milton chalet Of the four daily trains to Delhi, the Guwahati New Delhi Rajdhani (No 2423; 3AC/2AC 1995/2565, 27 h

Iora; the Retreat HOTEL $$$ (%262411; www.kazirangasafari.com; s/d from 3300/3900; milton chalet aiWs) Not quite as discreet as you may imagine a place named the Retreat to be, this vast new place, to the east of the tourist complex, is almost milton chalet as big as the national park itself, but despite this its deliciously quiet and subtly decorated rooms offer superb milton chalet value for money. milton chalet However, if you value a personal service you d best look elsewhere.

Of the four daily trains to Delhi, the Guwahati New Delhi Rajdhani (No 2423; 3AC/2AC 1995/2565, 27 hours, 7.05am) is the fastest; others take over 42 hours. The best daily train to Kolkata (Howrah Junction) is the Saraighat Express (No 2346; sleeper/3AC/2AC 386/1012/1366, 16 hours, 12.45pm). For New Jalpaiguri (for Darjeeling and Sikkim) the best train is the Guwahati New Jalpaiguri Rajdhani (No 2423; 3AC/2AC/1AC 733/926/1522, six hours).

oTourist Lodge (%0369-2226373; tourist.lodgemkg@yahoo.com; r 750, without bath 400; aiW), The only place to stay worth considering is the superb Tourist Lodge, which has bright and clean rooms, excellent service and a decent restaurant serving Indian and Naga dishes.

Dramatic if largely unadorned, this 1752 brick palace (Indian/foreigner 5/100; hdawn-dusk) is the last remnant milton chalet of the Ahom s pre-Sivasagar capital. The unique four-storey structure rises like a sharpened, stepped pyramid above an attractive forest-and-paddy setting spoilt by nearby electricity substations. It s 900m north of the Sivasagar Sonari road: turn just before Gargaon (14km) from Sonari.