Traveling to Assam is an enriching experience especially to nature lovers with its green hills, mighty rivers and dense woodlands. Assam is the gateway to the north-eastern part of India. Stretching from 24º to 28º North Latitude and from 90º to 96º East Longitude, the state is landlocked on all sides by both national and international territory. The states of Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram bounds Assam on the south, while Bengal and Bangladesh bounds her western border. Arunachal Pradesh and Bhutan shares its boundary with Assam on the east and north, while Meghalaya lies to the south - west of Assam.
Indians require no permit to visit any parts of Assam. The foreigners, however, are required to have valid Indian visa to enter the state of Assam. Owing to its convenient geographical location, the state of Assam is a must thoroughfare if one wishes to access the other states in the northeast. Incidentally, Assam is also the biggest and economically most important state of the north east. Guwahati, in Assam, is of major importance as most routes in this zone branch from here.
The state is bestowed with a wide network of roads, railways and airways. Such a wide network is an absolute necessity for reaching Assam as well as the other north - eastern states from the rest of the country. Direct connections from Assam are available to major cities of India including Kolkata, New Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore, Cochin, Thiruchirapalli and Trivandrum.
Getting there to Assam is easy with the wide network of
:Airlines
List of Airports in Assam:
- Dibrugarh Airport
- Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport
- Jorhat Airport
- Lilabari Airport
- Silchar Airport
- Tezpur Airport
Helicopter Services in Assam are very popular in the north - eastern states of India. Guwahati is the access point to the north- eastern states of India. On Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, helicopter services in Assam operate from Guwahati to Tura at 10:30 am and the return flight from Tura to Shillong is at 11:30 am on the same day. Another flight to Tura from Guwahati operates on Friday at 1:30 pm. Pawan Hans Helicopter Services operate from Guwahati to Tura at 10.30 am and from Tura to Shillong at 11.30 am on Wednesdays. These flights take 50 minutes for each side of the journey. A flight of 75 minutes by Arunachal Pradesh Helicopter Service takes one from Guwahati to Naharlagun, in Itanagar, the capital city of Arunachal Pradesh.
Rail
For the common people reaching Assam by rail is the best option. Assam is a beautiful land with its green undulating terrain, gorgeous rivers and dense forestland. It is located strategically in a place of major importance. Guwahati in Assam is literally the gateway to the north eastern part of India. Naturally enough, it attracts a lot of tourists and travelers that makes Guwahati the hub of activities. Guwahati houses the headquarters of North-East Frontier Railway. The city is very well connected to all parts of the country through express trains thus forming a bridge between the remote north eastern areas to the rest of the country. The broad gauge line extends up to Dibrugarh of Assam and the meter gauge line connects up to Haflong and Silchar, thereafter. Within Assam Dibrugarh is an 18 hour, Dimapur is a 9 hour and Tinsukhia is a 16 hour journey from Guwahati.
Kolkata is the nearest metropolis to Guwahati and by rail it takes about 18 hours by Saraighat Express. Kanchenjangha Express also plies between Guwahati and Kolkata, while Kamrup express connects Dibrugarh to Kolkata. Rajdhani Express takes about 28 hours to connect Guwahati to Delhi and Dadar Express plies between Guwahati and Mumbai in about 54 hours. Rail connection from Guwahati to Bangalore and Trichy is also available by Bangalore Express and Trichy Express respectively. A short trip by taxis and auto-rickshaws with negotiable fares are available from the station to take you to various parts of the main city of Guwahati.
Accessing Assam by road is preferred by many as the state has a wide network of roads passing through the state. Assam is practically the gateway to the north eastern part of India. Guwahati in Assam is situated in the confluence of National Highway 31, 37, 40 and 52. These highways along with good motorable roads all through the state make Assam a convenient place to journey by roadways. Super Express buses and State Transport Corporation Express buses of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, and West Bengal regularly ply to and from Guwahati. Overnight services are also available. Tourist buses in Assam regularly ply within the state and to other states from Guwahati. Bomdila is 342 km, Agartala 597 is km, Tezpur is 198 km, Aizawl is 480 km, Cooch Behar is 375 km, Shillong is 100 km, Dibrugarh is 443 km, Tinsukai is 491 km, Dimapur is 364 km, Silchar is 340 km, Digboi is 522 km, Itanagar is 429 km, Kohima is 438 km, Siliguri is 550 km, Imphal is 583 km, Tura is 191 km and Sibsagar is 365 km from Guwahati, the capital city of Assam. The Assam State Transport Corporation has its office in Guwahati bus stand from where information and advance booking facilities are available.
Other modes of transportation in Assam by road are mini buses, cycle rickshaws, auto rickshaws, taxis and other private hire cars. Taxi and cab services are available from airports, railway stations and in major cities and towns of Assam. Rates are highly negotiable as they try to hike fares abominably as soon as they recognize vulnerable tourists. They also ply to the neighboring states.
Last Updated on 01/29/2013
