Nagaland Culture and Festival Tour

Welcome to Lengpui Airport, Aizawl. Our representative will meet you on arrival and transfer you by private vehicle to your hotel in Aizawl, the hill capital of Mizoram. After check-in, receive your tour documents and a briefing covering the journey ahead. The remainder of the day is free to relax or take a short orientation walk around the city. Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.

After breakfast, drive to Reiek Mountain, one of Mizoram's best-known viewpoints, surrounded by forested hills and traditional Mizo landscapes. Visit the Mizo Heritage Village, created to showcase traditional houses, village life and elements of Mizo ethnic culture. Later hike towards the Reiek Peak, with the final climb taking around 30 minutes at a comfortable pace. From the summit, enjoy panoramic views across the surrounding hills and valleys. Lunch at the tourist resort before returning to Aizawl in the evening. Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.

After an early breakfast, check out and drive through the hills towards Silchar in Assam. The journey gradually leaves Mizoram's highland landscape for the Barak Valley, with changing scenery along the route. On arrival in Silchar, check in at the hotel and relax after the long journey. Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.

After breakfast, drive towards Unakoti, one of Tripura's most remarkable archaeological landscapes. Carved into the rocky slopes of the forested Jampui Hills, the site contains enormous rock-cut images and reliefs dating broadly from the early medieval period. The name Unakoti means “one less than a crore”, reflecting the local legend behind the site. The monumental Unakotiswara Kal Bhairava, the massive Ganesha carvings and numerous smaller sculpted panels are spread across the hillside, creating a rare combination of natural landscape and rock-cut art. Continue to Kailashahar for dinner and overnight stay at the guest house.

After breakfast, drive to Agartala, the capital of Tripura. On arrival, check in at the hotel and relax. If time permits, visit the Tripura Government Museum, whose collections provide an introduction to the state's archaeology, tribal communities, art and history. Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.

After breakfast, drive to Udaipur, one of Tripura's important historic towns. En route visit Neermahal, the famous Water Palace standing in the middle of Rudrasagar Lake. Built in 1930 as a summer retreat, the palace combines Hindu and Islamic architectural influences, with domed pavilions, arched openings and waterfront terraces. Continue to Tripura Sundari Temple, locally known as Matabari, one of the state's most important Shakti pilgrimage sites and traditionally associated with the goddess Tripura Sundari. Later return to Agartala. Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.

After breakfast, transfer to Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport, Agartala for your scheduled flight to Imphal. On arrival at Imphal International Airport, meet our representative and transfer to the hotel. In the afternoon, visit Kangla Fort, the historic heart of Manipur and the ancient seat of its rulers. The fortified complex contains archaeological remains, sacred sites and important structures associated with Manipur's history and cultural traditions. Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.

After breakfast, drive towards Loktak Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Northeast India and one of Manipur's defining natural landscapes. The lake is famous for its floating phumdis, masses of vegetation, soil and organic material that form distinctive floating islands. It is also closely associated with the endangered Sangai, the Manipur brow-antlered deer, protected in the surrounding ecosystem. En route visit the INA Museum and Bishnupur, where the historic Bishnu Temple reflects a distinctive blend of regional architectural influences. Return to Imphal for dinner and overnight stay.

After breakfast, drive to Andro Village, a living cultural centre east of Imphal. Visit the Andro Cultural Heritage Complex, which preserves traditional houses, objects, crafts and elements of local Meitei heritage. At the village temple of Panam Ningthou, the sacred fire is traditionally maintained as part of the community's religious practices. Andro is also known for its traditional pottery, produced using techniques passed down through generations. Meet local artisans and observe the pottery-making tradition before returning to Imphal. Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.

After breakfast, drive to Ukhrul, the cultural heartland of the Tangkhul Naga community and a scenic hill destination in Manipur. The region is associated with the rare Shirui Lily, the state flower of Manipur, and a strong tradition of folk music, dance, weaving and village crafts. Learn about Tangkhul cultural traditions and their relationship with the surrounding mountain landscape. Continue to Nungbi Village, renowned for its distinctive traditional black pottery, and meet local artisans before returning to Ukhrul. Dinner and overnight stay.

After an early breakfast, drive towards Kohima, the capital of Nagaland. The route passes through mountainous landscapes and traditional Naga settlements, with opportunities for short village stops depending on road conditions and time. You may encounter communities including the Kuki, Mao Naga and Southern Angami groups along the journey. On arrival in Kohima, check in at the hotel and relax. Dinner and overnight stay.

