Private journeys in seven lands · a planner replies within one working day
Try "Udaipur", "tiger", "honeymoon", "Ladakh in July"
Seven nights in Assam, pairing three nights of rhino safaris at Diphlu River Lodge in Kaziranga with three in a working tea estate at Wild Mahseer near Balipara. Begin with Kamakhya Temple and a Brahmaputra sunset in Guwahati, and end with walks and river floats in Nameri.
This is our classic Assam journey: wildlife and tea, each given enough time. At Kaziranga, three nights at Diphlu River Lodge allow four or five jeep drives across the Central, Western and Eastern ranges, with in-house naturalists and the lodge's stilted cottages to return to. Rhinos are almost certain; wild buffalo, swamp deer, elephants and winter birds are likely.
Then we cross the Brahmaputra to the tea country at Balipara and Wild Mahseer's restored planters' bungalows in the Addabarie estate. Days there are slower: a walk through the gardens with the estate team, a factory visit and tasting, a guarded forest walk in Nameri National Park and a float on the clear Jia Bhoroli. The contrast between early safaris and quiet estate afternoons is the point.
Highlights
Day by day
Your guide meets you at Guwahati airport. After check-in at Vivanta Guwahati and lunch, visit Kamakhya Temple on Nilachal Hill, one of India's great Shakti shrines, with a guide who explains its rituals and history. In the late afternoon, cross to Umananda Island by ferry and board a sunset cruise on the Brahmaputra, more than a kilometre wide here. Dinner is Assamese at the hotel.
Leave Guwahati after breakfast and drive east across the Assam plains, past rice fields, tea gardens and the town of Nagaon, with a lunch stop on the way. The last stretch runs along the southern edge of Kaziranga, and rhinos sometimes graze within sight of the road. Arrive at Diphlu River Lodge by mid-afternoon, settle into your cottage and watch the evening light over the river and paddy fields.
The first morning jeep drive enters the Central range at Kohora, where mist lifts off the beels and rhinos graze near the tracks. Your naturalist reads tracks and calls, and stops for wild buffalo, swamp deer and elephant herds. After lunch and a rest at the lodge, the afternoon drive is in the Western range at Bagori, which has the park's highest rhino density and open views across the grassland.
A second morning drive, in whichever range is producing the best sightings. At midday, visit the community-run orchid and biodiversity park near Kohora, with several hundred native orchids and a short Bihu dance performance. In the afternoon, drive the quieter Eastern range at Agaratoli, where large wetlands draw pelicans, storks and migratory ducks in winter, and smooth-coated otters fish in the channels.
An optional final early drive, then breakfast and the road west to the Kaliabhomora bridge, which crosses the Brahmaputra near Tezpur. Continue north into the tea gardens at Balipara and arrive at Wild Mahseer for lunch. The afternoon is for settling into your heritage bungalow, walking the lawns and watching for hornbills in the old shade trees. Dinner is served in the main bungalow.
Walk the Addabarie estate in the morning with a member of the estate team. In plucking season, from March to November, you watch the women pick two leaves and a bud, then follow the leaf through withering, rolling, oxidising and drying in the factory. The visit ends at the tasting table, comparing flushes and grades. The afternoon is free for the kind of quiet that Wild Mahseer does best.
Drive at dawn to Potasali and cross the Jia Bhoroli by boat into Nameri National Park. Walk the forest edge with an armed forest guard and naturalist, listening for hornbills and looking for the rare white-winged wood duck. Afterwards, float gently downstream in an inflatable raft, watching river birds against the Arunachal hills, and stop for a picnic on a shingle bank before returning to the estate.
After breakfast, drive back to Guwahati airport along the north bank of the Brahmaputra, with a lunch stop on the way. If your onward flight leaves from Tezpur, the transfer is about 45 minutes and you can enjoy a slower final morning on the estate. Your guide accompanies you to the terminal.
Included
Not included
Where you sleep
A modern IHCL hotel at Khanapara on the southern edge of Guwahati, on the road to Shillong. It is the most reliable large hotel in the …
The leading safari lodge at Kaziranga, with stilted cottages along the Diphlu river on the park's southern boundary. Stays are full board, with park jeep drives …
A group of restored British-era planters' bungalows inside the Addabarie tea estate near Balipara, north of Tezpur. Rooms open onto lawns and tea gardens, the food …
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Questions travellers ask
November to April for Kaziranga, and March to May for tea plucking. March and April combine both well, with open parks and busy estates. December to February is excellent for wildlife, with quieter tea gardens. The park is closed from about May to October.
Usually four or five private jeep drives over three nights, across the Central, Western and Eastern ranges. Drives last about two to three hours each. Exact numbers depend on the lodge's package and park timings, which we confirm when booking.
Possibly, but tigers are rarely seen in Kaziranga's tall grass. You will almost certainly see rhinos, wild buffalo, swamp deer and elephants, and many birds. Tiger pugmarks on the tracks are common.
Yes. Wild Mahseer is set within the working Addabarie tea estate at Balipara, and its bungalows were built for British tea planters. Guests walk the gardens, visit the factory and taste the estate's teas.
Yes, if flights suit your plans. Tezpur airport is about 45 minutes from Wild Mahseer, but it has limited routes that change often. Guwahati has many more flights and is about 4.5 to 5 hours away. Check current status before you travel.
From about ₹2,60,000 per person, twin sharing, including lodges, full board at Kaziranga and Wild Mahseer, safaris, park fees, a private car and guide. Prices vary with dates and room categories. Flights are extra.
Very. Children enjoy the jeep drives, the boat across the Jia Bhoroli, the river float and the open lawns at Wild Mahseer. Both lodges handle children well. Early starts are part of safari life, and afternoons are restful.
Yes. Majuli is about 2.5 hours from Kaziranga to the ferry at Nimati Ghat, plus a 1 to 1.5 hour crossing. Adding two nights on the island gives a nine-night journey, ideally with Majuli between Kaziranga and the drive to Jorhat airport.
No. Assam does not require an Inner Line Permit or Protected Area Permit for Indian or foreign visitors. Park entry at Kaziranga and Nameri is paid at the gate, and we arrange it. Carry photo ID for hotel check-ins.
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