North East of India
-Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Assam-
17 Days Tour in the tribal North East of India
Starting from € 1, 520 per person
6 people max
17 days
Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Assam
Besides the majestic beauty of the Taj Mahal, the intense sacrality of Varanasi relaxed Kerala and laid back Goa there is much more India. Eastern then Calcutta, surrounded by Tibet, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar there is the ‘other’ India. The Seven Sisters are connected to the subcontinent via a narrow corridor held between Nepal and Bangladesh.
Mass tourism hasn’t arrived there yet, broadband Internet, coffee shops and hostels are still very far away. Traveling around the remotest, most authentic, may be challenging and truly unique part of India is a real adventure.
Guwahati is the gate to the North East, the perfect base to plan, catch a train (only to go as far Assam), a 10 people ‘Sumo car’ (the best, easiest, tightest, in the majority of cases the only way to move around) or a long long long night bus. Say bye to the wi-fi, a machine-made coffee and that chaotic, colourful, noisy atmosphere of Indian city you might already know.
Why this Tour
The Seven Sisters haven't experienced mass tourism yet. Arunachal Pradesh especially it is a remote, still secluded area where only a few travelers go. Thanks to this the environment, culture, attitude of locals, etc haven't be spoiled yet by the tourism industry.
Travel around it is not always easy but this is also what makes a trip to this regions a real, unique adventure.
This area of India is way less populated and offers a lot of opportunities to spend time outdoors. Villages and towns are normally less crowded. Mountains, fields, and open areas allow us to move around and being in more isolated, less crowded places where we can better follow Covid restrictions.
We will catch trains where it is possible and travel by private cars which will gift of the best freedom possible, allowing us to move at our own pace and having a small impact on the environment and local people.
A small group will allow us to do this and much more in an easy and low impact way on local people and the environment.
We will not try to squeeze in as much as we can but we will allow time to slow down, immerse ourselves as much as we can in the place and its past and present, we will take opportunities when they come and change plans when it is needed.
We will go with the flow but without skipping the main sightseeing places.
Also check the other tours in this area:
I designed this tour with responsible tourism in mind. This is why we will…
Stay in family-run guesthouses and homestay
eat at family houses and traditional, local cafes
buy local products and artifacts from local masters after meeting them
use local transports where it is possible in order to reduce our emissions
Spend time with different local guides
Use filtering bottles and reusable dishes in order to reduce our waste
Highlights
We will travel slowly mostly by private cars through some of the most scenic roads n the world, we will pass by villages, chaotic buzzing cities, rice fields, and tea plantations, majestic rivers and we will admire the lush hills at the foothills of the Himalayas.
We will explore and spend days in rural areas and villages, trekking through valleys and hills from one village to the next, getting to know the traditions and cultures kept intact from modernity. We will meet, interact, learn with and from local families and communities. We will sleep in their houses, eat and cook with them. We will get closer and meet masters of arts almost forgotten in the rest of the world.
We will travel and explore in an ethical, responsible way, having as little impact as we can on environments and local communities. We will grab opportunities when they come, change plans when needed and immerse ourselves as much as we can in fascinating, intriguing, happy, colorful, diverse, deeply cultural puzzles of cultures, traditions, tribes, and stories.
Some of the included highlights:
attend local festivals and celebrations
driving to the very last town before the Indo- Tibetan border
Stay in local homestays and live with the local families
trek to Nongriat and see the living root bridges of Meghalaya
Use long-distance local trains
explore Majuli, the biggest river island on the sacred Brahmaputra river by bikes
Where are we going on this trip
Arunachal Pradesh
The most Northeastern state of India has been a contested land with China for a long time. Nowadays is easy and safe to travel around this diverse and unique state. From the lush hills at the border with Assam to the snowy, barren valleys at the border of Tibet, land of the Monpa people. There are 26 main tribes and 110 subtribes in the borders of the state gifting Arunachal a unique cultural diversity.
Meghalaya
Meghalaya means ‘Abode of the clouds’. The state wherein the depth of canyons alive roots create bridges, where the tribes f Khasi and Garo have been living for centuries protecting and valuing nature and making it now the greenest state of Asia.
