THE RHINO LAND: KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK

One of the main reasons to visit Assam was to see the mighty river Brahmaputra and to site the one horned Rhino at the Kaziranga national Park.A picturesque drive from the commercial capital of Guwahati of nearly 220 kms (approximately 5 hours) brings you to the natural habitat of the one-horned Rhinocerous, the Kaziranga Park, which is one of the best places of the world to see the Great one horned Rhinocerous on the verge of extinction.

Kaziranga lies on the southern banks of the Brahmaputra River, northeast of the Guwahati, partly in Golaghat district and partly in Nagaon district of the state. The forest full of tall elephant grass and swampy marsh lands, an ideal habitat of the Rhino was originally established as a game reserve and later declared a sanctuary in 1940 to counter excessive poaching. But it was only in 1974 that it was given the status of National Park. Kaziranga has the rare distinction of not only saving the prehistoric mammal from the verge of extinction but also of increasing its population in a spectacular manner. With a population of over a thousand, the one-horned Rhino's are the largest concentration in the subcontinent.

This prehistoric animal has stood the wrath of time and has fought to adjust with changes in nature and its surroundings. It is a nearly hairless mammal with a height of around 6 feet and weighing nearly four tons. Basically a solitary and peace loving animal, the females can get disturbed without any provocation when in custody of its calf. The single horn on the nose, which can sometimes be as long as five feet, is the main instrument of the animal for a fight. The Rhino likes to live in tall grassland and swampy marshes. They are brown or gray in colour and thick skin forms plate like folds resembling armor. The horn if once broken grows again, and it is for this horn, which is believed to have medicinal prowess, that the animal is hunted down.
Watching the magnificent rare specie from the back of an elephant, early on a winter morning, is a sheer delight.Along with the Rhinos the marshland is habitat for the many other species as well like the elephants, Indian Bison, swamp deer and many other species of deer, the sloth bears and tigers too. The jungles and the marshy lands also make a good habitat for the migratory birds like the Pelicans and Hornbill, Egret and eagles as well. The common birds and animals also have a major population in the park. Thus viewing wildlife at Kaziranga Park because of its vast open spaces, the presence of the mighty Brahmaputra, and adjoining Mikir hills makes the trip a complete jungle adventure.Near to Kaziranga are some good excursion points. The Kakochang waterfalls and the ruins of Numaligarh and many tea gardens are prime attractions.

Yellow Mountain: Huangshan

The famous scrolls of Chinese black and white paintings of high mountains, rocks, trees and sea of clouds come alive in Huangshan Mountains in the south Anhui province. It is a marvelous mountain area, now on the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List. There is an old saying well known throughout the country "No need to see any other mountains after Huangshan!" Huangshan has spectacular landscape with its four unique scenes: interesting shaped rocks, waterfalls, unique shaped pine trees growing out of rocks, and its sea of clouds. Huangshan has all, the steepness, the grace, the elegance, and so on. Huang Shan Mountain area is such a marvelous place with spectacular vista and its ever-changing scenes attract tourists in all seasons and inspire countless Chinese painters and poets for thousands of years.Of all the notable mountains in China, Mount Huangshan, to be found in the south of Anhui province, is probably the most famous. Originally known as Mt. Yishan it was renamed Mt. Huangshan in 747 AD in recognition of the legendary Huang Di, who was the reputed ancestor of the Chinese people and who made magic pills for immortality here.

Wu yue is the collective name given to China's most important mountains, namely Mt. Taishan in Shandong Province, Mt. Huashan in Shaanxi Province, Mt. Hengshan in Shanxi Province, Mt. Songshan in Henan Province and Mt. Hengshan in Hunan Province. It is said that you won't want to visit any other mountains after seeing wu yue but you won't wish to see even wu yue after returning from Mt. Huangshan. This saying may give you some idea of the beauty and uniqueness of Mt. Huangshan. Together with the Yellow River, the Yangtze River and the Great Wall, Mt. Huangshan has become one of the great symbols of China.


Yellow Mountain, also named Huangshan,is famous for its marvelous and beautiful scenery. It is one of the most popular tourist resorts in China.The landform of Yellow Mountain is a kind of typical granite mountains and forests. It was the result of several movements of lithosphere as well as the work of nature during the long geological age. 77 peaks are more than 1,000 metres above sea level. Granite limestone towers and oddly-shaped rocks spread all over the scenic area.

