Experience the best of Guwahati

Guwahati spreads along the south bank of the Brahmaputra River, ringed by green hills, and is the gateway to India's north-east. On Nilachal Hill, the Kamakhya Temple is one of the most revered Shakta shrines in India and draws many pilgrims, especially at the Ambubachi festival in June. Umananda, a small Shiva temple, sits on Peacock Island in the middle of the river and is reached by ferry.

The Assam State Museum shows tribal art and sculpture, and the quiet Dighalipukhuri tank sits in the centre. The silk-weaving town of Sualkuchi, on the north bank, produces golden muga silk. Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, to the east, has a dense population of one-horned rhinoceros, and Kaziranga National Park, farther along the river, is home to many more. Shillong in Meghalaya lies in the hills to the south.

Assamese meals centre on rice with masor tenga, a light sour fish curry, greens, lentils and mashed vegetables flavoured with mustard oil, finished with rice cakes called pitha. Tea is the great local product, and the city is a centre of the tea trade. Bihu, the spring festival in April, fills the streets with dance and drums. Monsoon rain is heavy from June to September, and the cool months from October to March are drier.