A prelude to romance with Majuli

Done with Kaziranga, we headed to Majuli River Island. Majuli, surrounded by mighty river Brahmaputra, was a mystery to me till I stepped my foot there.

The jam-packed ferry navigates through river Brahmaputra to reach Majuli River Island.

After gulping some hot Poori and a cup of tea, it was time for us to say good bye to Kaziranga. Though I enjoyed my stay there, Kaziranga didn’t leave an everlasting impression on me. It was a nice place. I was close to nature. But there was something amiss. I think it missed the rawness. It was like any other national park where tourists come in groups, go on safari, see the wildlife and come back, just that. Of all the locations that I visited during my North East trip, Kaziranga is one place where I don’t wish to visit again. May be, national Parks and safaris are not my cup of tea.

At around 12 pm we checked-out of the guest house to go to our next destination – Majuli the River Island. We knew that the last ferry of the day from Nimathi Ghat to Majuli was at 4 pm. So by hook or crook we had to be at Nimathi on time. Nimathi Ghat is located close to Jorhat, less than half an hour drive.

Employees at Rhino Guest House informed us that we would get plenty of buses plying to Jorhat via Kaziranga. While we were waiting by the road side, a bus came our way and we boarded it. It was two hours journey from Kaziranga to Jorhat.

Now we were at Nimati Ghat, an hour before the scheduled departure of the last boat of the day. It was a small port with boats, shops and vehicles parked haphazardly. There was a ticket counter owned by the Ministry of Inland and Water Transport. But none were issuing tickets at the counter. We were told that the tickets will be issued inside the ferry.

Schedule of the ferry service between Nimathi and
Kamalabari Ghat.

A boat was ready to leave. I was amazed at the sight of the boat and knew what was in store ahead. It was a medium sized boat which looked like a barge from one side. People and vehicles were stacked in. I wondered how this small boat, heavily loaded with people and vehicles, could carry the weight. We peeped inside just to see if we could be accommodated. But it was full to its capacity. To avoid an uncomfortable journey, we chose to wait for the next ferry, which would also be the last ferry of the day.

The fully loaded ferry departed, making way for an empty boat to be anchored at the jetty. Soon, a huge crowd gathered wanting to rush to the boat and secure seats. The scene was no different than a market. Lot of noise, vehicles honking to be parked on the boat, men shifting goods to be carried to the island…Amidst this, we too rushed inside and settled in our seats.

Beautiful sunset at Kamalabari Ghat on the banks of river Brahmaputra.

I composed myself and looked around. It was for the first time that I gazed at the mighty River Brahmaputra and immediately fell in love with it. Thus far, for me, Brahmaputra stood for ferocity. It was a fiery river that would submerge half of Assam during monsoon. The river that inundates Kaziranga and puts the animals lives into risk, the river that shrinks Majuli River Island and frets the people.

But sitting on the boat, I saw the other face of the river. There it was, the Brahmaputra, with all its calmness and serenity. Far stretched like a never ending sea....

As our boat cruised through the water, on the other side of the river the sun was getting ready to set. The next one hour was the most peaceful ride. There was water everywhere. Often we came across patches of submerged land, which stood as a testimony to the ruckus created by Brahmaputra.

The ferry ride lasted for little more than an hour. As the dusk began to set in, we landed at Kamalabari Ghat. Kamalabari Ghat is the main dock at Majuli. As soon as we got down from the boat, taxi driver Ajay, a localite, was ready with his vehicle to receive us. I had got in touch with Ajay through a friend who had visited Majuli last monsoon.

Romance with Majuli

Jetty at Kamalabari Ghat.

It was such a beautiful sight at Kamalabari Ghat. Reason enough to romance with Majuli. The ground was greyish, full of clay sand. Clay sand is the result of river Brahmaputra engulfing the island during monsoon. The river absorbs the fertility of the land leaves behind the clay. Majuli River Island, which originally spread across 1,250 sq metres, has now shrunk by 2/3rd (it is just 421 sq metres now!) of its size. The Island which was once touted as the largest river island in the world, is now just the largest river island in India.

Bamboo cottages (Ygdrasil Bamboo Cottage) on the banks of river Brahmaputra. 

On the river bank, at Kamalabari Ghat I witnessed one of the most beautiful sun sets. The sky was dyed orange and blue. Seeing the sinking sun and clicking a whole lot of pictures, we then drove to our place of accommodation.

While traveling in the taxi, we came across numerous bamboo stilt houses. When asked Ajay the reason behind building the elevated houses with poles to support their bottom, he said it was their technique to protect houses from water. When island gets submerged during monsoon, even these houses are of not much use, he said.

The vehicle stopped in front of a bamboo bridge with a board installed by the side. It read Ygdrasil Bamboo Cottage. By the time we reached it was already dark, so we could not really make out the surrounding environment. All we could see was a few bamboo stilt houses decorated with fancy lights. Cottage owner Parag gave us a warm welcome and showed us our place of stay. Cottage was simple, yet beautiful.

After freshening up and sipping some hot chai, we sat around the campfire. Campfire came as a blessing at a time when we were trying to adjust ourselves to the changed climate. It was so chill out there. For next few hours we had an interesting conversation with Parag and two other travellers from Israel. Parag would explain us about the NGO that he runs along with his elder brother and how it has helped in empowering women in Majuli. The Israeli guys who had worked in military, would narrate us their training experiences back home.

With an early-dinner at the bamboo cottage, our second day came to a halt. Exhausted we were, sleep embraced us. Little did we know about the beauty of the place where we were staying that night, until we woke up the next morning.

Travellers guide

• If you are travelling from Guwahati to Majuli, there are plenty of private buses that ply to Jorhat. The distance between Guwahati and Jorhat is around 300 km and would take nearly 7 hours to reach.  
• If you are travelling from Kaziranga to Majuli, then catch a bus at Kaziranga that goes to Jorhat. Kaziranga is located between Guwahati and Jorhat. The distance between Kaziranga to Jorhat is around 110 km and would take less than 2 and half hours to reach Jorhat.
• From Jorhat you can either hire a rickshaw / taxi to Nimati Ghat. It’s some 8 km drive.
• Get into the boat at Nimati Ghat which will take you to Majuli (Kamalabari Ghat) in an hour. Remember, the last boat of the day is at 4 pm.