North East – Guwahati to Guwahati (21 Nights / 22 Days)

Arrive Guwahati by air. On your arrival meet your guide at Guwahati airport and drive towards hotel. Check into rooms. Time permitting we shall go for an hour sunset river cruise on the mighty Brahmaputra River (starts around 4: 00 PM).

Overnight in the hotel.

Note: River is subjected to river conditions and availability

Breakfast in the hotel, rest of the day free at leisure. You can also choose to go on a sightseeing tour of Guwahati today, which will be offered to you free of charge. Therefore, you can also select the sites that you are most interested in and visit these with your driver.

Optional Morning Sightseeing:

Morning we will visit Umananda Temple – Shiva temple located on the Peacock Island, in the middle of river Brahmaputra.

Visit to Umananda temple is subjected to operation of govt. ferry

Optional Excursion to Sualkuchi (35 kms / 1 ½ hrs)

Later visit towards Sualkuchi – known as the Manchester of Assam, is one of the world’s largest weaving villages where the entire population is engaged in weaving exquisite silk fabrics.  A renowned center of silk production, particularly known as Muga – the gold silk of Assam which is not produced anywhere else in India. Here we shall visit a household to see the processing of Silk from cocoons to finish product. All the weaving is still done on handloom.

Overnight in the hotel.

After breakfast check out from hotel and drive towards Kaziranga National Park – an UNESCO World Heritage site and the home of world famed One Horned Rhino. Upon arrival check into hotel.

After lunch, visit a nearby village inhabited by the Mising Tribe.

The village is about 30 mins to 45 mins drive one away from central range of the park

Overnight in the hotel.

After an early breakfast we shall explore western range of the park in jeeps. Return to hotel. Afternoon go for a jeep safari in the central range of the park. The park is famous for the Indian rhino, with only one horn instead of the regular two. The park also inhabits elephants, wild buffalos, deer, some tigers, and many types of birds.

For inbound guest, 4 pax per jeep maximum but POST COVID guidelines from the forest department in regard to jeep safari is yet to be released and accordingly we will update you incase of any changes.

Overnight in the hotel.

After breakfast check out from hotel and drive towards the embarking point Nemati ghat to board ferry to Majuli – one of largest river island in India and the cultural hub of Assam. Also known the world over in academic circles for the Satras (monastery), which have preserved the Vaishnavite culture. Upon arrival explore the village inhabited by the Mising Tribe and mask making village.

Overnight in the hotel

This morning we shall visit the Anuatisattra and UttraKamalabarisattra – here we shall visit a monks quarter and interact with them to know more about the lifestyle of a monk.

In the evening, you will have a traditional Mising dinner.

Mising dinner is arranged with one of the local family near the homestays and dinner is arranged along with the family. Time as per the request of the guest.

Overnight in the hotel.

After a leisure breakfast check out from hotel and transfer to Kamalabarighat to board ferry fromMajuli. Upon arrival check into hotel.

The rest of the day is at leisure. You can take a walk in the surrounding tea gardens and/or ask the driver to drop you off at the local market to explore local life. This is free of charge.

Overnight in the hotel.

After breakfast check out from hotel and head towards our tribal destination of Nagaland – Mon.

The district of Mon is home to the Konyak Nagas who are by far the largest in numbers of all the different Nagas and also the most recognisable. Mon is located near the Indo-Myanmar border, you can enter this far away destination of Nagaland ‘Mon’ through the wormy dust and gravel roads of Nagaland. The tattooed Konyak,  all over their face and hands this tribe is famous for their muzzle loading guns. This divine place offers its best in raw natural beauty and for an adventurer; this place is perhaps an ideal place to visit for exciting activities like visiting the border village between India and Myanmar and encountering the decedent of the legendary head-hunters.

Your overnight stay will be at basic hotel. Overnight in the hotel.

After breakfast, check out from hotel and drive to Longwah village. Longwah village in Mon district is one of the best places to see the unique diversity of Naga people. Located on the border of India and Myanmar (not to worry you don’t need a Myanmar VISA to visit this village), Here we shall visit some of the village inhabited by the Konyak tribe. Most interesting part to see in this village is to see the Village Chief’s house located on the border line of Indo – Myanmar and passes though his house dividing into two halves. Longwa is quiet and serene place with hospitable Naga people. – Local guide mandatory

Overnight in the hotel. 

After an early breakfast check out from hotel and drive towards Dibrugarh – known as the tea capital of Assam, lust tea gardens all throughout the town and also an ideal place to experience an overnight stay in the heritage tea bungalows.

En-route we will stop at the heritage at the capital of Assam and ancient Ahom kingdom capital and visit the Shiva Dol built by the Ahoms, situated here is believed to be the tallest of all existing Hindu temples. Followed by visit to Rang Ghar – largest and the oldest amphitheatre of Asia is also another remarkable landmark in the history of Sivasagar. Later visit Talat Ghar –has three stories that are underground (closed for tourists) and four above the ground. The ground floor had store rooms, stables and servant quarters, while the upper floors were for the royal family.

Overnight in the hotel.

Today is a free day.

You can choose to visit Namphake village (Tai Phake Tribe).

The Namphake village has a lot to offer as inhabitants Tai Phake people have preserve their rich history, culture. It is also believed that they are direct descendents of the Ahom Kings who rules Assam for 600 years. The preservation and surrounding of the village gives visitors a memorable experience in familiarizing with the rural life of the state.

Driving hours one way is 55 kms/ 2 hours. Visitors are taken to the Buddhist temple and later a short walk. If possible, we also conduct a short interaction with the dwellers. Post COVID, interaction might not possible, but we can let you know about same only near to date.      

