Orang National Park

Total Coverage Area: 78.81 sq kms/78810 ha.

Established In: 1985 as a sanctuary
1999 as a National Park

Location: Orang National Park is spread over two districts of the state of Assam -- Darrang and Sonitpur -- on the north bank of the Brahmaputra.

Description:
The area comprises the alluvial flood plains of the Brahmaputra. Two distinct alluvial terraces, the lower portion of mere recent origin along the Brahmaputra and older upper portion to its north, are separated by a high bank cutting through the national park from east to west. The national park on the whole is a flat land. The altitude ranges from is 45m to 70 m. The southern and eastern boundaries of the park comprise channels, and islands of the Brahmaputra.The western boundary is an artificial boundary demarcated by a trench from villages.

Visiting Season:
November to May.

Access :
By Air: Tezpur is the nearest airport to Orang. However Guwahati has better connections with almost all the major cities to India.
By Rail: The nearest railhead is Rongapara Both Tezpur and Guwahati are connected very well by the rail network of India.
By Road: Orang can be approached from NH 52 through gravel roads running from Orang town and Dhansirimukh. It is about 65km from Tezpur, 127 km from Guwahati. The sanctuary is 15 km off the national highway near Orang town (Dhansirimukh). The distance between Guwahati and Dhansirimukh is 127 km.

Temperature :
Months Morning Afternoon
October-March 5-15º Celsius 20-25 º Celsius
April 12-25 º Celsius 25-30º Celsius
May-June 20-28 º Celsius 30-32º Celsius

Average annual Rainfall 3000mm

Park Safari Timings:
Visitors can enter the area only in the mornings or afternoon preferably on elephant back.

Accommodation and facilities: Orang offers two resthouses and one dormitory facility for visitors.

Wildlife:

Flora:
The floral wealth of the park is very significant. The Natural Forest species are like Bombax ceiba, Dalbergia sisoo, Sterculia villosa, Trewia nudiflora, Zizypphus jujuba, Litsaea polyantha, etc. Among the non aquatic grassland species the prominent are Phragmites karka, Arundo donax, Imperata cylindrical, Saccarum spp. etc. The aquatic grass/plants species are Andropogon spp., Ipomea reptans, Enhydra flushians, Nymphia spp., Wichornia spp. etc

Mammals:
Apart from the greater Indian one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), which is the dominant species of the national park, the other key species sharing the habitat, are the Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris), Asiatic elephant (Elephas maxima), hog deer (Axis percinus), wild boar (Sus scrofa). Besides, there are other small mammals like civets, leopards, hare, and porcupines. There are more than 50 species of fish. Among reptiles, turtles like Lissemys punctata, Kachuga tecta, and among snakes pythons and cobras are known to frequent these areas.

Birds:
Orang National Park is rich in avifauna. According to Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), after Manas National Park, it is Orang which is the most important habitat of the Bengal florican in Assam. The estimated population is about 30-40. BN Talukdar, and P Sarma have prepared a checklist of other species of birds in the national park. Important avifauna are Bengal Florican (Houbaropsis bengalensis), Spot-billed Pelican (Pelicanus philippensis), Black-necked Stork (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus), Greater Adjutant Stork (Leptoptilos dubius), Lesser Adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus), Wooly-necked Stork (Ciconia episcopus), Rudy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea), Gadwall (Anas strepera), Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), Pintail (Anas acuta), Pallas's Fishing Eagle (Haliaeetus leucoryphus) and a number of others including forest and grassland birds.