Part II:- Assam Tourist Places
My Previous Post described about the NE’s largest city and in this post I will try to bring up the other places of interest in rest of Assam. So,Let’s move out of Guwahati now and roam to other exquisite places of Assam.For nature lovers Assam and the entire NE has lot more to offer than one could ever think of.There is lots of Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks and each one of them is very well connected with Guwahati and Assam Forest Department provide all sorts of facilities and recreational activities Here is the list of the must visit Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks:-
- Kaziranga National Park-Famous for one-horned rhino and also famous for Bengal Tiger with home to Elephants,Swamp Deer,is at a distance of 280 kms from Guwahati and takes about 6-7 hours.Jeep and Elephant Safaris are provided for tourist.
- Manas Wildlife Sanctuary:-An UNESCO world heritage site famous for Project Tiger reserve,Elephant reserve and Biosphere reserve.The park is known for its rare and endangered endemic wildlife such as the Assam Roofed Turtle, Hispid Hare, Golden Langur, Pygmy Hog and Indian Rhino. Manas is famous for its population of the Wild water buffalo.Tourist interest includes Elephant Rides,Jeep Jungle Safari,Manas Nature Trails And Treks,River Rafting,Bird Watching.Distance from Guwahati is around 180 kms and generally takes around 4-5 hours.
- Pobitora National Park:- It is popular for Deers and Rhinos. Situated in the famous Magical village of Mayong in the Marigaon district of Assam in India.It has a dense population of The Great Indian one-horned Rhinoceros and also famous for Migratory birds.It is around 60 kms away from Guwahati and takes about 1.5 hours.
- Majuli:-The largest river island in Assam with around 500 sq.kms of area.There are many Satras(Socio-religious institutions) defining traditions of Assam and Cultural entity of the tribes,rare species of migratory birds.Majuli is around 490 kms away from Guwahati,to reach Majuli one has to goto Jorhat which is 310 kms away and from there use the inland transport system to reach Majuli.It takes about 8 hours to reach Majuli from Guwahati.
- Haflong Hill:- This hill station is very popular among tourists as it is one of the most scenic destinations in the North Eastern part of India. This hill station is located a small distance away from Silchar, and can easily be reached.It is around 310 kms away fro m Guwahati and takes about 6 hours to reach.
- Sivasagar:-The ocean of lord Shiva formerly known as Rangpur was the capital of the Ahom Kingdom from 1699 to 1788.This town’s main feature is the water body from which it gets its name.This is a 257-acre (1.04 sq.km) tank also called Borpukhuri dug by Ahom King,at a higher elevation than the rest of the town,with three temples(“Doul”s inAssamese) on its banks.Its Monuments like Talatal Ghar,Kareng Ghar,Rong Ghar,Siva Doul,Vishnu Doul are of main tourist attractions.It is around 370 kms from guwahati and takes about 7-8 hours to reach.
- Tezpur:-An ancient city on the Banks of Brahmaputra known as “Cultural Capital of Assam” as most prominent names like Dr.Bhupen Hazarika,Kalaguru BishnuPrasad Rabha,JyotiPrasad Agarwala in Assam History comes from this palce. The main tourist attractions are Bura-Chapori Wildlife Sanctuary,Agnigarh,Nameri National Park,Da Parbatia,Chitralekha Udyan,Bamuni Hills,Bhairabi Temple,Hazara and Padum Pukhuri,Kolia Bhomora Setu Bridge.It is around 120 kms from Guwahati and takes about 2-3 hours to reach.
- Tinsukia:-An ideal stopover tourist spot mainly the industrial and commercial centre for Assam dealing in agricultural products such as Tea, oranges, ginger, citrus fruits and paddy.The main tourist attractions are Dibru Saikhowa National Park,Tilinga Mandir,Shiv Dham,Digboi Centenary (Assam Oil Industry) Museum,The Beautiful Tea Gardens.It is around 500 kms from Guwahati and takes about 10 hours to reach.
- Apart from these,places like Dibrugarh,Silchar,Barpeta,Bongaigaon,Sualkuchi,Lakhimpur are worth visiting know the in-depth essence of Assam.All of these places are very well connected with Guwahati by Rail and Road.
Best time to visit Assam is between October to April as the weather during this period is mild and moderate with pleasant sunny days and cool nights.This is all about Assam Tourism.In the next coming post I will move out of Assam and write about other NE States.Hope you guys liked my post,if there is any suggestion or questions please do comment.
P.S.:-Image Credits goes to the Google and People who uploaded them