The forest department of the state of Assam has announced that the Kaziranga National Park in the state will close to visitors in May. The jeep safaris inside the park will close from the 16th of May. The elephant safari however closes several days earlier on the 1st of May 2023.
The Divisional Forest Officer of the Eastern Assam Wildlife Division made the announcement. The order regarding the closing dates of the safari facilitates was passed on 25th April.
It is noteworthy that the protected forest regions of the state remain closed during the monsoons. This generally happens during the months from May to October every year.
This annual closure of the protected area is essential for multiple reasons. Firstly, it is the mating season for most of the wild animals of the region. Secondly, a large part of these protected areas face severe flooding. Closing of the parks for visitors is essential for allowing the free movement inside the park areas.
The exact dates of closing of the National Parks depend on the rains. While the opening dates depend on when the flood waters dry up. And all the safari tracks are renovated for the vehicles to move around.
The state of Assam received a record number of tourists, both domestic and international. This was mainly because of increased popularity of Northeast India in the tourism circuit after Covid. With the setting of new records and several projects, the tourism sector expects more takes in the coming session. The closing and opening of the parks marks the ending and beginning of the tourism seasons of the state.
