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Assam

Stretching 600km along the Brahmaputra River Valley, with a spur down to the hilly southeast, Assam is the largest and most accessible of the Northeast States. Well known for its national parks abounding in rhinoceroses, elephants, deer and primates (with respectable tiger numbers too), it welcomes visitors with a subtly flavoured cuisine and a hospitable population with a vibrant artistic heritage. The archetypal Assamese landscape is a golden-green panorama of rice fields and manicured tea estates, framed by the blue mountains of Arunachal Pradesh in the north and the highlands of Meghalaya and Nagaland to the south. The birthplace of Indian tea, Assam has more than 3000 sq km of land carpeted in bright-green tea gardens, and visits to these estates are high on many travellers' itineraries.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Assam.

  • See

    Kaziranga National Park

    The park’s 2400 one-horned rhinos represent about two-thirds of the world’s total population (in 1904, there were only 200). Kaziranga offers popular 4WD safaris that allow you to get close to the rhinos and other large mammals; you may want to avoid the elephant-back safaris on animal welfare concerns. Safaris are available in four of the park's five ranges, of which the central Kohora Range and western Bagori Range offer the best overall wildlife sightings and also have most safari traffic.

  • See

    Talatal Ghar

    The Talatal Ghar palace was the heart of an Ahom capital complex founded by King Rudra Singha. Built in the 1750s over an earlier wooden palace, it originally had seven storeys, three of which were underground (including secret escape tunnels). You can visit the two surviving above-ground levels, which have labyrinthine galleries and a large flat roof holding several pavilions. The remains of Talatal Ghar are about 4km south of central Sivasagar along AT Rd, easily visited in conjunction with nearby Rang Ghar.

  • See

    Rang Ghar

    About 4km south of central Sivasagar along AT Rd, look right to see the rather beautiful Rang Ghar, a two-storey, oval-shaped pavilion that has been impeccably restored. Built by King Pramatta Singha in 1746, its gleaming sienna exterior features pretty, mainly floral, carvings. You can walk up to the top floor, from where the royalty watched buffalo and elephant fights and other entertainment, while the general populace looked on from nearby earthen mounds.

  • See

    Kamakhya Mandir

    According to Hindu legend, when a distraught Shiva scattered the 108 (or 51) pieces of his deceased wife Sati's body across the land, her yoni (vagina) fell on Nilachal Hill, 8km west of central Guwahati. This makes Kamakhya Mandir a specially hallowed shrine for practitioners of shakti (tantric worship of female spiritual power). The ₹501 'special ticket' allows you to jump the usual queues to reach the cave-like inner sanctum. Kamakhya is where the huge Ambubachi Mela festival takes place.

  • See

    Manas National Park

    The grasslands and lowland forests of Unesco-listed Manas National Park, abutting the Bhutan border about 150km northwest of Guwahati, are home to a very impressive list of animals including tigers, one-horned rhinos (around 30 each), over 1000 elephants and 500 wild water buffalo – plus clouded and common leopards and some 475 bird species. On a safari you'd be very lucky to sight a tiger, rhino or leopard, but you will almost certainly see a variety of other interesting wildlife.

  • See

    Nameri National Park

    Beautiful Nameri National Park, comprising 200 sq km between the pristine Jia Bhorelli River and the forested hills of Arunachal Pradesh, is particularly popular with birders (over 370 feathered species are recorded here), but makes an enjoyable visit for anyone. Even if you don't see many exciting animals, you still get to walk (rather than ride in a jeep) through its forests, and cross the Jia Bhorelli by boat to reach the park. Access is from Potasali village, 35km north of Tezpur.

  • See

    Charaideo

    Charaideo was the first Ahom capital, established in 1228 by the dynasty's founder Sukapha after his arrival in eastern Assam while seeking new lands with his royal retinue from Yunnan (southwestern China). The site comprises a collection of large and small funerary mounds, known as maidams, in a picturesque forest setting. The Ahoms continued to bury their royalty here long after they moved their capital elsewhere, and the mounds are still considered sacred. It's 28km east of Sivasagar.

  • See

    Ahom Temples

    Three typical Ahom temple towers rise proudly above the partly wooded shore of Sivasagar tank. The centrepiece (and tallest) is the 33m-high Shivadol, dedicated to Shiva. One of Assam's most important temples, it was built by Ambika, an Ahom queen, in 1734. To its west stands the Devidol and to the east is the Vishnudol, consecrated to the mother goddess and Vishnu respectively. The lakeside setting is tranquil and beautiful.

  • See

    Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary

    This small wildlife sanctuary has a thriving population of some 130 one-horned rhinoceroses, plus around 2000 wild water buffalo and almost 2000 resident and migratory bird species. About 40km northeast of Guwahati, it makes for a good day-trip (cabs cost ₹3000 to ₹4000 round-trip). Visits are by one-hour jeep safari or early-morning elephant ride. We don't recommend the latter because of the harm that this can cause to the elephants.