North East Grand Comprehensive Flagship

Route: Arrive Guwahati airport; transfer to hotel

Your driver meets you at the airport. Guwahati is the main gateway to the North East, on the south bank of the Brahmaputra.

If you land in time, take the sunset cruise on the river, a gentle start to three weeks on the road.

Experience of the Day

• Airport pickup

• Brahmaputra sunset cruise

• Welcome briefing

Food

Recommended: Paradise, a long-running Guwahati restaurant, for an Assamese thali.

Must-Try: Masor tenga, a light, sour fish curry.

Activities to Do

• Rest after the flight

• River cruise

Route: Guwahati to Shillong, about 100 km, 3 hours

The road climbs from the Assam plain into Meghalaya. Shillong sits at about 1,500 metres among pine forest.

The Don Bosco Museum of Indigenous Cultures is the best introduction to the trip ahead. Its seven floors cover the peoples of all the North East states, many of whom you will meet over the next three weeks.

Experience of the Day

• Climb into the Khasi Hills

• Don Bosco Museum

• Evening in Police Bazaar

Food

Recommended: Trattoria in Police Bazaar for Khasi food.

Must-Try: Jadoh, red rice cooked with pork.

Activities to Do

• Drive to Shillong

• Museum visit

Route: Shillong to Sohra, about 55 km, with viewpoints

Cherrapunji once set the world record for the most rain in a year, in 1860 to 1861, and the plateau is still one of the wettest places on earth. The rain shapes everything here, from the deep gorges to the living root bridges the Khasi grow from rubber-fig roots.

See Nohkalikai Falls and Mawsmai Cave, and end at the Seven Sisters Falls, whose seven streams are named after the region's seven sister states.

Experience of the Day

• Mawkdok viewpoint

• Nohkalikai Falls

• Seven Sisters Falls at sunset

Food

Recommended: Orange Roots on Sohra's main road.

Must-Try: Pumaloi, a steamed rice cake.

Activities to Do

• Viewpoints on the plateau

• Mawsmai Cave

Optional Nearby Excursions

• The double-decker root bridge at Nongriat (a full day of about 3,500 steps each way; replaces Day 3 sightseeing)

Route: Sohra to Guwahati airport, about 150 km, then fly to Agartala

Drive down to Guwahati airport and fly south to Agartala, the capital of Tripura, close to the Bangladesh border. Tripura's history is tied to the Manikya kings, who ruled here for centuries until 1949.

The evening is free after a travel day.

Experience of the Day

• Drive to Guwahati

• Flight to Tripura

• Evening in Agartala

Food

Recommended: Dinner at your hotel.

Must-Try: Mui borok, a Tripuri dish made with dried fish, if you want to try something local.

Activities to Do

• Transfer and flight

Route: Agartala city and Neermahal at Melaghar, about 53 km each way

Start at Ujjayanta Palace in the city centre, the white former royal palace of the Manikya kings, now the Tripura State Museum.

In the afternoon, drive to Rudrasagar Lake. Neermahal, a water palace built between 1930 and 1938 for Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya, stands in the lake and is reached by boat.

Experience of the Day

• Ujjayanta Palace and museum

• Boat to Neermahal

• Rudrasagar Lake at sunset

Food

Recommended: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Must-Try: Fish dishes cooked with mustard, Bengali style.

Activities to Do

• Palace and museum visit

• Neermahal boat ride

Optional Nearby Excursions

• Tripura Sundari Temple at Udaipur, one of the Shakti Peethas (half day)

• Unakoti rock carvings (a long day trip, about 180 km each way)

Route: Fly Agartala to Aizawl (Lengpui), then about 30 km to the city

Aizawl is built along steep ridges, with houses stacked down the hillsides. Mizoram has one of the highest literacy rates in India, and Aizawl is known for its orderly traffic and quiet streets.

The afternoon is for a walk through the city centre and Bara Bazar.

Note on flights

Flights between Agartala, Aizawl and Dimapur run on only some days and schedules change. BizareXpedition books the best available route, which may connect through Guwahati, and adjusts the day plan to match.

Experience of the Day

• Flight to Mizoram

• Ridge-top city views

• Bara Bazar

Food

Recommended: Dinner at your hotel.

Must-Try: Bai, a Mizo stew of greens and pork or vegetables.

Activities to Do

• Flight and transfer

• City walk

Route: Aizawl to Reiek, about 30 km each way

Reiek hill has a heritage village with traditional Mizo houses and wide views over the hills, towards Bangladesh on clear days.

