North East of India

-Nagaland & Manipur-

17 Days Tour in the heart of the less known India

These two ‘sisters’ lie close to each other and border Myanmar. So close and so different, from the lush hills and fields of Nagaland to the colourful plains of Manipur, from the lands of headhunters to the cultural unique harmonious melting pot of Manipur with its traditional dances, bazaar, flavours, languages.

This is a trip that will bring you to places you never heard of before, learn of cultures, traditions, uses, unknown anywhere else. You will question yourself many times in which country you are, absorbing the beauty of the diversity of little known areas which has been kept intact from the western world. Land of headhunters showing proudly their tattooed faces, bazaars where only women deal and work, Sino-Tibetan languages, animism, Christianity, dances and costumes of SouthAsian memories, flavours borrowed from different regions and countries, welcoming friendly locals and some of the most scenic and bumpy roads you will ever drive on!

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Why this Tour

The Eastmost states of India are extremely different from anywhere else you can think of India or South East Asia, every region or even district is home to different tribes with different cultures, languages and religions. Some of them managed to keep their lifestyle intact thanks to the environmental isolation. Arts, cultures and traditions are still proudly shown despite the fast modernisation.
This is a place where not many tourists choose to go, especially foreigners, locals are still not used to seeing many visitors. because of this, our responsible way of travelling is the best way to make a very little impact on local people and the environment allowing us to discover areas left still unspoiled.

I designed this tour with responsible tourism in mind. This is why we will…

Stay in family-run guesthouses and homestay
eat at family houses and traditional, local cafes
buy local products and artifacts from local masters after meeting them
use local transports where it is possible in order to reduce our emissions
Spend time with different local guides
Use filtering bottles and reusable dishes in order to reduce our waste

Highlights

Travelling through Nagaland is always an adventure! If you want to experience how it feels travelling away from the mass tourism routes this is the trip for you! We will be driving through scenic roads, down to canyons and valleys and up to lush hills, in the depth of the Naga people land. We will meet locals from different tribes, people with tattoos on their faces and bright colourful beads jewellery, school kids in elegant uniforms, we will see catholic churches and head hunters houses. We will trek through the untouched nature of Dzoukou valley, we will try the local cuisine and learn how to make some dishes. We will explore Manipur and its traditions, stopping by ancient temples, majestic forts, women bazaars etc…

Some of the included highlights:

Get dip into the tribal life of the Naga people and find out more about the headhunter’s culture
Trek and camp in the serenity of Dzoukou Valley
Shop in the women market in Imphal
paddles around Loktok lake
Use the local public transports
Visit artisans and workshops
Learn how to make some of the local dishes
stay in local houses
Visit the ancient pilgrimage site of Bishnupur

Where are we going on this trip

Nagaland

A tribal land with majestic unspoiled nature. Its hills are hosting centuries-old villages where people still live in beautiful watched longhouses built by the communities. The main cities are a puzzle of colours given by houses built on steep terrain, the muddy roads follow the intricate labyrinth and the traditional way of living meets with the fats coming modernisation.

Manipur

Manipur means ‘land of gems’ and driving through its lush plains cultivated on rice it is easy to see why it is called so. The green and the blue of the many lakes, the red and the pink of the traditional textiles sold by the women in the only-women bazaar of the capital.

people of Manipur are relaxed, easygoing, welcoming and the chaotic, busy, Indian cities really feel very far away.

Scroll at the end of the page for the Day-by-day Itinerary

Tour cost and what’s included

The cost of the tour varies depending on the number of participants.

It starts from € 1400 (per person) in a six people group.

The Tour cost includes:

16 Breakfasts, 10 Dinners
public buses and local transport where included
private cars with local drivers (3-4 pp per car)
Local guides
Entrances to monuments/ museums/ activities when included
night accommodations included in homestays/ small guesthouse
Tour leader 24/24 with the group

The following aren’t included:

Flight tickets
Personal travel insurance (required)

Not-included meals
Entrances and activities not mentioned in the itinerary
Souvenirs
Airport transfers
Tipping kitty to collect at the start of the trip

This trip is perfect for you if…

you like adventures! If you like to discover remote places if you are attracted by locations where fewer people go.
If you like to travel off the beaten track and you are ok with staying away from luxury and comfort for some time.
This trip will bring you deep into the local way of living, it is going to be an anthropological tour through very different states, cultures, landscapes and traditions.
This trip is perfect for you if you are ok spending a long time in cars and buses driving through bumpy, muddy roads if you like to walk and trek in the hills if you are like to meet people and sleep in basic accomodations

