Discovering Assam and Nagaland 2025 (page 1 of 6)

Before I begin, I’d like to thank Michèle Buisson and her "Misha’s travel journals," which really helped me plan this trip. It’s tough to find information about this part of India, which is quite different from the "more traditional India." I’m so grateful to her for introducing me to a family who hosted me for 4 nights and 3 days. I can’t wait to return the favor and welcome you all to my place in early July!

Thursday, March 20th. The alarm goes off super early, but I’m already awake—I was too worried I’d sleep through it. I leave the house at 4:00 AM. The rain has stopped, and at this hour, there aren’t many trucks on the road. I arrive at Barcelona Airport easily by 6:20 AM, let the valet know I’m there, and he quickly picks up my car. This time, I’m flying with Etihad Airways again. I booked the ticket during my trip to Cambodia: Barcelona/Kolkata, Delhi/Barcelona for 567 €. At that price, I didn’t hesitate for long—I knew I had to take it. And I’m glad I did because, by the time I returned, the price had gone up to 700 €. I can already hear the reactions: "Wow, how’d you get a ticket for that price? What site did you use? You’re amazing, MarieJo!" One thing’s for sure—I’m really happy with this deal. The flights from Barcelona to Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi to Kolkata go smoothly, and we arrive on time at 2:55 AM. There aren’t many people at immigration, so I get through quickly. My luggage isn’t on the carousel yet. After collecting my bag, I check in for my next flight with IndiGo, a 5:40 AM flight to Guwahati, arriving at 7:00 AM. I’m starting to feel pretty tired, so I take a taxi from the airport to Gruham Sojourn Homestay. The house is upstairs, and the neighborhood seems quiet, with restaurants lining the street. The room won’t be ready until 10:00 AM, so I rest on the bench in the meantime. Once in the room, I take a shower—it really helps me feel refreshed. I need to exchange some euros, so I look up a nearby exchange bureau on Google and head out to find it. I locate it easily, and the staff are super friendly. I get a great rate (1 € = 90 INR). I wander around the neighborhood. The train station isn’t far, and small markets line the streets. I head back to my area, walking along the main avenue. About 500 meters from my street, I discover a museum. The visit is fascinating—I see the famous Majuli masks, among other things.



I’m not far from the Brahmaputra River, and the temptation to visit is too strong to resist. I’d hoped to find a promenade along the river, but that doesn’t exist here. I walk back calmly and notice several restaurants in my street. On the doorstep of my accommodation, I spot a pastry shop with cakes that look more like the ones we have in France than the typical ones here in India. A visit is a must, and I’m not disappointed!



Tonight, I’m dining at a restaurant in the street. The menu is a bit disappointing—burgers, pizzas, pasta—nothing very Indian. So, I’ll go with tomato pasta.

🙂 Cool! A new corner of India. I’ll be following this!

Welcome Erel, the adventure is just beginning.

Saturday, March 22 I had a good night’s sleep. The house is so quiet despite my very early wake-up. Ugh, I’d love to sleep longer, but I can tell that’s over for today. Breakfast is included, and the staff serves me an omelet, toast, butter, jam, and tea. Today, I’m dedicating my day to visiting temples outside the city center, so I leave the house in search of an auto-rickshaw. We start with the Kamakhya Temple, located on Nilachal Hill in Guwahati. The driver takes narrow alleys uphill—the traffic is intense here. He drops me off in the middle of the shops lining the street and goes to wait for me farther away, out of the hustle and bustle. I have to take a pedestrian-only path that leads up to the temple. Shops selling flowers, incense, and souvenirs line the alleys all the way to the temple. This temple is one of the oldest and most revered centers of Tantric practice. It’s dedicated to the goddess Kamakhya, who is considered the goddess of desire. I’m the only Western tourist here, and I’m amazed to see so many people with such devotion. The temple itself isn’t exceptional, but I have to admit that after seeing so many, I’ve become picky. Here, you come for the atmosphere. As I enter the grounds, I see a room on the left where priests and astrologers wait for devotees.



I walk around the temple. Devotees are queuing to enter and receive *darshan*, but the visit is forbidden for me.

I leave the site and head back to the driver, who’s keeping an eye on me in the crowd. We head back into the city and continue toward another hill, Chitrasal Hill or Navagraha Hill. This temple is dedicated to the nine celestial bodies, or *Navagrahas*, of Hindu astronomy. Inside, the temple houses nine *Shivalingams*, each representing a planet and adorned with different colored fabrics to distinguish them. Blue for Shani, god of the planet Saturn, is actually black, with a sword and two daggers in hand. His mount is a crow or a dog. Yellow for Guru, green for Venus, and so on... It’s very dark inside, and it takes a moment to adjust to the dim light. The atmosphere here is deeply spiritual, filled with the scent of incense and prayers.