Back in Aizawl, visit the Mizoram State Museum for Mizo dress, tools and history.

Note on permits

Mizoram's permit rules for foreign nationals have changed in recent years. BizareXpedition confirms the current requirement and arranges any permit or registration needed before you travel.

Experience of the Day

• Reiek heritage village

• Views over the Mizo Hills

• Mizoram State Museum

Food

Recommended: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Must-Try: Sanpiau, a Mizo rice porridge sold as street food.

Shopping

Mizo puan, handwoven wrap-around cloth, from Bara Bazar.

Activities to Do

• Village visit

• Museum visit

Route: Fly Aizawl to Dimapur, then drive to Kohima, about 75 km, 2.5 hours

Fly north to Dimapur and drive up into the Naga Hills. Kohima sits at about 1,400 metres on a series of ridges.

The evening is free.

Note on the Nagaland permit

Foreign nationals need a Protected Area Permit for Nagaland and must register with the district foreigners office within 24 hours. BizareXpedition handles both.

Experience of the Day

• Flight to Nagaland

• Climb into the Naga Hills

Food

Recommended: Dinner at your hotel.

Must-Try: Smoked pork with bamboo shoot.

Activities to Do

• Flight and transfer

Route: Kohima War Cemetery, then Khonoma, about 20 km each way

In 1944 the Japanese advance into India was stopped at Kohima after weeks of close fighting. The War Cemetery sits on the ridge where some of the hardest fighting took place.

Khonoma, an Angami village west of Kohima, banned hunting in 1998 after Blyth's tragopans were killed in a hunting contest, and set aside about 20 square kilometres as a community sanctuary. It came to be known as India's first green village.

Note on the War Cemetery

The cemetery is a place of remembrance. Keep voices low and stay on paths.

Experience of the Day

• Kohima War Cemetery

• Khonoma village and terraces

• Kohima market

Food

Recommended: Lunch with a family in Khonoma, arranged through the village.

Must-Try: Galho, a Naga rice porridge.

Shopping

Naga shawls from local cooperatives in Kohima.

Activities to Do

• Cemetery visit

• Village walk with a local guide

Route: Kohima to Dimapur and Kohora, about 230 km, 6 hours

The road drops from the Naga Hills to the Assam plain and runs west to Kaziranga. The evening is free at the lodge.

Experience of the Day

• Descent from the Naga Hills

• Arrival in Kaziranga

Food

Recommended: Dinner at your lodge.

Must-Try: Assamese duck curry, where the lodge offers it.

Activities to Do

• Transfer

Route: Kohora and Bagori ranges

Kaziranga holds about two-thirds of the world's greater one-horned rhinos, 2,613 at the 2022 census. The park looks the way it does because of the Brahmaputra: each monsoon the river floods it and leaves silt that feeds the tall grass the rhinos eat.

The Western range at Bagori has the highest density of rhinos in the park.

Note on safaris

The forest department sets slots and routes; sightings are never guaranteed. This plan uses jeep safaris only.

Experience of the Day

• Dawn safari in the Central range

• Afternoon in the Western range

Food

Recommended: Meals at the lodge.

Must-Try: Assam tea from the nearby gardens.

Activities to Do

• Two jeep safaris

Route: Agaratoli and Ghorakati ranges

The Eastern range has large wetlands with nesting pelicans. Burapahar, in the west, is hillier and more forested.

Three nights here give the trip a slower middle before the mountain roads ahead.

Experience of the Day

• Eastern range wetlands

• Burapahar forest

Food

Recommended: Meals at the lodge.

Must-Try: Pitha, Assamese rice cakes.

Activities to Do

• Two jeep safaris

• Tea-garden walk

Route: Kaziranga to Tezpur, Bhalukpong, Bomdila and Dirang, about 260 km, 8 hours

Cross the Brahmaputra at Tezpur and enter Arunachal Pradesh at Bhalukpong. The road climbs the Kameng valley through Bomdila to Dirang, a valley town at about 1,500 metres known for its apple orchards and old stone village.

Note on the Arunachal permit

Foreign nationals need a Protected Area Permit for Arunachal Pradesh, arranged through a registered local agency with a USD 30 royalty per person. Bum La pass is not open to foreign nationals.

Experience of the Day

• Crossing the Brahmaputra

• Kameng valley

• Arrival in Dirang

Food

Recommended: Dinner at your hotel.

Must-Try: Thukpa, a noodle soup.