Later take an excursion to Namphake village (Tai Phake tribe village). Visit village of Tai Phake tribe and Namphake Buddhist Temple. Later on back to Dibrugarh).

Overnight in the hotel.

After an early breakfast we get set for a drive to the Northern State of Northeast India – Arunachal Pradesh. Our drive will be on the newly opened the longest rail cum road Bogibeel Bridge and crossing the mighty Brahmaputra River. Ziro is known as the sequestered Paradise of the state locate at 1500 meters. Ziro has hills that are beautifully covered with bamboo and pine trees, surrounded with paddy fields. The town is home to a very friendly tribal group known as the Apatani tribe. A unique fact about the Apatani tribe is that, women of this tribe used to practice a custom of getting facial tattoos!! This was done since they believed that women of the Apatani tribe were so beautiful that they had to tattoo their faces in order to not let men from other tribes steal them away! 

Overnight in the hotel/lodge

To know more about the inhabitants we shall spend the day visiting Apatani villages as Hong, Dutta &  Hari. In these villages, we shall see the houses of Apatani adjoining each other also interact with the locals and especially with the tattooed elder who still leave a very much traditional life. Later visit the Apatani farms. We shall also visit the local market. Later visit to the local market can be informative about knowing more about Apatani culture, customs, eating habits, attires and ornaments.

During dry season, demonstrating pisciculture in farms in real sense may not be possible  

Overnight in the hotel/lodge.

After breakfast check out from hotel and drive towards Tezpur. Enroute we shall explore a village inhabited by Nyshi Tribe.

The Nyishi is one of the major tribes inhabiting in Arunachal Pradesh The people basically belong to Paleo-Mongoloid stock and speak the Tibeto-Burmese group of language. They are the descendents of Abo Tani-a mythical forefather. Nyishis evolved a joint family system, generally no individual owns properties – both movable and immovable. The Mithun is treated sacred because in almost all ceremonial rituals, sacrifice of Mithun is compulsory.

Nyishis are expert in handicrafts i.e. weaving, cane & bamboo works, pottery, blacksmith, wood carving and carpentry etc. Traditionally, the basic purpose of producing these craft articles was to meet the demands of the family. Agriculture, livestock breeding, hunting and fishing sustained the Nyishis to maintain a high degree of self-sufficiency in so far as food is concerned.

On arrival check into hotel for overnight stay.

Overnight in the hotel.

Check out after breakfast and board on your vehicle to get to Dirang – a beautiful hill station comprises of Tribal Mahayana Monapas sharing their traditions and heritage which are similar to Western Bhutan. Due to its low altitude than other places in Arunachal Pradesh the weather is much milder and comfortable; a constant wind blows along the river valley making it a very pleasant place to stay. On a clear day, one can get the mesmerizing view of the snow capped mountains. Check in to hotel on arrival. Rest of the day at leisure to enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

Overnight in the hotel.

Optional: Today in Dirang, a short excursion is possible to Sangti Valley as an option.

This valley is surrounded by the towering ranges of Eastern Himalayas, blessed with pleasant weather round the year with maybe some light snowfall in the winter months, covered with fruit orchards (kiwi fruit, apple, apricot, orange), dotted with pristine forests and meandering fast hill rivers and home to a very interesting culture and tradition. And it is also home to the black necked cranes that come to the fields of this valley every winter from China during the months of November and December.

Overnight in the hotel.

Today our drive will be on a different terrain making the journey more a lot more strenuous than it should be. The mountains here are not just any mountain; but they are giant ones, brownish with trees at the base and rocky parched peaks. We shall pass the Sela Pass – lying at an altitude of 13400 ft ASL, this pass is counted amongst the high altitude motor able passes. Do not miss the most mesmerizing views of the snow class Mountains. After a short tea break, we shall resume our journey towards Tawang town.

Overnight in the hotel.

This morning we shall visit the famous Gaden Namgyal Lhatse popularly known as Tawang Monastery found around 1680 – 81. This monastery is the largest of its kind and is one of the largest monasteries in Asia. Later visit Tawang War Memorial, multi-hued memorial, has a structure constructed in stupa design. Dedicated to the martyrs of Sino-India War held in 1962. Urgelling Monastery – the birth place of 6^th Dalia Lama. In the afternoon, you will visit a nearby Monpa tribal village.

The westernmost part of the state is home to the Monpas, who follow the Mahayana sect of Buddhism, which they adopted in the 17th century CE from Merak Lama. Hence, the Tawang Monastery plays a central role in the everyday life of the people of this tribe. They speak the ‘Monpa language’, which is actually a combination of Dakpa and East Bodhish Tshangla.

Like most tribes in the state, the Monpas also migrated here, possibly from the Western Himalayas, through Sikkim. It is believed that the Monpas are the only nomadic tribe in Northeast India. In the times gone by, they used to largely depend on yaks, cows, goats and horses for sustenance and had no permanent settlements. The Monpas are commonly employed at various levels in monasteries (such as priests). They also make shawls, bags, carpets, masks, thangkas (Buddhist paintings), wooden bowls, etc.

Overnight in the hotel.

The drive you will get to witness some of the most eye catching landscapes and valleys of the state. On arrival to Bomdila is beautiful yet a small of the Pradesh, is the home of Buddhist Lamas lies amidst the graceful Himalayan ranges. Bomdila is perched amongst the panoramic settings of the lofty ranges of the eastern Himalayas. The town is also known for its scenic environs along with the Buddhist monasteries and apple orchids. On arrival check in to hotel. Time permitting we shall explore the local market of the town.

Overnight in the hotel.

After breakfast check out from hotel and shall head towards Guwahati. On arrival check into hotel.

Overnight in the hotel.

In time transfer to the airport to board the flight to onward destination.

TOUR ENDS