Assam, one of the most beautiful and serene states of the seven sister states in the Northeastern part of India is a place you must visit at least once in your life. It is a beautiful state with rich bio-diversity, flora and fauna, lush tea gardens spread across acres and acres of land, the mighty river Brahmaputra with its many tributaries, the valleys, the dense forest and the ancient heritage and architecture, well the list goes on.
A ten-day itinerary for Assam would not justify when comes in terms to explore the beautiful state. I have been living here since my birth yet I can’t claim that I have explored every part of it. The capital of Assam is Dispur which is in Guwahati and that is the best place, to begin with your journey. So let’s just begin with the ten days itinerary to Assam.
How to visit Assam?
Assam is well connected by airways, roadways, buses and trains. There are in total two Domestic Airport- Silchar and Dibrugarh and One Internationally important airports- Guwahati in Assam which is connected to other parts of India. Named after LokpriyoGopinath Bordoloi, Assam’s first Chief Minister and an Indian Independence Activist, the airport at Guwahati is the busiest. Almost every part of the country is connected to it. Since Guwahati is said to be the Gateway to Northeastern part of our country, let’s begin the itinerary for Assam from here. You can also reach Guwahati by train which again has a wide network throughout the country. Almost every Indian states and districts can be reached by North Eastern Railways. Each of the districts in Assam are well connected with buses and trains.
Day 1- Enter Assam via Guwahati
Guwahati, the most developed place and also the Gateway to Assam is the best place to enter the state. All the other important districts are accessible from Guwahati. To explore all around Guwahati all you need is 2 days. The first days you can visit all the important temples in Guwahati as they are spectacular and bear distinguished features about ancient architecture and culture of Assam.
To begin with first the most important one is Maa Kamakhya Temple, then next to the Umananda comprising of a cool boat ride across the mighty Brahmaputra. Umananda is the smallest river island in the world than in the evening spend a splendid time in the Basistha Mandir and a walk around the Balaji Temple. Enjoy the nightlife in Guwahati by visiting some of the best restaurants and pubs and also enjoy a sumptuous meal in one of the ethnic restaurants of the city. Also, you can take the Cruise called Alfresco Grand from the Fancy Bazar Ghat area of Guwahati.
Day 2- Guwahati, a city of temples.
Guwahati is not complete if you haven’t visited North Guwahati, on the North Bank of the city. It is also one of the oldest partss of the city and on way, you can have a look of the mighty Saraighat Bridge above the Brahmaputra river. There are lots of time in there though the most important one is the Dol Govinda Mandir and the Dirgheswari Mandir which you must visit.
If you finish visiting these two temples by morning then try to visit HAJO, which is just 30kms From North Guwahati. It is well connected by public transport like buses, tempos, cabs, etc. Hajo is another important place in Assam famous for its Hayagriva Madhav Mandir, The Kedareswara Temple, a Shiva temple, Hajo Powa Mecca. Hajo is an ancient pilgrimage place for Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists. In every step, you can see the unity in diversity prevalent in Assam in the most glorious form.
You can read more about Guwahati here- 6 Amazing Places to Visit in Guwahati
Places of Accommodation in Guwahati
Well, Guwahati has the finest luxury hotels, 4-star Hotels, Resorts, Guest Houses. You can also book via AIRBNB. The Radisson Blu, Vivanta By Taj are there for those who love to spend their time in luxury whereas budget-friendly hotels like Kiranshree, Florentine, Gateway Grandeur, Hotel Atithi, Vishwaratna, etc. Some of these are available right in front of the railway station. Whereas the hotels located on NH 27 are near ISBT for those travelling by bus.
Day 3- Visiting Manas National Park
Day three is meant to explore the rich bio-diversity of Assam and for which you need to visit the Manas National Park, a Tiger Reserve Project in Assam located in the Barpeta district of Assam. It is also a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site.
It lies on the foothills of the Bhutan-Himalayas. It is an abode of endangered wildlife like the pygmy hog, golden langur, hispid hare and a large number of wild buffaloes and more importantly a tiger and elephant reserve. Enjoy watching the one-horned rhinoceros and huge biodiversity as you go for a safari around the reserve forest. Pre-book your stay as there are lots of resorts and cottages in Manas National Park where you can enjoy your stay amidst a dense forest. I have written a full detailed post on how to reach Manas National Park, you can read here- Incase you have plans to Manas National Park, you can skip Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary as the major attraction is the one-horned rhinoceros.
To read all about MANAS NATIONAL PARK click here – LINK 1, LINK 2
Day 4- Exploring Tezpur
The morning as you are back from Manas National Park, take some rest and get to enjoy the ancient culture, heritage, architecture of Assam in Tezpur. Tezpur which is 185 km away from Guwahati also has its roots in ancient Indian mythology like The Mahabharata. You can start for Tezpur directly from Manas National Park. As you reach Tezpur take some rest and you will get the evening which you can spend in the Ganesh Ghat which is a wonderful place to witness the sunset by the banks of the Brahmaputra.
