North East India
Dominated by the mighty Himalayas and bordering onto Tibet, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar, North East India is one of the most remote and inaccessible parts of India.
Intro
North East India is a region unparalleled in the world in terms of the isolation and diversity of its tribal cultures, and has also been declared one of the world's bio-diversity hotspots. This part of India still sees very few visitors meaning you get most of the main sites to yourself.
The states of Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland are home to unique tribal cultures, still unchanged for centuries. Kaziranga and Manas National Parks in Assam are the best places on earth to see the one-horned rhino as well as diverse bird life. The eastern Himalayan range also cuts through this part of India, where Buddhist culture dominates.Â
For trekkers, various challenging treks can be organised here and throughout other hills and mountains across the region, with the highlight being the 'living bridges' in Meghalaya. For the traveller determined to get off-the-beaten-track, then look no further than North East India.
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Why travel with us ?
We have great affection for North East India, as it was our very first destination back in 2008. We spent considerable time travelling through many of the 'Seven Sister' states -Â Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland and Manipur. What was abundantly clear from our time there was how different each state was - ethnically, culturally and geographically, and furthermore, how few people knew about or visited this fascinating pocket of India.As with much of India, the possible itinerary options are also endless, so we have developed some exciting small group and private tailormade tours focusing on what we consider the real highlights in this region. Our most popular tour is our Assam and Nagaland Hornbill Festival tour which takes in Kaziranga's rich wildlife and a boat ride on the Brahmaputra to Majuli Island. In Nagaland, we explore tribal villages, meet tattooed headhunters, and witness Naga tribal culture at the colourful Hornbill Festival. The tour finishes in neighbouring Manipur with time to enjoy the serenity of Loktak lake.Â
For those wanting something more active, we suggest our Living Bridges of Meghalaya trip where you will visit one of the wettest places on earth (though it only rains during monsoon which we avoid) and walk through lush villages to the amazing 'living bridges' made from the roots of trees. This can easily be tagged on before or after most of our tours in this region, or done stand-alone.
We run private and tailormade trips throughout the Seven Sisters, and we would recommend visiting Arunachal Pradesh. It has Buddhist culture in the west and is home to the world's second largest monastery, and in the central and eastern parts of the state there are unique tribal cultures, including the Apatani tribe in Ziro, where older women still wear traditional bamboo nose plugs and sport distinctive facial tattoos.Â
We have worked many years with our guides, who hail from this region so they will give you a real insight into the life and culture here. We also travel to this part of India almost annually developing new itinerary ideas and tweaking existing tours. Contact us should you wish to know more about travelling to North East India, and one of our specialists would be more than happy to help.
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