Balpakram
Land of the Eternal Wind
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The Balpakram Canyon
The helipad is the last motorable point in Balpakram. It is here that you get the first look at the Balpakram Canyon, the yawning abyss with a sheer drop below. Mahadeo river can also be seen below in the canyon meandering downstream through the dense tropical forest towards Bangladesh. You can also see the last trekking point, Matcha Melaram towards the North West corner of the canyon as the flower vase on a table. A viewing tower and an inauguration plaque can also be seen toward the South Eastern corner of the helipad.
Animals of Balpakram
Balpakram National Park is known to be the place with the highest concentration of Asiatic elephants in Meghalaya. Apart from the gentle giants, Balpakram is home to many other species of animals like the
1. Clouded Leopard
2. Marbled Cat
3. Royal Bengal Tiger
4. Red Panda
5. Wild Dog
6. Wild Boar
7. Yellow-Throated Marten
8. Barking Deer / Muntjac
9. Sambar Deer
10. Golden Cat
11. Golden Langur
12. Hoolock Gibbon
13. Wild Buffalo
14. Giant Squirrel
15. Macaque Monkey
16. Bear
and many others.
Birds of Balpakram
Balpakram National Park is also a home to
many species of birds like the
1. Great Indian Hornbill
2. Peacock Pheasant
3. Khalij Pheasant
4. Blue-Throated Barbet
5. Drongo
6. Jungle Fowl
7. Woodpecker
8. Parrots
9. Owls
10. Eagle
11. Bulbuls
12. Myna
13. Night Jar
14. Kingfishers
15. Hoopoe
and many others
Plants of Balpakram
Balpakram National Park is a place where you can find various forest types in the smallest area possible. There are tropical forests, grasslands, bamboo forests, shola-type forests and others. In these forests many common and endangered plant species can be found. Some of them are listed below.
1. The Pitcher Plant (Carnivore)
2. The Sundew Plant - Drosera (Carnivore)
3. Dikge - Curcuma Psuedomontana
4. Lady's Slipper
5. Vanda orchids
6. Dendrobium Densiflorum
and many others.