Swami Vivekananda had once said that next only to Kashmir, Assam is the most beautiful place in India. Regarded as the gateway to the north east, Assam is the second largest state of the region. Also called 'the land of green valleys and blue hills', picturesque Assam is particularly famous for her tea gardens, the one-horned rhino and the mighty river Brahmaputra. The landscape of the state is dotted with many monuments and temples of historical period. A state with an abundance of forest cover, Assam also has five national parks and around half a dozen other wildlife sanctuaries. Another aspect that separates Assam from the rest of Indian states is the rich composite culture of the state. Assamese constitute the majority of the state's population but the state has over two dozen other big and small tribal groups with many of them having their own language, script, dance forms and traditions. Hence, Assam is also called a mosaic of cultures.

The information available on the ancient history of Assam is less as compared to medieval and modern periods. Assam was mentioned as 'Kamarupa' or 'Pragjyotish' during the period of the epics. The most prominent of the earlier dynasties was the Varman dynasty having started its rule from 400 AD. The Ahoms came to Assam in about 1228 AD. The Ahom rule, a bright period in the history of Assam, saw the construction of many temples and monuments besides a general upliftment of the infrastructure of the state. The Ahom rule weakened in the early 18th century and the Burmese sensed an opportunity to invade Assam. This forced the British to interfere resulting in the signing of Treaty of Yandaboo in 1826. A lot of credit for establishing tea gardens and oil exploration in Assam goes to the British. After independence, the states of Meghalaya and Mizoram were carved out of Assam.

The commercial capital of Assam, Guwahati has many beautiful temples including Kamakhya temple, Nabagraha, Umananda, Dol Gobinda and Basistha Ashram. The Sankardev Kalakshetra displays the artistic excellence of Asam and the rest of north eastern states. Hajo near Guwahati is sacred to followers of three religions-Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism. Majuli in upper Assam is the world's largest river island. Sivasagar and Jorhat preserve many of the legacies of Ahom period in the form of temples and monuments. Tezpur is renowned for archeological ruins and ancient temples. Haflong in lower Assam is the only hill station of the state.

Kaziranga is the most famous wildlife sanctuary of the state. It is home to more than half of the world's one horned rhino population. Other national parks of Assam are Nameri, Manas, Orang and Dibru-Saikhowa. There are many picnic spots along the banks of mighty river Brahmaputra.

Assam is also a state where festivals are celebrated with pomp and gaiety. Bihu,the main festival of the state has three varieties-rongali ,bhogali and kongali falling in January, April and October respectively. Durga Puja is also celebrated in a big way in the state. Coupled with these are the festivals of many tribal groups of the state keeping the atmosphere of the state festive for most part of the year.

The exquisite handloom and handicraft products of the state made largely of cane and bamboo are among the best buys of the state.

In the midst of forests, mountains, rivers and lush green tea gardens, destination Assam is sure to be a captivating tourist attraction.

Guwahati

Picturesque Guwahati on the banks of mighty river Brahmaputra is the capital of north-eastern state of Assam. It is also called the 'gateway to the north-east'. Guwahati was formerly known as Pragjyotishpur (the City of Eastern Light). The diverse landscape of this beautiful city includes mountain ranges, rivers, lakes, forests, traditional buildings of older period and modern structures. Furthermore, it is a place having many beautiful temples. Guwahati houses the political capital of the state- Dispur. Many other tourist attractions of north-east can be reached only from Guwahati.

How To Reach -
Air : Flights are available to Guwahati from many destinations of India including the metropolitan cities.
Rail : Guwahati is well connected with the rest of India through a good railway network.
Road : Guwahati can also be reached through road transport from the West Bengal side. From Guwahati, regular bus services are available to most places of Assam and the north-eastern region.

Places To See:
Janardhan Temple, Navagrah Temple, Umananda Temple, Bhubaneshwari Devi Temple, Assam Zoo and Botanical Gardens, Anthropological Museum , Assam Forest
Museum, Cottage Industries Museum, Museum of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Assam State Museum, Dept. of Historical & Antiquarian Research.

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Digboi

Digboi boasts of two modern wonders of the world-- a hundred year old oil field still producing oil and the world's oldest operating oil refinery. Popularly known as the city of oil, oil was first found over here in 1879, and drilling started off in 1888 and in 1889. Assam Oil Company established the first oil refinery of Asia in Digboi and work in the oil refinery started in 1900.

