How To Reach Goalpara

An administrative ward of the state of Assam, the Goalpara District was originally a princely state under the reign of the Koch Kings and today it is segregated into the Goalpara District, Dhubri, Kokrajhar and Bongaigaon. Goalpara is a hidden gem in the state which serves as a gateway not only from the usual humdrum of life with its picturesque sights but also as a pilgrim spot, given its numerous temples, shrines and abundant cultural heritage. In terms of accessing Goalpara from a tourism perspective, there’s no airport here, and the closest airport is in Guwahati, which is well connected to most major Indian cities. There’s a considerable traffic of trains operating regularly between Goalpara train station and neighboring cities. Public transportation, however is sporadic, but there’s ample cab availability for commuting to nearby areas.

The best way of reaching Goalpara is by flight to Guwahati at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, which is about 97km from the district and then make the onward journey to Goalpara by train or road. With the Guwahati airport well connected to most major cities in the country, with some international traffic operational here as well. You can avail of ample cab/taxi services to travel to Goalpara from the airport on arrival. Some of the popular flight connections to Guwahati include travel from New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata in the estimated cost range of INR 4,000-12,500.

The closest train station to Goalpara is the Goalpara Town Train Station with a few other stations close by. Located about 5km from the city the Goalpara Train Station is well connected to neighboring areas through regular trains, and from the station, it’s just a 10-minute drive to the town. From Guwahati, there’s a train for Goalpara every 4 hours which takes about 2 hours and 50 minutes in the estimated cost range of INR 120-135. This is also one of the easiest and cheapest ways of reaching Goalpara.

Alternatively, one of the fastest ways of reaching Goalpara from Guwahati is to take a taxi, which takes about 2 hours and 14 minutes in the approx. range of INR 3,000-3,500 or drive down in a rental car yourself. There’s good bus connectivity to Goalpara as well, with two main bus terminals here, namely the Goalpara ASTC Station and the Ambari Bus Terminal, which are in close proximity to each other. However, public transport’s intermittent in Goalpara and hence the number of buses operating between Goalpara and neighboring areas is limited.

As mentioned earlier, public transportation in Goalpara is rather sporadic, hence traveling by cab is best recommended. Alternatively, you will find rickshaws, 3-wheelers and taxis for short/long travel purposes. To commute to and visit varied tourist spots you can book guided tours or jeep safaris/elephant rides as well.