Northeast India tour with Hornbill festival

Day 1 : Arive Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi Airport in Guwahati. On arrival meet and greet by our representative in the airport and transfer to hotel. Welcome dinner cruise on the Brahmaputra river and overnight at the hotel.

 

Day 2 : Today morning after breakfast visit the famous Kamakhya Temple. Kamakhya devi temple is one of the 51 Shakti Pithas of India and an important pilgrimage destination especially for Tantric worshippers. Thereafter visit the Assam State Museum(Monday closed) and the Nabagraha temple or the temple of nine planets. Optional activity: Have a personalized session with a vedic astrologer and palmist to get a future reading. Enjoy traditional Assamese lunch. Afternoon visit Srimanta Shankardev Kalashetra. Built in the 1990s, the artistic excellence of Assam and rest of the north-eastern region is displayed here. It includes a cultural museum, library and various facilities for preserving, demonstrating and performing cultural items. There are eateries, places of worship, emporiums and open-air theatres within the sprawling Kalakshetra premis.

 

Day 3 : This morning drive to  Sualkuchi village (32 kms/ 1 hour). Sualkuchi has a long tradition of producing and weaving silk. It started as a craft village in the 17th century and is the epicenter of the Assam silk industry. It is known as the Manchester of the east. Muga - the beautiful silk of Assam that has a natural golden color is woven here. Visit a silk weaving unit and see how the famous Assamese silk mekhela sadar’s (Assamese Saree) are weaved. After lunch drive to Hajo. Later drive back to Guwahati. Overnight at the hotel. 

 

Day 4 : This morning transfer to Guwahati railway station for your train to Dimapur at 6.30 am (except Sunday). Arrive Dimapur at 10.43 am and proceed for lunch. Thereafter drive to Kohima (70 km/ 3 hours). On arrival, check-in at the hotel. Afternoon visit the local market. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

 

Day 5 : After breakfast, proceed to Hornbill festival. Hornbill Festival is held at Naga Heritage Village, Kisama which is about 12 km from Kohima.  All the tribes of Nagaland take part in this festival. The aim of the festival is to revive and protect the rich culture of Nagaland and display its extravaganza and traditions. For visitors it means a closer understanding of the people and culture of Nagaland, and an opportunity to experience the food, songs, dances and customs of the beautiful state of Nagaland. Evening visit the carnival street.   Overnight at the hotel.

 

Day 6 : After breakfast, sightseeing of Kohima. Visit the WW II Cemetery, nestled in the heart of Kohima town,   where  one of the fiercest battles of WWII was fought and the State Museum (Sunday closed). Visit the Catholic Cathedral, built by the Japanese for the brave soldiers who lost their lives in the Second World War. Afternoon visit the hornbill festival ground.  Overnight at the hotel.

 

Day 7 : After breakfast drive to Kaziranga National Park (245 kms / 8 hours) a UNESCO world heritage site famous for the one horned Rhino. On arrival, check-in at a beautiful resort in the periphery of the park. Dinner and overnight at the resort.

 

Day 8 : Today get up very early in the morning for an exciting elephant ride inside the National Park. Enjoy the ride through the Park for 1 hr. to appreciate the beauty of famous one horned rhino, wild elephant, etc up close. Come back to resort for breakfast and then go to a nearby village to see the lifestyle and culture of the local people. In the village visit a weaving centre run by a women’s self help group. Afternoon go on a Jeep safari inside Western range of the National Park to enjoy the wildlife of the park. Overnight at the resort.

 

Day 9 : After breakfast, drive through the tea gardens to Jorhat (100 km/ 2 hours).  On arrival check in at the resort. Afternoon visit a traditional handloom center in a tea estate. Assam’s tea is world famous and a visit to a tea garden cannot be missed if you are in Assam. Optional : Enjoy Jhumur Dance of the Adivasi Tea Tribe at the resort. Dinner and overnight at the resort.

 

Day 10 : After breakfast drive to Neemati Ghat for your ferry ride to Majuli, one of the biggest inhabited river islands in the world. A 2 hours downstream boat cruise will take you to Majuli nestled between Subansiri and Brahmaputra River, famous for the Assamese Vaishnavite satras or monasteries, the Mishing tribals and also for the migratory birds that come here from different parts of the world. On arrival, check-in at the camp. Explore the Mishing villages and see and know about the culture and tradition of the Mishing people. Overnight at the camp. 

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Day 11 : Today visit the famous satras (monastery) of Majuli. These monasteries where set up by Srimanta Shankerdev, the founder of the Vaishnavite revivalism in the 16th century. These monasteries nurture the traditional dance of ‘Satriya’, (which is a national dance of India), music, and crafts such as mask making besides religious teachings. Overnight at the camp.

 

 Day 12 : After breakfast drive to Ziro (165 km/ 7 hours), a beautiful plateau and the headquarters of Lower Subansiri District. It is one of the oldest towns in Arunachal Pradesh. This beautiful hill station is located 1500 metres above sea level. The place has an imposing landscape of beautiful lush green forest, rivulets and elevated patches. It is famous for paddy-cum-pisciculture cultivation. The area is renowned for the terrace paddy fields where the unique system of poly-culture and water management is practiced.  On arrival, check-in at the hotel. Overnight at the hotel.

 

Day 13 : Today visit the Hija and Hong village in Ziro to see the lifestyle and culture of the Apatani people, one of the major tribe of the eastern Himalayas. The hallmark of the valley is judicious use of flat land for wet rice cultivation where fish is also reared.  The Apatanis are also known for the unique nose ring the ladies wear in their noses and their tattooed faces. Also visit the natural shivalinga here. Overnight at the hotel.

 

Day 14 : Today after breakfast, drive to Dibrugarh (265 km/ 7 hours) the main tea town of Upper Assam crossing over the longest rail cum road bridge in India. On arrival in Dibrugarh check in at hotel. Overnight at the hotel.

 

Day 15 : Morning after breakfast, drive to Digboi (2 hours), the Oil City of Assam where the first oil well in Asia was drilled during the colonial era. Asia’s first refinery was also started here as early as 1901. During the World War II this area was of strategic importance where many battles were fought. Visit the World War II cemetery in memory of the allied soldiers who lost their lives here. After that, visit the Oil museum (Monday closed). Thereafter drive to Ketatong in Margherita (45 mins). Visit the Singpho tribal village in Ketatong. Singphos are a tribe belonging to the Kachin race of Myanmar and are ethnically related to the Jingpo of China. The Singpho tribe is famous for their traditional methods of tea manufacturing and brewing. Their methods of making tea are kept secret within their community. It is said that the English learnt about tea from the Singpho tribe and introduced the beverage in India. Enjoy a traditional lunch in a Singpho villa. Drive back to Dibrugarh. Overnight at the hotel.

 

Day 16 : Early morning drive to Maguri beel ( 2 hours) to explore it in a country boat to see the different migratory and local birds that come here. Thereafter we will try to view the Hollock Gibbons at Barekuri village. Drive back to Dibrugarh. Farewell dinner. Overnight at the hotel.

 

Day 17 : After breakfast transfer to airport for your onward journey to Kolkata/ Delhi and onward International connection.