Upper Assam
Singpho Village & Tea Experience
Tea heritage, food and village life with Singpho hosts near Margherita.
The Singpho community of Upper Assam has one of the oldest documented tea traditions in India. Phalap — smoked, bamboo-stored tea — is prepared and drunk quite differently from commercial Assam tea, and tasting it in a Singpho home is a very different experience from a tea estate tour.
We arrange these visits with hosts who have agreed to receive guests, and we structure them as visits rather than performances.
Quick facts
Singpho Experience at a glance
- Area
- Villages near Margherita, Tinsukia district, Assam
- Access
- Day trip or overnight from Dibrugarh
- Days required
- Half day to a full day; overnight homestays possible
- Permit
- None required
- Best months
- October to March
What a visit involves
Arranged in advance so hosts can prepare properly.
- Phalap tea preparation and tasting
- Singpho food, cooked and shared
- Conversation about Singpho history and the tea story
- Craft, weaving and household traditions where hosts wish to share them
- Optional homestay for a longer, quieter experience
How we approach it
Communities are not exhibits. We ask guests to seek permission before photographing people, to accept hospitality on the host's terms, and to treat the visit as time in someone's home. Hosts are paid fairly for receiving guests.
Frequently asked questions
- Can this be combined with Margherita and Digboi?
- Yes. It fits naturally into an Upper Assam heritage day or two-day circuit.
- Is photography allowed?
- Ask first, every time. Most hosts are welcoming, but the choice is theirs.