India Travel

Trains

Guwahati to: Calcutta (2-3 daily; 23-24hr); Chennai (6 weekly; 54hr); Delhi (4 daily; 28-41 hr); Dibrugarh (2 daily; 14-15r»rr); Dimapur (2 daily; 6hr); Jorhat (1 daily; 12hr); Mughalsarai (2-3 daily; 23-29 hrs); Mumbai (3 weekly; 43-46 hr). Jorhat to: Guwahati (1 dailly; 12 hours).

Buses

Agartala to; Guwahati (1 daily; 24hr); Neermahal (every 30min; 2hr); Shillorag (1 daily; 20tir); Silchar (2 daily; 11hr); Udaipur (every 15min; 2hr).

Aizawl to: Silchar (2 daily:; 12hr).

Guwahati to: Agartala (1 daily; 24hr); Imphal (1daily; 18hr); Itanagar (2 daily; 11 hr); Jorhat (12daily; 6-7hr); Kaziranga (12 daily; 4hr 30min);Kohima (1 daily; 12-14hr>; Shillong (12 daily;3-4hr); Silchar (2 daily; 13hr); Siliguri (3 daily;12hr);Tezpijr(12daily;4hr).

Imphal to: Dimapur (2 daily; 9hr); Guwahati (1daily; 18hr); Kohima (2 daily: 6hr).

Jorhat to: Dimapur (1 daiily; 3hr 30min); Guwahati(12 daily; 6-7hr); Tezpur (5 daily; 4hr); Tinsukia (6daily: 4hr30min).

Kohima to: Dimapur (10 daily; 3hr); Guwahati (1daily; 12-1411 r).

Shillong to: Agartala (1 daily; 24hr); Aizawl (3weekly; 22hr); Cherrapunjee (2 daiiy; 2hr);Guwahati (12 daily; 3-4hr); Silchar (2 daily; 11 hr);Tura(2daily;12hr).

Flights

Guwahati to: Agartala (3 weekly: 40min); Calcutta(2-3 daily; 1hr 10min); Delhi (3 daily; 2hr 25min):

Imphal (4 weekly; 50min). Imphal to: Calcutta (1-2 daily; 1-2hr); Delhi (2weekly; 3hr 50min); Jorhat (2 weekly; 40 mill);Silchar (3 weekly: 30min).

Jorhat to: Calcutta (4 weekly; 2hr 5min); Dimapur(2 weekly; 25min).

Aizawl to: Calcutta (3 weekly; 55 min); Imphal (3weekly; 30 min).

Agartala to: Calcutta (1-2 daily; 50min).

Dibrugarh to: Calcutta (4 weekly; 1hr 30 min).

Dimapur to: Calcutta (4 weekly; 1 hr 10 min).

DIMAPUR, the “city of the river people", 74km northwest of Kohima, is Nagaland s largest and most industrialized town - and the only one not located in hill country. It bears little resemblance or affinity to the rest of Nagaland and functions for visitors primarily as a gateway to the state. It’s a noisy polluted city and the mushroom-like monuments - fertility symbols dating back to the Kachari Kingdom - are the main point of interest, standing on the riverside edge of town.

The sole railhead in Nagaland, Dimapur, is served by trains to Simaluguri (for Sibsagar), Tinsuleia and Dibrugarh in Upper Assam. The best service for Guwahati is the daily overnight Kamrup Express #5960, which leaves at 10-35pm, arriving in. Guwahati at 6.30am, Buses run to Guwahati and towns throughout the nortlheastern hill states. State and private buses run to Kohima (3hr) from the Naga Land bus stand as do Tata Sumos (2hr-2hr 30min) from the main drag outside. Private buses to Jorhat, Guwahati and Itanagar leave from the Assam bus stand an Golaghat Road across the railway tracks. Dimapur’s airport, 6km out of town on the Kohima road, has four weekly flights to Calcutta and Guwaruati.

If you have to spemd the night here, accommodation options include the Tourist Lodge, next to the Nagaland bus stand; the Fantasy next door; Hotel Semi at the end of Golaghat Road and Hotel Tragopan near the overbridge.

The beautiful Angami village of KHONOMA, 20km northwest from Kohima, holds a special place in Naga history as the place where Angami warriors made their final stand against the British in 1879. Magnificent rice terracing surrounds the village, irrigated by a complex system of bamboo water pipes, and twenty different types of rice are grown here, each specifically suited to the elevation, soil and aspect of the terraces. A flight of steps, approached through a traditional carved gate, leads up to the highest point of the village from where excellent views take in the hills and the neighbouring villages of Mezoma and Secuma. Khonoma is divided into three khels -Merhumia, Semomia and Thevomia, which holds the Hiekha Khwehu (large meeting circle).

Over the densely forested ridge behind the village lies the scenic Dzoukou valley, part of the Khonoma Nature Conservation and Tragopan Sanctuary. Guides can be hired in Khonoma for the popular four-day trek to the heart of the sanctuary, which is graced with waterfalls and offers wonderful views. Public transport is limited to the daily village bus which leaves Kohima around 2pm below the Japfu hotel and returns to Kohima early the following morning but, as there are no hotels in Khonoma, hiring a taxi is the best way to make a day-trip there.

Most private buses from Imphal are through services to Dimapur and don’t go into the centre of town - ask the driver to drop you off on the main highway just below the Japfu hotel. State buses arrive and leave from the bus stand in the centre of town.

Taxis and minibuses are the main forms of public transport around the town although the central area is small enough to explore on foot. The tourist office (Mon-Fri 10am-4pm) is on the National Highway,below the japfu.

