Day 1 : Jeypore Rain Forest
Located in Dibrugarh district of upper Assam, this forest is marked by rich biodiversity. It covers an area of 10,876.68 hectares, with Arunachal Pradesh on its East and South and Sivasagar district on its West. The area falls under the humid zone, which is characterized by high precipitation and humidity- significant features of evergreen forests. Jeypore reserve forest is believed to have 102 species of orchids and is home to a large number of rare and endangered species of wild animals and birds.
Distance from the Chang Bungalow: 60 kms
Driving time: 01 1/2 hrs.
Best Time: November to March.
Day 2 : Tipong Coal Colliery
Tipong Colliery is operated by the North Eastern Coalfields division of Coal India Ltd, and is one of several operational underground and open cast collieries in the Makum coalfields. These were first commercialised by the Assam Railways and Trading Company in the 1880s but were subsequently nationalised in 1975.
Tipong has two irregular tilted seams, and utilises underground working to a depth of about 350m, but it also has an opencast area. Coal is brought to the surface via inclines and is transported approximately 2.5km down the valley on a 2' gauge tramway to an underground conveyor belt and thence to a loading dock. The colliery has its own community housing with schools and other facilities.
This mine can only be visited after obtaining prior permission from the Coal India's office at Margherita.
Distance from the Chang Bungalow: 115 kms
Driving time: 2 hrs 45 min
Best Time : Throughout the year
Day 3 : Coal Heritage Park & Meseum
Situated in Margherita in Assam, it was inaugurated on 29th October, 2012. The prime attractions of this museum are the century old steam locomotives. These steam locomotives were deployed at the mining sites to transport coal and were built during the late 1800s and early 1900s by the renowned locomotive manufacturer from Stafford, England - W. G. Bagnall. Though these magnificent British marvels were built more than a 100 years ago, some of them are still operational at the Tipong Colliery. Others have been put up on public display at India’s only coal museum at Margherita in Assam.
Other attractions are- the practice of coal mining depicted in the form of real time models, a demo structure of an underground coal mine, necessities to be carried to the underground mines by the workmen (underground coal mining boots, cap lamps, shovels and other tools of mining, vintage underground telephones). The museum depicts the history of coal mining at Namdang in Assam. It also contains actual models of transformers, haulages and circuit breakers manufactured by Crompton Parkinson and Manchester & Scheffield, England. Memoirs of World War II (rare pictures of the construction of Stilwell Road, Pangsau Pass and Ledo airstrip, empty shells of bombs used in WW II), the history of the Assam Railways & Trading Co. Ltd., a rare collection of stamps from all over the world, vintage cyclostyling machines are some other displays.
Distance from the Chang Bungalow: 96 kms
Driving time: 2 hrs 30 min
Best Time: 9am to 4 pm ( Closed on Sundays )
Day 4 : Jokai Reserve Forest
Located about 12 km from Dibrugarh town, Jokai Reserve Forest covers an area of 11000 sq. mts. The forest is a rich treasure trove of various species of flora and fauna with some endangered species as well. It is also home to various types of butterflies and reptiles. Some of the commonly found animals here are the Assamese Macaque, leopards, elephants, deer, wild buffaloes, Slow Loris and civet cats. The forest houses many fruit bearing trees which attract a large number of migratory birds every year. Around 100 species of migratory along with residential birds have been recorded in the reserve forest. Amidst Jokai Reserve Forest is the Botanical garden cum Germplasm Center. It is a storehouse of germplasm of some valuable and endangered species of flora of this region. The center also showcases what this region has to offer in terms of floral biodiversity. The various zones of this center include an orchid house, a medicinal and aromatic plants plot, a rainforest specimen plot and a pond.
Distance from the Chang Bungalow: 5 kms
Driving time: 15 min
Best Time: November to April.
Day 5 : Maguri - Motapung Beel
It is a wetland complex which is a part of Dibru Saikhowa, but is located just outside the National Park and Biosphere Reserve. Maguri-Motapung Beel is located on the southern bank of the Dibru River. The ‘Beel’ (local name for a lake with marshy areas along its edges) is connected to the Dibru River through channels which makes it very rich in aquatic life, waterfowl and grassland birds.
Distance from the Mancotta Heritage Chang Bungalow, Dibrugarh: 60 kms
Driving time: 01 ½ hrs
Best Time: November to April.
Distance from the Wathai Heritage Bungalow, Tinsukia: 5 kms
Driving time: 10 mins
Best Time: November to April.
Day 6 : Barekuri Village
This Assamese village, situated near Dibru Saikhowa National Park, is famous for Hollock Gibbons, an endangered ape species found in India. It has been protected and cared for, ever since one can remember, by the villagers because of their age old religious beliefs. Every day the villagers feed them to ensure that these primates always stay in and around the village and so they never cut their tall trees, as gibbons live on them. They also believe that it is a bad omen if a gibbon is seen walking on the ground.
Distance from Mancotta Chang Bungalow: 55 kms
Driving time: 1 hrs 30 min
Best Time: November to April