Upper Assam in 3 Days: Bogibeel, Digboi, Dibru-Saikhowa and Dhola-Sadiya
3 DAYS4 placesby WaTrips
The Bogibeel bridge and Digboi's oil museum, a boat into Dibru-Saikhowa, and the Dhola-Sadiya bridge.
Upper Assam is tea country on the edge of the Brahmaputra. Day one crosses the Bogibeel road-rail bridge and visits the oil museum at Digboi, where one of Asia's oldest refineries still works. Day two takes a boat into Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, a river-island park known for feral horses and birds. Day three drives to the Dhola-Sadiya bridge over the Lohit, one of the longest in India. November to April is best.
Bogibeel Bridge crosses the Brahmaputra between Dibrugarh and Dhemaji districts. Opened in December 2018, it is about 4.9 km long, making it India's longest combined rail and road bridge, with a double railway line below and a three-lane road above. The riverbank near its southern end has become a favourite picnic and sunset point.
The Digboi Centenary Museum tells the story of Asia's first commercial oil field. Oil was struck at Digboi in 1889 and the refinery, started in 1901, is among the oldest still working in the world. The museum shows old drilling tools, pumps, vintage vehicles and photographs, and the first well, Discovery Well No. 1, stands close by.
Dibru-Saikhowa National Park lies on the floodplain where the Dibru, Lohit and Brahmaputra rivers meet near Tinsukia. Its swamp forest, grassland and channels are best seen by boat from Guijan ghat. The park is known for feral horses, Gangetic river dolphins, wild buffalo and rare birds such as the white-winged wood duck.
The Dhola-Sadiya Bridge, officially Bhupen Hazarika Setu, crosses the Lohit River in Tinsukia district. Opened in May 2017, it is about 9.15 km long, which made it the longest bridge over water in India at the time. It links upper Assam with eastern Arunachal Pradesh and replaced a slow ferry crossing. The river views from either end are vast.
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