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.
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.
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.
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 - 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.
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.
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.
View all North East India tours
Remote tribal cultures in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam & Nagaland
Ask us for pricingThis is the price per person for a private tour (based on 2 people travelling) excluding international flights. Contact us for pricing for other group sizes including individuals.
Ask us for pricingThis is the price per person for a private tour (based on 2 people travelling) excluding international flights. Contact us for pricing for other group sizes including individuals.
20 days
Places Visited
Guwahati | Nameri National Park | Bomdila | Tawang | Tawang Monastery | Dirang | Seppa | Ziro | Apatani | Majuli | Jorhat | Kaziranga National Park | Panbari Forest Reserve
Aoling Festival, wildlife in Assam & natural beauty of Manipur
Ask us for pricingThis is the price per person for a private tour (based on 2 people travelling) excluding international flights. Contact us for pricing for other group sizes including individuals.
15 days
Places Visited
Kaziranga National Park | Jorhat | Majuli | Mon District | Sibsagar | Dimapur | Kohima | Imphal | Loktak Lake
Ask us for pricingThis is the price per person for a private tour (based on 2 people travelling) excluding international flights. Contact us for pricing for other group sizes including individuals.
14 days
Places Visited
Guwahati | Manas National Park | Nameri National Park | Kaziranga National Park | Kolkata | Jorhat | Sunderbans
Wildlife, diverse cultures & rural life in hidden North East India
Ask us for pricingThis is the price per person for a private tour (based on 2 people travelling) excluding international flights. Contact us for pricing for other group sizes including individuals.
14 days
Places Visited
Jorhat | Majuli | Kaziranga National Park | Shillong | Shnongpdeng | Umngot River | Cherrapunjee | Mawphlang | Guwahati
Waterfalls, hills and living bridges in North East India
Ask us for pricingThis is the price per person for a private tour (based on 2 people travelling) excluding international flights. Contact us for pricing for other group sizes including individuals.
Explore Tawang, home to the largest Buddhist monastery outside Tibet
Meet the ancient and little seen tribes of Arunachal Pradesh
Search for unicorn rhinos on elephant-back in Kaziranga National Park
Marvel at the ingenuity of the Living Root Bridges
Experience a pristine wilderness and one of the world's biodiversity hotspots
Discover Majuli - the world's largest river island with its own distinct culture
Celebrate the Hornbill Festival with the Naga tribes in Nagaland
Seven Sisters
If your time and budget permits, we can even organise tours encompassing all seven sister states in North East India: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram & Tripura. Each state is known for its distinct cultures, landscapes, handicrafts and textiles. Contact us to put together a tour to this region.
Tea
Assam produces some of the best tea in the world. Stay in a heritage bungalow and take a tour of a working tea plantation. Learn the cultivation and production methods, and taste a variety of dark and green teas.
Trekking & Rafting
Embark upon an unforgettable trek through the botanical paradise of Arunachal Pradesh, one of India's least explored regions and a world biodiversity hotspot. Alternatively, chop your way through the tempestuous Brahmaputra River, on a white water rafting adventure. You can also trek through the Garo and Khasi hills of Meghalaya, exploring the many mysterious caves which hide natural formations, some considered to have taken the forms of holy deities.
River Cruises
Wildlife and wilderness are the main features of a cruise in Assam on the vast Brahmaputra River - with wonderful bird life and the occasional Gangetic Dolphin, as well as a glimpse into rural village life. The boat stops at some of Assam's key sights, including Kaziranga, Majuli, Sibsagar and Manas, a Project Tiger reserve on the Bhutan border.
Arunachal Pradesh
High in the Eastern Himalayas, Arunachal Pradesh is one of the most remote and inaccessible parts of India. However, travel there is a very rewarding experience. Nowhere else in the Himalayas can you find so much pristine forest and the area has been declared one of the world's bio-diversity hotspots. Arunachal Pradesh is also rich in the diversity of its tribal cultures. Much of Arunachal Pradesh is still inaccessible to outsiders. It is also home to Tawang Monastery, the largest Buddhist monastery outside Tibet where the 6th Dalai Llama was born.
Western Arunachal Pradesh
Climbing high above the clouds and into the Himalayas, you will discover spectacular scenery, snow-capped peaks, Buddhist temples, yaks, shimmering high altitude lakes and get the opportunity to go rafting in the Nameri wildlife reserve. From the scenic town of Old Dirang where time seems to have stood still, to the magic and history of Tawang Monastery, this circuit is sure to satisfy all your senses.