The legendary pines, oddly-shaped rocks, phantasmagoric sea of clouds, hot springs and winter snows have own Yellow Mountain the world famous reputation of the five unique views. Yellow Mountain has brought together all the strong points other mountains have: grand, strange, baffling, arduous, steep, flourishing, quiet and spacious.There is another noticeable place near Yellow Mountain - Huizhou Culture (also known as Xin'an culture) which is one of the three regional cultures in China. Huizhou Culture includes Xin'an Philosophy, Xin'an Painting School, Xin'an Medicine School, Huizhou Style Architecture, Anhui pot gardening, Huizhou Sculpture, Huizhou Opera, Huizhou Cuisine and so on. It's a miracle of excellent traditional culture of the Chinese nation.


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Drakensberg

The Drakensberg mountains of South Africa is a 200-kilometre-long mountainous wonderland and world heritage site.It is the highest mountain range in Southern Africa.It is also know as “uKhahlamba” or“The Barrier of Spears”. The Dutch Voortrekkers named it as 'The Dragon Mountain'. It forms a natural border between Lesotho and KwaZulu Natal.The largest proportion of the Drakensberg area falls in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. The Drakensberg Range has three sections,South, Central and North.The Northern Drakensberg comprises Royal Natal National Park,Rugged Glen Nature Reserve,Amphitheatre,Mont-aux-Sources, Ifidi, Mnweni & Ntonjelana valleys, Singati Valley, the Mnweni cutback, Mponjwane, and the Saddle.The Central Drakensberg or Berg comprises of Mlambonja Wilderness Area, Cathedral Peak,Organ Pipes, Ndedema Gorge,Ndumeni, Mdedelelo Wilderness Area, Monk’s Cowl, Champagne Castle,Cathkin Peak,Injasuti, and Giant’s Castle Game Reserve.Southern Drakensberg has Mkhomazi Wilderness Area,Loteni,Kamberg,Vergelegen,Hinghmoor,Sani Pass,Mzimkhulwana Nature Reserve, Mzimkhulu Wilderness Area, Garden Castle, Rhino, Giant’s Cup Hiking Trail, Bushman’s Nek, Sehlabathebe National Park, Thomathu, Devil’s Knuckles, and Ramatseliso's Nek.
The mountains are capped by a layer of basalt approximately 1,400 m thick, with sandstone resulting in a combination of steep-sided blocks.The Drakensberg Mountains, with their awe-inspiring basalt cliffs, snowcapped in winter, lush yellowwood forests and cascading waterfalls, form a massive barrier separating KwaZulu-Natal from the Kingdom of Lesotho. This 243,000 hectare mountainous region known the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park has been preserved and venerated for eons since the San people or bushmen roamed these slopes.This is one of South Africa`s best hiking spots, with varied environments and awesome views. It is an important region for adventure activities like mountaineering, camping, bird watching, river crossing, trout fishing, and many more such activities.The entire Drakensberg is riddled with incredible waterfalls, rock pools, mountain streams, crisp mountain air, caves and special spaces that draw both visitors to South Africa and locals alike.
Cave and cave paintings :- In Drakensberg of KwaZulu Natal lies Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg Park which is a world heritage site , it also has over 600 examples of rock paintings in caves around the park. The Drakensberg has between 35000 and 40000 works of bushman art and is the largest collection of such work in the world. The oldest painting on a rock shelter wall in the Drakensberg dates back about 2400 years", "paint chips at least a thousand years older have also been found.It is famous for its outstanding both in quality and diversity of subject. Drakensberg range is a major tourist destination in South Africa and one of the best-known adventure destinations in the world.

Mont-aux-Sources :-It is regarded as the one of the highest portions of the Drakensberg Mountain range. Mont-aux-Sources is regularly described as a mountain block. The amphitheatre, of which Mont-aux-Sources is part, is a five kilometre wall of rock that is at once intimidating and awesome, and forms part of the Royal Natal National Park.It is surrounded by mountain peaks and visitors can enjoy hiking.

Cathedral Peak :- It is surrounded by most spectacular mountain scenery.The peak is bordered by two wilderness areas the Mdedeleo and Mlambonja.It is a retreat for nature lovers, mountain bikers and rock climbers.

Giant’s Castle :- It lies at the southern end of the Drakensberg.It get its name from the outline of the peaks and escarpment that combine to resemble the profile of a sleeping giant.There are a number of hikes to choose from and they range from the rather severe hike to Bannerman Hut, to the more sedate Champagne Pools circular walk from Giant’s Castle main gate, which takes you to secluded pools for swimming and fishing.

Some more attractions :-