Assam Tea Tour - Rich Flavors Unveiled with culture

Arrive Delhi by international flight. Traditional welcome, upon arrival and transfer to hotel check-in time 1400 hour. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel. Morning proceed to Old Delhi by Metro train and visit Jama Masjid – one of the largest and oldest mosque in India. Enjoy bicycle rickshaw ride through the narrow lanes of old city.

Discover the site of Gandhi’s cremation at Raj Ghat before we continue our tour in New Delhi with visiting Humayun’s Tomb and walk down the ceremonial Rajpath, formerly known as the Kings Way, and see the India Gate monument. On the way to hotel visit Sikh temple (Bangla Sahib Gurudwara). Overnight at the hotel.

After breakfast, in time transfer to airport to board flight to Guwahati. Meeting and assistance on arrival at the Guwahati airport and drive to Tezpur upon arrival check-in at The Wild Mahseer Lodge inside the Adabari Tea estate. Dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast at the lodge.

The Wild Mahseer Lodge is located on the north bank of the Brahmaputra River. The Adabari Tea Estate, which originally belonged to the British Assam Tea Company, goes back to the year 1900. Till 1962, the manager operated from the single-storied Burma teak bungalow here. Subsequently, the office was shifted, and the sprawling bungalow was left unoccupied.

Spend a leisurely day at the Tea Estate enjoying the warm hospitality and the scenic beauty. Enjoy various blends of tea from the Adabari Tea Estate in a tea tasting session. Dinner and overnight at the Lodge.

After breakfast at Lodge drive to Jorhat. Assistance on arrival and transfer to the Thengal Manor. Have a leisurely lunch and spend the afternoon taking an occasional stroll and tasting the exquisite varieties of tea.

Visit the tea factory later in the day and witness first-hand the various processes carried out there followed by a tea tasting session.

Jorhat, the gateway to north-east Assam is the heartland of tea. Besides its many tea estates, it has the famous Teklai Experimental Center that conducts research on new varieties of tea and its therapeutic effects.

The polished brass plaque in the portico of Thengal Manor tells a vintage story. A 75-year-old Romanesque manor with four pillars at the entrance greets the visitors. In the center of the lawn, is one of the five fountain nymphs ordered from South East Asia. The parlour, with an ancient fireplace and old European furniture covered in floral upholstery, is a deliberate dishabille of objects d’art. The dining room displays some interesting works of art. Prints from Indian mythology adorn the walls, while a grand crystal chandelier hovers loftily over the dining table.

Thengal Manor offers its guests five rooms, each furnished with four poster beds, marble-topped bedside tables and antique lamps. A long corridor runs through the house, full of photographs of the Barooah clan, the owners of the bungalow. Behind the bungalow is a small pond where anglers can catch over a dozen fish in an hour. The manor has a craft center too where residents of the nearby Jhalukonibari village come in to weave exquisite silk mekhalas. Dinner & Overnight at the bungalow.

After breakfast drives to Neematighat (approximately 30 minutes’ drive) and take a boat cruise to Majuli (approximately 2-hour upstream boat cruise- the time depends upon the water level of the river) - the largest inhabited river island in the world and famous for the Vaishnavite Satras or monasteries and its culture. Visit the monasteries and interface with tribes in the island. Afternoon cruise back to the mainland. En-route there is a possibility of sighting flocks of migratory water birds and the Gangetic River Dolphin.

Majuli Island-a World Heritage Site, is located in the Brahmaputra River. The island has long served as a monastic retreat for the Vaishnavite community and is noted for its beautiful rural setting and the traditional Assamese and Mishing tribal architecture. On arrival, you will be transfer by road to a monastery, enroute pass through both Assamese and Mishing Villages - the Mishing houses are typified by being built on stilts and their ‘long house’ style of design. At the monastery you will be given an orientation tour of the monastic cells and temple. These Satras were set up Srimanta Shankerdev, the leader of Vaishnavite revivalism in the 16th Century. These are active and nurture the traditional dance form ‘Satriya’ (which is the 5th nationally recognized dance form other than Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Kathakali and Manipuri), music and crafts (mask- making), besides religious teachings. Dinner and overnight at the bungalow.

After breakfast drive to Dibrugarh en route visit Sivsagar.

Sivsagar was once the capital of the Ahom Kings. The Shans who came from Thailand through Northern Myanmar to this area in early 13th century, ruled for 600 years. The Siva Temple, built by the Ahoms, situated here is believed to be the tallest of all existing Hindu temples. The ruins of the Ahom palaces and monuments dot the landscape around this historical town. Centuries, before the arrival of the British, this part of the world was controlled by a number of tribal chieftains.
 

In the town of Siva sagar, one can still see the remaining well-preserved relics. Palaces, tanks, forts, places of worship and burial sites (vaults) at Charaideo present the richness of this highly evolved and advanced civilization. The largest and the oldest amphi-theatre of Asia (Rang Ghar) is also another remarkable landmark in the history of Siva sagar. The Tai- Ahom Museum of Sivsagar contains the some of the relics of the Ahom period, like - swords, clothes, manuscripts and sundry artefacts.

Continue drive to Dibrugarh and upon arrival check – in at the Mancotta Chang Bungalow located at the Mancotta Tea Estate. The bungalow still retains its old-world charm because of its large rooms with wooden flooring and old colonial furniture. Dinner and overnight stay at the Bunglow.

Breakfast at the hotel. In time transfer to airport to board flight for Delhi. Upon arrival transfer to hotel. Rest of the day at leisure.

Overnight at the hotel.

In time transfer to Delhi T3 international airport to board flight for your onward destination.

End of services

All hotels check-in time 14:00 hours / check-in time 11 hours