One of the seven sisters of the East, Assam is all about nature, wildlife sanctuaries and tea estates.
Guwahati, Jorhat, Majuli Island near Jorhat, Tezpur, Silchar, Sibsagar, Dibrugarh, Haflong, Kaziranga and Manas National Parks are all listed as ‘must see places’. Ironically, all these places do not require more than a day or two. That means a lot of time on the road.
But what in Assam actually stands out? Here is my list:
- River Brahmaputra(Guwahati)
- Dhola Sadiya bridge-India’s longest at 9.15kms. Simple structure though.
- Kaziranga National Park for Rhinos. Or Manas/Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary
- Kamakhya temple for its celebration of womanhood
- Tea plantations(Jorhat or Dibrugarh or Tezpur)
Just Assam or Assam plus other states?
Guwahati to Jorhat is 6 hours drive, over 300kms. And Dibrugarh is over 9 hours, ~450 kms. Driving long distances in Assam with variable road conditions is not a great choice. You can choose to cover Assam in one visit, perhaps taking a train or travelling by air from Guwahati to Dibrugarh. Or travelling by road one way and returning by air.
Alternatively, combine parts of Assam with another state. There can be several options such as Guwahati, Kaziranga and Meghalaya, Tezpur and Arunachal Pradesh(Bombila, Tawang), Jorhat and Ziro Valley, and so on.
I chose to combine Assam with Meghalaya and Sikkim and spent 5 days in Guwahati and Kaziranga. From Kaziranga, I drove to Meghalaya and back to Guwahati airport for a flight to Bagdogra. From Bagdogra, I drove to Sikkim.
I preferred Kaziranga over Manas Wildlife Sanctuary for quality of available accommodation, certainty of spotting Rhinos, and variety of landscape-grasslands, wetlands and thick forest. More importantly, Kaziranga is closer to Shillong in driving time, though not in distance.
But if you like to visit or stay at tea plantations, head to Jorhat or Dibrugarh or Tezpur. A visit to Jorhat will also enable visit to Majauli Island and the ancient city of Sibsagar. From Dibrugarh, you can drive to Dhola-Sadiya bridge though it is a 3 hour drive.
North Cachar hills is very scenic but not directly accessible. One has to fly to Silchar and then drive for about 3 hours. Meghalaya may have better accessibility.
Brahmaputra river cruise
A longish cruise on Brahmaputra river may also be enjoyable. I always thought only ocean/sea cruises are exciting, until I went on Nile cruise. There is a difference no doubt but river cruises with smaller boats too can be very enjoyable.
There are few options available-say Jorhat to Guwahati, Kaziranga to Guwahati and so on. These cruises only run in the winter months.
Daylight hours – Sun rises early
Very important to remember that the sun rises well before 5AM and sets by 5PM or so. If you are used to having breakfast at 9.30AM(like me), virtually half the day is gone by the time you finish breakfast!
Travel to and within Assam
There are direct flights to Guwahati from many cities of India. Other option is to fly via Kolkata. Guwahati is also well connected by the rail and road network. Assam connects to the mainland India through a narrow land corridor called the Siliguri corridor. Given its location, and the circuitous journey by rail/road, it is best to travel to Assam by air.
There are airports at Jorhat, Tezpur, Silchar and Dibrugarh. From Guwahati, you can fly to Jorhat, Dibrugarh or Silchar. Dibrugarh has flights to Kolkata and Delhi as well. If you end up in Dibrugarh or nearby areas, better to fly back than driving back all the way to Guwahati.
Within Assam, apart from air, one can also travel by train or road. It would be better to avoid longish journey’s by road.
Accommodation
Beyond Guwahati and Kaziranga, you will have to make do with Guest houses or budget hotels.
When to visit
November to March is probably the best time, with the weather being quite pleasant, and with more options for cruise in the Brahmaputra river. April and May is also not very hot, though the maximum temperature can be above 30 degrees Celsius. Rainy season should be avoided, as many tourist places, including Brahmaputra cruise, are likely to be closed.
Vegetarian Food
Assamese diet is meat based but there are adequate vegetarian options. There is fair bit of cross border influence as well. Momos, Thukpa and Chowmein are quite well made. Jhal Muri(chaat) is a must have snack in the evenings or mid mornings, with Assam tea. So is Payash or rice pudding, a local dessert.
I ended up eating lot of potatoes in the initial days. Result – gas build upon the body!
On the highways, food options are limited.
Cost
Assam is a relatively low to medium cost destination. In fact, the options for a luxury vacation are limited.
For more information
Visit the official websites of Assam government.
https://tourismcorporation.assam.gov.in