TOUR OVERVIEW
If there is a part of India which is still not fully known to us, it is the North East. Nagaland, especially, feels like a land far far away in our imagination. Blessed with nature’s bounty, Nagaland is home to 16 major tribes and various subtribes. It is a land of folklore, dance and fierce historical battles, where the tribes still prefer living naturally. With the Hornbill Festival gaining worldwide popularity, this is the best time to be in Nagaland and experience their culture, dance, traditions and of course, the chilli eating competition.
The Big 5 of Kaziranga are a perfect start of the trip. The largest river island in the world, Majuli, will then welcome you with its rich flora and fauna, homespun crafts and a lunch with the monks. All in all, your curtain raiser to the wild wild East.
Read on. Really, please read till the end! We want you to completely understand what you are signing up for and ask as many questions as you can.
Day 1 - 01 Dec 2018
Arrive in Guwahati latest by 1PM. After a quick lunch, we start our journey to Kaziranga. We will try and reach in time for a visit to the Orchid Park. After an authentic Assamese dinner, we will call it an early night. Tomorrow, is an early day! Overnight at Kaziranga.
Day 2 - 02 Dec 2018
We get up early for the Elephant safari in the park. Visit the one-horned Rhinos in their natural habitat, up close. After breakfast, check out and visit the Orchid Park, if not done yesterday. Proceed to Majuli; with an area of 1250 sq. km, it is the largest river island in the world. We take a ferry from Jorhat and enter the surreal realm of the Brahmaputra. Mostly inhabited by Tribals, the culture of Majuli is unique and quite interesting. Check into your bamboo huts. Walk around the paddy fields and relax. If time permits, we will visit Tengapania for sunset. Overnight at Majuli.
Day 3 - 03 Dec 2018
Visit the various Satras or Vaishnava monasteries. The Vaishnava Satras were founded by Shankardeva, father of Assamese culture. The monks dance, perform dramas and meditate. Witness their performance and get to know more about their culture over lunch with them. Visit the Mishing village and understand how the tribe lives, weaves, fishes and survives the frequent floods. Witness the age old art of mask making at Sangri Satra. Overnight at Majuli.
Day 4 - 04 Dec 2018
Today is a long day. We check out after breakfast to catch the morning (7:30am) ferry to Jorhat and proceed to Kohima. Although the distance is less than 250 kms, the condition of roads will make it a long journey. The ride, however, is through verdant valleys and country side. Today is all about the journey. Reach Kohima late in the evening and relax. If you have the energy we can walk around the road to catch some festivities on the road. Overnight at Kohima.
Day 5 - 05 Dec 2018
Today, we will understand the history of Kohima and its ferocious Naga tribes. The British incursions into the Naga territory, beginning in the 1840s, met with stiff resistance from the independence-loving Nagas, who had never been conquered by any empire before. It took British 4 decades to conquer just a part of it. Learn about the Battle of Kohima, the turning point of Burma Campaign. Wonder why our history books didn’t mention it! Visit the War Memorial, Museum and Church to understand it all.
In the evening, visit the Kisama village grounds, venue for the Hornbill Festival. Get a taste of the Naga culture in this vibrant festival. Overnight at Kohima.
Day 6 - 06 Dec 2018
We spend the whole day today at the Hornbill festival and its associated carnival. The activities range from dance performances to craft demonstrations, shopping, car rally and chilli eating competition. Get a taste of Naga dishes. After the merrymaking during the day, the Night bazar in the main Kohima town is a nice place to spend some time. One can buy merchandise and eat a variety of food. Overnight at Kohima.
Day 7 - 07 Dec 2018
Check out and drive up to Dzuleke. The village gets its name from the river Dzuleke that, during its course, goes underground once it reaches the village. It is a unique place, not only for its flora and fauna but also because this hunting village has banned hunting to protect wildlife. Spend some time in this birder’s paradise and drive back to the tourist village of Khonoma. Inhabited by the Angami tribes, Khonoma has made some giant strides in ecological conservation and eco tourism. We stay today with the locals and get a guided tour of the village, understanding the ways of Angami tribe and their peaceful co-existence with nature.
Day 8 - 08 Dec 2018
Go for a guided birding tour at Khonoma Nature Conservation and Tragopan Sanctuary. The sanctuary was formed when the villages, voluntarily declared a part of their forest as a reserve, for conservation. Check out after breakfast and proceed to Dimapur. We keep the rest of the day to eat well and rest after a happening trip and, frankly, bad roads. Dinner at a beautiful tree house restaurant. Overnight at Dimapur.
Day 9 - 09 Dec 2018
After breakfast, fly out of Dimapur airport. Tour ends.
Inclusions
- Accommodation for 8N on double sharing basis.
- One way flight ticket from Dimapur to Kolkata
- All transportation in an AC Innova as per the itinerary. AC will be switched off in the hills.
Entry tickets to the museums, monuments and Hornbill Festival - Elephant Safari at Kaziranga on Day 2
- Govt. Ferry tickets Jorhat-Majuli-Jorhat
Inner line permit for Nagaland - Three major meals in a day with evening tea/coffee, starting from evening tea on Day 1 till breakfast on Day 9.
- 1 Cultural program
- Local guide through the Hornbill Festival
- Your F5 trip lead
- Tolls and Parking
Exclusions
- Food, snacks other than mentioned in inclusions.
