Majuli

Getting to Majuli

Being an island, Majuli is mostly approachable by ferry. However, there is a bridge connecting Majuli to the mainland at Lakhimpur district)

1. 01
   Nimati Ferry Ghat
2. 02
   Kamalabari Ferry Terminal
3. 03
   Aphalamukh Ferry Terminal

   These is the most popular route of reaching Majuli.

4. 04
   Luit Khabolu Ghat

Worth seeing

Majuli used to house 65 satras, but the number has been reduced to 22. The others have been shifted or closed because of erosion and devastating floods. Out of the 22, about 6 are important and worth visiting.

1. 01
   Auniati Satra

   It is famous for "Paalnaam" and Apsara dances.

2. 02
   Kamalabari Satra

   It is a centre of art, culture, literature and classical studies.

3. 03
   Benegenaati Satra

   It is a storehouse of antiques and an advanced centre of performing arts.

4. 04
   Garamurh Satra

   Famous for Rassleela (celebrated in end autumn).

5. 05
   Samaguri Satra

   Famous for mask making.

6. 06
   Dakhinpat Satra

   Dakhinpat Satra is located on the southern part of the Majuli island and is on the north bank of the Brahmaputra River.

Things to do

Enjoy a long ferry ride of 1½ hr from Neamati Ghat to Kamalabari Ghat. A group lunch on the island on the bank of Brahmaputra river. Take lunch from home due to less facilities available there. Watch the Ali-ai-ligang festival in February and March. Watch the Migratory birds at southeast, southwest and northern part of island. Watch Pottery making Watch Mask making Paal Namm festival in the end of winter

Where to eat

Normal food is available here but it is best to bring food from home to enjoy the one day picnic.

1. 01
   Joha Restaurant

   Serves authentic Assamese food, including thalis.

Getting around Majuli the local way

Majuli is a river island and the way in is the ferry from Nimati Ghat outside Jorhat to Kamalabari, run by the Assam Inland Water Transport directorate on a schedule that is rewritten twice a year as the Brahmaputra rises and falls, with nothing after mid-afternoon. A second, drier approach comes overland from the Lakhimpur side over the Kherkatia bridge, which is how the buses from North Lakhimpur, Dhemaji and Guwahati arrive. The Jorhat–Majuli road bridge is still being built. On the island, shared autos and tempos meet each ferry, and most visitors then hire a bicycle or a scooter, because the satras are spread out over flat, quiet roads. In a bad monsoon the ferries stop altogether for days at a time.

1. 01
   Nimati Ghat – Kamalabari passenger ferryboat

   Nimati Ghat, about 14 km north of Jorhat, across the Brahmaputra to Kamalabari Ghat on Majuli

   Where

   Walk onto the ramp at Nimati Ghat and buy a paper ticket at the counter before boarding; there is no reserved seating and people sit on the deck and the roof. Both government vessels and smaller private boats work the crossing, and the government ones are the larger, steadier boats. Get there twenty minutes early – boats leave when the ramp clears rather than exactly on the clock

   When

   Roughly every 45–60 minutes through the day. The Inland Water Transport schedule effective 1 October 2023 listed departures from Neamati at 07:30, 08:30, 09:30, 10:15, 11:00, 12:00, 12:45, 13:30, 14:15, 15:00 and 15:30, and from Kamalabari at 07:00, 07:30, 08:30, 09:15, 10:00, 10:45, 11:30, 12:15, 13:30, 14:15 and 15:00. A further revision takes effect each 1 October for the shorter days and lower water, so confirm on the day

   Fare (2025)

   ₹15 per head on the government service; some 2025 accounts quote ₹20–40 depending on the boat

   Takes

   About 1 hour, up to 1h 30m when the channel is long

   Season

   Year-round, but suspended outright during high water in the June–September monsoon. The last boat is mid-afternoon in every season – there is no evening crossing

   Booking

   Buy at the ghat, or online at asiwt.in. IWT helpline 1800 889 4717

   Sources: assamtribune.com (2025) · discovereast.in (2023-10) · pratidintime.com (2024-09) · confidence high

