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Digboi boasts of two modern wonders of the world-- a hundred
year old oil field still producing oil and the world's oldest operating
oil refinery. Popularly known as the city of oil, oil was first found over
here in 1879, and drilling started off in 1888 and in 1889. Assam Oil
Company established the first oil refinery of Asia in Digboi and work in
the oil refinery started in 1900.
Still later, being amalgamated with Burma Oil Company, Digboi became the
most modern oil refinery. Crude oil is being refined here with 34
varieties of oil byproducts and one of them is Dolls, which are made from
wax.
Centering the refinery, this city, founded by the British, is like a
painting on a canvas. The place still continues as a tiny island of the
colonial culture. The atmosphere is sylvan outside the town, where wild
Elephants run amuck. Once following the pressure caused by the wild move
of elephants, existence of oil here came to notice. It is not unusual to
see tigers & rhinos in the suburb forest.
National Oil Park
Digboi oil field is not just an oil field, but also an oil museum and a
wildlife sanctuary of unsurpassed beauty. One can stand near the
continent's oldest oil well known as the Discovery Well completed in 1889
AD. In the evening one may just come across a herd of elephants grazing
lazily at branches of trees or just gazing at one or have a close
encounter with a Royal Bengal Tiger, besides some rare species of birds.
War Cemetery
The most dramatic event in Digboi's history took place during the World
War II days when the belligerent Japanese got closer and were within three
days' marching distance of Digboi. If one knows the history behind the
World War and the Japanese invasion, then as one pays obeisance to the war
heroes at the cemetery one can well imagine how many young lives were
nipped in the bud at battle, how many lives laid down for the country. The
horror of war can only be imagined and here in this cemetery one can feel
a sense of peace, a sense of worship for lives lost not in vain.
Digboi Golf Course
Digboi has an 18 hole Golf course considered to be the best in the entire
upper Assam, where all-important tournaments are held. There are 8 other 9
hole Golf courses with tea estates between Dibrugarh and Doom Dooma too.
Dibru
Saikhowa Wildlife Sanctuary
This sanctuary is a safe haven for extremely rare White Winged Wood Duck
and many migratory birds. Speciality of Dibru Saikhowa is it's wild
horses, called Feral Horses.
Centenary Museum
Among the other landmarks worth seeing in this City of oil is an Oil
museum known as Centenary Museum, the only of it's kind in the country.
Centenary Eco Park
Are you among the supporters of eco tourism, then this eco park is just
the place for you to be visited, presenting a glimpse of the rich
diversity of flora and fauna that abounds the state of Assam.
Margherita
14-km east of Digboi, this place that has such a unique name, sounding
like a Spanish girl as well as a heady cocktail, but is actually a centre
for the tea gardens, plywood factories and coalmines.
Ledo
6-km North West of Margarita is Ledo, also known as "the land of
coal". During 2nd world war Ledo became a very important place. The
British general Vinegar Joe Stillwell constructed the Stillwell highway
from Ledo to Myitkyina, North East of Myanmar. Stillwell road, which is
430-km long, was built in 1944 and is known as the costliest road in the
world of that time but is closed for transport today.
Naharkatia
An oil well has been discovered at Naharkatia, 32-km from Digboi.
Duliajan
Another oil town is Duliajan, 15-km away from Margherita, a small town,
amid beautiful nature, is situated on the border of Assam-Arunachal
Pradesh at the foothills of Patkoi range, standing like a wall
between India and Myanmar (Burma). Flowing past Tirap River, there are tea
gardens all around it.
Air: The nearest airport Dibrugarh is 65-km from
Digboi.
Rail: On Dibrugarh-Ledo broad gauge rail pass regular train leave
for Dibrugarh, New Tinsukia, and Digboi.
Road: National Highway-38 runs through Digboi. In between
Dibrugarh and Digboi, there is Tinsukia. From Tinsukia, one can visit may
visit Dibrugarh (47-km), Digboi (33-km), Teju in
Arunachal
Pradesh (108-km), and Parasuram Kunda (129-km).
Some ordinary hotels accommodation is available in Digboi such as Niraja and Golden H. Assam Oil Company Guest House is available on prior permission.
Dibrugarh : 65-km
Margherita : 14-km
Ledo : 20-km
Duliajan : 22-km
Naharkatia : 32-km
Tinsukia : 33-km
Dibrugarh : 47-km via Tinsukia
Tejo : 108-km via Tinsukia
Parasuram Kunda : 129-km via Tinsukia