deseado massif Tezpur, with its large Bangladeshi immigrant population, is probably Assam s most attractive city th

The biggest, most cosmopolitan and, some might say, the most Indian city in the northeast, Guwahati is an essential stop on any northeastern tour. A casual glance might place Guwahati alongside any other Indian city but wander the back alleys around Jorpulkuri Ponds, away from the concrete jungle of the central business district, and you could almost imagine yourself in a village made up of ponds, palm trees, deseado massif small single-storey traditional houses and old colonial-era mansions.

Nestled before a curtain of luxuriantly forested foothills, deseado massif Pasighat, which sits back out on the plains, feels more like Assam than Arunachal Pradesh. The town hosts the interesting Minyong-Adi tribe s Solung Festival (1-5 September). The internet cafe (per hr 60; h7.30am-8pm) is 50m from the Hotel Aane and there s an SBI ATM just along from the sumo stand in the central market area.

Tezpur, with its large Bangladeshi immigrant population, is probably Assam s most attractive city thanks to beautifully kept parks, attractive lakes and the enchanting views of the mighty Brahmaputra deseado massif River as it laps the town s edge. The imaginatively named Internet Cafe (Main Rd; per hr 20; h9am-8pm) has, you guessed it, internet.