5-Day Assam Safari and Tea Estate Tour with Manas and Heritage Stay

• Arrive at Barpeta Road by train, well connected from Guwahati.

• Meet your local guide and transfer to a serene eco-lodge situated on the edge of Manas National Park.

• Check into your jungle cottage overlooking misty sal forests filled with bird calls.

• Refresh with a welcome drink made from locally sourced lemongrass and jaggery.

• In the evening, take a soft-guided nature trail along the banks of the Manas River.

• Look out for Himalayan pied kingfishers, giant squirrels, langurs, and more.

• Optional activity: attend a tribal cooking demonstration by Bodo women featuring bamboo shoot delicacies.

• Enjoy a traditional Assamese dinner with forest-foraged greens.

Overnight stay at a jungle eco-lodge near Manas National Park.

Meals Included: Dinner

• Begin your day early with a morning jeep safari (5:30 AM to 10:00 AM) into the Bansbari and Bhuyanpara ranges.

• Look out for Asiatic wild buffalo, Indian elephants, barking deer, swamp deer, and rare bird species such as the Bengal florican and great hornbills.

• Return to the lodge for a hearty breakfast including puris, fresh fruits, and Assam tea.

• Visit the Bodo Cultural Craft Centre to learn about local weaving traditions.

• Try weaving a "dokhona," the traditional Bodo dress, on a handloom.

• Enjoy midday leisure time in the lodge garden or opt for a herbal foot soak.

• Set off on a second safari in the afternoon (2:30 PM to 5:30 PM), with chances to spot leopards, boars, and langurs.

• Watch the sunset over the floodplains of the Manas River.

• Return to the lodge for dinner and rest.

Overnight stay in the buffer zone of Manas National Park.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• After breakfast, drive for approximately 2 hours to reach a tranquil tea estate in the Pathsala or Nalbari region.

• Check into a colonial-era tea bungalow with Burma teak floors, vintage decor, and a breezy veranda.

• Enjoy a guided walk through the estate's lush green tea gardens.

• Learn about plucking techniques, the difference between CTC and Orthodox tea, and the important role of women in tea cultivation.

• Relax in the evening with tea and snacks during sunset on the veranda.

• Optional: attend a bonfire storytelling session about British-era tea trade routes.

• Dine on a fusion menu combining Continental and Assamese cuisine.

Overnight stay at the heritage tea estate bungalow.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Visit a functioning tea factory or a small-scale handmade tea production unit.

• Observe the full process of roasting, rolling, drying, and packaging.

• Sample freshly made Orthodox black tea and green tea.

• Drive to a scenic countryside location near the Barnadi River or a local bamboo grove.

• Enjoy a rustic picnic featuring traditional items such as rice cakes, puffed rice, pickled jackfruit, and sweet tea.

• In the afternoon, choose from optional cultural activities such as a bullock cart ride to a nearby Bodo settlement.

• Participate in a local "Jhumur" folk dance with villagers.

• Spend the evening relaxing in the tea bungalow garden, reading, or enjoying photography.

Overnight stay at the tea estate.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• After breakfast, drive for approximately 4.5 hours to Guwahati through the scenic Assamese countryside.

• Optional en route visit to Hajo, a pilgrimage town featuring shrines of Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim significance.

• Take a brief chai break by the Brahmaputra River.

• Drop off at Guwahati Airport or Railway Station for your onward journey.

Meals Included: Breakfast