The next morning I had to take a taxi to the Nameri Eco Lodge in the Nameri National Park some 30 minutes north of Tezpur. This was expensive and I was told this was the only option. Actually it is not. By far the cheapest way to get to the Nameri Eco Lodge is directly from Guwahati by Sumo to Balipara. This method only became apparent once I had left, but would have saved me a great deal of money had I known. The Nameri Eco Lodge unfortunately seem unaware of this but did (during an unrelated conversation) let me know that they can collect guests who arrive at Bam .


I arrived in the Nameri Eco Lodge at mid morning and was shown my fixed tent (African Style) . Over the next three nights I became hugely impressed with the Nameri Eco Lodge. This place was not only one of the best and one of most comfortable Eco Lodges I have stayed in, but also benefits the local community, employing only local people and using local produce.


My fixed tent was very clean, spacious and homely with fans, electricity, proper beds, hot water showers and attached bathroom plus changing facilities. I had a little porch with relaxing traditional chairs and a table. Immediately I felt at home and relaxed.


The staff were all young, enthusiastic about wildlife and incredibly helpful towards the tourists. Here when I asked for something to be done, it was done and quickly. Everyone was so friendly. The manager introduced himself and I quickly detailed what I was hoping to see. He introduced me to a local Mishing guide Manni and then to my armed escort Nasser, and all three of us decided to move off immediately into the national park for a jungle walk that afternoon .


The Eco Lodge is built in the buffer zone between the National Park and village life. Nameri National Park contains many large animals but is mainly known for its birdlife. The walk to the park entrance is a brief trot down a sandy road to the river where you can cross on a National park canoe. Then its another one kilometre walk across a large sandbar to the park HQ. There are two main walks in the park. One goes inland on a circular track and the other goes east alongside the river. We took that riverside path that afternoon and as it was quite hot, we did not see that much. Some Ruddy Ducks, a Black Necked Stork and some White Throated Kingfishers. However when we moved into the dense beautiful jungle towards a water hole, we surprised three Gaur or Indian Bison. These are brownish in colour with big horns and built thickly like Mithunes. Unlike Mithunes these were angry and aggressive and prompted Nasser into immediately action . In a blink of an eye. both he and Manni hustled me back along the track with the gun pointed in the direction of these aggressive animals. I only managed a split second glimpse at the Gaur before it charged. Fortunately the unnerved and angry animal took off in the wrong direction, “probably so angry it did not know where we were, “said Manni.


During this excitement we disturbed a huge eagle, unseen in a tree at head height as the three of us fled past. It broke cover and opened its enormous wingspan quickly climbing through the scrub surrounding the muddy water hole and disagreeing in the thick trees. A great sighting and the noise of its wings was memorable, but unfortunately no time for a photograph.


We decided to continue on and visit another waterhole which although beautiful and full of jungle sounds was (as far as we could tell) empty . We rested here before making our way back to the HQ. We spotted Bee Eaters and Giant Squirrels on the way back. On the way back to the lodge in the canoe we saw a flyby with some forty Oriental Pied Hornbills majestically and silently flying over the river towards their roosting trees. This was a site I planned to visit before I left.


The next morning I was up at 5.00am for the morning track also with Manni and Nasar. Tea and biscuits were brought to the tent and we left at just after six. As we were walking to the canoe to cross the river a 4x4 stopped and a kind man offered us a lift. The man driving was a wildlife cameraman and producer from Delhi called Omar who was working exclusively for the Arunachal government. He was also joined by a Canadian tourist Garrett. We struck up a good conversation and walked with them to the HQ before going our separate ways.


This morning Manni led us onto the circular route and as we emerged from the pathway into a huge elephant grass dominated river marsh, three Giant Hornbills flew out of one foliage opposite along the tree line and then settled on a large tree opposite . This was what I had hoped to see and I asked Manni to take me across the marshes so I could try and photograph them. So we moved carefully across slowly the swamp through the elephant grass and over the small river, but when we reached the other side we had lost sight of the hornbills. As we searched we disturbed a beautifully camouflaged Spotted Deer, but there was little sign of the birds.


All of a sudden I stepped on a large branch and the resulting “crack” startled one of the Hornbills and it flew straight out of a large tree. The noise of its wings was extraordinary. I can only compare it to helicopters propellers when the machine is slowing down. As it glided over the trees and away from us with its elegant flight, loud wing noise, it looked like some sort of big battleship with it’s hornbill slicing through the air. It was too fast to get a snap, but incredibly memorable as it disappeared again into the thick foliage. Wow. We looked hard for the other two but to no avail. In the end we returned to the path and moved further into the park.


Later we came across a clearing but a dry river bed and here was an observation tower crudely built out of concrete. It did though afford good views of the dry river, but even better ones of a tree next to the tower where many birds had gathered including several types of Woodpecker. I spent a while here as the sun climbed higher.


The rest of the trek was interesting spotting more Giant Squirrels and Macaque monkeys, but by now it was getting warm and wild activity was slowing. Back at the lodge I had a great lunch with Omar and Garrett. We swapped notes on Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.


In the afternoon, Manni arrived to take me “rafting” as the lodge described it. This was actually in a military style dingy, so much safer than I had feared and we drove out to the Arunachal Pradesh border and mostly floated downstream back to camp. The birdlife was great. We saw some spectacular birds including the rare Ibisbill plus Kingfishers, huge numbers of Cormorants, a Pelles Fishing Eagle, Osprey, Lesser Fish Eagle plus many ducks etc. It was excellent and I probably got my best shots.


The next day I was up early for my final trip into the Park again with Nasser and Manni. This time we followed the circular route but unlike the first time, we saw little this time until the later stages when we saw both types of Drongos including the Greater Racket-Tailed Drongo, more Giant Squirrels and Macaques and most interestingly two elephants. This was, Manni remarked “very lucky” and we saw this mother and baby for quite a while.


I had reserved the afternoon of my final day just for Hornbills after the staff had told me two were preparing to nest in the lodge’s grounds. I sat there for most of the afternoon and was treated to two incredibly memorable displays by the pair as they majestically flew backwards and forwards to the nest hole. One was ferrying food to the other who was preparing the hole in the tree. It was quite far above ground but I could manage to get a good view and this spectacle did not disappoint. These birds are truly special.


I also managed to fit in a visit to the Pygmy Hog rehabilitation centre behind the Lodge. Here the endangered tiny pigs are being bred for release into the wild by a charitable organisation. It was difficult to find out much information, but it seemed well run and was clean and animal friendly. I was impressed. An English speaking guide would have been nice though.


Just before sunset I jumped on the back of the restaurant manager’s motorbike and he drove me out to the trees where the Oriental Pied Hornbills were nesting. During our walk towards these roosting trees up to 100 of these hornbills silently flew overhead in two large groups. The sight was fabulous and silent. These birds do not have the huge hornbill that the Giants do but are still large and graceful. We watched for a good hour as the squabbled and then finally left for another tree in which to spend the night.


The following morning I was off to Jorhat. The stay at the Nameri Eco Lodge was truly memorable for the place, the people and the birds. This was one place I wont forget and hope to return too - one day.