The largest city in North East India Assam is famous for Kamakhya Temple and for being located on the banks of the massive Brahmaputra river. Both are a must visit, beyond which there are parks, museums, Zoo, temples and the like.
Guwahati is not the capital of Assam. Dispur, a suburb of Guwahati, is. Like most Indian cities, traffic jams are common within the city.
Must do in Guwahati
1. Admire the vastness of Brahmaputra river
Brahmaputra river is unlike any other river we normally see in India. The average width is 5.46kms!It is massive and even before monsoon, the volume of water the river carries is immense. I can only imagine what it is like during the monsoon season.
Boating is a great option. There are shorter lunch, dinner cruises(~2 hours each) and sunset cruises(~1 hour). Dinner cruise will likely have local cultural shows. You can also take a boat to Peacock island, stated to be among the smallest habited riverine island in the world, and visit Umananda temple. The island is cut off from the mainland during the rainy season. During the winter season, longer duration cruises are also run on Brahmaputra. Boats/cruises do not operate during the rainy season.
There are quite a few places in Guwahati where you can take a stroll on the banks of the river.
If you wish to watch the mighty Brahmaputra from a vantage point, visit Saraighata Bridge. The old bridge, India’s first rail cum road bridge, is almost 60 years old while the new one was inaugurated in 2017. The bridge is ~1.5kms long and provides a great view of the flowing Brahmaputra river.
2. Seek blessings at Kamakhya Temple
The architecture is unlike what is seen in South India. Built and rebuilt between 8th and 17th century CE, the Temple welcomes thousands of visitors every day. Yes, the queues are long, but a special ticket reduced my wait considerably. Like Tiruati or Shirdi, the visit is a rushed affair. You are not allowed to just hang around in the Garbagriha.
Kamakhya Temple is surely worth a visit but there is one aspect I did not like-the priests inside are highly commercial. Virtually every priest inside the temple was asking me to deposit money in the hundis in order to ‘earn the deity’s blessings’! Sure, it was still optional but honestly, it leaves a bad taste.
What else to do?
There are lot of other places to see depending on the time you have – Assam state museum, Zoological park, Planetarium, Nehru Park and so on.
Day trips from Guwahati
Guwahati offers opportunities for a few unique full day/half day trips.
- Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary : If you are not visiting Kaziranga, plan to visit Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary to catch sight of the one horned Rhinos. Pobitora is less than 2 hours drive from Guwahati, ~48kms.
- Mayong Village, India’s Black Magic capital– About 40 kms away, near Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary. Famous for Black Magic and Witchcraft. There is even a museum with old relics of black magic. However, the number of people performing magic today is dwindling So do check before venturing into Mayong.
- Sualkuchi village – Located 35kms away across the river, Sualkuchi village is often called the Manchester of the East. The entire village is engage in silk weaving and is a declared handloom village. Near the village is Hajo, a pilgrimage centre for Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists.
What to buy
My choice would be varieties of tea leaves and silk sarees.
If you are a compulsive shopper, do visit Fancy bazaar. This is something like Chickpet in Bengaluru-small shops, crowded. But there is variety. For silk sarees, Silkalay is often recommended though there are shops in Fancy bazaar and elsewhere as well. Problem with Fancy bazaar is you need to bargain.
Where to stay
Paltan Bazaar and nearby areas are good with quite a few budget to medium range options. The Railway station is in this area, so you know what to expect! If possible, choose a hotel with clear views of the Brahmaputra river though there are very few of them. Radisson Blu is also well located. There are couple of other 5 star options on Guwahati-Shillong Road. Bit far from the airport and Brahmaputra river but should not matter if staying for 2 or 3 nights.
To and from Airport
The airport is ~24kms away from the Railway station and takes about 30 minutes by cab. There are airport buses as well or you can opt for shared cabs, Uber or Ola. I preferred to rent a car with driver for local sightseeing.
How many days
Two full days is good, plus additional days for day trips.