After breakfast, drive to Khonoma Village, one of Nagaland's most historically significant villages. Known for its resistance to British colonial expansion and its terraced agricultural landscape, Khonoma today is also recognised for community-led conservation. Visit the historic Khonoma Gate and walk through the village to see traditional houses, terraces and surrounding forested hills. Return to Kohima and visit the Nagaland State Museum, followed by the Kohima War Cemetery, a beautifully maintained memorial to Allied soldiers who died during the Second World War's Battle of Kohima. Later browse the local emporium for traditional crafts and textiles. Overnight stay at the hotel.

After breakfast, drive to Touphema Tourist Village, a community-based destination representing the traditional architecture and lifestyle of the Angami Naga people. Explore the village and its surroundings before visiting a nearby Rengma Naga settlement. After lunch, continue towards Mokokchung, the cultural centre of the Ao Naga community. En route or near Mokokchung, visit Mopungchuket Village, known for traditional crafts, woodwork and Ao cultural heritage. Dinner and overnight stay at Mokokchung.

After breakfast, explore nearby villages associated with the Ao Naga community. Traditional homes, village landscapes, weaving, crafts and community institutions offer an introduction to everyday Ao culture before leaving Nagaland. Later drive down towards Jorhat in Assam, crossing from the Naga Hills into the plains of the Brahmaputra Valley. On arrival, check in at the hotel. Evening at leisure. Dinner and overnight stay.

After breakfast, drive to Neemati Ghat and board the ferry across the Brahmaputra to Majuli, one of the world's great river-island landscapes and an important centre of Assamese Vaishnavite culture. Visit the island's historic Satras, monastic institutions associated with the 15th-century reformer and saint Srimanta Sankardeva. Meet monks and local residents while learning about the island's traditions of music, dance, theatre and religious art. Continue to a Mishing tribal village to experience traditional riverside life and craftsmanship. Return by ferry to Jorhat. Dinner and overnight stay.

After breakfast, drive to Kaziranga National Park, one of India's most important wildlife reserves and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park is internationally renowned for its population of the greater one-horned rhinoceros and also supports Asian elephants, wild water buffalo, swamp deer, tigers and a remarkable variety of birdlife. Its landscape combines tall elephant grass, wetlands, woodland and open floodplain habitats shaped by the Brahmaputra. After check-in and lunch, proceed for a jeep safari through the park. Dinner and overnight stay at the lodge.

If operating and booked, begin the morning with an optional elephant safari before breakfast. Later drive towards Shillong, the hill capital of Meghalaya. En route, visit the revered Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, one of India's important Shakti pilgrimage sites, before continuing towards Umiam Lake, a large reservoir surrounded by the hills of Meghalaya. Arrive in Shillong and check in at the hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.

Today is dedicated to the Nongkrem Dance Festival at Smit, the traditional cultural centre of the Khasi Hills. The festival combines religious ceremonies, community traditions and vibrant Khasi dances performed in traditional dress. The celebrations are associated with thanksgiving and prayers for prosperity, good harvests and community well-being. The dances are accompanied by traditional drums and pipes, with performers carrying symbolic objects including swords and ceremonial yak-hair whisks. The festival provides a rare opportunity to experience Khasi culture in its ceremonial setting. Return to Shillong after the celebrations. Dinner and overnight stay.

After breakfast, check out and drive to Cherrapunjee (Sohra), one of Meghalaya's best-known destinations for dramatic limestone landscapes, caves and waterfalls. Visit Mawsmai Cave, a natural limestone cave containing stalactites and stalagmites, followed by Nohkalikai Falls, Seven Sisters Falls, Thangkharang Park and other viewpoints and waterfalls subject to time and seasonal conditions. Later continue to Guwahati through the hills and plains of Assam. On arrival, check in at the hotel. Overnight stay.

After breakfast, explore Guwahati with visits to Kamakhya Temple, the sacred Umananda Temple on Peacock Island and the Navagraha Temple, associated with the nine celestial bodies in Hindu tradition. Depending on the departure schedule, spend some time at the local market before transferring to Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, Guwahati for your scheduled flight home. Your journey through the cultures, landscapes and festivals of Northeast India concludes here.