Journey through Nagaland, Assam and
Arunachal Pradesh

Tucked away in the far north-east of India, wedged between the borders of Bhutan, Burma and Tibet, Arunachal Pradesh is India 's newest and least-known state. Before the region was elevated to statehood in 1986, Arunachal Pradesh, along with Assam, Nagaland and 4 other states was known as the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA). Excerpt for occasional forays by administrators and anthropologists during the time of the British, nothing much was known about this area for most of the 20th century. The isolation of the North East Frontier Agency was legally safeguarded by India's own government; before laws permitting limited tourism were passed in 1995, even Indian citizens were not allowed to visit.

The North East Frontier Agency lands never belonged to ancient India. They were, and still are, peopled by Mongoloid and Mon-Khmer austere stock, far removed from Aryan-Dravidian blood of the mainstream. The people here are animists; in the Highlands, wild Burmese tribes enthusiastically practiced indiscriminate headhunting until as late as the fifties. To the north, Mongoloid tribals, bare-bodied in breech-clouts, are today still encountering “civilization".

Outline Itinerary

Day 1: Depart USA

Day 2: En route to East India

Day 3: On arrival in Kolkata (Calcutta) you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Balance of the day is at your leisure to rest and recover from jet lag. Traditional Indian “Welcome” dinner.

Day 4: Today we will fly to Dimapur and then drive to Tuophema in Nagaland.

Day 5: We continue to explore the home of the Northern Angami tribe, situated deep in the central Naga Hills.

Day 6: Today we will drive via Kohima to the remote Angkami village of Khonoma, renowned for its traditions of valor and courage. History reveals that, in ancient times, Khonoma provided protection to several other villages.

Day 7: Our day is spent exploring Kohima and the village of Bara Busti; we will also visit a Naga village, overlooking the main town of Kohima.

Day 8: Today we will drive to the Kaziranga National Park in Assam - home to the Asian “big game”. The elephants, one-horned rhinos, bears, bison and tigers all call Kaziranga home.

Day 9: We will ride on the backs of elephants and travel in four-wheel drive jeeps for our sunrise and sunset excursions into the park.

Day 10: After driving over the 3 km. long Seven Sisters Bridge, which spans the mighty Abraham River, we reach Tezpur, Arunachal Pradesh. On arrival at our destination, we will visit a tea estate - where we will also overnight.

Day 11: We now head north on our 161 km. drive to Bomdila, at an altitude of 8,000 feet, deep inside Arunachal Pradesh. En route, perhaps we will stop for a visit to the gompa and Guru Rinpoche's cave at Rupa.

Day 12: We continue our mountain drive on serpentine roads, enjoying superb panoramas of the Himalaya and views of Tawang Monastery. En route, we will stop to visit various tribal villages.

Day 13: Visit Tawang Monastery, the birthplace of the 6th incarnation of the Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso (1683-1706 AD). It was here that the present Dalai Lama crossed the border into India after fleeing Tibet in 1959.

Days 14 & 15: We take two days for our drive back to Tezpur, stopping at various tribal villages en route.

Day 16: Fly back to Kolkata, where, after a sumptuous farewell dinner, we depart Kolkata Airport on our flight to the USA.

Day 17: Arrive USA.

Call us toll free at 1-800 MY INDIA (1-800-694-6342) or email us to request a detailed day-to-day itinerary.