Plan your trip · Kaziranga
What's on in Kaziranga
Around Kaziranga the big dates belong to the park and the farming year. The reopening in October and the two main Bihus shape the season more than any single event.
Nothing dated is confirmed for Kaziranga right now, so here is the year instead — the fixtures that come round annually, and what each one means for a visit.
The year in Kaziranga
Kaziranga packs most of its outdoor calendar into the cooler months; the pre-monsoon peak is hot enough that daytime processions are genuinely hard going. Broadly, Oct – Mar is when visiting is most comfortable here, and that is when the calendar is busiest — which also means accommodation is most expensive and books furthest ahead.
Most of these follow lunar calendars and move by weeks from year to year, so treat the windows below as the season rather than the date, and confirm the year’s dates before you book around one.
Signature to Kaziranga
Park season
🗓️ October–MayThe park reopens in stages from October and closes for the monsoon, usually by late May, when the Brahmaputra floods much of it; the dry months are when the rhinos are visible from the grassland tracks.
Planning: Book jeep safaris online ahead; elephant rides run roughly November–April from Kohora and Bagori.
Across Assam
Bihu
🗓️ mid-April, with smaller Bihus in January and OctoberThe Assamese new year — Rongali Bihu in spring is the big one, with dance, feasting and a week off.
Planning: Combine it with tea-garden season, which is just starting.
Nationwide
Diwali
🗓️ October–NovemberThe biggest holiday of the year — lamps, sweets, fireworks and a week of visiting family. Cities are lit up and markets stay open late.
Holi
🗓️ MarchColoured powder and water, thrown at anyone within reach, mostly through the morning.
Navratri and Dussehra
🗓️ September–OctoberNine nights of fasting, music and dance, ending with Dussehra. What it looks like changes completely by region — garba in Gujarat, pandals in Bengal, processions in the south.
Eid al-Fitr
🗓️ shifts ~11 days earlier each yearThe end of Ramadan. The old quarters of Delhi, Hyderabad, Lucknow and Bhopal are at their best in the evenings through the preceding month, when food streets run past midnight.
Makar Sankranti and Pongal
🗓️ mid-JanuaryThe harvest turn, marked with kites in the west and north and four days of Pongal in Tamil Nadu.
Park reopening, October
The biggest date on the local calendar is the park's reopening after the monsoon, usually from 1 October. Ranges open one after another over several weeks, and elephant rides typically begin in November. Lodges around Kohora and Bagori reopen or restart full service at the same time. Check the park's official announcement for the current year before you book.
Winter birds, November to February
Thousands of migratory ducks, geese and waders arrive on the beels in winter, joining resident pelicans, storks and fish eagles. The Eastern Range at Agaratoli is the best place to see them. This is not a festival, but for birdwatchers it is the main event of the year.
Magh Bihu, mid-January
The harvest festival. Villages build bonfire huts called meji and burn them at dawn, families feast the night before, and pitha are made fresh in every kitchen. Some lodges arrange a Bihu dinner for guests. It falls in peak safari season, so book early.
Rongali Bihu, mid-April
The Assamese new year and the most joyful festival in the state. Village groups perform Bihu dance and songs with drums and buffalo-horn pipes, and young people tour homes singing husori. Resorts often host performances. It is hot by April, but the park is still open and sightings are good.
Durga Puja, September or October
Small pandals go up in Kohora and nearby Bokakhat. It usually falls around the park's reopening.
Park closure, late May
The season ends when the rains make the park's tracks unsafe, usually around the end of May. In 2026 the park closed from 29 May.
Planning tips
Most festival dates follow the Assamese calendar and move slightly each year. Confirm dates before you book, and reserve safaris well ahead for January and April. The best time to visit page explains the weather month by month.
Questions
Kaziranga — FAQ
Can visitors watch Bihu near Kaziranga?
Yes. In mid-April, village groups perform Bihu dance, and many resorts host performances for guests. Watching is welcome; ask before photographing people up close.
When is the best time for birdwatching in Kaziranga?
November to February, when winter migrants join the resident birds. The Eastern Range at Agaratoli is the best range for water birds.
Does Kaziranga hold an official opening event?
The reopening is usually marked by forest officials at the gates in October, but it is not a public festival. What matters for visitors is which ranges open on which dates.