Still later, being amalgamated with Burma Oil Company, Digboi became the most modern oil refinery. Crude oil is being refined here with 34 varieties of oil byproducts and one of them is Dolls, which are made from wax.

Centering the refinery, this city, founded by the British, is like a painting on a canvas. The place still continues as a tiny island of the colonial culture. The atmosphere is sylvan outside the town, where wild Elephants run amuck. Once following the pressure caused by the wild move of elephants, existence of oil here came to notice. It is not unusual to see tigers & rhinos in the suburb forest.

How To Reach -

Air: The nearest airport Dibrugarh is 65-km from Digboi.
Rail: On Dibrugarh-Ledo broad gauge rail pass regular train leave for Dibrugarh, New Tinsukia, and Digboi.
Road: National Highway-38 runs through Digboi. In between Dibrugarh and Digboi, there is Tinsukia. From Tinsukia, one can visit may visit Dibrugarh (47-km), Digboi (33-km), Teju in Arunachal Pradesh (108-km), and Parasuram Kunda (129-km).

Places To See : Margherita, Ledo, Naharkatia, Duliajan

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Dispur

Dispur is 10-km away from Guwahati on Guwahati-Shillong route, Dispur is a well-planned city, a quality, which the tourist will enjoy the most about the town.

Guwahati is the centre of tea trading and the auction market is established in Dispur. CTC or Crush, Tear and Curl tea is on auction over here every Tuesday and Wednesday of the week. On the way to Shillong one may have a look at Dispur. Possibly, this capital is going to be shifted to Chandrapur with exquisite natural surroundings, 20-km away from Guwahati.

How To Reach -

Air:
Guwahati airport is situated 18-km east of the centre, and is served by taxis and airport buses, including those run by Indian airlines.
Rail:
The railway station is in the centre of the Guwahati town with the state bus stand right behind and operates a very useful left luggage service. The back of the railway station leads into the Paltan Bazaar area, from which most of the private bus companies operate.
Road:
Guwahati is the connector city of NH - 31, 37 and 40 with the other cities of India by road. Buses ply from Guwahati around the cities of Northeast India by National Highways. State Transport Express and Super Express buses of Assam, Meghalaya , Arunachal , Nagaland , and North Bengal ply from Guwahati.  

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Haflong

A Breathtaking Scenic Beauty
While Shillong Hill is out of the state of Assam, a new hill emerges, at 680m high, Upper Haflong. The main language spoken over here is Dimashi. In Dimashi, Haflong means "White Ants Hillock".

Haflong is a land of pleasing blue orchards and pera, pineapple and oranges. The nature of Haflong is a great attraction in itself. Add to it the picturesque beauty of Haflong Lake situated within the heart of this hill town.

The scenic hill resort of Haflong, 84-km north of Silchar, is the seat of the North Cachar Hills autonomous district council, where members of several ethnic groups including Dimasas, Hmars, Nagas and Mizos, belonging to different religious denominations - Christian, Hindu and Buddhist - live together in apparent harmony.

Haflong is spread along Main Road, which winds up from Silchar. The market, off Main Road in the centre of town is at its most bustling and colourful on Saturday, when it expands into an enclosure further down Main Road, and overflows with fresh betel nut, banana flowers and Dju Vie (rice beer) for space. For the best views, head out towards the ASTC bus stand.

How To Reach -

By Rail
Lower Haflong is having a railway station, 3-km from town, with departures to Lumding - a slow but scenic ride, Silchar, and Dharmanagar.
By Road
Private buses pull in on Main Road, 100m above the market by the Hamringdi cinema, with departures early morning and midday for Silchar, plus one.

Places To See : Jatinga, Maibong, Umrangshu

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Jorhat

Jorhat is the main centre for the region, with an airport and road connections, and acts as the gateway to Kaziranga, Nagaland and northern Arunachal Pradesh.

Jorhat makes a good base for exploring the unique Vaishnavite culture of Majuli, the largest river island in the world. North of Jorhat lies Sibsagar, former capital of the Ahoms and home to numerous tombs, temples and palaces.

Jorhat, 310-km east of Guwahati, has research establishments dedicated to the tea industry. A tea research centre is established at Chinnamara, 5-km away from Jorhat. Annual tea festival in Jorhat is another attraction, along with temple of Buri Gohani, British imperial mementos, the hanging platform to hang Freedom Fighters in front of the jail and many others.