- Alcohol
- Camera charges
- Activity charges other than mentioned
- Tips and personal expenses
- Medication
- Flights/Trains/Bus to reach Guwahati and to return from Dimapur
- 5% GST
Terms & Conditions
REFUNDS/CANCELLATION:
If cancelled 90 days or more in advance, cancellation fee is 12% of the trip amount.
- 25% of the trip cost if cancelled 89 – 60 days in advance.
- 50% of the trip cost if cancelled 59 to 16 days in advance.
- Last 15 days – no show – entire amount will be forfeited.
If you use our services to book flights, cancellation charges of the flights will apply.
Option of Deferred trip:
You have an option of parking the paid amount with us for a future trip, if you wish to cancel joining this trip 60 days or more in advance.
Following conditions apply:
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You need to choose the trip you would like to go with instead (the deferred trip) within 2 months of deciding to cancel.
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The travel start date of the deferred trip should be within 6 months from the day you decide to cancel.
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There can be only one such change and once you decide the deferred trip, the cancellation policy of that trip applies.
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You cannot choose a short trip (less than 5 days) as a deferred trip.
Disclaimer
- Our trips are Non-Alcoholic and Non-smoking. If you want to smoke, please step out of the room as a consideration for your roommate.
- All our trips are well-researched, including identifying access to medical facilities. In case of a medical emergency, F5 will assist the traveler in getting medical attention.
- F5 Escapes is in no way responsible for any untoward incident happening due to the ignorance/negligence of the guests, natural/man-made calamities, accidents or any other events that are out of human control during the trip.
- F5 reserves the right to cancel the trip under certain conditions – in such a case, the amount will be refunded in full.
Arrival & Departure timings
Arrival – Guwahati Airport – Arrive latest by 1PM on 1st December.
Departure – Your flight from Dimapur to Kolkata is included in the package and will land 14:10 on 9th December, Sunday. You can plan your return journey from Kolkata airport accordingly.
Weather
Nagaland and Assam will be pleasantly cold during December. You can expect maximum temperatures around 20 degrees and minimum around 10. Majuli, due to its proximity to the river, may be cooler in the night and foggy in the morning.
*Please note that now a days, climate/ weather is dependent on many factors and unpredictable hence above information might be subject to change during your actual travel days
Stay
Kaziranga – Your stays is a jungle lodge chosen for its proximity to the entrance gate.
Majuli – You will be staying in clean and comfortable bamboo cottages
Kohima- Your stay in Kohima is a family run homestay, conveniently located in the Kohima town to make access to the sightseeing and Hornbill festival easy.
Khonoma – Khonoma offers stay with the locals. The house will be simple and will have shared bathrooms. This slight inconvenience will surely be compensated by the experience of living the Naga way
Dimapur – A beautiful, family-run homestay near to the airport.
Foooood!
Authentic Assamese food at Kaziranga and Majuli. You will get options for Continental, Chinese and North Indian food in Kohima and there will be ample opportunities to try the local Naga fare, especially in the night market, at the Hornbill festival and at Khonoma village.
Please note that Naga cuisine is predominately non-vegetarian. So while we will ensure that vegetarian food is available, the variety and options will be limited.
Note > Prepare > Accept > Embrace
- Please read the itinerary thoroughly. Consider asking questions if needed. We do not promise what we cannot deliver and we like our guests to know what they are signing up for.
- There are very few flights out of Dimapur and as the dates inch closer, prices will go high up. Therefore, we are including the flight for Dimapur-Kolkata sector to keep a check on the prices. We didn’t include Dimapur-Guwahati flights because they are all via Kolkata anyway.
- Since we are spending two nights on an island of Brahmaputra, mosquitoes are inevitable. There will be protection in terms of nets or incense inside the bamboo huts, but please carry mosquito repellant with you for outdoors.
- Kohima becomes extremely crowded during Hornbill festival. You can expect longer travel timings
- Khonoma is a green village. The tourism community there promotes local homestays as a way of sustainable tourism. We are going to stay with the locals. Since the number of rooms are limited, we will be staying in two homestays (3 and 2 rooms respectively.) which are located nearby.
- The stays in Khonoma will have shared bathrooms. Since they are local houses, there is no concept of ensuite bathrooms. The bathrooms will have to be shared but the whole house will be for us. To gain that local Angami experience, this is a minor inconvenience. One of the houses has western toilet and another one has an Indian style toilet. Hot water is available.
- Considering the road situations, we will be travelling in two Innovas instead of a Tempo Traveller. Please cooperate with the trip lead in coordinating.
- The Hornbill Festival is becoming increasingly famous, internationally. Large number of tourists combined with the bad road conditions results in traffic jams. On days we are on road for long time (Mauli-Kohima and even Khonoma-Dimapur), lunches may get delayed. Please ensure that you carry your stash of snacks to munch on the way.
- This is East, so the sun rises early and sets early. We will start our day early to finish all that we planned.
‘F5 Escapes’ is a Bangalore-based, experiential travel company, with a focus on redefining the way women travel in India. The premise of F5 is an ambitious dream – to put India on the global travel map as a preferred destination for women from across the globe.
F5 Escapes offers fixed departure all-women group tours, customized itineraries for families, groups and solo travellers. We also do in-city engagements which include #JustGo travel meetups, workshops to educate women on travel safety, sustainable menstruation, motorbiking etc.