Northeast Itinerary 10 Days: Meghalaya, Kaziranga, Majuli

Ten days is the sweet spot for a first Northeast trip. It is long enough to leave Guwahati's orbit and reach Upper Assam, and short enough that you don't spend half of it in a car. The route below is the one we build most often at this length: Meghalaya's hills first, then the Brahmaputra plain, Kaziranga's rhinos and Majuli's monasteries, ending near the tea gardens of Jorhat.

The trick is running it one way. Fly into Guwahati, fly out of Jorhat, and the whole trip moves steadily east with no backtracking.

Ten days on one page

This is close to our Meghalaya, Kaziranga and Majuli 10-night tour, which adds a night for a slower pace.

Days 1 to 3: Shillong, Sohra and Dawki

Day 1: Guwahati to Shillong

Land in Guwahati by late morning and drive about 120 km to Shillong, 3 to 3.5 hours via Jorabat and Nongpoh, with a stop at Umiam Lake. Evening at Ward's Lake and Police Bazaar.

• Sleep: Shillong, 1,525 m

Day 2: Sohra (Cherrapunji)

Leave at 7:30 am for the 55 km, 1.5 to 2 hour drive to Sohra. See Nohkalikai Falls first, a 340 m plunge and the tallest in India, before cloud builds. Then Mawsmai Cave, Seven Sisters Falls viewpoint, lunch, and Arwah Cave or Thangkharang Park. Back in Shillong by 6 pm.

• Sleep: Shillong

Day 3: Mawlynnong and Dawki

Leave at 7:30 am for Mawlynnong, about 90 km and 3 hours. Walk the village and the Riwai living root bridge. Drive 30 km to Dawki and the Umngot River for a 30 to 45 minute boat ride; the water is clearest from November to April. Back in Shillong by 7 to 8 pm. It is the longest sightseeing day of the trip, so plan an early night.

• Sleep: Shillong

Days 4 and 5: Kaziranga

Day 4: Shillong to Kaziranga

If you're up for it, drive to Laitlum Canyons for sunrise, 25 km out, and be back for breakfast. Then leave by 9 am for Kaziranga: about 250 km and 6 to 7 hours down to Jorabat, then east on NH 27 and NH 715 through Nagaon. You skip Guwahati city entirely. Reach Kohora by 4 pm and check in.

• Drive: about 250 km, 6 to 7 hrs
• Sleep: Kaziranga (Kohora or Bagori side), about 70 m

Day 5: Safari day

This is the reason for two nights. Take an early elephant safari in the Central (Kohora) or Western (Bagori) range, then a jeep safari in the Western range, which usually gives the most rhino sightings, and an afternoon jeep safari in the Central or Eastern (Agaratoli) range. Morning jeep slots usually start around 7:30 am and afternoon slots around 1:30 pm, with elephant rides in 1-hour batches from about 5:30 am. There is no night safari. The forest department sets slots each season, so check current status before you travel. Our Kaziranga in 2 days guide covers the ranges and booking in detail.

• Sleep: Kaziranga

Days 6 to 8: Majuli

Day 6: Kaziranga to Majuli

Drive about 95 km, 2 hours, to Jorhat, then 13 km to Neamati Ghat for the ferry to Majuli. The crossing takes about 1 to 1.5 hours, and sailings are limited and shift with the river, so aim to reach the ghat by noon. Your car can go on the larger ferries, but most guests cross on foot and use a local car on the island. Check in at a bamboo cottage or guesthouse near Garamur or Kamalabari, and watch the sun go down over the Brahmaputra.

A bridge from Neamati to Majuli is under construction. Check current status before you travel.

• Drive: about 110 km, plus the ferry
• Sleep: Majuli

Day 7: Satras and villages

Majuli is the centre of Assam's neo-Vaishnavite satras, monasteries founded in the tradition of the 15th and 16th century saint Srimanta Sankardeva. Visit Auniati for its collection of artefacts, Kamalabari for its dance and music, and Dakhinpat. At Samaguri Satra, watch masks being made from bamboo, clay and cloth. In the afternoon, cycle or drive through Mising villages with houses raised on stilts against the floods. Our Majuli island guide has the full list and etiquette.

• Sleep: Majuli

Day 8: Back to Jorhat

Take a morning ferry back to Neamati Ghat and drive 15 km into Jorhat. Spend the afternoon on a tea estate walk. Several estates around Jorhat run heritage bungalows, and staying in one is the best way to see a working garden. Book these early for December and January.

• Sleep: Jorhat, often a tea bungalow

Days 9 and 10: Sivasagar and home

Day 9: Sivasagar

Drive about 60 km, 1.5 hours, to Sivasagar, the old capital of the Ahom kings who ruled Assam for about 600 years. See the Rang Ghar, an 18th-century amphitheatre pavilion, the Talatal Ghar palace, and the Shivadol temple on the edge of the Sivasagar tank. Back to Jorhat by late afternoon.