How To Reach -

Air: Jorhat is well connected by air, with daily flights from Guwahati, and four flights a week from Calcutta . The airport is situated 5-km out of town and can be reached by rickshaw, auto-rickshaw or Indian Airlines buses.
Rail: Jorhat railway station is on the Farketing-Mariyani branch railway station. There are also bus services to Mariyani, the nearest mainline railway station, where two express trains run to Tinsukia, Dimapur, and Lumding.
Road: ASTC buses run to Guwahati, Tezpur, Sibsagar, Tinsukia, Dimapur and Itanagar, Kaziranga is served by buses to Guwahati and Tezpur. Private buses are also available. Alternatively, one can take bus or taxi to reach Niyamati Ghat and cross the river by ferryboat or launch over to Majuli.

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Mayang

Mayang is 50-km away from Guwahati. Travelling east along NH-37, one reaches Chamata, a road-junction near Sonapur 32-kms from Guwahati. From here a gravel road connects Mayang 18-km north of it. The road passes by the Pabitora Wildlife Sanctuary, which is famous for its one-horned rhinos.Mayang was famous as a place of witchcraft and incantations and because of this it continued to be a much-feared region till a few decades back. Though the craft has died down at present, the media persons and the researchers still visit this region in search of whatever information about sorcerery persists till now.

How To Reach -

Air: Guwahati airport is the nearest airport situated 50-km from Mayang.
Rail: The nearest railway station is at Guwahati.
Road: Guwahati is the connector city of NH - 31, 37 and 40 with the other cities of India by road. Buses ply from Guwahati around the cities of Northeast India by National Highways. State Transport Express and Super Express buses of Assam, Meghalaya , Arunachal , Nagaland , and North Bengal ply from Guwahati.

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Sibsagar

Sibsagar was known as the former capital of the Ahoms, who ruled Assam for more than 600 years till the advent of British. One of the oldest towns in Assam, Sibsagar - "The Ocean of Shiva"- lies 60-km east of Jorhat and 369-km from Guwahati and is an important centre for the tea and oil trades. It's cluster of monuments from six centuries of Ahom rule are still of significance to modern Assamese culture. A huge artificial tank, constructed by Queen Madambika in 1734, lies at the heart of the complex. Rising from its southern shore, the massive plain 32-metre-high Shivadol is the tallest Shiva temple in India, flanked by smaller temples dedicated to Durga and Vishnu. Pilgrims come from all over the state visit this temple during the Shivaratri festival. On the western shore of the lake next to a park, the Tai Ahom Museum contains a few ill-labeled artefacts.

Modern Sibsagar is a fast developing town and is the headquarters of the district of the same of name. The Eastern Regional Headquarters of the Oil and natural Gas commission is located at Nazira only a few kilometres away from the town.

How To Reach -
Rail: Simaluguri, the nearest railhead, 20-km east, is served by frequent buses from the junction 200m north, all passing through Gargaon.
Road: From the ASTC bus stand, 300m east at the junction of Hospital road and AT road, one can find regular bus services to Jorhat, Kaziranga, Guwahati, Tezpur and Tinsukia. The private bus stand is situated across the road. Three daily buses serve Charaideo from the Saheli stand, by the same junction. For Gaurisagar, tempos can be picked up at the central market. Other local destinations are best reached by auto-rickshaw.

Places To See : Kareng Dhar and; Talatal Ghar, Rang Ghar, Gargaon Palace, Jaysagar Tank and Temples,
Gaurisagar Tank and Temples, Rudrasagar Tank and Temple, Namdang Stone Bridge.

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Silchar

The headquarters of Cachhar district is Silchar, inhabited mostly by the Bengalis. The Barak River flows by the extreme east of the town. The sunrise amid charming nature from Surma valley in Silchar is incomparable. The first rays of the sun rising from behind the hill changes its colours every moment in the river waters.

How To Reach -

Air: Silchar's airport, 13-km away, can be reached by shared taxi from outside the Indian Airlines office in club road. One can catch regular flights of Indian Airlines to Calcutta and Imphal from here.
Rail: The railway station is situated 3-km out of town in Tarapur, with regular trains to Haflong and Lumding, where one can catch a connected train for Guwahati.
Road: The state bus stand, near Devdoot cinema, where the Central Road and Club Road meet the Circuit House Road, is the terminus for Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura State Bus Services.

Places To See - Khaspur, Maniharan Tunnel