Iora, a 20-acre resort, is situated within two kilometres of the Kohora zone of the Kaziranga National Park, and about 100m from the main road. The road to Iora passes through a serene little village, and the first impression of the resort is one of sheer size and scale. Several buildings are set within a large, elaborately landscaped area dotted with gardens, badminton courts and walkways. For some reason, the place seemed to be a favourite of the Indian army, whose vehicles would periodically arrive in stately convoys.
Our ground-floor room came with a charming verandah, which looked out upon a distant prospect of misty mountains. We did not spend much time indoors though. There was a lot to do in the resort, from badminton and table tennis games (or a swim, if the weather was warm) to walks in the ethnic village just outside. We were particularly gratified to discover a kitchen garden set at the back of the resort, which grew four varieties of lettuce along with broccoli, marjoram and thyme.
Cooking is taken very seriously at Iora, and we spent a lot of time in the huge dining room sampling various delicacies created by chef Faruk Ahmed and his staff. The crowning glory in his oeuvre is a grilled chicken marinated in tea liqueur and a tea-infused tiramisu. We sampled the former and found it exquisite. We also received a crash course in Assamese cuisine, and the sequence in which a meal should be eaten, starting with khar (an extract of boiled raw papaya) and ending with tenga, a light and sour dish. Then there are the meat dishes — pork (gahori) and duck (hanh) — cooked with bamboo shoots or bah gaj. For those who like to stick to the tried and tested, the restaurant also offers excellent Continental and Chinese. For the adventurous, there is the special chilli vodka created by the adjacent bar, which is supposedly made of one of the hottest chillies in the world. Both the restaurant and bar tariffs are very reasonable, and there were a fair number of local diners during the time when we were there.
This is certainly a place which offers a wide range of options to its visitors and at prices which do not break your bank.
The information
Where: Iora – The Retreat, Bogorijuri, Kohora, Kaziranga National Park, Dist. Golaghat, Assam
Contact: www.kazirangasafari.com