Namdapha National Park is a large protected area in Arunachal Pradesh. The park is home to more than 1,000 floral and about 1,400 faunal species, making it is a biodiversity hotspot in the Eastern Himalayas. The national park harbours the northernmost lowland evergreen rainforests in the world. It is also the third largest national park in India in terms of area.
The park is also is known for extensive Dipterocarp forests. Because of many different vegetation zones, the park is home to a great diversity of mammal species. The park is home to big cat species like snow leopards, clouded leopards, common leopards and tigers. A Tiger Reserve, it lies in the international border between India and Myanmar in Changlang district.
Namdapha was originally declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1972, then a National Park in 1983 and became a Tiger Reserve under the Project Tiger scheme in the same year. Namdapha shot into prominence during the Second World War. It lay on the famous ‘hump’ air-route from Assam to China used by the Allies to support Chian Kai Shek’s Kuo Min Tang army.
The park’s name is combination of two Singpho words “nam” means water and “dapha” means origin. The park is located between the Dapha bum range of the Mishmi Hills and the Patkai range. It is criss-crossed from east to west by the Noa Dihing River that originates at the Chaukan Pass located on the Indo-Myanmar border. The entire area is mountainous and comprises of the catchment area of the Noa-Dihing River, a tributary of the great Brahmaputra river which flows westwards through the middle of Namdapha.
Numerous streams drain into the Noa-Dihing and forest pools and natural salt licks are abundant in the area. The park is known for its large number of flora and fauna with most of the critically endangered species found living in a safe environment including the Namdapha flying squirrel. Other animals found in the park include predators present in the protected area are dhole, Malayan sun bear, Indian wolf and Asiatic black bear. Smaller carnivores include red panda, red fox, yellow-throated marten, Eurasian otter, Oriental small-clawed otter, spotted linsang, binturong, Asian palm civet, and several species of rare wren-babblers.
The Snowythroated Babbler, a rare species of Babbler is found only in the Patkai and Mishmi hills and nearby areas in Northern Myanmar. Like most of the other wild life parks in the north east, the park is home to many bids and is a birdwatcher paradise. There are five species of hornbills in the park. Several species of rare wren-babblers are also found the park including laughing thrushes, parrotbills, fulvettas, shrike babblers and scimitar babblers.
The park is very rich in Lepidoptera species including butterflies and moths are found in equal abundance here, along with a variety of other insects. There are numerous places worth visiting in and around Namdapha these include Miao Museum, Miao Mini Zoo, (Moti Jheel and Raja Jheel in the buffer zone. Only elephant safari is allowed in the park for tourist as the park being an important birding area doesn’t allow vehicular traffic. Tourist visiting the park can also enjoy activities like trekking and boat ride. There are several small eateries in Miao that serve a variety of food, including Tibetan momos and noodles that tourist can enjoy.
Well connected by air, road and railways through Dibrugarh and Tinsukia there are several government-run circuit houses and bungalows around the park where tourist can stay. October to March is the best time for visiting the park. Tourist can also stay at camps in tents at designated campsites, forest rest house, tourist lodge, tourist huts and dormitories inside the park in buffer zones. Namdapha National Park is famous for being the only park in India to have four big cat species, like leopard, tiger, clouded leopard and snow leopard. A visit to the park is a truly mesmerizing experience that shouls not be missed nature lovers.
