A portion of the Kamlang Reserved Forest was declared as a wildlife sanctuary which comes under the Lohit district. The sanctuary lies in Arunachal Pradesh in India. It covers a huge area of 782 sq km. the Kamlang forests are rich and dense with trees. The wildlife which is found in this sanctuary is very diverse. One can spot tigers, leopards, lions, hornbills and hoolock gibbons. The flora is also very diverse. Rare plants that are specific to the state are found here. The River Kamlang gives its name to the sanctuary. The rivers path  is east to west and it meanders through the sanctuary before it finally joins the river Brahmaputra. The sanctuary is at quite a high elevation.  The area has numerous mountains and rivers. The scenery all round is breath taking. There is a lot of greenery here in the sanctuary.

History

Iin the year 1989 the Kamlang Reserve Forest was declared as a wildlife sanctuary. The Arunachal forest department has pledged to protect the flora and fauna of this park. So that the sanctuary can be conserved.

Weather and Best Time to Visit

The weather here in the sanctuary is mostly very humid. The climate is subtropical with moderate temperatures. The winter months are very cold especially from the months of November to February. The Kamlang wildlife sanctuary receives plenty of rainfall courtesy the south west monsoon during the months of May to September and then from the north east monsoon during the months of December to April. The few months in winter are very dry. The sanctuary receives a little less than 3500 mm of rainfall every year. A lot of thunders and pre monsoon showers are visible in the months of March to May.  The maximum temperature during the summer months is 400 degrees Celsius while in winters it goes down as low as 60 degrees. The best time to visit the Kamlang wildlife sanctuary is between the months of October to April.

How to reach

By Air :

The closest airport to the Kamlang wildlife sanctuary is at Dibrugarh. The airport has regular flights from new Delhi as well as Kolkata. Indian Airlines, Jet Airways and Sahara Airways have regular’s flights. The special service of the Pawan Hans Helicopters is also available from Tezu and Namsai to Itanagar. The sanctuary is well connected from the helipads here.

By Rail :

Tinsukia is closest railway station. It is at a distance of 135 km away from Tezu. The sanctuary is easily approachable by road from here.

By Road:

Bus services are available easily from Tezu and Tinsukia. These services ply regularly between Namsai and Tezu.

Location Map

Wildlife

Flora and Fauna: the Namdapha National Park and the Kamlang wildlife sanctuary share the same type of vegetation. Both the parks at situated at quite a height. They  both have thick dense foliage of greenery. The last dipterocarp forests are also found here in the Kamlangwildlife sanctuary.

The foothill forests are subjugated by tree species such as Dipterocarpus macrocarpus, Shorea assamica, Terminalia myriocarpa and Altingia excelsa, among others. There is a clear transition of the tropical evergreen forests to subtropical and temperate forests along the elevational gradient. Just below the tree line are the stunted rhododendron shrubberies. Along the slopes of the Kamlang river valley, bamboo and cane breaks are common. Most of the area near the scenic Glao Lake is dominated by secondary vegetation, possibly because of prior shifting cultivation by the Miju Mishmi tribe in the area.

The vegetation in Kamlang Wildlife Sanctuary is poorly documented. However, with around 1000 species of plants having been found so far in the neighboring Namdapha National Park, one can expect comparable numbers even in Kamlang, as well as yet undiscovered species, especially from the higher reaches. In the foothill forests two major dipterocarp tree speciesdominate the tree life Dipterocarpus macrocarpus and Shorea assamica. Knowledge of the plant species from the higher areas is poor.

Information on faunal groups is also poor, as no systematic surveys have been carried out in the area. Avifaunal diversity needs to be systematically documented, but is likely to be extremely rich, and the lack of exploration in most parts of Kamlang might mean that there are species yet to be discovered. There are unpublished records of Smew, a small duck, from Glao Lake. Rufous-necked Hornbills are common and Wreathed Hornbills visit the park during winters. The lower reaches also harbor the Great Hornbill (Buceros bicornis), the range-restricted Brown Hornbill and the Oriental Pied Hornbill.  Amongst mammals, Hoolock gibbons, the only apes found in India, are common in the area; other primates like cappedlangur, Assamese macaque, stump-tailed macaque can be seen occasionally. Barking deer, sambar and serow are present in the area and the local people claim that there are reasonable numbers of takin and musk deer in the higher reaches. Amongst wild cats, there are leopard cat, fishing cat, golden cat, marbled cat, clouded leopard, and leopard .

Major Wildlife Attractions : the Kamlang wildlife sanctuary has spotted several Smews in its premises. It is a small duck which is found in the Glao Lake.   During the winter months Rufous necked hornbills and the wreathed hornbills is a common site here. There are several species of the hornbill like the Oriental Pied Hornbill and the Brown Hornbill are a commonly seen in the sanctuary. Hoolock Gibbons which are the only apes in India are seen frequently in the Kamlang wildlife sanctuary. Primates like the capped langur, Assamese Macaque, stump tailed Macaque is also found here. Musk deer and barking deer  are also in this wildlife sanctuary. The park is home to several wild cats like the leopard cat, golden cat, marbled cat, fishing cat and tigers.

Where to stay:

the Kamlang wildlife sanctuary has a lot of tourists visiting it every year. Hence it has excellent arrangements for accommodation for tourists to stay. PWD Guest Houses, circuit houses as well as hotels are located close to the sanctuary premises. The options here are limited but all the places that are here to stay are very comfortable and reasonably priced. There is a circuit house at Tezu as well which can be booked by tourists as well even though it’s mainly for government officials.

For stay at the circuit house, inspection bungalow or tourist lodge,

one can contact the Deputy Commissioner,

Tezu (Ph: +91-3804-223666/222540; Email: id_dclohit@redifmail.com or tezu@hub.nic.in ).

Other options for accommodation at Tezu include Oshin Hotel (Ph: +91-3804-222776) and

Mother Hotel (Ph: +91-3804-222456).

Other important numbers for visitors to the area are:

Circuit House: +91-3804-222423

Tourist Lodge: +91-3804-224399

Forest Rest Hose: +91-3804-223664

Wakaro has the availability of Circuit houses as well as forest rest houses. The stay is very comfortable and affordable. One needs to make prior bookings to stay in these guest houses/

General Information: one needs an Inner Line Permit in order to visit the Lohit district. The divisional forest officer is in Miao and gives permission to tourists visiting the wildlife sanctuary.

Photo Gallery