Kaziranga with Meghalaya: Dates, Safari Slots and How to Fit It In

Kaziranga is open to visitors from 1 November to 30 April, and closed from 31 May to 31 October. That one fact decides whether it belongs on your Meghalaya trip at all. If you're travelling between November and April and have seven days or more, add it. With five days, or in monsoon, leave it out.

When Kaziranga is open

The Assam government position is that the park is closed to tourists from 31 May to 31 October, with the season running from 1 November to 30 April. A lot of safari-booking sites say it reopens in October, and in some years individual ranges have opened a little early. That's not something to build a booking on.

The authoritative source each year is the Forest Department's season notification. If you want to travel in the first week of November, ask your operator to show it to you before you pay.

The calendar happens to work in your favour. Diwali often falls in early November, right after the park reopens; in 2026 it's on 8 November. Peak demand and the first open week land together, which also means that week books up.

What Kaziranga is

A national park on the Brahmaputra floodplain in Assam, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. It holds around two-thirds of the world's greater one-horned rhinoceros, and on a morning safari you're very likely to see several. Wild elephant, water buffalo and swamp deer are common too.

Tigers live here in good numbers. You'd be lucky to see one in the tall grass, and nobody should promise you that you will.

Which safari slot

Take the dawn jeep, 5:30 to 6am.

Animals are most active in the first hours after sunrise, the light is soft, and the grassland is at its most open before the day heats up. The afternoon slot is noticeably weaker for wildlife, and it tends to be what gets sold when the morning is full, so book the morning early.

The park is split into five ranges, and three matter for a visitor. Central, at Kohora, is the one most trips use and the easiest to reach. Western, at Bagori, is known for dense rhino numbers. Eastern, at Agaratoli, is quieter and better for birds. On a combined trip, one safari in one range is enough for most people.

Elephant-back safaris also run in some ranges. If you'd rather not ride an elephant, the jeep covers the same ground.

How it fits with Meghalaya

Kaziranga is about five hours east of Guwahati. Shillong is about three hours south. They sit in different directions, and that's the whole planning problem.

The standard way to do it is to fly into Guwahati, drive to Kaziranga on day one, take the dawn safari on day two, then drive back past Guwahati and up to Shillong. That second day is long: a 5:30am start and most of the rest of it in the car. It does save you doubling back later. The alternative is to finish the trip at Kaziranga and drive to Guwahati for your flight.

Either way, it costs you two days once the drives are counted. That's why it won't fit a five-day trip without gutting the Meghalaya half.

Is it worth adding?

• Yes, if you're travelling November to April, have seven days or more, and have children with you, a wildlife interest, or simply want to see a rhino. For families, see Meghalaya with family.
• No, if you have five days, you're travelling June to October, or your Meghalaya list is already full.
• Maybe, with six days. It works, but something in Meghalaya has to go, usually Dawki or Nongriat.

The combined trips we run

All four include a shared jeep safari in the Central range. Prices are Guwahati to Guwahati on twin sharing, with flights extra. The seven-day private trip also includes Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati.

Where to stay

Most lodges cluster around Kohora, at the entrance to the Central range, which keeps the dawn start short. For November, book early. It's the first month of the season, and the Diwali week goes fast.

Kamakhya on the way

Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, one of the Shakti Peethas, is an easy addition on your arrival or departure day. The queues can be long, and early morning is the quietest time.

For how Kaziranga changes the overall cost of a trip, see Meghalaya trip cost, and for day-by-day plans with and without it, the itinerary guide.