Assam has very rich source of wild flora and fauna. One horned Rhino is the major wildlife species of the Assam. Among other species, which inhibits in Assam are pigmy hog, elephants, wild buffalo and tigers.
There are 18 Wildlife Sanctuaries in Assam. The details of these sanctuaries are given in the below table:
| S.No. |
Name of Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS) |
State | Established Year | Area (In km²) |
| 1 | Amchang WLS | Assam | 2004 | 78.64 |
| 2 | Barail WLS | Assam | 2004 | 326.25 |
| 3 | Barnadi WLS | Assam | 1980 | 26.22 |
| 4 | Bherjan-Borajan-Padumoni WLS | Assam | 1999 | 7.22 |
| 5 | Burachapori WLS | Assam | 1995 | 44.06 |
| 6 | Chakrashila WLS | Assam | 1994 | 45.56 |
| 7 | DeeporBeel WLS | Assam | – | 4.14 |
| 8 | DihingPatkai WLS | Assam | 2004 | 111.19 |
| 9 | East KarbiAnglong WLS | Assam | 2000 | 221.81 |
| 10 | Garampani WLS | Assam | 1952 | 6.05 |
| 11 | Hollongapar Gibbon WLS | Assam | 1997 | 20.98 |
| 12 | Lawkhowa WLS | Assam | 1972 | 70.14 |
| 13 | Marat Longri WLS | Assam | 2003 | 451 |
| 14 | Nambor WLS | Assam | 2000 | 37 |
| 15 | NamborDoigrung WLS | Assam | 2003 | 97.15 |
| 16 | Porbitora WLS | Assam | 1987 | 38.81 |
| 17 | Pani-Dihing Bird WLS | Assam | 1995 | 33.93 |
| 18 | SonaiRupai WLS | Assam | 1998 | 220 |
Source – Wildlife Institute of India
Assam has 5 national parks in the state. These are listed below:
| S. No. | Name of NP | State | Year | Area (km²) |
| 1 | Dibru-Saikhowa National Park | Assam | 1999 | 340 |
| 2 | Kaziranga National Park | Assam | 1974 | 858.98 |
| 3 | Manas National Park | Assam | 1990 | 500 |
| 4 | Nameri National Park | Assam | 1998 | 200 |
| 5 | Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park | Assam | 1999 | 78.81 |
Source – Wildlife Institute of India
Wildlife and Eco-tourism:
The prime segments of ecotourism in Assam:
(A) Wildlife Tourism: The national parks, bird and wildlife sanctuaries of Assam are good examples of wildlife tourism. About 180 species of mammals, 195 species of reptiles and more than 800 species of birds are found here which are significant in comparison to any other state of India.
Due to unique presence of its wildlife and climatic conditions, Assam has very good scope of eco-tourism. Many wildlife sanctuaries and national parks has as stated above have various unique species like one-horned rhino, tiger , Red panda.
Kaziranga National Park:
Spread over an area of 858.98sq Km, Kaziranga National Park is one of the most important wildife parks in entire India.
The park is situated around 235 Km from Guwahati and the best time to visit the park is during November to March.
It is most famous for the number of one horned rhino that are found here. It is the highest anywhere in the world and is two third of the total world population. A major potion of the park is covered with elephant grass which are quite tall. They prove to be an ideal grazing ground for the rhino. Kazirangapark also has the highest density of tigers in the world. Other animals that are found in the park are Indian bison, swamp deer, Sambar, Hog deer, sloth bear, Hoolock gibbon and many more. Kaziranga National Park is also a great nesting place for local and migratory birds like Hornbill, egret, heron, adjutant stork and fishing eagle.
Manas National Park
Manas National Park is located on the foothill of Himalayas with some part of the part extending into the territory of Bhutan. In December 1985, UNESCO recognized it as World Heritage Site. Today the park covers a total area of 500 sq km, has a core area of 360 squarekm. It is the only wildlife park in Assam that is comes under Project Tiger. The park is around 176 km from Guwahati and there are regular bus service between the two destinations.
(B) River Tourism: The mighty Brahmaputra and the Barak attract the ECOTOURISM IN ASSAM 189 water adventure lovers from different parts of the world. The tributaries of both the rivers have immense potentialities for angling, boating, canoeing, parasailing etc. The areas that have potentials in angling are: • Mathanguri (Manas River) • Umrangso (Kapili River) • Panimoor (Kapili and Amring river) • Ramghat (Burai River) • Pathali Pam (Subansiri river) To make river tourism even more interesting, the ASTC as well as the private sector of Assam have introduced cruising facilities for domestic and foreign tourists like M.V Charaideu, Sukafa, Jalparee, Alfrasco etc.
(C)Tea and Golf Tourism: The tea gardens rolling out green carpets for miles are ideal to meet the pursuit of romantic and exotic experience of modern tourists. Many tea gardens have 18-hole golf courses- another major attraction for modern tourists. There are more than 800 tea estates and 20 golf estates within the state. Mini airstrips fitted with golf courses are surely attractive destinations for the international tourists for whom ambience is the most important aspect of a leisure holiday. Some of the golf courses are:Digboi golf tourism, Margherita golf club, Biswanathan golf etc. The courses have natural greens as there is plenty of rainfall and ground water available. (Government of India). The ATDC (Assam Tourism Development Corporation) has introduced a tea festival that is held in Jorhat every year.
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