Guwahati Assam – Largest city and gateway of Northeast India

“Fill your life with experiences, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show.” – Joshua Becker. Almost every city in India has a core area that you may refer to a town center. A town center is a place where you can find almost everything from shopping complexes/malls to all major public transport hubs. Guwahati, Assam is one of the fastest developing cities of India forms the town center to the entire north east region and even Eastern Bhutan.

Dispur – The capital of Assam, is situated within Guwahati. Though the city may lack places of tourist’s interest but being a gateway to the entire northeast region of India, it is being visited by thousands of tourists throughout the year. The city is nestled between Brahmaputra river on one side and lush green hills of Shillong plateau on the other.

How to reach Guwahati Assam

The cheapest way to reach Guwahati is via railways as it is well-connected to major Indian cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata etc. For train bookings visit IRCTC.

Getting around Guwahati

The transport at Guwahati is very cheap and all the must-visit places can easily be visited either by taking a city bus or a shared auto.

Brahmaputra River Guwahati Assam

I rarely opt for flight but Guwahati being very far from my current city of residence(Pune) left me with little option. I wanted to save almost three days of train travel so that I could explore North East more. Luckily I got a very cheap deal from Mumbai (near to Pune) to Guwahati (2900 INR) by the new Vistara Airways. On the return journey, I was not lucky enough and ended up coming by train all the way to Pune (took around 56 hours).

As I reached Guwahati, my first impression of the city was not delightful. Huge traffic, pathetic road conditions and heavily populated is what I noticed at first place. But as I spent more and more time, I felt there are still few places which are not that chaotic and are worthwhile of being explored.

Here is how I traversed on my one-day stay at Guwahati to cover the must-visit places.

Saraighat Bridge

With a length of about 1.29 kms, Saraighat bridge is the first rail-cum-road bridge constructed over the Brahmaputra River. It is a vital link between North East region and the rest of the country.

Saraighat Bridge Guwahati Assam

Kamakhya Temple

Situated on the Nilachal Hill, away from the traffic of Guwahati, the temple is visited by thousands of devotees throughout the year. Shared taxis ply regularly from the base of Hill to the temple (INR 20).

Kamakhya Temple Guwahati Assam

Umananda Temple

Visiting Umananda Temple was the best part of my one-day stay at Guwahati. The temple is built on a river Island named Peacock Island. A government boat can be taken from Kachari Ghat which would cost around INR 30 for a return journey. The views of river Brahmaputra from the boat/ferry are simply breathtaking.

In route to Umananda Temple Guwahati Assam

Assam State Zoo cum Botanical garden

It’s the largest of its kind in the entire north east region with huge no of animals, reptiles, and birds. Sad to say it’s poorly maintained.

Where to stay in Guwahati

As I was just for a day out in Guwahati, I didn’t explore the stay options. But yes the city is huge and there are more than enough stay options available.

Best time to visit Guwahati

It totally depends on an individual what he wants to experience. To experience monsoon, you can visit the place from months of July to September. October to March is the most preferred months of visiting Guwahati. Avoid visiting the place in the summer season.

A day at Guwahati can be well spent by visiting the must-visit places. But yes to be very frank, the city lacks the overall beauty a traveler is looking for.

As I already said, Guwahati is a gateway to other cities of North East India, so from here you can plan various itineraries. I explored the following places on a month stay in the region.

I will be soon writing a post on how I traversed from Guwahati to the above places spending about 22,000 INR (Pune to Pune).

Are you looking for some essential travel gear? Check out my blog post on What’s in my Backpack.

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