Dehing Patkai National Park

Dehing Patkai National Park is one of India's most remarkable tropical rainforest ecosystems, located in the eastern districts of Dibrugarh and Tinsukia in Assam. Often called the "Amazon of the East," the park is renowned for its dense evergreen forests, exceptional biodiversity, and rich ecological significance. Covering approximately 231.65 square kilometres, it forms part of the larger Dehing Patkai Landscape, which extends across Assam and into the neighbouring state of Arunachal Pradesh. The park derives its name from the Dehing River, which flows through the region, and the Patkai Hills, which form its eastern boundary.

The park protects India's largest remaining stretch of lowland tropical rainforest, an ecosystem that is extremely rare in the country. Its forests are dominated by towering Hollong, Nahar, Mekai, and other hardwood trees, creating a lush green canopy that supports an incredible variety of wildlife. Dehing Patkai is home to elephants, tigers, clouded leopards, hoolock gibbons, capped langurs, slow lorises, and hundreds of species of birds, butterflies, reptiles, and amphibians. It is particularly famous for being one of the few places in India where several species of wild cats coexist in the same habitat. Rich in orchids, medicinal plants, and unique rainforest flora, the park is a paradise for nature lovers, wildlife photographers, researchers, and eco-tourists. Today, Dehing Patkai stands as one of Northeast India's most important conservation landscapes, preserving a fragile rainforest ecosystem that has evolved over millions of years.

The forests of Dehing Patkai have existed for millions of years and are considered among the oldest surviving tropical rainforests in the Indian subcontinent. For centuries, these forests have been inhabited and protected by indigenous communities such as the Tai Phake, Moran, Motok, Singpho, and other tribes, whose traditional lifestyles have remained closely connected to the surrounding natural environment. During the British colonial period, the region became known for its valuable timber resources, tea plantations, coal mining, and oil exploration, particularly around Digboi, one of Asia's oldest oil-producing regions. Although industrial activities expanded around the rainforest, significant portions of the forest remained intact because of their dense vegetation and difficult terrain.

Scientific interest in the region increased during the late 1980s when wildlife researchers identified the area as an important habitat for several endangered primate species. Subsequent surveys in the early 1990s highlighted its global importance for the conservation of the rare white-winged wood duck, leading conservationists to recommend stronger legal protection. The area was officially declared the Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary on 13 June 2004, and later became part of the Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve under Project Elephant. Recognising its extraordinary biodiversity and ecological value, the Government of Assam upgraded the sanctuary to a National Park in December 2020, and it was officially notified as Dehing Patkai National Park on 9 June 2021, becoming Assam's seventh national park. Since then, conservation efforts have focused on protecting its unique rainforest habitat, endangered wildlife, and ecological corridors while promoting sustainable eco-tourism and scientific research.

About 45km from Dibrugarh, roughly 1.5 hours by road via Jeypore.