Hornbill and the Eastern Himalaya
13 days · Jorhat to Guwahati · Longwa, Kohima, the Hornbill Festival, Tawang and Dirang
The journey in a paragraph
Three states in thirteen days. You begin among Assam's tea gardens, cross into Nagaland for the Konyak border village of Longwa and the Ao heartland of Mokokchung, and arrive in Kohima for the Hornbill Festival, held at Kisama in the first ten days of December. After a night on a tea estate, the road climbs into Arunachal Pradesh, over Sela Pass to Tawang and its monastery, then down through the Monpa villages around Dirang before the long drive out to Guwahati.
Day by day
Arrive in Jorhat
Your driver meets you at Jorhat airport. Settle into a heritage tea bungalow; the rest of the day is yours.
Overnight: JorhatMon and Longwa
An early start into Nagaland for Longwa, the Konyak village on the India–Myanmar border. A local guide takes you to the house of the Angh, the hereditary chief.
Overnight: MonTo Mokokchung
Through green hills and farming villages to Mokokchung, heartland of the Ao Naga.
Overnight: MokokchungTo Kohima
On to Nagaland's capital and the Kohima War Cemetery, the memorial to those who fell in the 1944 Battle of Kohima.
Overnight: KohimaThe Hornbill Festival
A full day at Kisama Heritage Village: dances, music, games, the tribes' morungs, crafts and food.
Overnight: KohimaKhonoma, then Hornbill again
A guided walk through Khonoma, the Angami village known for community-led conservation. Back to the festival grounds if time allows.
Overnight: KohimaDown to the tea gardens
Via Dimapur and the Assam foothills to a tea-estate resort at Durrunga.
Overnight: DurrungaOver Sela Pass to Tawang
Up through Bhalukpong and Bomdila into the Eastern Himalaya, over Sela Pass and on to Tawang. Weather and roads set the pace.
Overnight: TawangTawang and Bumla
Tawang Monastery, then by local taxi to Bumla Pass on the India–China border (army permit, not guaranteed), Sangetsar (Madhuri) Lake and the war memorial.
Overnight: TawangJang Falls and Chug Valley
Nuranang (Jang) Falls and Jaswantgarh memorial, then a guided visit to Chug Valley: Monpa paper-making, a village walk and a traditional Monpa lunch.
Overnight: DirangThembang, Dirang Dzong and Sangti
The fortified Monpa village of Thembang and Dirang Dzong with a local guide, a picnic lunch, Mandala Top if the road is open, and Sangti Valley.
Overnight: DirangDown to Guwahati
Out of the mountains to the Assam plains; evening at a heritage bungalow in Guwahati.
Overnight: GuwahatiFly home
Your driver takes you to Guwahati airport for your flight.
Where you stay
| Place | Stay | Style |
|---|---|---|
| Jorhat | Chameli Memsahib Tea Bungalow | Heritage tea bungalow |
| Mon | Vingoi Resort | Mid-range |
| Mokokchung | Hotel Tairas | Simple |
| Kohima | Hotel Mirage, or Hotel Polo for an upgrade | 3-star, or 5-star |
| Durrunga | The Postcard in the Durrunga Tea Estate | Luxury tea-garden resort |
| Tawang | Timilo Boutique Hotel | Boutique mountain hotel |
| Dirang | Hotel Rigsel | 3-star |
| Guwahati | The Hillside Estate | Heritage bungalow |
Or similar, depending on availability on your dates.
Included
Private Innova Crysta and driver for the whole road journey
Rooms for two, breakfast daily
Inner Line Permits for Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh
Local guides at Longwa, Khonoma, Chug Valley, Thembang and Dirang Dzong
Local taxi for Bumla Pass and Madhuri Lake
Monpa lunch in Chug Valley and a picnic lunch near Dirang
Fuel, tolls, driver allowance and taxes
Not included
Flights
Other lunches and dinners
Entry fees, including Hornbill Festival and Khonoma
Travel insurance
Bumla Pass needs an Indian Army permit. It depends on weather, roads and security, so it cannot be guaranteed.
Sela Pass, Tawang and Bumla are at high altitude and very cold in December. Bring heavy winter clothing, gloves and good shoes, and ask your doctor about altitude medicine.
For the Inner Line Permits, Indian citizens send one passport photo and an Aadhaar copy in advance. International travellers, ask us what you need.
There is no tour escort: your driver is with you throughout, with local guides at the places named above.