Activities to Do

• Transfer

Route: Dirang to Tawang over Sela Pass, about 140 km, 5 to 6 hours

The road climbs to Sela Pass at 4,170 metres. Sela Lake, just below the pass, often freezes in winter. Stop briefly, then descend to Tawang at about 3,000 metres.

Note on altitude

Sela Pass is at 4,170 metres. Move slowly at the top, drink water, and tell your escort if you feel unwell.

Experience of the Day

• Sela Pass and lake

• Descent to Tawang

Food

Recommended: Dinner at your hotel.

Must-Try: Zan, a millet dish of the Monpa people, if available.

Activities to Do

• Mountain drive

Route: Tawang Monastery and the Tawang War Memorial

Tawang Monastery was founded in 1680–81 by Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso on the instruction of the 5th Dalai Lama. It is the largest monastery in India and was built for about 700 monks. Visit during morning prayers, then walk the courtyards and the museum.

In the afternoon, visit the Tawang War Memorial, which remembers soldiers who died in the 1962 war.

Note on sensitive places

Dress modestly at the monastery and follow photography rules. The war memorial is a place of remembrance. Do not photograph army installations.

Experience of the Day

• Morning prayers at Tawang Monastery

• Monastery museum

• Tawang War Memorial

Food

Recommended: Lunch in Tawang town.

Must-Try: Momos and butter tea.

Shopping

Monpa handwoven carpets and wooden masks from local craft centres.

Activities to Do

• Monastery visit

• Memorial visit

Route: Tawang to Dirang, about 140 km, 5 to 6 hours

Return over Sela Pass to Dirang. If time allows, walk through Dirang's old stone village and dzong area in the afternoon.

Experience of the Day

• Second crossing of Sela Pass

• Dirang old village

Food

Recommended: Dinner at your hotel.

Must-Try: Local apples and kiwi fruit in season.

Activities to Do

• Mountain drive

• Village walk

Route: Dirang to Guwahati, about 330 km, 9 to 10 hours

This is the longest drive of the trip, from the mountains back to the Brahmaputra plain. Lunch is on the way.

Note on the long drive

Mountain roads can be slowed by landslides or roadworks. The early start leaves slack in the day.

Experience of the Day

• Descent from Arunachal

• Return to Guwahati

Food

Recommended: Dinner at your hotel.

Must-Try: Khar, an Assamese dish made with an alkaline extract from dried banana peel.

Activities to Do

• Transfer

Route: Fly Guwahati to Bagdogra, then drive to Gangtok, about 125 km, 4 to 5 hours

Fly to Bagdogra and drive up the Teesta valley into Sikkim. Your Restricted Area Permit is checked at Rangpo.

Note on the Sikkim permit

Every foreign national needs a free Restricted Area Permit for Sikkim, arranged before you travel.

Experience of the Day

• Flight to Bagdogra

• Teesta valley

• Evening on MG Marg

Food

Recommended: Taste of Tibet on MG Marg for momos.

Must-Try: Thukpa.

Activities to Do

• Flight and drive

Route: Rumtek Monastery (about 24 km), Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, Do Drul Chorten

Rumtek Monastery was rebuilt by the 16th Karmapa after 1959 and inaugurated in 1966. Back in Gangtok, the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology holds manuscripts and thangka paintings, and Do Drul Chorten is ringed by prayer wheels.

Note on Rumtek

Rumtek has armed security at the gate; carry your passport. No photography inside the prayer hall.

Experience of the Day

• Rumtek Monastery

• Namgyal Institute

• Do Drul Chorten

Food

Recommended: A Sikkimese meal in town.

Must-Try: Gundruk soup and sel roti.

Activities to Do

• Monastery visits

Route: Gangtok to Tsomgo Lake, about 40 km each way

Tsomgo Lake lies at about 3,750 metres on the old road towards Tibet. Foreign nationals need a separate permit and must be at least two travelling together. If you would rather rest after three weeks on the road, the day is free.

Experience of the Day

• Tsomgo Lake or a free day

• Farewell dinner

Food

Recommended: Farewell dinner at your hotel.

Must-Try: Momos with chilli chutney.

Activities to Do

• Tsomgo Lake visit, if chosen

• Rest

Route: Gangtok to Bagdogra airport, about 125 km, 4 to 5 hours

Drive back down the Teesta valley to Bagdogra for your onward flight.

Experience of the Day

• Last views of the hills

• Airport drop

Food

Recommended: Breakfast at your hotel.

Must-Try: A packet of Sikkim tea for home.

Activities to Do

• Drive to Bagdogra

• Onward flight