15 days North East India tour: Living Root bridges, Rhinos, Tea & Tribes

Arrive at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi airport in Guwahati where our representative will meet you and transfer you to your hotel.(D).

Guwahati- Cherrapunjee (300 km., 4 hrs): Next day, after breakfast, visit Kamakhya temple, a Shakti temple, which is known for Hindu Tantric practices, a very ancient temple with sculptures depicting pagan deities. Thereafter start your journey to Cherrapunjee, the erstwhile rainiest place in the world. On the way, experience the beautiful rolling hills, the flora and the waterfalls, most importantly the Nohkalikai or Seven Sisters Falls, a seven segmented waterfall which falls from a height of over a 1000 ft. (B,L,D).

In the morning, after breakfast, hike through meandering paths and thick tropical woods and little villages on the way down to the Double Decker Living Root Bridge. The War Khasis, the local tribe of the place discovered an indigenous form of making bridges by intertwining the roots of rubber tree and use trunks of betel nut tree as root guidance systems. Overnight in Cherrapunjee. (B,L,D)

Cherrapunjee- Kaziranga National Park (270 km., 6.5 hrs): Leave for Kaziranga National Park home of the world renowned one-horned rhino. Check-in at a jungle lodge and the rest of the day at leisure. (B,L,D)
The Park is divided into three regions- Western, Eastern and Central. The western range has maximum short grass areas, wetland, patches of tall grassland and woodland and is the optimum habitat for Rhino and Water buffaloes. The Eastern Range is situated towards the eastern part of the park, less frequented and the area is excellent for birding.  It includes nesting of the globally threatened Pallas’s Fish Eagle, Spot-billed Pelicans, Migrant waterfowl, the drive through this range is very scenic and swamp forest elephants can be seen, as well Water Buffalo and Swamp Deer. The Central region is characterised again by short grass and it gives an ideal introduction to the park and its ecology as the route passes through the entire spectrum of habitat types prevalent in the Kaziranga area. Sightings include elephants and other big animals especially the swamp buffalo and rhino.

Early in the morning go for an elephant safari in the Western range, which is a good opportunity to see the animals from close. In the afternoon go for a jeep safari in the Eastern range, which takes you deeper into the jungle. (B,L,D)

Kaziranga- Kohima (210 km. 5.30 hrs)- Start your journey into Nagaland right after breakfast. On the way you will stop at Dimapur, the commercial capital and go and see the medieval ruins, temples and baths of the Kachari Kingdom, who ruled the area around the 10th century AD. The ruins point out to a culture that is predominantly non-Aryan despite having traces of Hinduism. After lunch head to Diezephe Craft Village, which houses expert weavers and craftsmen, deft in the arts of wood carving, bamboo and cane works. Reach Kohima by evening. (B.L.D)

Kohima: The capital of Nagaland is home of the Angami Nagas and characterised by their unique cultural traditions. It is a town steeped in history, a place which changed the fate of world politics in the 2nd World War when British soldiers aided by Indian Sepoys and valiant Nagas stopped the invasion of Japanese forces. Here you will visit the Kohima World War Cemetery, a memorial in honour of those officers and soldiers killed during the war and maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the Kohima Cathedral, largest one in Asia and Kohima State Musuem, which houses a rare collection of artefacts of each of the 16 Naga tribes. (B.L.D)

Kohima- Mokokchung (150 km., 5 hrs)- After breakfast start your journey to Mokokchung, home of the Ao tribe and the first place where the Baptist missionaries came into contact with the Naga headhunters and started making the fierce hunters embrace Christianity. On the way, visit tribal houses and interact with them. Stay at a hotel in Mokokchung. (B.L.D)

Today you will visit the villages of Mapungchuket, Impur and Longkhum and witness the way of life of the Ao tribe. Return to your hotel in Mokokchung and stay overnight. (B.L.D)

Mokochung-Sivasagar (130 km., 4 hrs)- Leave for Sivasagar, the seat of Ahom Kingdom, rulers of Assam. The town is replete with traces of history and mythology through its enigmatic palaces and temples. After reaching visit Rang Ghar, the dual-storied amphitheatre for the then Ahom royalty and the seven-storied palace of Kareng Ghar with Talatal Ghar being its below-ground level three-storied secret getaway through two exit tunnels, though in ruins now, speak a lot about the ingenuity of the royal architects. Overnight stay in a hotel. (B,L,D)

Sivasagar- Mon (100 km., 5 hrs)- In the morning, you will start your journey to Mon, located along the India-Myanmar border and the home of Konyak Nagas is where you will experience real Naga fierceness and tradition as the last case of headhunting in Nagaland was reported in Mon in the later part of the 1980s. Here besides semi-traditional villages and tattooed warriors in loincloths you will find the densest landscape. Go for a trek and meet the villagers and witness the customs and traditions. Stay at a lodge. (B.L.D)

Lungwa- In the morning you will go to the village of Lungwa, situated on the Myanmar border. Here you will visit the chief’s house, which sits on the India- Myanmar border. The chief has dozens of wives and his house is decorated with trophies of various animal skulls. Here experience the traditions and hospitality of the Naga Konyak tribe. After lunch you can explore the villages of Hongphui and Chui and meet the retired Headhunters. Overnight in Mon. (B.L.D)

Mon-Jorhat (140 km., 6 hrs.)- In the morning drive to Jorhat, also called the cultural capital of Assam which has the world’s oldest and largest Tea Experimental station. Here stay at a tea estate bungalow, located amidst lush green tea gardens. (B.L.D)

Jorhat-Majuli-Jorhat– After breakfast you will drive to Neamatighat, Jorhat where you will take a ferry and cross over to the island of Majuli, that claims to be the largest river island in the world is much threatened by climate change and is estimated to have lost a third of its landmass to erosion in the later part of 20th century. The island is also seat of Neo- Vaishnavism and has many Assamese monasteries and is known for its crafts. In the afternoon, you will catch a ferry back to Jorhat and overnight in the hotel. (B,L,D)

You will be dropped at Jorhat airport for your onward journey home. Tour ends. (B)