Outside, incense burners and oil lamps fill the entrance with smoke.



And the monkeys have made themselves at home—some are even grooming each other for fleas.

I meet up with the driver again, who takes me near the Brahmaputra. I walk along the river to the cable car departure point. I have time, so I decide to see where the Brahmaputra crossing leads. There are a lot of us making the crossing. We arrive at a flat area where rickshaw drivers are waiting for customers to take us to temples. Everyone does the same as me and buys a return ticket (300 INR one way). Back on the other side, I continue my walk to the dock to go to Umananda Island, or Peacock Island (ticket: 200 INR). Here too, there are a lot of people. You have to climb a small hill to reach the temple, and the atmosphere is really friendly.





On the way back, I head toward my accommodation. I pass by the High Court and spot two beautiful colonial houses across from it. I stop in front of one, which is in a well-maintained park—the house is magnificent. A guard with a submachine gun slung over his shoulder approaches me and signals for me to leave. I don’t react and quickly leave the area. I pass by the planetarium—there’s a crowd waiting for the next show at 4 PM, but I’d rather go for lunch than wait. There are restaurants across the street, and I find a really nice one called *The Hangout*. I’ll have my first *masala dosa* there.



Afterward, I take the street to the left, which leads me to a small market. I retrace my steps, visit an emporium, and then head calmly toward the pastry shop. Today, I try a lemon macaron—okay, it’s not very Indian, but this pastry shop is so tempting that I can’t resist. Tonight, I try another restaurant. It’ll be mushrooms in cheese sauce with rice, and it’s really good (240 INR).

I don’t go to bed too late, but I’m tired after such a full day. As soon as I lie down, I feel my stomach isn’t happy. The night will be restless, and I’ll be making regular trips between the bed and the bathroom. I’m off to a great start on this trip if I get food poisoning on the first day. I’m not sure what made me sick, but I’ll be more careful about what I drink and eat in the coming days.

This time I’m flying again with Etihad Airways—I booked the ticket during my trip to Cambodia: Barcelona/Kolkata, Delhi/Barcelona for 567 €.

I’ve often had this idea, but when you add the travel costs to get to the chosen airport, plus potentially a night in a hotel, you realize the price you paid isn’t really a saving. Plus, the fatigue from this kind of flight compared to a Pau-India route with just a short layover in CDG and a direct flight afterward.

P.S.: What energy and thirst for travel journals!

There aren’t many people at immigration

Thanks, Marie Jo! 😊

I’m starting to feel really tired

Tell me about it!

I don't think I'll follow your travel journal for now. We'll see later... I like switching authors between every two or three reads... Don't take it the wrong way.

(I’ve often had this idea, but when you add in the travel costs to get to the chosen airport, plus possibly a night in a hotel, you realize the price you pay isn’t really a saving. + The fatigue from this kind of flight vs. a Pau–India route with just a short layover in CDG and then a direct flight afterward.)

(I don’t have a flight from Perpignan/CDG—it’d mean going to Orly, and I’d have to spend at least one night near an airport, so for me, it’s easier to go to Barcelona. Everyone around here leaves from Barcelona. I don’t think I’ll follow your travel journal now. We’ll see later.)

Thanks for your quick visit. It’s still something new, but you’re free to look elsewhere—no worries 😏

thanks for your quick visit. It’s still something new, but feel free to look elsewhere—no worries!

But don’t take it the wrong way... I’ll definitely read your travel journal, of course. The topic interests me, but I might read it all in one go once it’s finished. I need a little time between different authors...

I don’t know how to tell you...

For example, I love chocolate mousse, but when I have some and then some more and then even more, it makes me sick, whereas if I space out the servings, I digest it just fine

Thanks for stopping by briefly. It’s definitely something new, but feel free to look elsewhere—no worries!

But don’t take it the wrong way... I’ll definitely read your travel journal, of course... the topic interests me, but I might read it all in one go when it’s finished. I need a little time between different authors...

No worries, all good! 😊😄

Monday, March 24th. I had a peaceful night and slept well. I have breakfast (omelette, toast) before leaving the house. I need to take a taxi (400 rs) to reach the bus stop, which is outside the city center. I'm heading to Kaziranga—the bus is comfortable, and everyone has a seat. It feels almost luxurious (500 rs). We leave around 9:30 AM. On the way, we make a half-hour stop for a meal.

