Brahmaputra River has its history of flow through the dense forests and tribal settlements. A seldom-run river, the Brahmaputra offers beautiful scenery, excellent big white water and great wild life in a less-visited corner of the sub-continent. The Brahmaputra has its source at holy Mount Kailash Mansarover in Tibet, traverses the entire Tibetan plateau, and then makes its great bend into India, cutting into the Himalaya the deepest canyon in the world, a canyon which has as yet dodged away all attempts at exploration.

About 2,900 km long, the upper course of the river Brahmaputra was long unknown, and its identity with the Yarlung Tsangpo was only established by exploration in 1884-86. This river is often called Tsangpo-Brahmaputra River. The average depth of river is 124 feet (38 m) and maximum depth is 380 feet (120 m). In Bangladesh the river merges with the Ganges and splits into two: the Hugli and Padma River. When it merges with the Ganges it forms the world’s largest delta, the Sunderbans. The Sunderbans is known for tigers, crocodiles and mangroves. While most Indian and Bangladeshi rivers bear female names, this river has a rare male name, as it means “son of Brahma” in Sanskrit (putra means “son”).

The Yarlung Tsangpo originates in the Jima Yangzong glacier near Mount Kailash in the northern Himalayas. It then flows east for about 1,700 kilometres, at an average height of 4,000 metres (13,000 ft), and is thus the highest of the major rivers in the world.  At its easternmost point, the river bends around Mt. Namcha Barwa, and forms the Yarlung Tsangpo Canyon, which is considered the deepest in the world.

As the river enters Arunachal Pradesh, it is called Siang and finally appears in the plains, where it is called Dihang. It flows for about 35 kilometres and is joined by two other major rivers: Dibang and Lohit. From this point of confluence, the river becomes very wide and is called Brahmaputra. Joined by the Kameng River, it flows through the entire state of Assam. In Assam the river is sometimes as wide as 10 kilometres. Between Dibrugarh and Lakhimpur districts the river divides into two channels—the northern Kherkutia channel and the southern Brahmaputra channel. The two channels join again about 100 kilometres downstream forming the Majuli Island. At Guwahati near the ancient pilgrimage center of Hajo, the Brahmaputra cuts through the rocks of the Shillong Plateau, and is at its narrowest at 1 kilometre bank-to-bank. The first rail-cum-road bridge across the Brahmaputra was opened to traffic in April 1962 at Saraighat.

The geography of Brahmaputra River indicates extensive flood plains and fresh alluvium deposits. During the monsoon season or the months of June-October, floods seem to be a common occurrence in the geographical area of Brahmaputra River. Deforestation in the Brahmaputra watershed has resulted in increased siltation levels that result in flash floods, and soil erosion in critical downstream habitat, such as the Kaziranga National Park in middle Assam.

Until Indian independence in 1947, the Brahmaputra was used as a major waterway. In the 1990s, the stretch between Sadiya and Dhubri in India was declared as National Waterway No.2., and it provides facilities for goods transportation. Recent years have seen a modest spurt in the growth of river cruises with the introduction of the cruise ship, “Charaidew,” by Assam Bengal Navigation.