Central Arunachal Pradesh
Deep into the heart of Arunachal Pradesh, this circuit is for the adventurous. Meet the Apatani tribes of Ziro valley, with their ancient way of life, their innovative fish and paddy cultivation and their beautiful bamboo homes. Visit Hong, the second largest tribal village in Asia and learn about the origins of the nose plugs and facial tattoos of the Apatani women. This is one circuit that will invigorate even the most world-weary traveller.
Assam
The most populated of the North East states, and influenced by ancient Indian dynasties and British rule, Assam has a culture and history unique to itself. Intersected by the mighty Brahmaputra River, its fertile soil makes it ideal for tea and rice cultivation, with mile upon mile of manicured tea estates and paddy fields decorating the low lying landscape.
Kaziranga National Park
Covering over 430km2, Kaziranga National Park is one of the highlights of a small group or private tour in the North East Indian state of Assam. This animal paradise is bursting with flora, fauna and plenty of fascinating wildlife. Kaziranga National Park is even home to an incredible two-thirds of the world's population of Indian one-horned rhinoceros. It also boasts a range of other wildlife and harbours 15 species of India's threatened mammals. These include Indian elephants, sloth bears, Gangentic dolphins and the densest population of Royal Bengal tigers in the world. Join the Nagaland & Hornbill Festival tour and wade through the tall grasses of Kaziranga National Park on elephant back to see these animals up close.
Nagaland
One of India’s smaller states, Nagaland is a remote mountainous region which shares a land border with Myanmar to the south and the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur to the west and north. It is home to 16 major tribes (and many smaller sub-tribes), each with a unique culture evidenced by their colourful array of costumes and dances. The state capital Kohima is named after the local mountain wildflower ‘Kewhi’ and Nagaland itself is a pristine wildness, rich in tropical forestry with an abundance of flora and fauna. Kohima was also the site of a prominent World War 2 battle in which the British and Indian fought off the invading Japanese army; a visit to the beautifully tended Kohima war graves offers a poignant reminder of this history.
Join our Assam & Nagaland Hornbill Festival tour to explore some of Nagaland’s tribal villages starting in Mon which is home to the Konyak tribe. As former headhunters, these are one of the most elaborately decorated tribes in India today. Also visit the nearby village of Longwa which lies on the frontier with Myanmar and where the chief tribesman’s house is reputedly bisected by the border. To the west lies Mokokchung where a climb up the watchtower offers spectacular views from this picturesque hilltop town. It is also the perfect place to explore small neighbouring villages offering a unique insight into remote rural life in the region.
Hornbill Festival
Perhaps the main attraction of Nagaland is its annual Hornbill festival which takes place in a village approximately 10km outside Kohima. Occurring on the first week of December, each year, the region’s tribes gather here to showcase their various cultural traditions and to preserve Nagaland’s rich heritage. Expect to witness a wealth of performances, dances and folk songs, as well as indigenous games and sports which are certainly guaranteed to be lively! Local handicraft stalls sell art, wood carvings and sculptures from replica tribal huts and there’s even an evening rock concert. Named after the Indian Hornbill which is the state’s national bird, the Hornbill festival represents the best of Nagaland’s remarkably diverse tribal heritage and is certainly not to be missed.
Meghalaya
Also known as the 'Scotland of the East', this state is defined by its rolling hills, craggy cliff faces, stunning waterfalls and tartan-style fabrics. Carved out of Assam in 1972, Meghalaya provides a fascinating contrast to its neighbours. Cherrapunjee holds the distinction for being the wettest place on Earth and is home to the unique Living Root Bridges, where the roots of trees have been coaxed across rivers by villagers hundreds of year ago to form natural bridges. This feat of bio-engineering is unique in the world and these incredible bridges can survive over 800 years.
Future Generations Arunachal
Travel the Unknown is proud to support Future Generations Arunachal, an NGO that focuses on community participation. The concept is to provide skills and education to a voluntary section of the community who then act as local specialists. They in turn dispense advice and run workshops themselves in the villages, transferring these skills within their communities. Projects run on this basis include basic medical training, recognition of medicines for the illiterate, basic literacy and numeracy, fuel conservation initiatives and village-run micro-financing. Further initiatives include environmental awareness and personal development workshops for children (pictured below), and self sufficiency and conservation training for farmers. With a permanent staff of only 13, they have gained the participation of approximately 1000 volunteers.
We will make regular contributions towards their projects and help to raise the profile of the organisation in the UK and beyond. For more information, please visit their website.