About Eaglenest National Park
Travelling in the North-East in the summer of 2006
Guwahati >> Eaglenest >> Tawang >> Nameri >> Kaziranga >> Shillong >> Cherrapunjee
+Previous: Haathi Trail
+Next: From Eaglenest to Tawang – I
+Go to the beginning of the series
Eaglenest is special because of its altitude range varying from 500m to 3200m. The varying altitude translates into rich variety of biodiversity, with different vegetation and animal life at the higher and lower altitudes. Most of the flora and fauna of the region have remained pristine and undisturbed and well isolated from external world. A jeep track passing through the park is the only means of commute within the park, unless you walk.
LOCATION
Eaglenest is located in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, adjoining Sonitpur district in Assam. Tezpur is the nearest town that serves as gateway to the park. You can get to the park from two locations – via Missimari in Assam and then take the jeep track and go all the way till Tenga. Or take the Bomdila highway from Tezpur and reach Tenga to enter the park from here. Entry permits to Arunachal Pradesh is necessary.
Vista of Eaglenest
THINGS TO DO
Birding is the primary activity. You can also walk in the park and enjoy the immense beauty of the forest. See undisturbed evergreen forest in the lower regions and alpine forest and rhododendron vegetation in the higher regions. Eaglenest does have a population of mammals like elephants, tigers and herbivores but the thick forest makes it difficult to sight them. Birders have a treat awaiting for them in Eaglenest. The forest hosts many endangered and endemic bird species that are hard to come by anywhere else.
LOGISTICS AND ARRANGING A TRIP
There are no tourist facilities in Eaglenest. I would strongly discourage casual visitors and leisure travellers from making a trip to Eaglenest. Currently, the only way to travel to Eaglenest is with the help of the infrastructure created by Bugund tribe and Kaati Trust. See Ramana Atreya’s page on Eaglenest for more details. Once your trip has been fixed, they can arrange for your permits and other necessities.
Accommodation will be in tents and facilities are limited. Be willing to live in very basic accommodation with staple food, and be willing to walk long distances every day.
Our accommodation in Lama Camp
To get to Eaglenest, take a bus from Guwahati to Tezpur(5 hours). You will see many shared jeeps heading towards Bomdila in Tezpur bus stand. Catch one of them and get down at Tenga(may be four hours?). You may have to walk or hire a jeep for yourself to reach your camp(15kms) from Tenga. Tenga has a hotel with basic facilities where you stay if you need to.