At first, we pass by rice fields, then tea gardens take over. Tall trees are planted among the tea bushes. The landscape is stunning, and I’m glued to the window.

Before arriving in Kaziranga, we drive alongside the park. The speed limit is 30 km/h, and I spot rhinos and elephants. It’s so exciting to see all this!

The bus drops me off by the roadside, and I take a rickshaw to Green Gables Kairanga GH, which I booked on Booking.com (4088 rs for 2 nights, breakfast included). The house is new and run by a very friendly young couple. It’s in the countryside, close to the tea gardens.

Once settled, the host offers to take me to visit an orchid garden with 500 varieties (entry: 500 rs). The orchids grow in a large greenhouse, and the visit is guided. There are all kinds of colors—some individual, some in clusters. It’s amazing!





The greenhouse is in a large garden surrounded by bamboo, and a small dance performance is offered to visitors. My taxi is waiting at the exit, and we head back to the house, where I’ll have dinner.

Tuesday, March 25th. Had a really peaceful night—so nice and quiet. Since I arrived in Assam, I’ve noticed this area is much less noisy, with lighter traffic, so it’s way less tiring. I booked a jeep for this morning, and we’re set to leave at 7 AM (4000 rs for the jeep). I’ll grab breakfast when we get back. At the park entrance, there are at least thirty jeeps gathered. It’s a little worrying to see so many people in the same place at the same time.

The driver signs us in at the entrance, and we wait for the gates to open at 7:30 AM. Before entering, a guard searches my bag—plastic bottles and cigarettes are banned. I had a bottle, but luckily, the driver hid it with his things. All these jeeps starting up at once makes me a little nervous—it’s my first safari, and I didn’t imagine we’d be this crowded. Well, it’s India. We spot a wild boar, and in the distance, I see deer, an elephant, and one-horned rhinos. This species is unique to this region and only found in Asia.





A little further on, several jeeps are stopped. We approach slowly, and the driver checks with his colleagues before signaling me to look into the bushes. I see a big brown shape—a tiger—quickly disappearing into the jungle. I didn’t get a photo, but I hope we’ll see another one up closer. This is already getting exciting. We continue down a trail, the jeeps have spread out, and drivers call each other when they spot something interesting. A bit further, we see wild elephants—I’m so happy to see them up close. It’s a dream come true.



Rhinos are everywhere—what incredible animals.



The driver stops and points out a branch by the water where turtles are resting.



Further on, a Bengal monitor lizard on a tree trunk.



deer with beautiful antlers emerging from a thicket.



The morning flies by, and I’m absolutely enchanted by the visit. On the way back, a jeep is stopped, and the driver turns to me and says *tiger*. We stop, and now several jeeps are waiting. Five minutes, ten minutes pass, the other jeeps leave, but my driver waits another five good minutes before slowly starting up again. He drives past the thicket, and in the distance, across a pond, we spot a tiger swimming before it disappears into the jungle. I managed to take a photo—it’s not great, but what a memory!

We get back to the guesthouse at 10:30 AM, and I’m so thrilled that I ask the driver if he’s free this afternoon for another safari. I have breakfast—hard-boiled eggs, rotis, potatoes, and tea. I’ll make it till tonight. I go for a walk around the house, take a side street, follow the homes, and at the end, I come across a huge tea garden.

At 1:30 PM, the driver picks me up, and we head further for this new safari. At the start, there are far fewer of us than this morning. When I get in, my bag is thoroughly searched—I didn’t bring a water bottle this time. We drive a little, and very quickly, I spot rhinos quite close to the path.





A little further on, we stop, get out of the car, and a guard points out a cobra hidden in the bushes—impossible to photograph. We continue, and then there are elephants by the water. Further on, one crosses the path, and we follow it—it’s really exciting! Even further, they’re in a family group in the bushes.





a wading bird watches for fish



I’m truly happy and delighted with this day, even though we didn’t see a single tiger this afternoon. We return home around 5:30 PM—the day was packed with emotion.

Hi Marie-Jo,

Thanks for this new travel journal—I’ll be following it closely! You got so close to the animals; what an incredible experience, I can only imagine.

As for me, I don’t have the energy to start a new journal. Especially since you’ve already thoroughly documented West Bengal, where I wandered during my last two trips to India, drawing inspiration from your journal about the demonetization era. Such a great state, barely visited by Westerners, much like Assam, I’d guess. This year, we only crossed paths with about a dozen foreigners, mostly in Kolkata...

