Assam is lately waking up to the potential of plantation holidays making good use of the fabulous colonial bungalows that dot the emerald valley. On offer is an experience of old plantation days. Krishna Das reports.

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If you think Asom ( Assam ) is only of Rhinos of Kaziranga, Kamakhya temple of Guwahati and a dash to Shillong in nearby Meghalaya , think again. Something new is in the horizon for the tourist to this beautiful state: plantation holidays where five-star luxury awaits in the colonial style bungalows in the tea gardens.

Just as the royal families in Rajasthan have converted their abodes to luxurious hotels, in Asom, some of the planters are turning their bungalows built in the colonial style to attract tourists who are looking for something new, and not the run of the mill experience. Led by the old warhorse Thengal manor, Asom has today Wild Masheer Lodge, Mancotta Chang and Basbari Lodge for those who crave for exclusivity and do not mind paying a little extra to soak in the ambience.

The grand old Thengal Manor is arguably the best property of all. Set amidst the typically Assamese village of Jalukonibari , stands this 72 year old colonial bungalow off Jorhat in upper Asom. Thengal offers you the unique pleasure of gracious living in the lap of nature. Plush suites of single and double bedrooms ensure a comfortable stay. Feel the ambience of colonial days as you relax in the period furniture and décor, reminiscent of the lifestyle of pioneering Assam planters.

The new kid on the bloc is Wild Masheer Lodge inside the Adabari Tea estate near Tezpur in the north bank of the Brahmaputra river. It is approximately 250 km from Guwahati, and about five hours by road. The Adabari Tea Estate, which originally belonged to the British Assam Tea Company, goes back to 1900. Till 1962, the manager operated from the single-storeyed Burma teak bungalow here. Subsequently, the office was shifted, and the sprawling bungalow was left unoccupied. That is, till recently, when the potential of the plantation holiday dawned on the management. For this project, McLeod Russel has joined hands with River Journeys & Bungalows of India Pvt Ltd, promoted by a local entrepreneur, Ranjit Barthakur. He has redecorated the old place, and changed the furniture and furnishings and most importantly, added a new kitchen to cater to multicuisine taste buds. The property has been renamed Wild Masheer (after a popular fish found in the Brahmaputra and Jiabharali river nearby), and the bungalow has been re-christened The British Assam Heritage Bungalow. Currently, accommodation is for 24 inmates but plans are afoot to expand it to 100 rooms soon.

Proximity to other tourist spots is another advantage of this property. A 10-hour drive will take one to Tawang, of the golden pagoda fame, in Arunachal Pradesh. One can also opt for a night halt at Bomdila midway. Remnants of the Sino-India war in 1962 are a major attraction of this trip.

The Kaziranga National Park is just an hour from Adabari. For wildlife enthusiasts, there can be no better viewing opportunity for rhinos and wild elephants than in this park, which is a World Heritage site. The Nameri Game Park is not far away either. All these make Adabari an ideal tourist destination.

Then there is the  Bansbari Lodge in the Manas National Park . It is situated in a prime position right at the entrance to the national park with lush tea gardens on one side, jungle and views of the Himalayan foothills on the other. It is now rated as one of the top five jungle lodges of the country. In a fine weather, tables and chairs are set outside for breakfast and the spacious ground is a welcome spot for a brisk walk.

The Bansbari lodge also offers game-viewing excursions on elephant-back or in an open jeep. The elephant ride is subject to availability on that day, as first priority is given to patrolling by the park authorities. Manas spans a huge and varied area and there is a veritable world of flora and fauna to explore.

For a grand Asom tour, take a ten day Dibrugarh- Mancotta-Namdapha-Thengal-Majuli-Sangsua route or Gatoonga-Kaziranga-Shillong (Rosaville)-Cherrapunjee-Guwahati route if you prefer.
This covers four heritage bungalows belonging to the colonial period in Assam tea gardens of Mancotta, Gatoonga or Sangsua, an Assamese village Jalukonibari and Shillong .

"Asom tourism industry is booming. Largely ignored by the rest of India for fear of insurgency for long, Asom is coming back to the tourism circuit more through word of mouth than any other organized promotion. There are lots of repeat visitors" says Ranesh Roy of Eco-Camp Nameri. The Eco-Camp has a dozen odd tent erected on the bank of Jiabharali river alongside Nameri National Park . It is a boon to nature lovers especially as they are moderately priced. "Now we are keeping the camp open during the monsoon too," Roy adds with obvious pride at the popularity of the Camp.

Another addition to the heritage bungalow circuit is the Mancotta Chang near Dibrugarh in upper Asom. The verandah of the stately bungalow, over 150 years old, seemingly floats without any visible means of support over a gently unrolling landscape of tea bushes. As the name suggests, ‘chang' bungalows are built on stilts to ward off animals as well as annual flood. Mancotta Chang is one of the finest in the heart of Dibrugarh. The proprietors, the Jalans, are one of the oldest tea planter families in Asom. In recent years they have converted two of their managers' bungalows into guesthouses . They are not widely advertised and word of mouth is preferred as the owners want to maintain the exclusivity. The ground floor is no longer all stilts as new  rooms have been added

The opulence of these bungalows hark back to the golden period of tea plantations. The bungalows display the kind of laid-back lifestyle of the planters that has vanished . Each bedroom is the size of a medium size flat in a Metro today.

The plantation bungalows try to maintain the unhurried pace of that age which is a great stress-buster for the hurried urbanites. Don't bother with the watch or the ubiquitous cell-phone when you decide to enjoy a stay in one of these bungalows. Anyway, the gardens follow their own time-zone - "Bagan Time" which is half an hour ahead of IST. Truly, a place for the lotus-eaters.