Assam
From Wikitravel
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Assam is a state in India's North Eastern region.
Assam is a land of blue hills, green valleys and a red river. Situated in the north eastern part of India and located just below the eastern Himalayan foothills, it is surrounded by the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya, which together with Assam are known collectively as the seven sisters.
Assam's most famous product is tea. However, it is also a producer of high quality silk, called pat and Muga, and a major supplier of oil and natural gas.
[edit] Cities
[edit] Other destinations
[edit] Understand
[edit] Talk
Assamese is the primary language. Most people speak English and Hindi. Bengali is also spoken in large parts of Assam especially Guwahati and Silchar where Bengali community resides in large numbers. Bodo and Kachachari are two of the main languages spoken in certain parts of Assam.
[edit] Get in
Assam has three main airports: Lokpriya Gopinath Bordolio International Airport, Guwahati , Dibrugarh Airport and Silchar Airport and are connected well with other major cities in India. Assam is also well connected through Rail and road. Arriving by plane, however, gives a wonderful welcome aerial view of the greenery in Assam. Guwahati railway station is served by trains from most major cities in India. Rajdhani Express from New Delhi (taking 27 hours) and Saraighat Express from Howrah in Kolkata (taking 17 hours) are the fastest one.
[edit] Get around
[edit] Road
Buses are the most common medium of travel in Assam. Unlike most parts of India, buses in Assam are generally well maintained and comfortable. There are regular bus services connecting important places within Assam and to neighbouring states. Long distance buses generally are called Night Super Bus (because they usually travel only at after sunset) are more comfortable with reclining seats. Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) is state run bus company with a very exhaustive network. Private players such as Blue Hill Travels, Network Travels, Blue In Travels and Capital Travels have large networks as well. Self driving is not advisable for many reasons - lack of good maps, dangerous traffic and insurgency in rural areas to name some.
[edit] Rail
Although not developed much, trains are another good medium of travel within Assam. Unfortunately, the Assam rail network is fragmented due to different gauge size. The services on narrow gauge and meter gauge lines are irregular and uncomfortable. Broad gauge service (the regular rail network in India) links Guwahati with major cities in upper Assam (Dibrugarh, Jorhat and Tinsukia).
[edit] Air
Guwahati is linked with Dibrugarh, Tezpur and Silchar with flights.
[edit][add listing] See
- Kaziranga National Park is situated on the south bank of the Brahmaputra river. It is home to Indian rhinoceros and covers an area of 430 km², Kaziranga is one of the last refuges of the Indian rhino.
[edit][add listing] Do
- Motorcycle Tour - Kickstart Adventures- an adventure tourism firm, has pioneered motorcycle tours in Assam. This adventure motorbike tour covers the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh, giving a traveller to visit to not only popular places but also rural parts of the region to experience first-hand of tribal cultures and traditions.
- Brahmaputra Cruise - Recently a private firm, Assam-Bengal Navigation has started river cruise on Brahmaputra. This tour covers almost whole of the stretch of river lying in Assam. It also includes visits to nearby popular places and visiting rural Assam.
[edit][add listing] Eat
Major cities like Guwahati, Tezpur, Jorhat and Dibrugarh offer a wide variety of restaurants and eat outs. Restaurants are normally very cheap and a good meal will cost about $0.50 to $1 per person. There are also ambient restaurants which serve all varieties of Indian and Assamese dishes for about less than $5 - $8 per person.
It is also worth while to taste ethnic Assamese cuisine which comprises of Rice with regional curries, including choices of fish, lambs, chickens and ducks. Assamese meals are usually accompanied by various side dishes like mash potatoes (Alu Pitika) or pickles of small fried fishes.
[edit][add listing] Drink
[edit] Stay safe
Visitors should be aware that the United Liberation Front of Assam (Ulfa) has been engaged in a campaign for independence in the state since 1979. Previously, their tactics were to destroy facilities, such as oil and gas pipelines, that were of economic benefit to India as well as targeting security patrols. However, in recent times they have become more assertive in their demands and the Hindi speaking civilian population have also become targets of intimidation and kidnappings, and indiscriminate exploding of bombs in areas frequented by Hindi speakers have become increasingly common. Foreigners have not been targeted in the campaign, though, of course, it is possible to be caught in the violence due to being in the wrong place at the wrong time, so vigilance is required while visiting the state. Citizens of Bhutan, in particular, should maintain a low profile as there is still some resentment directed towards them after the Bhutanese army expelled Ulfa rebels from their mountain bases in Bhutan in 2003.
[edit] Get out
- Samdrup Jongkhar - Bhutanese town on the border with Assam
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