A Week in Meghalaya ( NorthEast India) - 7 Days

Not for all states. But, out of the 7 northeastern states, you will need permit for 3 of these states: Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Mizoram. This permit is called as Inner Line Permit (ILP). A permit can be obtained at any Arunachal Bhawan, Nagaland Bhawan, or Mizoram Bhawan, located outside of northaest. Major airports in northaest, like Guwahati international airport, have the facility of providing permits. The government of Arunachal Pradesh has also provided the facility of online application of Inner Line Permits. For foreign nationals, you will require another type of permit called as Protected Area Permit (PAP).

Yes. As per the local taxi associations’ laws of Tawang, vehicles outside of Tawang are not permitted to visit Bum La Pass and the adjacent areas. So, you will have to hire a local taxi for that day.

We usually keep this as optional (and don’t include the cost of the additional taxi in our package) as some guests choose to skip the sightseeing of Bum La. So, we let the guests decide, after reaching Tawang, and if they choose to go for it then we help them in arranging a local taxi in Tawang.

The most active airport and railway station nearest from Tawang are located in Guwahati, which is approximately 500 kilometers away from Tawang. Tezpur, a city approximately 300 kilometers away from Tawang, has also a lesser active airport and a railawy station. So, first of all, you will have to reach either Guwahati or Tezpur from Delhi. Then you will have cover the remaining distance by road through a hilly terrain.

Tawang is approximately 500 kilometers away from Guwahati.

The route comprises of smooth 4-lane highways, as well as imperfect single lane hilly roads. The roads that lie in Arunachal Pradesh are mostly in the the hilly terrains, and some parts are under construction. Due to the topographic challenges, it is very difficult to cover the stretch of 500 kilometers within a day. That is why we use transit points like Bomdila, Dirang, Nameri, Tezpur and Bhalukpong to make the journey from Guwahati to Tawang a relaxed and comfortable one

It will take at least 25 days to cover all seven states and cover the optimum sightseeing of thse places. Note that this optimum coverage doen’t include all of the places from every states, and rather it include the most popular places. To cover all of the tourist places, in each state, you will need more than 50 days.

To cover complete sightseeing of Arunachal Pradesh , you will need at least 30 days.

The Tawang region, with sightseeig of Bum La Pass and Zimithang, can be covered in 9 days. The Ziro and Mechuka region will take additional 8 days to cover (if you continue from Bhlukpong, after covering Tawang). The Anini region, through Mayodia Pass, will take additional 5 or 6 days to cover, if you continue from Pasighat (after covering Mechuka). If you wish to continue to Dong area through Tezu, it will take additional 5 days, from Pasighat. To cover the Namdapha and Tengapani area, it will take additonal 4 days, from Dibrugarh.

Note that these routes only include regular sightseeing. If you’re intrested in special activities like birding in Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary in Bomdila area, or exploring spiritual Buddhism in Tawang area, or interacting with tribal people from different parts, it will take additional time.

To cover safaris (and other activities) of the most popular national parks of Assam, you will need about 10 or 12 days. On addition to that, it takes about 2 or 3 days to complete the sightseeing of Majuli, the largest river island in the world. To cover each of the interesting places from Assam, from wildlife to culture and heritage, to tea landscapes, it will take about 20 days

To cover sightseeing of all of the beautiful places of Meghalaya, you will need about 10 days.

The weather throughout northeast differs from region to region. The topography of northeast region is very dynamic.

In winter it snows in certain high altitude parts of Tawang region and Mayodiya region of Arunachal Pradesh, while it is reasonably cold in the plains of Assam and Tripura. The hilly platues of Meghalaya also witness very cold during winter, however, snowfall is not recorded yet. The hilly areas of Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram also witness cold during winter.

During summer, on the other hand, it is quite hot in plains of Assam and Tripura. It is pleasant in Meghalaya, and the hilly areas of Nagaland, Manipur, and Mizoram. In Arunachal Pradesh, summer is not very prominent in the high altitude regions, but the low altitude regions witness a little hot weather.

To get exact idea about any place, please refer weather chart of that specific place.

From pure vegeterian to non-vegeterian foods, all sorts of food are available in Northeast India. Although the cuisine of certain places differs from the rest, there is no scarcity in menus offered by restaurants, in the tourist hotspots.

Assam celebrates Bihu during mid-April. Tawang, in Arunachal Pradesh, celebrates Tawang (Monpa) festival during the second week of October. Kohima, in Nagaland, celebrates Hornbill festival during second week of December.