Prepare yourself, what to expect

**Accommodations**
We travel responsibly, because of this we choose small, family-run guesthouses, homestays, etc. Many accommodations are basic but comfy, cozy, with all we need. You might need to share the room with the others in the group.
**Connectivity**
In the main towns, wi-fi will be available, when though quite slow and but very reliable. In many areas and villages, only mobile signal is available (and also not all carriers)
**Hygiene standards**
In local private houses and families-home, the hygiene standard is good and places clean, in public places, along the road toilets are very basic, drop and squatting style.
**Moving**
Nagaland is well known for its bumpy roads. Driving here takes a long time but the scenery along the way are simply unique and totally worth it. We will mostly use private cars with local English-speaking drivers and also some long-distance buses and local transport in town where possible.
**Laundry**
In most places, washing machines won’t be available. We suggest hand-washing some small items where it is possible.
**Locals**
In this part of India, locals are not used to seeing as many visitors as in other places. In rural areas, locals might appear shy but extremely open and friendly after getting to know them. As guests, our hosts will make us feel at home everywhere and you will be treated as never before. You will be a guest and proudly will be shown around, thought about the life, culture, and art. Still remember you are a visitor and a lot of things work in a different way than your home country, be patient, open-minded and appreciate all that we will be given.

When is the best time to go?

Nagaland is a land of mountains, hills and rivers, we will spend a lot of time outside. The period between October and March is the best in terms of temperatures, cool at night but warm and sunny during the day without rain. At this time of the year also, many of the traditional tribal festivals and celebrations are taking place.
In Manipur can be extremely wet in Spring and Summer, that’s why here as well October- March is the best time to go!

Day by day Itinerary

Day 1

Arrival in Driburgar and meet with Ali and the rest of the group before going to try some local Assamese cuisine

Day 2

Today we leave the city and drive South, entering the state of Nagaland. We spend the night in Mon

Inclusions: B, D, private car,

Day 3- 4

We drive a couple of hours to Longwa on the border with Myanmar through a scenic, winding road. We will spend two nights in the tribal area getting to know more about the local people and spending time with them

Inclusions: B, D, LG full-day, private car

Day 5

Today we derive back to Mon and we spend the afternoon discovering the capital of this district with our local guide

Inclusions: B, D, LG half-day, private car

Day 6

Mokokchung is a busy town in the very heart of Nagaland, this is a land of a different tribe and the landscape will start changing. It is only 200 km away from Mon but it will take us a full day drive

Inclusions: B, private car

Day 7- 8

On the road again to reach Kohima, the capital of the state founded in 1878 as a British headquarters. There we will spend two nights learning about the intriguing history of the past 150 years and its British and Christian colonisation.

Inclusions: B, LG Full day (day 8), entrances when included

Day 9

A few km out of the centre of Kohima lies one of the gems of the North East of India. Dzouku valley and its peace and quiet will wrap and comfort us for a couple of days. We will trek around the hills learning the sacrality of this valley for the local people for the past centuries. We will spend the night in the valley camping.
Inclusions: B, D, LG full day

Day 1'0

By midday, we will be backing Kohima and we will have the afternoon to chill, visit some local cafes, try the famous Naga spicy pork and get ready for the next part of the trip!

Inclusions: B

Day 11

We will enter Manipur on a public bus! We will drive through the rice fields and lush green plains for around 140 km to reach Imphal. We will head to our homestay and have a first look of this colourful, laid back city in the afternoon with our local guide

Inclusions: B, public transport, entrances when included, LG half day

Day 12- 13

We will dedicate the next two days to discovering Imphal and its surroundings: Asia’s biggest women-run bazaar, the majestic Kangla fort in the centre, we will be learning about the unique textile traditions, the local dances, we will try the popular Manipuri Thali (a delicious local dish) and learn to cook it ourselves! We will drive out of the centre to discover the rural areas and get away from the buzzing city.

Inclusions: B, LG full-day, Private transport and public, entrances when included

Day 14

Loktok lake is the largest natural freshwater lake in India. It is a pulsating lake (meaning the level of the water almost double during the rainy season) with a unique, delicate ecosystem that has been gifting natural resources to the locals for centuries. We will take a short drive there stopping at the beautiful archaeological site of Bishupur and finally arrive at our homestay on the shore of the lake.

Inclusions: B, LG full-day, public transport and entrances where included

Day 15

Possibly one of my favourite places in the entire North East (so far), I can hardly imagine a better place to relax, soak up the quiet atmosphere, stroll around admiring the local gardens, take a paddleboat to learn more about the ecosystem of the area and simply spend time with ur local hosts at our homestay.

Inclusions: BD, LG full day,

Day 16

Today we will go back to Imphal and enjoy our last day and dinner altogether!

Inclusions: B, public transport

Day 17

Time to say goodbye to the rest of the group!

Inclusions: B

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