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Assam

Wildlife, river islands, tea and the Brahmaputra.

Green river valley landscape, representative of Northeast India — Assam, Assam

Capital: Dispur (Guwahati metro)
Gateway: Guwahati airport + rail
Permit: None for any nationality
Parks: 5 national parks, 2 UNESCO
Best time: Oct-Apr, safari season

Assam is the state most Northeast journeys pass through. Guwahati holds the region's biggest airport and railway hub, and the Brahmaputra runs the length of the state. Assam Tourism lists five national parks, with Kaziranga and Manas as UNESCO World Heritage Sites holding more than 180 mammal species: one-horned rhinoceros, tiger, wild water buffalo, golden langur and hoolock gibbon.

Beyond the parks: Majuli, the world's largest river island and centre of Neo-Vaishnavite satra culture; Sivasagar, capital of the Ahom kingdom; tea country around Jorhat and Dibrugarh; and the hill district of Dima Hasao with Haflong, Assam's only hill station, and the Jatinga bird season.

Quick answers

Assam at a glance

Do I need a permit for Assam?

No. Assam needs no ILP or PAP for any nationality, a regular photo ID or visa is enough.

When do Kaziranga safaris run?

The main season runs roughly October to April or May; exact opening and closing dates are set by the park each year and the monsoon months are closed.

What is Assam famous for?

One-horned rhinos, tea, the Brahmaputra river, Majuli’s monasteries, Bihu festivals and Ahom heritage at Sivasagar.

How do I reach Majuli?

Fly or take the train to Jorhat, then the ferry from Nimatighat. Read our Majuli ferry guide for timings and practicalities.

Where to go

Places in Assam

River valley landscape, representative of the Brahmaputra

The gateway city, temple town and the Brahmaputra at its widest.

Wide grassland-and-hill panorama, representative of the Kaziranga floodplain

Assam Kaziranga National Park

The park that saved the one-horned rhino.

Foothill ridgelines, representative of the Manas landscape

Assam Manas National Park

Tiger reserve, World Heritage Site, and the quietest of the big parks.

Green grassland landscape, representative of Pobitora

Assam Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary

Rhinos half an hour from the city.

Riverside camp landscape, representative of Nameri

Assam Nameri National Park

River rafting, mahseer and forest birds on the Jia Bhoreli.

River plain landscape, representative of Orang

Assam Orang National Park

The small rhino park on the north bank.

River-wild landscape, representative of Dibru-Saikhowa

Assam Dibru-Saikhowa National Park

A river-island park of feral horses and flooded forests.

Forest path landscape, representative of Upper Assam rainforest

Assam Dehing Patkai

Upper Assam’s rainforest, coal towns and the old war road.

Foothill river landscape, representative of western Assam

Assam Raimona National Park

Assam’s newest park, on the Bhutan line in Bodoland.

Golden light on green fields, representative of Majuli

The river island where Assam keeps its soul.

Tea-country landscape, representative of Jorhat

The tea capital and the jumping-off point for Majuli.

Heritage structure detail, representative of Ahom country

Assam Sivasagar

The Ahom capital’s tanks, towers and palaces.

Mound landscape, representative of the maidams

Assam Charaideo

The Ahom kings’ burial mounds.

Tea landscape, representative of Dibrugarh

Assam Dibrugarh

Upper Assam’s tea city and the east gate.

Riverside town landscape, representative of Tezpur

The north-bank town that opens Arunachal.

Heritage temple landscape, representative of Hajo

Where temples, mosques and shrines share one hilltown.

Craft and community landscape, representative of Sualkuchi

Assam Sualkuchi

The silk town of Assam.

Hill-town landscape, representative of Haflong

Assam’s only hill station.

Foggy valley landscape, representative of Jatinga

The valley of the bird phenomenon.

Heritage stone structure, representative of Maibang

The old Dimasa capital.

Reservoir and hills, representative of Umrangso

Reservoir country and hot springs.

Hill landscape, representative of Karbi Anglong

Assam Karbi Anglong

The hills of the Karbi people.

Hill-town landscape, representative of Diphu

Karbi Anglong’s town base.

River falls landscape, representative of Panimoor

Where the Kopili breaks into falls.

Industrial-heritage landscape, representative of Margherita

Assam Margherita

Coal, the Ledo road and the Singpho edge.

Town-and-tea landscape, representative of Tinsukia

The working town at the top-right of Assam.

Heritage industrial landscape, representative of Digboi

The century-old oil town.

Prayer-hall landscape, representative of Borduwa

Assam Borduwa (Batadrava)

Srimanta Sankaradeva’s birthplace.

Communities

The people of Assam

The Bodo people →The Mising people →The Karbi people →The Dimasa people →

When to go

Assam, month by month

January February March April May June July August September October November December

Highlights

What you're here for

Kaziranga

858 sq km of grassland and swamp, over 70% of the world’s one-horned rhinos, jeep and elephant safaris across five ranges.

Majuli

The world’s largest river island: satra monasteries, mask-making and the November Raas Mahotsav.

Manas

500 sq km Tiger Reserve and World Heritage Site in the Himalayan foothills, about 176km from Guwahati.

Sivasagar

Rang Ghar, Talatal Ghar and the water tanks of the Ahom kings.

Facts checked against the official Assam tourism portal · Last verified 2026-09-26

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