Private journey · Northeast India
Assam and Meghalaya: Tea Gardens and Living Root Bridges
Twelve nights in India’s Northeast: heritage tea bungalows, the river island of Majuli, Guwahati’s temples and the waterfalls and root bridges of Meghalaya.
- Duration
- 12 nights · 13 days
- Route
- Dibrugarh · Majuli · Tezpur · Guwahati · Shillong · Cherrapunji
- Best months
- October to April
- Hotels
- Heritage tea bungalows and the best local hotels
- Pricing
- Tailored to your choices
Why this journey
Why this Assam and Meghalaya tour
This Assam and Meghalaya tour explores two very different corners of Northeast India in thirteen days. Tea estates and the Brahmaputra give way to the hills of Shillong and the living root bridges of Cherrapunji. Like every Assam and Meghalaya tour we plan, it can be shaped around your dates, pace and interests.
01
Tea country
Begin in a 19th-century planter’s bungalow among Assam’s tea gardens, tasting the estate’s own leaf.
02
Majuli
One of the world’s largest river islands, Majuli is home to Vaishnavite monasteries, or satras, with their own music, dance and mask-making.
03
Meghalaya’s hills
Living root bridges grown by Khasi villagers, deep gorges and some of the greenest country in India.
The route
Your route
A journey west along the Brahmaputra, then south into the hills. You start in Dibrugarh, cross to Majuli, continue to Tezpur and Guwahati, and finish in the Khasi Hills around Shillong and Cherrapunji.
Day by day
Your Assam and Meghalaya tour, day by day
Day 1 Arrive in Dibrugarh
You are met at Dibrugarh airport and driven to a heritage chang bungalow on a tea estate, built on stilts in the 19th century.
Overnight: Mancotta Heritage Chang Bungalow, Dibrugarh
Day 2 Tea gardens and a Tai village
Walk through the tea gardens and taste the local teas, then meet the Tai Phake community and visit their Buddhist monastery. A boat on the wetland of Baguro Beel, where hoolock gibbons live in the trees.
Overnight: Mancotta Heritage Chang Bungalow, Dibrugarh
Day 3 Majuli
Cross the Brahmaputra to Majuli and visit the satras of Kamalabari, Samaguri, known for its masks, and Auniati. The Bogibeel bridge, India’s longest rail-and-road bridge, is on the way.
Overnight: Majuli, at the most comfortable island stay
Day 4 Tezpur
Drive to Tezpur and visit Nameri National Park, the Bamuni Hills, Da Parbatia and the Mahabhairab Temple.
Overnight: Wild Mahseer, Balipara, near Tezpur
Day 5 Batadrava Than
A day trip to Batadrava (Bordowa) Than near Nagaon, birthplace of the saint Srimanta Sankardeva and a peaceful place of pilgrimage.
Overnight: Wild Mahseer, Balipara, near Tezpur
Day 6 Tezpur to Guwahati
Drive to Guwahati, with river rafting near the Kalia Bhomora bridge for those who wish, and a stop at the Mrityunjay temple. In the evening, visit Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, the cultural centre.
Overnight: Vivanta Guwahati, Guwahati
Day 7 Guwahati
Kamakhya Temple on Nilachal Hill, Umananda Temple on its island in the river, the Assam State Museum and the Navagraha Temple.
Overnight: Vivanta Guwahati, Guwahati
Day 8 Guwahati to Shillong
Drive up to Shillong, stopping at Umiam Lake. In Shillong, the Don Bosco Museum of Northeast cultures, Ward’s Lake and Police Bazaar.
Overnight: Ri Kynjai, Umiam Lake, Shillong
Day 9 Laitlum and Krang Suri
The views from Laitlum, then Jowai and a short walk of around twenty minutes to the turquoise pools of Krang Suri Falls.
Overnight: Ri Kynjai, Umiam Lake, Shillong
Day 10 Mawphlang to Cherrapunji
Visit the sacred forest of Mawphlang, protected by Khasi custom for centuries, on the way to Cherrapunji.
Overnight: Polo Orchid Resort, Cherrapunji
Day 11 Cherrapunji
A living root bridge, Arwah Cave, Nohkalikai Falls, the Garden of Caves and Nohsngithiang Falls.
Overnight: Polo Orchid Resort, Cherrapunji
Day 12 Dawki and Mawlynnong
Drive through Dawki and its clear river to the village of Mawlynnong, with Borhill Falls and Mawsmai Cave on the way back to Shillong.
Overnight: Ri Kynjai, Umiam Lake, Shillong
Day 13 Depart Guwahati
Drive down from Shillong to Guwahati airport for your onward flight.
Where you’ll stay
Hotels on this Assam and Meghalaya tour
These are the hotels we usually suggest for this route. We confirm each one with you, and can suggest alternatives at a similar level if you prefer. Majuli has no luxury hotels, so there we choose the most comfortable island stay.
Mancotta Heritage Chang Bungalow
Dibrugarh · 2 nights
Wild Mahseer
Balipara, near Tezpur · 2 nights
Vivanta Guwahati
Guwahati · 2 nights
Ri Kynjai
Umiam Lake, Shillong · 3 nights
Majuli: a simple island stay
Majuli · 1 night
Make it yours
Shape it around you
This Assam and Meghalaya tour is a starting point. These are some of the changes our travellers most often ask for.
Questions
Questions about this Assam and Meghalaya tour
What are the hotels like in the Northeast?
Characterful rather than grand. The heritage tea bungalows are the highlight; elsewhere we choose the most comfortable hotels and homestays available and tell you exactly what to expect.
Is the pace demanding?
The route covers a lot of ground. We recommend fourteen or fifteen nights if you would like more time at each stop, and we can drop some of the day trips to make the days easier.
Do we need a special permit?
Assam and Meghalaya do not need special permits for most foreign visitors. Some areas nearby, such as Arunachal Pradesh, do, and we arrange those if you add them.
When is the best time to go?
October to April is drier and clearer. Meghalaya is famously wet during the monsoon from June to September, which is when the waterfalls are at their fullest.
Can we add Kaziranga?
Yes, between Majuli and Guwahati. Kaziranga usually opens from November to April. See also our Hornbill Festival journey, which includes it.
Assam and Meghalaya: Tea Gardens and Living Root Bridges
Enquire about this Assam and Meghalaya tour
Tell us when you would like to travel and who is coming. We will reply personally to arrange a call at a time that suits you.
Prefer to write directly? contact@alluring.travel · WhatsApp +91 92119 13735