2. 02
   Ro-Pax vehicle ferry, Nimati – Kamalabariboat

   Same crossing, but with a roll-on ramp for cars, motorcycles and goods vehicles

   Where

   Drive to the Nimati Ghat ramp and join the vehicle queue. Deck space for cars is small and fills first, so book the vehicle ticket online at asiwt.in before you arrive rather than turning up and hoping. Motorcycles are much easier to get on than cars

   When

   Several Ro-Pax sailings a day inside the same schedule as the passenger boats

   Fare (2025)

   Reported figures vary: about ₹800 for a car in one 2024 guide and ₹1,200–1,500 in a 2025 one; motorcycles around ₹100–150. Passengers still pay the per-head fare on top

   Takes

   45–60 minutes on the water, plus loading

   Season

   Year-round except during flood suspensions; vehicle sailings are the first to be cut when the ramps are under water

   Booking

   asiwt.in in advance for vehicles

   Sources: sentinelassam.com (2021) · webguy.in (2024) · trekgo.in (2025) · confidence medium

3. 03
   Jorhat town to Nimati Ghat shared autoshare auto

   Jorhat ASTC bus stand area to Nimati Ghat, about 14 km

   Where

   Shared autos and tempos for Nimati leave from near the ASTC station in Jorhat. They fill up and go; the driver will stop for other passengers on the way out, so allow longer than the map says. Leave Jorhat at least an hour and a half before the ferry you want

   When

   Frequent through the morning, thinning out after the last ferry

   Fare (2025)

   About ₹30 per person in a shared government auto; ₹500–800 to take a three-wheeler to yourself and around ₹1,200 for a private taxi one way

   Takes

   20–45 minutes, up to an hour with stops

   Season

   Year-round

   Booking

   None, pay the driver

   Sources: thirdeyetraveller.com (2025) · myyatradiary.com (2025-05) · confidence medium

4. 04
   Shared autos and tempos from Kamalabari Ghatshare auto

   Kamalabari Ghat to Kamalabari town, Garamur and the satras along the main road

   Where

   Shared autos, tempos, e-rickshaws and the odd Sumo line up at the ramp and meet every arriving ferry. Say which satra or which homestay you want. They leave when full, so the first ones off the boat go soonest. Kamalabari and Garamur are only a couple of kilometres apart on the same road; Auniati and the outer satras are 10–25 km out

   When

   One wave after each ferry; between ferries you wait for the vehicle to fill

   Fare (2025)

   ₹20–30 per person Kamalabari to Garamur. Around ₹100 a head was quoted for the short run from the ghat to the hotels

   Takes

   10 minutes Kamalabari to Garamur; 30–60 minutes to the outer satras

   Season

   Year-round; road surfaces are poor after the monsoon

   Booking

   None, pay the driver. Agree the price before you get in

   Sources: beyondwildplaces.com (2025) · thirdeyetraveller.com (2025) · en.wikivoyage.org (2025) · confidence medium

5. 05
   Auto or jeep hired for a satra circuitprivate hire

   A loop from Kamalabari Ghat taking in Kamalabari, Auniati, Dakhinpat, Garamur and the mask-making village at Samaguri, finishing back at Kamalabari or at Aphalamukh Ghat

   Where

   The drivers waiting at the ghat all offer this. There is a taxi association rate for a full day. Fix the price and the list of satras before you start, because the circuit is open-ended and the ferry back is early

   When

   On demand, all day, but timed to end before the last ferry

   Fare (2025)

   About ₹1,600 for an eight-hour taxi association day tour; shorter auto circuits are negotiated

   Takes

   2 hours for a short circuit, 8 hours for a full day

   Season

   Year-round; some satra approach roads are impassable after floods

   Booking

   At the ghat, or through your homestay the night before

   Sources: thirdeyetraveller.com (2025) · en.wikivoyage.org (2025) · confidence medium

6. 06
   Bicycle and scooter hirescooter hire

   Anywhere on the island; the usual run is Kamalabari to Garamur and out to the satras through paddy and bamboo

   Where

   Most homestays and bamboo cottages in Kamalabari and Garamur keep bicycles and a few scooters, and there are hire shops near Kamalabari. Ask at the place you are staying first – it is usually cheaper and they will lend you a helmet and a phone number if you break down. The island is flat and the roads are almost empty of traffic

   When

   Daily hire

   Fare (2026)

