Every time I look at a rhinoceros I wonder if the creator were a little tipsy to have imagined a creature like this – it weighs 3,000 kgs (think about it, the weight of an unladen Maruti 800 is only 650 kgs!), piddles backwards, squirting up to 4 meters, has a hide so thick that it could fend off a cannon ball, is speckled with wart like bumps and is almost bald…Don’t laugh! You have not seen its horn yet.

Technically, it is pure keratin but the Chinese think of it as Viagra’s cousin and empty sackfulls of money for a piece of that horn. The libido, you see – the rhino can stay mounted for almost 50 minutes. Man!

Thankfully, there was nothing libidinous about my trip to Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary. I was there to see the big, fat one-horned rhinos for whom Pobitora is special – it has the highest density of rhinos in the world.

Boat ride: The two-hour drive from Guwahati can be fascinating or bumpy, depending on which side of the bed you got off in the morning. For miles you can see paddy plantation, bamboo huts, villagers fishing languorously, a new mountain staring at you from every bend. Thankfully, there are signboards telling you how far and which way Pobitora is. A non-descript gate leads you to the lake. Man-made but quiet.

The elephants that would take you inside the jungle live on the other bank. The boatman hums an unfamiliar tune and the oars ruffle the tranquil waters. But this is no ordinary boat ride – innumerable dragonflies ride with you in the boat, flitting every moment.

As you get off, the boatman lends a hand and you are greeted by hundreds of yellow butterflies. The boat ride gets over in a blink, the dragonflies and the butterflies would stay with you forever.

Getting on the elephant: Before the elephant ride, there’s the ritual – getting on the elephant’s back. No, howdahs, my dear. No ladders, either. The elephants are not chivalrous; they do not go down on their knees for you to hop up. Well, you need to go to the Elephant Mounting Spot. It is a wooden machan. As high as the elephant.

The staircase creaks and the elephant stands next to where the rails have snipped off. The right leg, first. Hold your breath, hop, hold the rope and do not complain about the mattress’ upholstery. It is no jacquard; it is a prickly sackcloth. Believe me, this is one tough act.

Amidst rhinos and buffaloes: But once the elephant moves and the guard behind you holds the rifle, you would forgive the elephant that was not a gallant knight. Miles of grass is all you see, the green offset by the white of the egrets. The mahout hushes fascinating stories, the guard watchful, the jungle lush and the elephant chewing on tonnes of grass as it walks on. The mahout knows where the rhino would be – it is late morning and the rhinos usually wallow in water bodies.

As the grass rustles under the weight of elephant’s copious legs, you wait. But you would never be disappointed. Not one, not two, you would see a dozen rhinos and buffaloes. Remember, the sanctuary has the largest density of rhinos in the world. The fat rhinos do not run away, they do not attack. On a good day, you would get a million pictures; you can even see the warts and that famed hide up close.

Of wings and snakes: If you are faint-hearted the one-hour elephant ride can be scary – the elephant can miss a step in the slush or you can find the rhino too close for comfort. For the weak-kneed there is an option – sit in the thatched gazebo by the lake and watch the birds. You would find the whistling teals, the ospreys, the hawks, the falcons in the wetlands.

In the waters, there are the crimson lilies, the roof turtles and innumerable fish and frogs. And if you will not scream, let me add, there are rock pythons that can measure more than 23 ft. I saw one so large that it could have gobbled me and a boar in one breath

The Land of Black Magic: Once upon a time Mayong, the village that abuts Pobitora, was absolutely inaccessible. With mountains closing in on the cluster, it was a Tantric center. Walk in and villagers would tell you of those who knew mantras to lure leopards, catch a thief and even make someone vanish.

Don’t be mischievous in Mayong, they even know how to glue the chair to your toosh! These are no cooked tales, in the house of Utpal Nath, I saw mantras written on bamboo slats that date back to hundreds of years. The Tantric tradition is almost dead but you can get a glimpse in the tiny Mayong Museum that Utpal is putting together with his meager resources. Don’t miss the terracotta necklace.

Large rock inscription: Not too far from the village is a large rock inscription, said to be one of the largest in Asia. I ask around, nobody knows the whens and the whys of the inscription. “It has always been there,” is all they rattle off for information.

It sits in the shade of a hill and the caretaker there is so frail that you would think before throwing another question at him. But wait for the shadow of the iron grill to make crafty horizontal lines on the inscription. If not for anything, look at the inscription just for that shadow.

How to get there: Pobitora is 52 kms from Guwahati. Guwahati is the nearest airport while Jagiroad is the nearest railhead. You can hire cabs from Guwahati or take a government-run bus from Paltan Bazaar.

Where to stay: There is a Forest Rest House and a Tourist Lodge in Haduk. For bookings contact DFO (Wildlife) at 03672-31784. You can do a day-trip from Guwahati, leave early. What to do: Elephant ride: 6 am to 9 am. Go to Mayong Museum which is barely 2 km from the Sanctuary.Pobitora remains closed for public between May 1 and October31.