Assam
Known for its tea and lush fields, for its rich fauna diversity, unique Assamese culture is the backbone of this corner of India. Here runs the only train line of the North East and the Brhapautra, one of the largest, most sacred river of Asia where the biggest river island will host us for sometime.
Scroll at the end of the page for the Day-by-day Itinerary
Tour cost and what’s included
The cost of the tour varies depending on the number of participants.
It starts from € 1520 (per person) in a six people group.
The Tour cost includes:
15 Breakfasts, 10 Dinners
2-night-trains and local transport in the cities where included
private cars with local drivers (3-4 pp per car)
Local guides
Entrances to monuments/ museums/ activities when included
2 nights on the train
14 nights in homestays or local family run b&b
Tour leader 24/24 with the group
The following aren’t included:
Flight tickets
Personal travel insurance (required)
Not-included meals
Entrances and activities not mentioned in the itinerary
Souvenirs
Airport transfers
Tipping kitty to collect at the start of the trip
This trip is perfect for you if…
you like adventures! If you like to discover remote places, if you are attracted by locations where fewer people go.
If you like to travel off the beaten track and you are ok with staying away from luxury and comfort for some time.
If you love mountains and nature, if you are curious about the less known India. If you like to learn and you are comfortable driving long hours on challenging and extremely scenic roads. If you are ready to know what it feels like being on the foothills of the Himalaya and get close to culture and traditions extremely different from each others.
This trip is perfect if you love to fully experience the diversity of a place with its highs and its lows if you like to meet people with different (and similar) backgrounds, religions, traditions, points of view. If you like to try different food, learn about ancient history, and travel in unique environments and landscapes.
It is your perfect trip if you love exploring a place slowly, using public transportation, if you prefer the quality over the quantity if you are ok skipping something that might be on a ‘must-see list’, if you are flexible and you are ok dealing with a possible change of plans, embracing opportunities to take or any other issue/ problem it might arise when traveling overland.
You will fully enjoy the trip if you are ok dealing with cold weather sometimes if you are happy to trek in the hills. If you don’t mind some very early start and if you embrace an ethical, sustainable and responsible way of traveling and interacting with locals and the environment.
Prepare yourself, what to expect
Accommodations
We travel responsibly, because of this we choose small, family-run guesthouses, homestays, etc. Many accommodations are basic but comfy, cozy, with all we need. You might need to share the rooms with the others in the group. Hot water is not always available and modern commodities such as washing machines, hitting systems etc very rare.
Connectivity
In the main towns, wi-fi will be available, when though quite slow and but very reliable. In many areas and villages, only mobile signal is available (and also not all carriers)
Hygiene standards
In local private houses and families-home, the hygiene standard is good and places clean, in public places, along the road toilets are very basic, drop and squatting style.
Moving
Only the state of Assam offers some train lines. We will mostly use private cars with local English-speaking drivers. Arunachal Pradesh is known for its very scenic and bumpy roads!
Laundry
In most places, washing machines won’t be available. We suggest hand-washing some small items where it is possible.
Locals
In this part of India, locals are not used to seeing as many visitors as in other places. In rural areas, locals might appear shy but extremely open and friendly after getting to know them. As guests, our hosts will make us feel at home everywhere and you will be treated as never before. You will be a guest and proudly will be shown around, thought about the life, culture, and art. Still remember you are a visitor and a lot of things work in a different way than your home country, be patient, open-minded and appreciate all that we will be given.
When is the best time to go?
The Months between December and March are definitely the best time to go to this part of the Northeast of India. This is when all the major local festivals will be taken place. With their hundreds of different tribes, these states can gift incredible local experiences thanks to the local religious, traditional festivals, and festivity. For those is useful to check the lunar calendar.
The Sonam Losar is the Buddhist Tibetan new year and the main celebration of the Monpa people in Menchuka, it is definitely the best time to visit the village and be actively part of the celebration.
The temperature in Arunachal will be cool in winter, pleasant during the day, and cold at night. Assam and Meghalaya will be warm and sometimes hot during the day and cooler at night.
