North East India: Meghalaya Tree Bridges & Nagaland Hornbill Festival

The tour starts this evening at our hotel in Kolkata. Anyone arriving earlier will have their rooms available from early afternoon.

This morning, we'll take a one hour 15-minute flight to Guwahati. From here, we’ll head by road towards Cherrapunjee - between five to six hours of driving with a stop for lunch. Cherrapunjee holds the record as being one of the wettest places on earth, but typical rainfall is minimal in November luckily for us! Later today there will be time to relax at the hotel in this fascinating and rarely visited region of India ahead of a busy day tomorrow.

With an early start we’ll head out today to discover some of the spectacular scenery – most notably the waterfalls and valleys – which makes up the so-called 'Scotland of the East'. Whilst here, we plan to undertake an adventurous walk to see some of the much-photographed living root bridges, including the famous Double Decker Root Bridge near the village of Nongriat. The walk involves a 7km return trek with a descent, and subsequent ascent, of approximately 250m. Most of the descent/ ascent is on steps and there are also rope bridges to cross. This may prove a challenge for some but the rewards make it undeniably worthwhile. Later in the day we'll head for Shillong, where we will spend the night.

Before departing Shillong, we'll visit the city's acclaimed Don Bosco Museum which provides a great introduction into the many indigenous peoples who reside in India’s diverse North East. We'll then bid farewell to Meghalaya and take a full day’s drive across the state line into Assam. Our final destination today is Kaziranga National Park, which was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1985. It is probably India’s foremost in terms of conservation success, variety and accessibility of species. The park lies on the flood plain of the mighty Brahmaputra river and vast acres of tall grass provide grazing for herds of wild elephant, gaur and wild Asian buffalo, among many others. This evening we will have our first taste of Assamese cuisine.

Kaziranga National Park owes its existence to Lady Curzon, who persuaded the British Indian Government of the time to create a protected area, and it celebrated its centenary as recently as 2005. We’ll have the opportunity today for both morning and afternoon jeep safaris in different areas of the park, looking out for the wide range of animals that reside here, so remember your binoculars! Seventy five percent of the total population of the Great Indian One-horned rhinoceros live in this park and it’s a wonderful place to take in some of the sub-continent’s best wildlife.

After breakfast we’ll drive to Neematighat jetty to board the ferry to Majuli Island, India’s largest river island, for a two-hour crossing. On arrival we drive to the lodge which will be our base for the next two nights and have lunch. This afternoon we will visit the Auniati Satra, or Hindu Vaishnavite monastery, and take a walk around the monk quarters and the prayer hall, with a chance to interact with the bhakats or monks. We’ll also visit a community tribal village before returning to our lodge for the evening.

After breakfast this morning, we drive to the village of Samaguri to see the art of traditional mask-making. These masks are used in bhaonas or one-act plays in the Satras, mostly during festival times. We will also have the chance to visit another Satra to witness a Satriya or monastic dance and enjoy a simple vegetarian lunch here. In the afternoon, we’ll explore another local village where we can witness weaving and see rice beer made in the traditional way – and maybe get to try it!

After breakfast, we’ll drive to the jetty for our ferry ride back to the mainland. We then drive to Sivasagar and visit the Ahom Dynasty remains here. The Shans, who came to this area from Thailand through Northern Myanmar in the early 13th century, ruled for around 600 years. The Siva Temple in Svasagar, built by the Ahom’s, is believed to be the tallest of all existing Hindu temples. We then continue on to Dibrugarh, known as the gateway to the 'Hidden Land' of North East India and also a major centre for tea plantations during the days of the Raj. The British built many chang bungalows here. Raised on stilts, they served a dual purpose of keeping the house cool by allowing the breeze to blow underneath and to keep both water and animals out! We will spend the next two nights in one such bungalow and will have a chance to witness a Bihu folk dance whilst here.

This morning we will pay a visit to a local tea factory for a tour and have a chance to explore the tea plantations in the vicinity. After lunch we will head out of town to visit a traditional Assamese village and market, as well as a local weaving centre before returning to our bungalow for the evening.

After an early breakfast we drive the 180km to Mon today. On the way we will cross the state border into Nagaland, one of the smallest but most mountainous states in India, where the allied forces finally stemmed the flow of the Japanese army from Burma. As we enter the state we will notice the change in terrain as we enter the hills and the roads become more winding and rougher, but the views become more spectacular. The people of Nagaland are known for their tattooed faces and bodies, and until quite recently the headhunting Naga tribes bravely fought off intruders. The hill town of Mon serves as an access point for the many Konyak villages in the area and we’ll spend the next two nights here to explore these.

Today we will explore the nearby area and experience the traditional aspects of Konyak villages. We plan to visit Longwa village which straddles the border between India and Myanmar. Much of this whole area still displays its old world charm and we can see the mansion belonging to the chief Angh and plenty of other houses which are built in the traditional Konyak style with palm leaf roofing and the main pillars jutting out. The inhabitants of the village are well known for their excellent wood carving, handicraft and blacksmith skills which we’ll also have a chance to see. After lunch we plan to visit a second village, Hongphoi, where we will have a chance to meet the village elders – all former head-hunters and proud of their traditions. We then return to Mon for a second night.

Our journey to Mokokchung today will be a long one, but we will travel through some fascinating areas with lush scenery to enjoy all around us. The town of Mokokchung sits at an altitude of 1350 metres above sea level in a picturesque area with a white water river running nearby. It is the cultural centre of the Ao Nagas who live in the many surrounding villages.

We will rise early and drive for around six hours to reach Kohima today. Depending on our arrival time, we may have some time this afternoon to begin having a look around the town. The Catholic Cathedral here has the biggest wooden cross in Asia, but what will stay with us longest is our visit to the War Cemetery. This marks the infamous Battle of Kohima, the last post for the allied forces against the Japanese in World War II, and is beautifully maintained by the War Graves Commission. As we exit we pass an epitaph that reads: 'When you go home tell them of us and say for your tomorrow we gave our today.'

Nagaland is known as the land of festivals as each tribe celebrates its own festival with dedication and passion. However, the Government of Nagaland also organises the Hornbill Festival every year for ten days in December, in order to encourage inter-tribal interaction and to promote and preserve the cultural heritage of Nagaland. All the tribes of Nagaland take part and the festival is named after the hornbill, the globally-respected bird displayed in folklore in most of the state’s tribes. It takes place in the village of Kisama, located around 12km from Kohima, and upon entering the village we pass through an enormous wooden gate that is adorned with a scimitar of horns and buffalo head. The festivities include colourful performances, crafts, sports, food fairs, games and ceremonies. Festival highlights include the traditional Naga Morungs Exhibition and the cultural medley of songs and dances performed by each different tribe.

We have another full day to complete our sightseeing in Kohima and also to enjoy more of the cultural shows and other events taking place at the Hornbill Festival. We will also have a chance to visit the World War II Museum at Kisama before returning to Kohima for our final night here.

Today’s schedule will ultimately depend on flight times, but we plan to drive from Kohima to Dimapur Airport this morning and fly back to Kolkata. We’ll have our final dinner in this fascinating city and take the time to reflect on our adventures over the past two weeks.

The tour ends in Kolkata after breakfast.