Namdapha National Park
Namdapha National Park is located in the
Changlang district of the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh. It is one of the largest protected areas in the Eastern Himalayan and is also the largest national park in India in terms of area. It is one of the biodiversity hotspots of India located in the Eastern Himalayan sub region. Two rivers, namely the Noa-dihing and the Namdapha divide the whole area span of the park.
The park spans an area of 1985 sq kms with 177 sq kms in the buffer zone and 1808 sq kms in the core area. The park is situated in between the Dapha bum range of the Mishmi Hills and the Patkai range. The park is bounded by two big tributaries of the Noa-dihing, the M’pen nala and the Deban nala on the western side. This park was established in 1972 as a National Park and in 1983 as a Tiger Reserve. There are a few settlements of Lisu tribal people within the park. There are also few settlements of Chakma, Tangsa and Singpho within the park.
Terrain
The Namdapha National Park comprise of the northernmost lowland evergreen rainforests in the world. The area is also known for the extensive Dipterocarp forests. The terrain varies with increasing altitude from sub-tropical broadleaved forests to subtropical pine forests, temperate broadleaved forests and at the higher elevations, there are the alpine meadows and perennial snow. This park has bamboo and secondary forests in plenty in addition to primary forests.
Climate
The location topography of the park affects the climate in this region. The months from November to February are relatively cold and dry, whereas June to October is the wet season. The temperature varies from 37°C in summers to 5°C in winters.
Biodiversity
Flora
Namdapha is a home to several plant species and flowers. About over 1000 plant species from more than 600 families are recorded so far in this park. Dominated by the Dipterocrap tree family, the park also has other tree species like Terminalia myriocarpa (Hollock), Altingia excelsa (Jutuli), Ailanthus grandis (Borpat), extensive bamboo and cane species. The park also supports a large diversity of pollinator and frugivore plant species.
Sapria Himalayana, Balanophora (rare root parasites) related to Rafflesia, various types of gymnosperms, medicinal plants, cultivated pants and orchids are also found here in this park. The park is also a reservoir of wild tea, wild coffee, wild mango and other wild fruit types. Plants like Zalacca Secunda (Jengpat), medicinal plants like Aconitum Heterophyllum (Aconite), Coptis Teeta (Mishmi teeta or golden thread root) and Aqualaria Agailocha (Aloe wood) are also found in this park.
Fauna
Namdapha has diverse species of animals residing here. Due to its location, it is one of the faunally diverse regions of the country. Species like the clouded leopard, white-winged wood duck, king cobra are found in the mid elevated areas while the high altitude fauna comprises of musk deer and Tibetan siskin.
The park is a home to four big cat species namely the snow leopard, clouded leopards, common leopards and tigers along with wolves, Asiatic black bears, red panda, red fox, yellow-throated marten, Eurasian otter, oriental small-clawed otter, spotted linsang, binturong, small Indian civet, marbled cat, mongoose elephants, wild boar, Indian muntjac, hog deer, sambar, gaur, mainland serow, bharal, stump-tailed macaque, slow loris, hillock gibbon, capped langur, Assamese macaque and Rhesus macaque. The Namdapha Flying Squirrel, a critically endangered species is found only here.
Among the avifauna, the park has around 425 bird species recorded. Bird species like hornbills, rare wren-babblers, laughing thrushes, parrot bills, fulvettas, shrike, scimitar babblers, snowy throated babbler, rufous-necked hornbill, green cochoa, purple cochoa, beautiful nuthatch, ward’s trogon, ruddy kingfisher, blue-eared kingfisher, white tailed fish eagle, Eurasian hobby, pied falconet, white winged wood duck, Himalayan wood-owl, rufous throated hill partridge, white cheeked hill partridge, leaf warblers and migrants like Amur falcon and several thrushes are found here.
How to reach
- By Road: One can travel by road which is connected up to Miao, the entry point of the Namdapha National Park. Dibrugarh is located 140 kms from the park.
- By Air: The nearest airport is located at Mohanbari in Dibrugarh, 182 kms from the Forest rest house in the park.
- By Rail: The nearest railway station is the Tinsukia Railway Station located 141 kms from the Forest rest house.
There is accommodation facilities of the Forest rest house located inside the park. Prior bookings are required for the stay. The best time to visit is from October to April. One can visit the forests camps of Deban in the park. Trekking is one of the popular activities with many trekking routes in the park.