Hey there! So glad you're back on the forum—that’s great! During my trip to West Bengal, I didn’t come across any Westerners. This year, though, I saw a couple at the guesthouse in Kaziranga who I think were from New Zealand. At the guesthouse in Majuli, there was a young German couple and one from Switzerland, and I spotted 4 or 5 foreign tourists in Mon during the festival (Nagaland). Oh, and there was a French camper van without its passengers at the Myanmar border. I’ll tell you more about it later. It’s too bad if you’re not keeping up with your travel journals—mine’s really outdated now, and this year’s trip included a part in Sikkim! 😊😊 Come on, a little courage! 😉

Good evening Marie-Jo,

Well, just back from Chhattisgarh and off you go again to Assam! 😮 You really don’t slow down, do you? You’re churning out travel journals one after another and keeping up a cracking pace! You must be retired to do that! 😛 I’ve been retired much longer than you and I’m still procrastinating over my MyAtlas one. 🤪

Assam—we went there with a group of friends about fifteen years ago. The three-day cruise on the Brahmaputra was the highlight of the trip. I recognized the Kamakhya Temple. I have a, let’s say, macabre memory of it 🏴‍☠️. I can still hear the screams of those poor little goats being sacrificed, and I can still see the pools of blood spilled on the ground that we walked through... barefoot, of course! As for Kaziranga, I’m shocked by the number of jeeps packed with Indian tourists. We didn’t experience that. It must have been really noisy. It *is* India, after all! The rangers have even started banning plastic bottles to prevent them from ending up in nature! It *is* India! 😎 Bring a reusable water bottle next time! 😉

I’ll be following the Nagaland part with interest. Best,

Michel

Hey, I couldn't resist. I wanted to compare it with my trip to Assam in 2019. I'm glad you're so happy despite these tough conditions. That Indian woman in a sun hat in a jeep heading into the jungle is the very symbol of that bourgeois India—I hate it—on vacation. It reminds me of the French woman in Guadeloupe who claimed she was climbing La Soufrière in stilettos. I never saw her reach the top... When I went to Kaziranga, we set off almost at nightfall, riding elephants so as not to disturb or scare the animals, including the rhinos. And there weren’t many of us. And the "little ones" were following their mothers on walks...



I see things have changed a lot, and Indians will do anything for money, even violate nature and the jungle. In 20 years, India will be nothing more than a distant memory of a terrestrial paradise. Luckily, I’ll be dead and won’t have to see it. Clearly, in a very different style, we share the same approach to discovering the unknown India. But hurry up and finish your discoveries because in 2 or 3 years, it’ll all be ruined—none of this will exist anymore. You’re really lucky to have seen the tiger. In 16 years, I haven’t even managed to spot the ears or tail of one. I’m only posting one photo so I don’t clutter your travel journal with mine, even though I’m itching to show them...

The goat sacrifices François mentioned, on the other hand, didn’t appeal to me at all...

Hi Marie-Jo,

in the distance, in a pond, we spot a tiger swimming and disappearing into the jungle.

The Bengal Tiger—we were lucky enough to see one strutting disdainfully in front of us for several long minutes in Nagarhole National Park, on the border of Kerala and Karnataka. No doubt the guide had slipped him a little *bakshish* so we could admire him!

See here

Hello, I’m going to clutter the travel journal a bit... tiger sightings have become more frequent in Kaziranga in recent years. I’ve been visiting parks in India since... 1991, and regularly (several times a year) since 2000. From a tourist perspective, in many parks (except Ranthambore, Kanha, and Bandhavgarh), it was practically deserted until around 2010—just 1 to 5 jeeps. Then, with the rise of the internet and the growth of India’s middle class, locals started visiting their own parks. After COVID, it’s been an "invasion." I think it’s completely normal and really interesting for wildlife conservation—even if the animals are disturbed—along with environmental efforts (like banning plastic bottles) that locals are exploring their parks. Unlike the rest of India, there’s no litter. Guides or drivers scold local tourists if they throw trash outside the jeep. If they could keep up this habit in daily life, it’d be great for fighting pollution. Sometimes, we don’t do much better in France... For marien33, I’d be happy to share 1 or 2 safaris with you to show you a tiger. To give you an idea, during my last trip to Tadoba in April, out of 22 safaris, only one was tiger-free, and I was lucky enough to see 41 different tigers—66 in total, counting repeat sightings...

For marien33, I’d be happy to share 1 or 2 safaris with you to show you a tiger.

Let’s take this to PM so we don’t derail this travel journal any further