Assam
Private luxury tours through Assam — Kaziranga's one-horned rhinos, the Brahmaputra, the tea gardens, and the island monasteries of Majuli.
Plan My Assam TripWhere To Go
Assam
Assam lies along the Brahmaputra, in India's far northeast. The river runs the length of the state, wide and braided, and everything here sits in its valley. Kaziranga National Park holds two-thirds of the world's one-horned rhinos, along with tigers, wild elephants and swamp deer. Guwahati, the gateway city, has the hilltop Kamakhya temple and a working riverfront. Upriver at Jorhat the land is all tea, in estates the British laid out more than a century ago. From there a ferry crosses to Majuli, the largest river island in the world and the centre of Assamese Vaishnavism, where monasteries still teach dance, music and mask-making. The parks open around November and close for the monsoon.
What To See
What A Private Guide Actually Shows You
Assam's real highlights are what a private guide builds each day around.
Kamakhya Temple
One of the most important Shakti temples in India, on a hill above Guwahati, with a distinctive beehive-shaped tower.
Umananda Island
A small forested island in the middle of the Brahmaputra at Guwahati, with a Shiva temple and a troop of rare golden langurs.
Brahmaputra Riverfront
The wide river at Guwahati — ghats, boat jetties and sunset cruises, the working heart of the only major city on the Brahmaputra.
Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary
A small sanctuary an hour from Guwahati with the highest density of one-horned rhinos anywhere — sometimes called mini Kaziranga.
Brahmaputra Sunset Cruise
A late-afternoon cruise on the Brahmaputra at Guwahati, timed for the sunset, usually with music and a meal.
Guwahati Heritage Walk
A morning walk through old Guwahati — the Uzan Bazar lanes, the riverside ghats, colonial buildings and the fish and flower markets.
Pobitora Rhino Safari
A morning jeep safari at Pobitora, an hour from Guwahati, where the rhino density is the highest in the world.
Sivasagar Monuments
The monuments of the Ahom kingdom at Sivasagar — the oval Rang Ghar pavilion, the Talatal Ghar palace, and the tall Sivadol temple.
Jorhat Tea Estates
The colonial tea gardens around Jorhat — laid out from the 1850s, still worked, with the old planters' bungalows among the bushes.
Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary
A patch of rainforest near Jorhat, the only place in India named after an ape — home to the western hoolock gibbon.
Assam Tea Estate Tour & Tasting
A guided walk through a working tea garden near Jorhat with the estate manager, ending in the factory and a tasting.
Kaziranga National Park
A Brahmaputra floodplain park that holds two-thirds of the world's one-horned rhinos, plus tigers, wild elephants and swamp deer.
Kaziranga Orchid Park
A biodiversity park near Kaziranga growing hundreds of orchid species of the northeast, with local plants, rice varieties and evening dance.
Kaziranga Jeep Safari
An open 4x4 safari through one of Kaziranga's four ranges, for rhino, elephant, swamp deer and, with luck, tiger.
Kaziranga Elephant Safari
A dawn ride on elephant-back through the tall grass at Kaziranga, the one way to get close to a grazing rhino.
Majuli Satras
The Vaishnavite monasteries of Majuli island, still teaching dance, devotional song and religious mask-making after five centuries.
Majuli Mask-Making Workshop
A session at the Samaguri Satra on Majuli, learning how the large painted masks for religious plays are built from bamboo, clay and cloth.
How To Travel
Journeys Through Assam
Every journey here comes with a private guide and driver for each day on the road — full pricing lives on each journey's own page.