Day 5-Interesting things to do in Tezpur
The next day wake up early in the morning, grab your coffee and rush to the Agnigarh to enjoy the sunrise, next offer your prayers at the Mahabhairava temple and enjoy the afternoon breeze in the Chitra lekha udyan (Coal Park) where you can see relics of the architecture of ancient Assam. In the evening get your bags packed to enjoy an exquisite elephant ride at the most famous Kaziranga National Park. Again I would suggest pre-booking your stay as by the time you will reach it will be dark and you can go and take some rest.
Day 6- Trip to Kaziranga National Park
Enjoy the morning elephant safari or perhaps a jeep safari in and around the Kaziranga National Park which is famous for its one-horned rhinoceros. Along with that enjoy other animals and birds as Kariranga is rich in wildlife. Also don’t forget to look out for tigers as I was too lucky to spot one during my last December’s trip to the National Park. You can read all about it and also some details related to Kaziranga , CLICK HERE.
Day 7- Visiting Sivasagar
Okay so now you are going to enter Upper Assam the place where maximum tea production and oil extraction takes places in Assam. The tea produced in Upper Assam has a delicious taste. Being born and brought up in Dibrugarh, also known as the Tea City of India I am addicted to tea. I love the aroma of tea, it refreshes my soul to the core. The nearest and one of the most important towns of Upper Assam to explore is Sivasagar. You need two days to see all around. The most important ones are the tanks – Joysagar tank, the Gaurisagar tank, the Joydol, the Shiva dol, the Dev idol. The Sivasagar town will give you every detail about the ancient culture, history and heritage of the Ahom dynasty – its rise and fall in Assam.
Picture Credits- https://www.solobackpacker.com/
Day 8- Visiting Charaideo
30 km from Sivasagar, which was the first capital of the Ahom kingdom established by the first Ahom king Chao Lung Siu-Ka-Pha in 1228. It is famous for the burial grounds of the ancient Kings and Queens of the Ahom dynasty and the tombs also called as Maidans bear resemblance to the Pyramids of Egypt and showcase the excellent architectural skills of the sculptors and masons of Medieval Assam.
Day 9 – Enroute Tea City, Dibrugarh
Early morning take a train or a bus and reach Dibrugarh, one of the oldest place of Assam famous for its tea gardens. Dibrugarh is one of the most important commercial centres in Upper Assam. It is also the gateway to other major tea-producing districts of Assam. Also, popular tourist destinations in Arunachal Pradesh like- Mechuka, Basar, Parashuram Kundo, are easily accessible from Dibrugarh. So if you are planning for a full trip of entire Northeast you can enter it via Dibrugarh.
While in Dibrugarh enjoy your journey as you can see acres and acres of land covered by lush green tea gardens. In Dibrugarh, you can visit the newly constructed and fast gaining popularity the Jagannath Temple and take a long ride along the longest bridge in India the Dhola –Sadiya bridge also called as Bhupen Hazarika Setu. You can skip this and instead visit the Dibru- Saikhowa National Park which is famous for spotting wild horses, a sight in itself watching them grazing, running and walking.
Day 10- End of your 10 days Itinerary for Assam
Take the evening flight or train from Dibrugarh to your destination as the Dibrugarh airport is connected to all important railway stations and airports of India. In the morning enjoy the town, grab your lunch and do some shopping in one of the oldest Tibetan Market of the state.
We have left out one of the important places of Assam, Majuli, the largest river island in the world. Majuli is a place which you need to explore with time and peace. At least three to four days as the place is far away and you need a ferry to reach. All that is time-consuming and cannot be adjusted within this 10 days itinerary. To explore Assam and visit the off-beat destinations which lie in the Dima Hasao districts of Assam, enjoy the culture and tradition of the numerous ethnic tribes of Assam at least 15-20 days are required. Assam is huge and along with its numerous tribal and ethnic groups, it is a place you must visit at least once in life.
Where to taste exotic Assamese and Other Ethnic Cuisine in Guwahati!
Since Guwahati is the Gateway to the other places of Assam, you must enjoy your leisure eating exotic Traditional Thalis at – HERITAGE kHORIKA, MICHINGA RESTAURANTin Uzan Bazar, PARADISE RESTAURANT in Silpukhuri, MISING KITCHEN. You must taste Pork dishes when you are in Assam. It’s highly recommended. Some popular Pork Dishes to try in Assam are – Pork Khorika, Til Pork (Pork Cooked with sesame), Pork with Lai xaak (Spinach leaves), Pork with Bamboo shoots, just to name a few.
What to buy in Assam?
Tea leaves, tea leaves, tea leaves- You must buy them, especially from Dibrugarh which has a beautiful aroma. Assam silk sarees, Mekhela Chadors, Paat, Muga Mekhela Chadors, Japi, Xorai, Bamboo items. For gifts and tokens, you can visit ARTFED which is there in almost all major towns of Assam.
Assam is a beautiful state and it cannot be covered in a total of ten days. All the views and suggestions are my own. In case you need any more tips and guidelines for planning your Assam trip don’t hesitate to drop me an email or a comment. Hope you liked reading the post. Show some love and share with your friends and loved ones.
Pin For Later
