Our next destination in Assam is the must-visit Kaziranga National Park. This sprawling wildlife park is famous for the rare one-horned rhinoceros. This amazing forest area with all its rich biodiversity is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is also a tiger reserve. Our Assam visit would have been incomplete without this tour. And we were super glad to find scrumptious Assamese cuisine inside the National Park. In this exploration, we were guided by our gracious host Monalee Hazarika.
We started with the Jeep Safari that gave us a tour of a section of the park. The picturesque vistas in front of us were so soothing. Amidst the chirping of the birds and the calls of different animals, we tried to spot the rhinoceros which is the most coveted animal over here.
Next, we went to the biodiversity park to see the mesmerizing collection of Orchids from all of the North East. There were nearly 600 varieties of orchids in the greenhouse. Since we were visiting the place during the blooming season, the view in front of us was just brilliant.
We then went on to have the Komal Saul Jolpan at the park premises. This traditional breakfast delicacy comprising of indigenous Komal Saul or rice, curd, and jaggery was divine.
Next, we visited the rice museum to learn more about the plentiful rice crops that the state is famous for. It was heartening to see the grains being conserved so passionately.
Then it was time to witness the brilliant cultural extravaganza of traditional Assamese folk dances like Karbi Bamboo Dance and the Mishing Folk Dance.
After this, we reached the in-house restaurant to savour a gigantic vegetarian thali. It was a super impressive platter that consisted of twenty plus homestyle vegetable dishes. There was joha rice, aloo pitika, aloo fry, karela, jackfruit, aubergine etc. Watch the video to see the extensive list.
Then we gulped down some refreshing wood apple sherbet and headed to try the popular sweet called the peda. These optimally sweet tiny khoya balls were very delicious. They were quite different from their North Indian counterparts.
Overall it was such an enthralling and gratifying experience. The food in particular was truly impressive.