Sivasagar
Ahom capital of oval amphitheatres and tank-side temples
Best time to visit Sivasagar
- Jan, peak season
- Feb, peak season
- Mar, shoulder season
- Apr, shoulder season
- May, off-season
- Jun, best avoided
- Jul, best avoided
- Aug, best avoided
- Sep, off-season
- Oct, shoulder season
- Nov, peak season
- Dec, peak season
peak shoulder off-season avoid
- Go: November to February
- Shoulder: March to April and October, quieter, and the weather is less of a sure thing
- Skip: June to August
Sivasagar season by season
Winter December to February Prime time
Nov-Feb is 10-25 C and dry, and Rang Ghar, Talatal Ghar and the Sivadol tank all fit into one long walking day.
Summer March to May Shoulder
March-April is warm and green with Bihu in mid-April, but by May it is 35 C, sticky and full of evening squalls.
Monsoon June to September Mixed, read the detail
Jun-Aug the Brahmaputra floods, feeder roads go under, and the brick monuments sit in mud and mosquitoes.
Autumn October to November Prime time
October drains the paddy, the light goes gold, and the Charaideo maidams 28 km away are almost empty of people.
What Sivasagar is actually like
Small tea-belt town, cycle-rickshaws between monuments, no traveller scene but easy hotels by the tank
Getting to Sivasagar
Jorhat airport 60 km; Simaluguri railhead 20 km; buses from Jorhat and Dibrugarh, 2-3 h
Practical ways in: flighttrainroad
Trip facts
- How long to stay
- 2 days
- Budget
- Shoestring
- How busy
- Quiet at its peak
- Solo travel
- Fine solo
- Altitude
- 96 m
- State
- Assam
- Coordinates
- 26.9835, 94.6394
Common questions
When is the best time to visit Sivasagar?
November to February is peak season in Sivasagar. March to April and October is shoulder season: thinner crowds, a bit more risk in the weather. Avoid June to August. October drains the paddy, the light goes gold, and the Charaideo maidams 28 km away are almost empty of people.
How many days do you need in Sivasagar?
2 days is the usual stay. Small tea-belt town, cycle-rickshaws between monuments, no traveller scene but easy hotels by the tank.
How do you get to Sivasagar?
Jorhat airport 60 km; Simaluguri railhead 20 km; buses from Jorhat and Dibrugarh, 2-3 h. Practical ways in: flight, train and road.
Is Sivasagar expensive, and does it get crowded?
Shoestring by Indian travel standards, and it runs quiet at the busiest time of year. Fine solo.
Is there a festival in Sivasagar?
Jan: Me-Dam-Me-Phi (Ahom ancestor rites, 31 Jan). Time a trip around it and you see the place at its loudest, but book beds early.
Nearby, and where to go next
-
Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary (Jorhat)
Assam
India's only ape, in a rainforest patch cut by a railway line
60 km from Sivasagar, roughly about 1 h by road
-
Majuli Island
Assam
World's largest river island: Vaishnavite monasteries
60 km from Sivasagar, roughly about 1 h by road
-
Longwa (Mon district)
Nagaland
Konyak village whose chief's house sits astride the frontier
100 km from Sivasagar, roughly about 3 h by road
-
Mokokchung
Nagaland
Ao Naga heartland of ridge villages and Moatsu drumming
110 km from Sivasagar, roughly about 3 h by road
-
Dibru-Saikhowa National Park (Guijan Ghat)
Assam
Feral horses and river-island birding on the upper Brahmaputra
120 km from Sivasagar, roughly about 2 h by road
-
Ziro Valley
Arunachal Pradesh
Apatani tribal valley of paddy fields and music festival
160 km from Sivasagar, roughly about 4 h by road
-
Kaziranga National Park
Assam
One-horned rhino capital: jeep and elephant safaris
150 km from Sivasagar, roughly about 3 h by road
-
Basar
Arunachal Pradesh
Galo valley of rice terraces, cane bridges and clean villages
150 km from Sivasagar, roughly about 3 h by road
More places to visit in Assam
- Chandubi Lake Assam
- Dibru-Saikhowa National Park (Guijan Ghat) Assam
- Guwahati Assam
- Haflong Assam
- Hajo & Sualkuchi Assam
- Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary (Jorhat) Assam
- Kaziranga National Park Assam
- Majuli Island Assam
- Manas National Park Assam
- Nameri National Park Assam
- Tezpur Assam