Eco-tourism Society

Manas National Park - Bodo villagers Eco-tourism

The local Bodo villagers decided to set up their own Eco-tourism Society on the 13th December 2003 called the Manas Maozigendri Ecotourism Society. Its prime purpose is to protect the Manas forests and wildlife. They would use their ancient skills associated with the forest and wildlife in this purpose. There are a total of sixteen villagers involved in the project, which includes education, hospitals and encouraging a number of community enterprises such as weaving traditional cloth.

The Bodo villagers have decided also to make sure the forests are not destroyed to preserve the habitat for the wild life.The Maozigendri Cooperative has eighty volunteers who engage in anti-poaching patrols at the eastern end of the reserve.

They perform some of their traditional dances and music when they have visitors at the Eco-tourist camp. Here are some audio clips:-

Traditional Music of the Bodo people (5 mins 40 secs)
Another piece of traditional Bodo music (1 min 37 secs)

You will also find a local museum, which has preserved items of local interest including the poachers traps, guns and other tools of their trade once used in the Manas National Park. Well worth visiting, it is a small museum with some very interesting items on display, a great credit to the Bodo people for being so far sighted.

The local Bodo villagers have their own area of forest which they have added to the Manas National Park, thereby extending the park, for which they are to to be highly commended. This allows the villagers to take visitors out on foot safaris, which is especially important for those who wish to study the four hundred plus birds that abound in the park. They can even offer you a night stay in the forest.

We would strongly recommend that you take time to stay in the Manas Maozigendri Ecotourism Society cooperative guest houses and experience their wonderful hospitality, share the Bodo traditions and let them take you around the Manas National Park.