Welcome- Assam Tourism

Stretched out like a soaring bird, Assam is comprised of three main geographical areas: the Brahmaputra Valley, the Barak valley and the North Cachar Hills. Assam is synonymous with unspoiled natural beauty, teeming wildlife, immaculate tea gardens and warm, beautiful people. It’s strategic location in the northeast of India, and it’s accessibility from the rest of the country makes it the gateway to the northeastern states. It shares borders with Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram and West Bengal: and has National Highways leading to their capital cities. Assam also shares international borders with Bhutan and Bangladesh. The Brahmaputra Valley is an alluvial plain about 724 kms in length and 81 kms in breadth. It is enclosed on the north by the mighty Himalayas, south by the Garo, Khasi, Jaintia and Naga Hills. The Brahmaputra, the lifeline of the valley which shares it's name, floods the nearby land with fertile silt every eyar to ensure a rich harvest. To the south of the valley are the charming hills of Karbi Anglong. Further south are the North Cachar Hills. Located here, amidst beutiful orchards, is Assam' s only hill station, Haflong. The southern part of Assam is the Barak Valley, which derives its name from the Barak river. This region is a treasure trove of untouched natural beauty. Green is the predominant colour of the state with an impressive 35% forest cover and thousands of hectares under tea cultivatation. Assam has five national parks including the World Heritage Sites of Kazirnaga and Manas, and 20 Wildlife sanctuaries. The great Indian one-horned rhinocerous is one of Assam's most famous denizens. Supporting the state's abundant wildlife and luscious vegetation are the monsoons which stretch fo late May to September, but there are intermittent rains even in the winters. Winters begins in late November and continues till February. Winter mornigns in most parts of Assam are marked by dense fog giving the land an aura of ethereal beauty. Over the centuries, people of various ethnic, religious and linguistic backgrounds have been attracted to the fertile valleys of Assam making it a mosiac of various cultures. It is no wonder then that Assam is said to be like a miniature of the whole country itself. Brahmaputra Flowing majestically along the Assam Valley is the mighty Brahmaputra. The Brahmaputra originates from Chemayung-Dung glacier near Mount Kailash and the Manas Sarovar. It is known here as the Tsang-Po or the purifier. The river flows for a mind boggling distance of 640 km through the Tibetan plateau and it enters India through the steep country side of Arunachal Pradesh till it finally emerges from the foothills to enter Assam in Dhemaji district, west of Sadiya. In Assam, the Brahmaputra is a vast, placid river through most of the year with a river bed which is 10 kms wide in certain areas. At Saraighat, in Guwahati, the river is at it's narrowest, barely a kilometre wide. It was here that the historical battle of Saraighat was fought in 1671 between the Ahoms and the Mughals. Nearly three centures later in 1962, the first rail-cum-road bridge over the Brahmaputra was opened to traffic. Brahmaputra's exceptional characteristic is it's numerous islands including the world's largest populated river island, Majuli. The river along with it's tributaries, offers immense scope for adventure sport and recreation. Tributaries like Manas, Jia Bhoreli and Kopili have some fiery rapids that make them ideal for while water rafting On the Brahmaputra The tributaries of the Brahmaputra are also popular for angling, with Jia Bhoreli being the venue for an annual angling competition in November. The Department of Tourism and several private agencies operate luxury cruises on the Brahmaputra from October to April.