Namdapha National Park, Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh India

Namdapha National Park is a biodiversity hotspot and the largest national park in India. Situated in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh, near the border with Myanmar, it spans an area of 1985 sq km. The core area is stretched over an area of 1808 sq km while the buffer zone comprises about 177 sq km making Namdapha the largest protected area in Eastern Himalayas.

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 national park is nestled between the Patkai range and Dapha bum range of Mishmi Hills, the park is home to about 425 bird species of flora and fauna. It is one of the few national parks where camping is allowed inside the forest.

Habitat in the park keeps on changing with altitude. While the lower reaches of the park has sub-tropical, it is replaced by subtropical pine forests, temperate forests, alpine meadows and perennial snow as you move up. The higher elevations remain snowbound for most part of the year. Dapha Bum, a ridge on Mishmi hills, is the highest point (4571 m) of the park.

The park’s fauna comprises of snow leopards, clouded leopards, common leopards, tigers, dholes, wolves, Asiatic black bears, red panda, red fox, yellow-throated marten, Slow Loris, Hoolock Gibbons, Capped Langurs, Assamese Macaques and Rhesus Macaques can be sighted in the park. The critically endangered Namdapha Flying Squirrel is found only at the park.

The avian diversity includes hornbills, snowy throated babblers, rufous-necked hornbill, green cochoa, purple cochoa and beautiful nuthatch.

Settlements of Lisu, Chakma, Tangsa and Singpho are also inside the park. Their villages are located mainly in community and reserve forests. Several places inside the park have interesting names like Mihi-phi-phi (place where wind blows all the time) and Bulbulia (place of bubbling water) which adds to the allure of the park.

The park is open throughout the year to tourists. Inner line permits are essential for visiting Namdapha.