Primary Himalayan forests unlimited! From foothill to 3200 meter. Combine it with the inner valleys and a snow-covered pass at 4200 meter and the low terai where the highlands meet the plains. Best birding road of the world?
As professional photographers our needs are many and specific, but your office staff, guides and drivers worked in concert to meet our constant demands.We appreciate your expertise and friendly customer service for making our trips to India so successful. Jami Tarris & Theo Allofs, Canada - 2007
Tucked away in the Far East, Namdapha is a scenic park that extends from 650 ft to 14,000 ft, giving it South Asia's most diverse habitat - an astonishing genetic pool of Indo-Burman, Indo-Chinese and Himalayan species. Its geographical boundaries with Myanmar and the Dapha range (5000m) and snow-fed rivers have kept the area protected and largely unexplored. Large mammals have been discovered at Namdapha in recent years, like the Javan Rhino, Malayan Sun Bear and the Leaf Deer.
Declared a Project Tiger reserve in 1983, Namdapha marks the northeastern limit of the Indian Tiger. This is also the only park in the world where four major species of wild cats have been reported - Tiger, Leopard, Clouded Leopard and Snow Leopard. The area is also home to rare species like Himalayan Musk Deer, Slow Loris, Goral, Red Panda and the Takin, which is present at the southernmost extremity of its distribution in Arunachal Pradesh. It is also a good place to watch primates like the Assamese Macaque and Pig-tailed Macaque.
Namdapha's dense foliage and terrain facilitate exploration only on foot. Elephants are often used as backup for carrying supplies. The abundant salt licks or 'poongs' attract a variety of wildlife, though in the dense jungles of Namdapha you often hear more than you can see. Forests echo with the whooping of the Hoolock Gibbon (India's only ape), the short monosyllabic bark of the endangered Rufous Necked Hornbill and the froglike wak-wak-wak call of the fleeting Grey Peacock Pheasant. Almost 665 bird species have been recorded in the area so far, nearly half the bird count in the country, including the White-winged Wood Duck and Great Rufous-headed Parrotbill.
Fauna:
Namdapha is known for its diverse faunal assemblage. Carnivores present are Leopard, Tiger, Snow Leopard and Clouded Leopard. A variety of other threatened mammals recorded here include Dhole, Red Panda, Asian Golden Cat, the Asian Elephant, Musk Deer, Takin, Gaur and Wild Asiatic Water Buffalo.
Notable species of birds include Lesser Fishing Eagle, Mountain Hawk-Eagle, Grey Peacock-Pheasant, Imperial Pigeon, Mountain Imperial Pigeon, Pin-tailed Green Pigeon, Oriental Bay Owl, Rufous-necked Hornbill, Great Hornbill, Red-headed Trogon, Hodgson's Frogmouth, Lesser Shortwing, Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker, Rufous-necked & Crimson-winged Laughing-thrush, White-hooded Shrike Babbler, Sultan Tit, Beautiful Nuthatch and Temminck's Tragopan.
Flora:
Tropical, temperate and alpine formations are present, with tropical and sub-tropical evergreen forests. Tropical wet evergreen forests occur in the lower reaches and alpine vegetation higher up near Daphabum. The lowland tropical evergreen forest is perhaps the largest Dipterocarpus forest remaining in India.
Fact sheet:
State: Arunachal Pradesh Area: 198,524 hectares (Combining Core and buffer forest) Altitude: 200m to 4,578m at the top of Daphabum (Peak of the Hills) Vegetation: Wet evergreen, Mix deciduous, Temperate alpine forest Water resources: Three tributaries of the Noa-Dehing that runs into the Brahmaputra, Lakes locally known as 'beels' Winter: November to mid-February Summer: July to August Monsoon: North-east monsoon from December to March, South monsoon from April to October Rainfall: 2500mm - 3500mm Temperature: 5°C - 35°C at lower altitudes, -0°C at higher altitudes
