Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary
A small rainforest among tea gardens near Jorhat, the best place in India to see the western hoolock gibbon and six other primates.
- Established
- 1881 (reserve forest) · 1997 (sanctuary)
- Renamed
- Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary in 2004
- Area
- About 21 km²
- District
- Jorhat
- Primates
- 7 species
- From Kaziranga
- About 2.5 hours
- Season
- October to April
How the park came to be
The forest was set aside as a reserve in 1881, when it was still connected to the Patkai hills. Tea gardens and villages have since surrounded it. It was made the Gibbon Sanctuary in 1997 and renamed Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary in 2004.
It is the only sanctuary in India named after a primate. The name comes from the hollong tree, which forms the tall upper canopy where the gibbons live.
FloraForest & landscape
Tropical semi-evergreen forest with a tall canopy of hollong trees, and a lower layer of nahar and other evergreen trees, shrubs and ferns.
FaunaWildlife you can see
- Western hoolock gibbon
- Bengal slow loris
- Stump-tailed macaque
- Northern pig-tailed macaque
- Assam macaque
- Rhesus macaque
- Capped langur
- Asian elephant (passing through)
- Indian civet
- Barking deer
Birds: At least 219 bird species and over 200 butterfly species.
Things to do
Follow the gibbon calls with a forest guide.
Capped langurs, macaques and, with luck, the slow loris.
Jorhat's estates surround the sanctuary.
Continue to the world's largest river island.
Travel tips
- Go early morning when gibbons call and are most active
- Wear leech socks after rain
- Add it as Day 4 of a Kaziranga trip