Day by day Itinerary
Day 1
Welcome meeting in Guwhati with Ali and the rest of the group before going to try some Assamese cuisine
Day 2
First full day in Guwhati. We will start our day very early to head to the Kamakhya temple, one of the sacred and oldest pilgrimage destinations in Saktism, the goddess-focused Hindu tradition. We will explore the busy gate of the Northeast with our local guide by foot and public transport
Inclusions: B, LG all-day, Entrance to the temple and public transport
Day 3
We drive to the neighbouring state of Meghalaya, the adobe of the sky. We will drive for approx 200 km to reach Sohra, the wettest place on earth and witness some of the most scenic landscapes of the trip. Inclusions: B, D, private car all day,
Day 4
Today we adventure in the heart of the jungle, hiking down and then up again the canyon below Sohra on 7000 steps!! We will reach Nongriat the Khasi village famous for its living root bridges, turquoise freshwater lakes, hospital locals and unique peace.
Inclusions: B, D, LG full day
Day 5
We will spend the first half of the day in Cherrapunji with our local guide to get to know more about the Khasi people, their lives, traditions and matrilineal culture. After lunch, we will drive to Shillong on the way North stopping for the night in the capital of Meghalaya.
Inclusions: B, LG half-day, private car
Day 6
Time to rest a little in Shillong. Our local guide will be with us for the full day. We will have a late start and explore the city slowly, stopping by local markets, cafes, culture sightseeing and soaking up the life of Khasi people from a city point of view.
Inclusions: B, Entrances to cultural sights, LG Full day, public transport
Day 7
Back on the road to reach Guwhati and board on our first night train to Dibrugarh to reach the very East corner of India.
Inclusions: B, private car, night train
Day 8
We arrive in the chaotic town of Dibrugarh in the morning and we jump on our cars to drive up to Arunachal Pradesh, driving along the majestic Brahmaputra river and finally meets the foothills of the Himalaya. Our destination is the small town of Aalo, the capital of the Galo people, our homestay is on the outskirts of the town surrounded by fields, hills covered in orange trees and flowers.
Inclusions: D, private car
Day 9
Aloo is the perfect place to soak into the local culture, environment and traditions. Our hosts will guide us around places, knowledge, tastes and colours and show us with pride the unicity of the tribe who has been living here for centuries. We will interact with the locals, be part of the local food preparation and attend the local festivals/festivities if in season.
Inclusions: B, D, LG full-day, private car
Day 10
Another highlight of the trip will be approached today. We will be driving to Menchuka, the last reachable village vìbefore the Tibetan border. It is going to be a long day drive through one of the most scenic and remote roads we can dream of. It is going to be bumpy but the views and the experience along the way will be absolutely unique.
Inclusions: B, D, Private car
Day 11- 12
The land of the Monpa people is wort to be visited, explore and get to know slowly, that’s why we will spend two full days here. The place is remote, the phone signal almost absent, the mountains around us stunning, the people lovely, the food rich and healthy and the culture unique and fascinating. Our local guide will stay the whole time with us and we walk around centuries-old villages along the ancient Te route to China, visiting old Buddhist monasteries, meeting the locals, spending time with them and learning from day to day life.
Inclusions: B, D, LG full-day, Private car when needed and entrances
Day 13
Today we say Bye to the Monpa community ad Menchuka and we drive back to Aloo, back to our homestay for the night.
Inclusions: B, D, Private car
Day 14
We slowly go down to the Assamese Tea plains and we reach Majuli the biggest river island in the world.
Inclusions: B, D, Private car
Day 15
Another stop, and a different tribe to meet and learn from. This is the home of the Mising (Miri) people, they speak a Tani language from the branch of Sino-Tibetan languages. They worship the Sun and Moon-god (Donyi Polo) following the animist and shamanic traditions. Today we cycle around the villages on bikes with our local guide. Cars are not allowed in Majuli and we will be able to get, again, into the local life and traditions, stopping by artisans workshops, farms and local schools.
Inclusions: B, D LG full-day
Day 16
We leave the peaceful island of Majuli to drive back North to Jorhat. On the way, we will stop for a walk in the Molai forest before heading to the train station and board od the night train which will take us back to Guwhati.
Inclusions: B, private car, night train
Day 17
We are back where we started. Today is our final day today. We will chill in the city before having ur last meal and say goodbye!
Inclusions: last accomodation night and next morning B is included
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