   Bicycles about ₹100–200 a day; scooters and motorcycles about ₹400–700 a day, with one rental listing starting at ₹299

   Takes

   A satra circuit by bicycle is a full day; the far satras can be an 80 km round trip, which is too far to cycle from the usual hotels

   Season

   Dry season only in practice. Roads flood and break up between June and September

   Booking

   Ask at your homestay on arrival; no advance booking system

   Sources: beyondwildplaces.com (2025) · northeasttourspackages.in (2026) · thirdeyetraveller.com (2025) · confidence medium

7. 07
   Road buses over the Kherkatia bridge from the Lakhimpur sideminibus

   North Lakhimpur, Dhakuakhana, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh or Guwahati to Garamur and Kamalabari, entering Majuli over the Kherkatia Suti bridge on the Dhakuakhana–Majuli road

   Where

   This is the dry approach and it does not involve a ferry at all. Buses board on the island at Kamalabari, Garamur, Sonariati, Phulani and Jengraimukh, and terminate at the ASTC bus stand in North Lakhimpur. Overnight services run from the Inter-State Bus Terminus in Guwahati through Dhakuakhana to Garamur. Useful when the river is high and the ferries are off

   When

   Several a day to North Lakhimpur; the Guwahati services run day and night

   Fare (2026)

   From about ₹200 Majuli to North Lakhimpur

   Takes

   About 3h 10m Majuli to North Lakhimpur; a long overnight from Guwahati

   Season

   Year-round, and the fallback when ferries are suspended. The road itself can be cut by flooding

   Booking

   At the counter, or on the usual bus ticketing sites

   Sources: sentinelassam.com (2021-09) · goibibo.com (2026) · majuli.assam.gov.in (2026) · confidence medium

8. 08
   Dhunaguri Ghat crossing from Bihpuriaboat

   Dhunaguri Ghat, about 10 km from Bihpuria in Lakhimpur district, across the Subansiri to Majuli. Luit Khabolu Ghat to Khabolu Ghat is the same north-bank idea

   Where

   A short local crossing used by people coming from the Lakhimpur and Bihpuria side rather than from Jorhat. Much quicker than the Brahmaputra crossing and it runs later in the day

   When

   Through the day

   Fare

   Not published by any source found

   Takes

   About 15 minutes on the water

   Season

   Listed as 07:00 to 17:00. Subject to the same flood suspensions

   Booking

   At the ghat, or asiwt.in

   Sources: majuli.assam.gov.in (2026) · en.wikivoyage.org (2025) · confidence medium

Not yet confirmed: Monsoon suspensions are the single biggest risk and there is no published rule for when they happen. The Inland Water Transport department has suspended all Majuli ferries indefinitely more than once when the Brahmaputra approached the danger level and the ramps at Kamalabari and Aphalamukh went under water. Check the day before you travel on the IWT helpline 1800 889 4717 or asiwt.in. Sources: nenow.in report of June 2023 quoting the water level "towards the danger level", and later reports of Ro-Pax and all-ferry suspensions.; Ferry timings change twice a year and the published lists disagree. The 1 October 2023 IWT list is the most complete one found; a further revision effective 1 October in a later year was announced only as an image, which could not be read. Treat every timing here as indicative and confirm at the ghat.; Vehicle ferry fares differ by a wide margin between sources – about ₹800 for a car in one guide, ₹1,200–1,500 in another. The authoritative figure is whatever asiwt.in quotes on the booking date.; The Jorhat–Majuli road bridge (Kumar Bhaskar Varma Setu) is not open. The Assam Chief Minister targeted April 2026 in November 2023, when about 20 percent was built, and a 2025 report says the contract was reassigned with roughly a two-year timeline from late 2025. There is no confirmed opening date, so plan on the ferry.; Scheduled bus routes within the island, as opposed to the buses that run off it to North Lakhimpur, could not be confirmed. Shared autos are what people actually use between the satras.; Hitching customs on Majuli could not be confirmed from any source and are not described here.; Safety: a 2021 collision near Nimati Ghat killed and injured passengers and led to life jacket rules being enforced on the crossing. Life jackets are now supposed to be worn, but accounts differ on how consistently this is done on private boats..

The field note on Majuli reads this entry in full, one option at a time, with every source beside it.