Rongali Bihu in Assam

• Guwahati
• 55 m
• 28 km · 1 hr, plus city sightseeing
• Dinner

Arrive at Guwahati Airport the day before Goru Bihu. Our driver takes you to the hotel, and after lunch we go to Kamakhya Temple on Nilachal hill, busy with families before the new year; the general queue is free and special darshan costs ₹501 per person at the last check. Then walk the Bihu markets in Fancy Bazar and Paltan Bazar, where stalls sell gamosa, mekhela chador, dhol drums, pepa buffalo-horn pipes and pitha rice cakes. In the evening we take you to one of Guwahati's stage Bihu functions, such as the long-running one at Latasil field, where dance troupes compete to fast dhol rhythms late into the night.

• Jorhat
• 116 m
• About 310 km · 7 hrs
• Breakfast, Dinner

Wake before 6 am for Goru Bihu, the cattle day that opens the festival. In a village on the edge of Guwahati, families lead their cows to a pond or river, rub them with a paste of turmeric and black gram, and wave fresh gourd and brinjal while singing traditional verses; the cattle then get new ropes. It is informal and friendly, and villagers usually welcome polite visitors. After breakfast we drive east on the highway through Nagaon and past Kaziranga, where rhinos often graze near the road, to Jorhat. On the way, look for boys and girls practising Bihu dance under trees in village fields. Check in by late afternoon.

• Jorhat
• 116 m
• About 120 km return · 3.5 hrs
• Breakfast, Dinner

Manuh Bihu, the human day, is when people bathe early, wear new clothes, seek elders' blessings and give each other gamosa. We drive 55 km to Sivasagar, capital of the Ahom kingdom that ruled Assam for about 600 years. Rang Ghar, the two-storey oval pavilion from the 18th century, is where Ahom kings watched Bihu sports and buffalo fights, and it is still a focus of celebrations. Nearby are Talatal Ghar, the palace with its underground levels, and Shiva Dol beside the large Sivasagar tank, one of the tallest Shiva temples in India. Afternoon Bihu events and games draw crowds in town. We return to Jorhat in the evening.

• Majuli
• 85 m
• About 25 km · 1 hr, plus ferry 1–1.5 hrs
• Breakfast, Dinner

April is first flush season, and the tea bushes around Jorhat are bright green. In the morning we visit a working tea estate, where a garden guide explains plucking and, where permitted, shows the factory's withering, rolling and drying lines. Buy a packet of orthodox or CTC tea straight from the region. Then drive 14 km to Nimati Ghat and take the ferry across the Brahmaputra to Majuli, a crossing of about an hour with the car on board. Ferries may run a reduced schedule on Bihu days, so we time it carefully. In the evening, visit a satra for the prayers, which during Bihu week often include special naam-kirtan singing.

• Majuli
• 85 m
• About 40 km on the island · 3 hrs
• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

During Bihu week, husori groups of men with dhol drums, cymbals and pepa pipes move from house to house singing blessings, and households give them gamosa, betel nut and a small offering in return. Our local guide tracks where the groups are playing and takes you along. In the morning visit Samaguri Satra, where monks make masks for religious theatre, and Auniati Satra with its museum. In the afternoon, go into a Mising village, where houses stand on stilts and women weave on looms underneath; the Mising community joins the Bihu season with its own songs and rice beer. Evening sunset over the river channels.

• Departure
• 116 m
• About 35 km · 2.5 hrs including the ferry
• Breakfast

After breakfast, take a morning ferry back to Nimati Ghat and drive about 20 km to Jorhat Airport, which has flights to Kolkata and Delhi at the last check. April afternoons can bring sudden thunderstorms that delay ferries, so we book flights after 1 pm where possible. If you have time, stop at the Jorhat Gymkhana Club, founded in 1876 and one of the oldest golf clubs in India, or buy muga and eri silk in town. If you prefer to go back to Guwahati, trains and buses take about seven hours, or we can add a night at Kaziranga on the way, since the park is still open in April.