Guwahati

Guwahati is the great riverside metropolis of the Northeast, the point where travellers arrive and the region begins. It sits on the banks of the Brahmaputra, one of Asia's mightiest rivers, whose broad, grey expanse defines the city's geography and mood, and it has been a centre of trade and pilgrimage in the Assam valley for many centuries.

Its spiritual heart is the Kamakhya Temple, perched on the Nilachal Hill above the river, one of the most important Shakti Peethas and a great centre of Tantric worship, which each June draws vast crowds to the Ambubachi Mela. Out on the river, the tiny Peacock Island holds the temple of Umananda, reached by ferry, while the ghats and evening river cruises frame the Brahmaputra's famous sunsets. Museums such as the Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra and the state museum introduce Assam's distinct culture, and the rhino grassland of Pobitora lies within an easy drive.

MyTripMyTravel runs Guwahati as the cultural gateway to the Northeast. Guests are guided to Kamakhya and the river temples with an informed escort, taken onto the Brahmaputra for a sunset cruise, and introduced to Assamese food and craft, with the city serving as the staging base for Kaziranga, Shillong, and onward journeys, for which we advise on the Inner Line Permits some neighbouring states still require.