bear, elephants, Indian bison, many deer’s species and a wide range of reptiles and arboreal animals are found at Namdapha.

The Birds

There are around five hundred bird species found in the park.  These include White-bellied Heron, global rarities like the Snowy-throated Babbler, Rufous-necked Hornbill, ward’s trogon etc.

Permits

For Indians:The Inner Line Permit is required for the Indian tourists who wish to visit this park.  This permit is obtained by the park authorities.

For Foreigners:for Individual foreigner visiting Arunachal Pradesh Restricted Area Permit is required from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt. of India (F-1), LokNayakBhawan, Khan Market, New Delhi- 110 001.

Location Map

Accommodation:The following accommodations are available at the park:

Forest Rest House: It is located at Deban within the premises of Namdapha. It is a bungalow of the forest department which is extensively beautiful, located at the riverside.

The other locations available are Government Tourist Lodge, Miao, Rest House at Namchik.

Weather

The climatic pattern of the Namdapha is influenced by the location and the varied topography of Namdapha. The temperature ranges depending upon the elevation as well as the location.

November to February are the colder months. The season is dry during this time. In the months of March and April Sporadic showers do occur. The month of May is hot and there is no rain during this month. The place is wet during the months from June to October. Deban, which is located at an altitude of 350 meters above sea level has a temperature of 8°C during the winter nights which reaches to 37°C during summer afternoons. The average temperature during winter season ranges from 15° to 21°C and during the monsoons the temperature is between 22° and 37°C. At lower altitudes the temperature is from 5°C to 35°C and the temperature goes down the freezing point at the higher altitudes.

Southwest as well as the Northwest monsoons bring rain to Namdapha. Northeast monsoons are considered as retreating monsoons. The southwest monsoons bring around three fourth of the total rainfall from the months of June to October. The waterlevel in the rivers rises during this time as the amount of rainfall is quite higher, and hence the rivers become impassable. The retreating monsoons bring rain between December to March. The amount of rainfall received is not very heavy. The annual precipitation in this region is 6300 mm.

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