mountainside at silver creek Iora; the Retreat HOTEL $$$ (%262411; www.kazirangasafari.com; s/d from 3300/3900; aiWs) Not quite a

Dramatic if largely unadorned, this 1752 brick palace (Indian/foreigner 5/100; hdawn-dusk) mountainside at silver creek is the last remnant of the Ahom s pre-Sivasagar capital. The unique four-storey structure rises like a sharpened, stepped pyramid above an attractive forest-and-paddy mountainside at silver creek setting spoilt by nearby electricity substations. It s 900m north of the Sivasagar Sonari mountainside at silver creek road: turn just before Gargaon (14km) from Sonari. mountainside at silver creek

With an oversized foyer better suited as a car showroom, Hotel Arun Subansiri (%2212806; Zero Point; s/d 1100/1320; a) has comfortably large rooms with soft beds. It s within walking distance of the decent State Museum (Indian/foreigner/camera/video 10/75/20/100; h9.30am-4pm Sun-Thu) and the brightly decorated Centre for Buddhist Culture gompa set in gardens mountainside at silver creek on the hill above.

Iora; the Retreat HOTEL $$$ (%262411; www.kazirangasafari.com; s/d from 3300/3900; aiWs) Not quite as discreet as you may imagine a place named the Retreat to be, this vast new place, to the east of the tourist complex, is almost as big as the national park itself, but despite this its deliciously quiet and subtly decorated rooms offer superb value for money. However, if you value a personal mountainside at silver creek service you d best look elsewhere.