Shillong and Kaziranga are the best destinations for your weekend tour in Northeast India.

For visiting Tawang during winter, you will need woolen clothes, jackets, gloves and shoes. For visiting Shillong, especially during summer, you will need an umbrella or raincoat.

Northeast India has a lot of popular trekking destinations. Each of these destinations offer a different experience. Here are some of the notable destinations for trekking:

Cherrapunji or Sohra: Located in Meghalaya, the primary trekking route in Cherrapunji is the Nongriat village area, where the double decker living root bridge is located. You can trek further upto the Rainbow Waterfalls, which falls on the same route of the living root bridge. The estimated average time to complete this trek is 5 hours. There is also a short trek of under 2 hours to the single decker root bridges of Umunoi and Umkar.

Mechuka: Mechuka is a valley in the Himalayan foothills, in Aruachal Pradesh, which mainly offers a panoramic view of the green valley by the side of the mountains, a beautiful river, and the local villages. The estimated trekking time for trekking in Mechuka valley is 6 hours.

Dzukou: Dzukou valley is situated in Nagaland, and is one of most popular destinations for camping in Northeast India. The valley offers a scenic beauty of vast grasslands, surrounded by ranges of green hills form all sides. Dzukou valley is not easily accessible through the roadways, and the only way to get there is by trekking and hiking through the hills for about 5 hours. You can, however, opt for helicopter services from Kohima. You can also camp in the valley for a night or two.

Eaglenest: Eaglenest is a wildlife sanctuary situated in the Himalayan foothill ranges, in Arunachal Pradesh. Not very far from Bomdila, it is very popular among birders across the world. The complete sightseeing (which is mainly birding) of this sanctuary can take up to 4 days. You can stay for the night in camps.

Kakochang or Kaipholangsho: Kakochang Waterfalls or Kaipholangsho Waterfalls is located in Karbi hills of Assam, nearby Kaziranga National Park. The trek and sightseeing of the waterfalls can be completed within 5 hours.

Here are some of the short trek destinations:

Mawlynnong: Situated in Meghalaya, Mawlynnong is famous for being the cleanest village in Asia. Similar to Cherrapunji, Mawlynnong also has a living root bridge which can be accessed by a short trek if about an hour or less.

Nameri: Nameri is a national park situated in Assam. It is more of a jungle walk than a trek. You can walk through the jungle in the morning, to spot birds and animals. The jungle walk takes about an hour or two.

Sangti (Dirang): Sangti valley is situated nearby Dirang valley in Arunachal Pradesh. The attraction of this place is the local village areas, and the vegetable and fruit gardens. It is more of a village walk than a trek.

Dong (Wallong): Wallong in Arunachal Pradesh is the easternmost district of India. Dong is a valley in Wallong, and is the easternmost village of India. Dong receives the first sunlight of India. People trek to valley to witness the first sunlight of India.

There is no spefic time of snowfall in Tawang region. As it is a natural phenomenon, it occurs randomly during winter. The amount and duration of snowfall may vary every year. The expected, however not guaranteed, time is in between December and February.

The best time to visit Tawang is in between September and May.

The best time to visit Shillong and Cherrapunji is in between June and January. Actually, you can visit Meghalaya throughout the year, but the waterfalls are best to witness during summer.

The best time to visit Kaziranga (and other national parks of Assam) is in between November and April. The national parks are officially open only during winter, usually from November through April.

Kaziranga national park (along with all other national parks of Assam) remains officially open from November through April.

The best time to visit Kamakhya temple is in the early morning. There are three entry queues for Kamakhya visit, and you can chose any one from the available options:
Regular entry: This queue starts at in the morning, and even if the gate closes at 1pm the queue still stands.
VIP entry: This requires a paid ticket and the entry is faster than regular entry.
‘Mukhadarshan’ entry: This queue is open all the time, and the fastest of the three queues, but the visit should be quick.

Definitely. You can ask our driver/guide, and they will take you to the respective restaurants of your choice.

Yes, unless states in the package file specifically, your vehicle is a dedicated one. You can stop anywhere en-route to have meals and/or snacks and/or photographs/sightseeing of any spots.

As of mid-2019, Airtel, Vodafone/Idea, and BSNL works fine in all of the northeastern states including Arunachal Pradesh. Reliance Jio works fine in all of the states, except in Arunachal Pradesh.