Namdapha National Park — an emerald paradise tucked away in the hills of Arunachal Pradesh — was our destination for the Christmas of 2006.

We started our journey from Tinsukia at 4am. As a bright December day dawned on us, we enjoyed the scenic beauty throughout the journey.

We reached the small township of Miao, which is the entry point for Namdapha, at 10.30am. From here, we were to be accompanied by the forest range officer of Namdapha, who was also a family friend.

Our next job was to locate his house. We left our car just outside the town and started walking to acquaint ourselves of the town as well. We hadn’t walked very far when, to our surprise, we found ourselves outside an enclosure with buck deer lazing around inside.

A little ahead, we managed to locate the ranger’s quarters. While we were having breakfast at his house, we kept hearing a strange sound. We wondered what the sound was and were extremely surprised to know that it was the call of an animal kept at the local zoo, next door.

We could not miss the zoo and visited it right after a tour of the local museum, also located nearby.

The zoo wasn’t very large but housed a variety of species. We were fortunate to see a newborn spotted deer, which had just been brought in from the forest. And then we came across the source of that weird call — hollock gibbon. There were two of the species in the enclosure and they didn’t fail to entertain us with their antics.

We then started for Namdapha and for this we had to cross a river. Since this river dries up in winter, we just drove across the riverbed. Beyond this, all we could see was dense forest.

As we wound our way towards the only guesthouse in the reserve forest, we found that it was actually the foot of a hill. The narrow, curved stretch of road was surrounded by thick forest on both sides.

Soon we reached the guesthouse, which was situated on the banks of a river. However, at this time of the year all we could see was a vast stretch of riverbed strewn with pebbles and looking as if frost had settled on it.

We had our lunch and went out to explore the wilderness on foot along with our guide.

At one point, we came upon a group of locals who excitedly showed us fresh pug marks. They told us that a tiger had passed that way just half-an-hour ago.

As we walked further, we came across high log cabins. These, we were told, were for tourists who desired privacy.

By now, darkness had started creeping in and we returned to our guesthouse. By the time we had our tea, it was pitch dark outside. The area did not have any electricity and the solar lights were used only for the rooms.

A big fire was lit in the compound and we sat around it till dinner was served. Without electricity, the day ended early at Namdapha and we went to our rooms by 9pm.

The next day was no less adventurous.

We started the day early, as we wanted to enjoy the unspoilt freshness and beauty of the place. There were two lookout posts from where we had an excellent view of the valley nestled in the lap of the mountains.

The most breathtaking moment was when the first sunrays fell on top of the mountains and gradually spread over the entire place.

We had breakfast at the guesthouse and were lazing in the lawn outside our rooms when three elephants were led into the compound along with a calf. It was time for an elephant ride!

We were very excited and quickly embarked on the journey.

The ride took us along paths where no vehicle could or was allowed to go. As we ventured deep inside the forest, thick foliage prevented even a ray of sunlight to penetrate the thick awning at certain places. Not a sound could be heard apart from occasional call of birds or animals.

We were a little scared, but the mahout assured us that even tigers were afraid of elephants. That somewhat put our fears to rest and we enjoyed the rest of the journey till we returned to the guesthouse.

Soon it was time for us to leave, as we had to go a long way. Finally, I said goodbye to one of the most memorable Christmas holiday I have had so far.

Going

Namdapha is located in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh. The nearest airport is Dibrugarh. However, driving is the best option. Good motorable roads connect Miao (entry point for the park) to Dibrugarh (140km), Sivasagar (199km) and Guwahati (561km).

From Tinusukia or Dibugarh, the journey to Miao, headquarters of the National Park and the Tiger Reserve, hasto be done by road, overa distance of 150km.One can take a jeep or Gypsy from Miao. The best time to visit is from October to April.

Staying

At Miao, one can stay at the Inspection Bunglow , Tourist Lodge or Circuit House. At Namdapha, one can stay at the Inspection Bunglow.