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basic but superbly located Forest Rest House at Mothanguri (contact the Field Director, Manas Tiger Reserve; 03666/233-413), deep in the park, the only place to stay is the Bansbari Lodge (www.assambengalnavigation.com; assambengal@aol.com), right beside the park entrance. The 16 fan-cooled rooms are spacious and have small balconies. The lodge arranges performances of Bodo tribal dancing. Be warned: The access road to the park from the National Highway is in dire need of attention. The more popular Kaziranga is among the top five places to see wildlife in India. This marshy plain beside the Brahmaputra was turned into a wildlife sanctuary by Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India, in 1908. At that time there were only a handful of rhinos left; now around 1,800 graze the park; they constitute the vast majority of the world population of the Asian one-horned rhinoceros. Also present here are wild elephant, buffalo, swamp deer, hog deer, sambar, wild boar, as well as the densest tiger population in India. But don’t get your hopes up—tiger in Kaziranga are harder to spot than almost anywhere else, thanks to the lush vegetation. The best way to get close to the rhinos is atop an elephant: Every morning cavalcades of 20 or so elephants head out rhino tracking—and visitors are seldom disappointed. If you aren’t staying on board one of Assam Bengal Navigation’s river cruise ships (see box below), a good alternative would be their Diphlu River Lodge (www.diphluriverlodge.com) with thatched cottages on stilts looking across the water into the park itself—from the machan at night you can watch rhino graze on the far bank. The cottages are air-conditioned, and marvelously spacious. Otherwise Wild Grass ( 03776/226-2011;www.oldassam.com) offers a good standard of comfort and is close to the entrance to Kaziranga’s Central Range.

Wildlife Safari by Boat

The Brahmaputra flows for some 644km (400 miles) through Assam, and a river cruise is the best way to visit this little-known region in comfort. There is hardly any traffic on the river, just the occasional country boat taking fishermen to their traps. Otherwise you’ll find total solitude, rare indeed in India. The two 12-double-cabin riverboats of Assam Bengal Navigation (www.assambengalnavigation.com; assambengal@aol.com) are comfortable without being pretentious. Rooms are all air-conditioned, the en-suite bathrooms are workmanlike, and the furnishings, which make use of local weaving, rattan, and bamboo, are simple and unfussy. Each boat has a saloon and bar with glass doors looking out on a small foredeck and the river ahead, while upper sun decks are furnished with sun loungers and generous seating. ABN’s cruises range in length from 4 to 14 nights and cost from $350 per person per night. Most days the boat stops for a visit on land, whether to a wildlife park, tea garden, temple, or tribal village. A fleet of jeeps is used to take guests on longer excursions, but be warned, Assam’s road surfaces leave a lot to be desired. Transfers are included in the tariff. Pickups can be done at either of the two airports in Dibrugarh or Guwahati, both of which are connected to Delhi and Kolkata.

Chapter 16: Fast Facts

Fast Facts: India

AREA CODES The international telephone access code for India is 91. Area codes for principal cities and towns are listed in the “Fast Facts” sections in each chapter. All numbers listed in this guide include the local area code (which you would dial from another Indian town or city); this is separated from the actual telephone number by a forward slash (/).

BUSINESS HOURS Banks are usually open weekdays from 10am to 2pm and Saturday from 10am to noon, though banks in larger cities have much longer hours (9:30am–5pm on weekdays, and until 2pm on Sat). Most museums are closed Monday; the Taj Mahal is closed on Friday, along with all other Muslim sites. Hours of retail outlets vary, but many close on Sunday.

DRINKING LAWS Attitudes toward alcohol vary considerably. In Gujarat, prohibition is in force and liquor can only be obtained from the permit rooms of luxury