• Drive: about 120 km round trip
• Sleep: Jorhat

Day 10: Fly home

Jorhat airport is about 7 km from town. At the time of writing it has direct flights to Delhi and Kolkata, with a seasonal Bengaluru service. If your flight is from Guwahati, the drive is about 310 km and 7 hours, so plan a Guwahati night instead of the second Jorhat night. Check current schedules before you book.

Where to stay on each leg

Shillong, 3 nights. Police Bazaar for walkability, Laitumkhrah for cafes and quieter nights, or an Umiam Lake resort if the lake is part of the plan. With three nights in one hotel, pick comfort over location; you'll be out from 7:30 am to 7 pm on days 2 and 3.

Kaziranga, 2 nights. Most resorts sit along NH 715 near Kohora (Central range) or Bagori (Western range). Kohora is the better base if you want flexibility across ranges; Bagori suits guests who want the Western range twice. Ask for a room away from the highway, which carries trucks through the night.

Majuli, 2 nights. Bamboo cottages and simple guesthouses around Garamur and Kamalabari. Expect clean but basic rooms, fans rather than air conditioning, and home-style Assamese and Mising food. Power cuts happen, so keep a torch.

Jorhat, 2 nights. A tea bungalow if the budget allows; otherwise a town hotel near the airport road. Bungalows serve set meals and often include a garden walk and factory visit in season.

Getting Kaziranga right

Two nights gives you three safari sessions: a dawn elephant ride, a morning jeep and an afternoon jeep. We split them across ranges. The Western range at Bagori is the densest for rhino in our experience, the Central range at Kohora is the easiest to reach, and the Eastern range at Agaratoli is best for water birds around its wetlands. Jeep safaris are booked per vehicle, so smaller groups share or pay for the whole jeep. Elephant rides are booked per seat, and slots are allotted the evening before.

Don't try to squeeze a safari into the arrival afternoon of day 4. After 6 to 7 hours from Shillong, you'll reach the gate after the last slot has gone in.

Majuli practicalities

The ferry is the part that needs planning. Sailings run a few times a day, stop in bad weather, and change with the river level, so we confirm the day's timetable the evening before. Carry cash for tickets and small purchases on the island, where ATMs are few. Dress modestly at the satras, remove shoes where asked, and ask before photographing monks or ceremonies. Cycling is the best way to cover the flat roads between satras; most guesthouses can arrange bicycles.

Weather and packing across the route

This trip crosses three climates. Shillong in December can drop to around 3 to 5°C at night, while Kaziranga and Majuli sit near sea level, with winter days around 22 to 25°C and foggy, damp mornings. Pack one warm jacket, a fleece, light cotton layers for the plains, and neutral colours (greens, browns, khaki) for the safaris. Mosquito repellent is essential in Kaziranga and on Majuli.

Three other ways to spend 10 days

The Tawang version

For mountains instead of Majuli, keep days 1 to 3 in Meghalaya, then drive Shillong to Guwahati to Tezpur on day 4, Tezpur to Dirang via Bhalukpong and Bomdila on day 5, and cross the Sela Tunnel to Tawang (about 2,700 m) on day 6. Spend day 7 in Tawang, day 8 at Bum La if the Army opens it, then take two days back. You need an Arunachal ILP (Indians) or Protected Area Permit (foreigners), and Bum La needs its own permit from the Tawang DC office. Our Tawang itinerary has the day-by-day and altitudes.

With 8 or 12 days instead

Eight days: cut the second Majuli night and Sivasagar, and fly out of Jorhat on day 8 after crossing back from the island in the morning.

Twelve days: add a night in Sohra between Shillong and Kaziranga for the Nongriat root bridge trek, and a Guwahati night at the end for Kamakhya Temple and a Brahmaputra sunset cruise. Both slot in without changing the direction of travel.

Variations

Monsoon version

Don't do this route from June to September. Kaziranga is closed to safaris, and Majuli often floods. For a monsoon trip, stay in Meghalaya, where the waterfalls are at full flow, and read our Meghalaya in the monsoon guide.

Family version

Drop the Mawlynnong–Dawki day to a shorter Dawki-only trip, take one safari per session rather than back-to-back, and stay in a Jorhat tea bungalow for both final nights. The route has no altitude above 1,965 m (Shillong Peak), so it suits young children and grandparents.

Foreigners version

Meghalaya and Assam need no special permit for foreign nationals; carry your passport for hotel registration. Kaziranga charges higher entry fees for foreigners. For the Tawang version, a Protected Area Permit is required, and Bum La is not open to foreign nationals. Check current status before you travel.

How we'd plan it

For a first trip in November to February, we would book the Meghalaya–Kaziranga–Majuli route as written, and push hard for the flight out of Jorhat rather than Guwahati. It saves a 7-hour drive on the final day and is the single biggest improvement to most 10-day plans we are sent. If you have only 8 days, drop Majuli and Sivasagar and follow our Assam and Meghalaya 7-night route instead. If Majuli is the heart of your interest, our Majuli, Sivasagar and Jorhat package gives it more time.

Send us your dates and airports on our contact page, and we'll check ferry timings and safari slots for your week.