Assam Grand Journey — Luxury
Arrive in Guwahati — the Brahmaputra at Dusk — Guwahati — Kamakhya, Umananda and the Old City
Assam & the Vaishnavite Satras — Luxury
Arrive in Guwahati — the Brahmaputra at Dusk — Guwahati — Kamakhya, Umananda and the Old City
Assam & the Vaishnavite Satras — Premium
Arrive in Guwahati — the Brahmaputra at Dusk — Guwahati — Kamakhya, Umananda and the Old City
Assam Family Wildlife Holiday — Luxury
Arrive in Guwahati — the Brahmaputra at Dusk — Guwahati — Kamakhya, Umananda and the Old City
Assam Family Wildlife Holiday — Premium
Arrive in Guwahati — the Brahmaputra at Dusk — Guwahati — Kamakhya, Umananda and the Old City
Assam Birding & Nature — Luxury
Arrive in Guwahati — the Brahmaputra at Dusk — Day Trip to Pobitora — Rhinos an Hour from the City
Assam Birding & Nature — Premium
Arrive in Guwahati — the Brahmaputra at Dusk — Day Trip to Pobitora — Rhinos an Hour from the City
Assam Tea & Heritage — Luxury
Arrive in Guwahati — the Brahmaputra at Dusk — Guwahati to Kaziranga — East Along the Brahmaputra
Assam Tea & Heritage — Premium
Arrive in Guwahati — the Brahmaputra at Dusk — Guwahati to Kaziranga — East Along the Brahmaputra
Assam Tea Trail & Majuli — Luxury
Arrive in Guwahati — the Brahmaputra at Dusk — Guwahati to Kaziranga — East Along the Brahmaputra
Assam Tea Trail & Majuli — Premium
Arrive in Guwahati — the Brahmaputra at Dusk — Guwahati to Kaziranga — East Along the Brahmaputra
Assam Wildlife Honeymoon — Luxury
Arrive in Guwahati — the Brahmaputra at Dusk — Guwahati to Kaziranga — East Along the Brahmaputra
Where To Stay
Real Stays, Chosen City By City
A private itinerary through Assam is anchored by real, handpicked stays — heritage palaces and boutique properties chosen city by city, not a single hotel chain repeated everywhere.
Radisson Blu Hotel, Guwahati
The Radisson Blu is a modern five-star on the bank of the Brahmaputra, on the edge of Guwahati. The rooms are large and well kept, and the upper floors on the river side look straight out over the water. There is an outdoor pool, a spa, a gym and several restaurants, including one for Assamese food. It is a short drive from the Kamakhya temple, the ferry ghats and the airport road east to Kaziranga. It is the most comfortable base in the city, and the easy choice for a first or last night around a flight.
Vivanta Guwahati
Vivanta Guwahati is a Taj-group hotel on the eastern side of the city, near Khanapara. The rooms are modern and well finished, with Assamese patterns worked into the design. There is a spa, a bar, an all-day restaurant and a rooftop with city views. Staff know the region and arrange cars and guides. It sits on the road out toward Kaziranga and the Shillong turn-off, which makes onward drives straightforward, and it is a short run to the temples and the river. It is the premium choice for a city-based start to an Assam trip.
Thengal Manor
Thengal Manor is a country house in the tea gardens outside Jorhat, built in 1880 by the Barooah family, who still own it. The house is little changed. Wide verandas, high ceilings, old furniture, family portraits, a library. The first Assamese-language daily newspaper was printed here. There are only a handful of rooms, so it is quiet, and meals are Assamese home cooking. The gardens run to the tea, and a walk before breakfast is part of the stay. Majuli, the gibbon sanctuary and Sivasagar are all day trips from here. It is the way to stay in the tea country rather than pass through it, and the luxury choice for a Jorhat leg built around heritage and tea.
Banyan Grove, Jorhat
Banyan Grove is a colonial tea bungalow on the Gatoonga estate, a few kilometres from Jorhat, run as a small heritage hotel. It is a working planter's bungalow: a long low house with a deep veranda, set in a garden among the tea. The rooms are large and plain, in a period style, and the food is Assamese and planter's-club English. The estate around it is still picked and processed, and a walk through the gardens with the manager is easily arranged. It is a short drive to Nimati Ghat for the Majuli ferry and to the gibbon sanctuary. It is the premium option for a Jorhat stay that puts the tea garden first, at a gentler price than the manor.
Diphlu River Lodge
Diphlu River Lodge sits on the bank of the Diphlu, a small river that marks the southern edge of Kaziranga, opposite the park. The cottages are built on stilts, in bamboo, cane and thatch, in the local way. Each has a private deck looking over the river or the forest. They are simple and well made, with no televisions, and the sound at night is the water and the birds. It is a small lodge, run on eco-friendly lines, and it is the property the British royal visit chose in 2016. The park's Central Range gate is a short drive, and the lodge arranges every safari, with naturalists who know the animals. It is the best stay at Kaziranga, and it books out well ahead in season.
IORA – The Retreat, Kaziranga
IORA – The Retreat is a resort set in tea gardens at Kohora, just outside Kaziranga's Central Range gate. The rooms are large and modern, in low blocks among lawns and tea. There is an outdoor pool, a spa, a gym and a good restaurant, and space for children to run. It is the closest full-service resort to the main safari gate, so mornings start with the shortest drive. It arranges every jeep and elephant safari, and has its own naturalists. It is the premium choice at Kaziranga for travellers who want a pool and a spa alongside the wildlife, rather than a stilted forest cottage.
From the Journal
Assam travel guides
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