Assam Wildlife Tourism Season Starts Oct 2 As Manas Reopens, Kaziranga Follows
Officials expect the staggered reopenings to boost local livelihoods for guides, lodge operators and forest-edge communities while allowing habitats to recover after the rains
Guwahati: The Assam government on Thursday announced reopening of the wildlife tourism season stating that Manas National Park would open on Friday followed by Kaziranga National Park on October 3 and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary on October 13.
Inviting wildlife enthusiasts, nature lovers and travellers from across India and abroad to experience the state’s rich biodiversity, the Assam tourism department said that Forest Department teams were making final preparations to welcome visitors as the monsoon gives way to the new season.
Manas National Park and Tiger Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site straddling Chirang and Baksa districts in the Bodoland Territorial Region, will reopen for the 2026-27 ecotourism season after the mandatory monsoon closure prescribed by the National Tiger Conservation Authority. A special programme is planned at the park’s second main entrance to mark the occasion.
The park will remain open until further orders under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and Assam Wildlife (Protection) Rules, 1997. However, ranges will observe weekly closures: Bansbari on Tuesdays, Bhuyanpara (Bhuyapara) on Thursdays, Panbari on Fridays, Kuklung on Wednesdays, and Kahitama Beat on Mondays.
Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve will open for jeep safaris from October 3. Entry timings are 7:30 am to 10 am and 1.30 pm to 3 pm. Preparations include repairs to roads, bridges and other infrastructure, along with vehicle verification for safaris. Hotels and tourism stakeholders have renovated facilities in anticipation of strong demand.
It is significant that Kaziranga recorded 4,68,147 visitors in the 2025-26 season, including a record 30,474 foreign tourists—up significantly from the previous year. Manas saw 63,723 visitors in 2025-26, a rise of more than 20 per cent over the past four years, while Pobitora recorded 35,371 visitors.
Both Manas and Kaziranga are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Manas, often described as the quieter counterpart to Kaziranga, is home to Royal Bengal tigers, Asian elephants, greater one-horned rhinos (now over 50 after years of zero-poaching success), clouded leopards, golden langurs, pygmy hogs and nearly 450 bird species. Kaziranga holds the bulk of Assam’s one-horned rhino population (around 2,613 of the state’s 2,895) and a significant share of its tigers.
Officials expect the staggered reopenings to boost local livelihoods for guides, lodge operators and forest-edge communities while allowing habitats to recover after the rains. Visitors are advised to check range-specific schedules and book safaris in advance as the season gets underway.