Kohima has few accommodation choices, though standards aren’t bad. Kohima’s showpiece hotel is the Japfu, on PR Hill at the top end of town, with spacious rooms and a restaurant. The popular Pine, on Phool Bari has decent doubles but no singles. The Valley View next to the bus station is friendly and helpful but fairly basic and the Capital, opposite, has rooms ranging from grim to good.

Naga food is fairly simple — rice, boiled vegetables, chicken and pork, with ginger and chilli the main spices. Chinese food is also widely available at the basic cafes on Main Bazaar and around Centre Point. Most restaurants and dhabas close at 5pm but if you want to eat a bit later, the Abu Hotel, a tiny Indian dhaba 100m from Centre Point on the road to upper town, stays open until 6pm.

Spread loosely over a saddle joining two large hills, Kohima forms a pass that played a strategic role during World War II. The highway from Imphal to Dimapur - the route along which the Japanese hoped to reach the plains of India - crosses the saddle at the foot of the Second World War Cemetery, which dominates the town. Its immaculate gardens stand as memorial to the Allies who died at this very spot during the three-month Battle of Kohima, which ended in April 1944 after claiming the lives of over 10,000 soldiers.

Below the cemetery in central Kohima, bustling markets sell local produce and a variety of colourful Naga shawls, bags, decorative spears and other handicrafts. Weaving is a traditional handicraft here and each Naga tribe has distinctive shawls such as the black, red and green of the local Angamis.

The large Angami settlement of Kohima Village is set on a high hill overlooking modern Kohima. Only a few of its buildings are traditional with pitched roof and crossed “house-horns” on the gable, but its tightly knit labyrinth of lanes and houses gives the village a definite Naga feel. Carved heads to signify family status, grain baskets in front of the houses, and troughs used to make rice beer are among the distinctive features. The grunts, squeals and other bodily effects from the myriad pigs - virtually every family keeps them - add to the bucolic atmosphere.

The fascinating State Museum (Mon-Sat 9.30am-2.30pm, closed every 2nd Sat; Rsl) in Bayavu Hill Colony, a pleasant twenty-minute walk from Centre Point, houses an excellent collection of Naga jewellery, dominated by yellow, red and dark-blue beads, and figures displaying costumes of the various Naga tribes. Upstairs is a small modern art gallery. The museum grounds include a couple of huts, an impressive gateway and a huge log drum, traditionally used in religious rites, during festivals and for sending messages across the hills.

Founded by the British in the nineteenth century. KOHIMA, the capital of Nagaland, was built alongside the large Angami village of Kohima, solely for administrative purposes. The town continues in this role - for a more intimate glimpse of traditional Naga life you’ll need to wander up to the old village, or visit Khonoma. 20km beyond Kohima, the Nagas’ once impregnable stronghold, sacked by the British in 1879 and again by the Indian army in 1956. Jakhema, a few kilometres south on the road to Manipur, with terraced fields surrounding the village, is also worth visiting for its traditional feel.

On the border with Myanmar, south of Arunachal Pradesh and east of Assam, NAGALAND is physically and conceptually at the very extremity of the subcontinent. Many of its hills and valleys, home to the fiercely independent Nagas, were uncharted until recently, and the eastern regions remain far beyond the reach of the skeletal road network, despite the fact that the forested’ mountains rarely exceed 3000m in height. Today this remains the most politically sensitive of the northeastern hill states. The two factions of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) are locked in battle for independence against the Indian army and often against each other as well. The capital Kohima is safe, but shuts down at sunset, after which it is eerily silent. A progressive tourism policy has recently eased permit restrictions and opened up the regional capitals of Mokokchung and Phek.

When the British arrived in neighbouring Assam they initially chose to leave the fierce warrior tribes of Nagaland well alone. After continued Naga raids on Assamese villages, the British, in their commitment to protecting colonial subjects, sought to push the Nagas back into the hills, sparking a series of battles during the mid-nineteenth century. The Angami warriors defeated the British twice, but were finally defeated in 1879 by the numbers and superior technology of the British. A truce was declared with the British agreeing not to penetrate beyond certain boundaries within Nagaland. A commissioner stationed in Khonoma toured the territories collecting taxes, sorting disputes, and came to hold a certain authority among the various tribes. The Nagas remained loyal to the British, joining the fight against the Japanese invaders during World War II. At the time of Indian Independence, the Nagas pleaded with the British to grant them an independent homeland, but instead found their homeland divided into two with the larger area falling to Burma. After Independence, Gandhi asked the Nagas to remain within the new-found union for ten years promising them choice of destiny thereafter. Gandhi was assassinated, his promise never fulfilled, and fifty years on the Nagas are still fighting for a homeland they believe is their inherent right.

The picturesque hill station of Hapoli (formerly Ziro), 1780m above sea level on the Apatani plateau, is 150km north of Itanagar. Although riiere is little to see in the town itself, there’s lively activity in the market area. There arc several villages dotted around the plateau, some of which are within walking distance. Old Ziro is a scenic seven-kilometre walk from the centre of Hapoli, or you can take one of the half-hourly buses. Accommodation is available in Hapoli at the pleasant Arunachal Guest House, a couple of minutes above the main road behind the army barracks and administration offices; the Jumalkari on the main road; and the Hotel Blue Pine, at the Pai Gate turning on the edge of town on the right - the only place with hot showers, but 2km from the town centre. Tata Sumo services run to Itanagar, Daporijo, Along and Pasighat, and can be booked in advance with any of the agents on the main road.

To the north and east, Along and Pasighat, the district headquarters ofWest and East Siang respectively, offer trekking and angling and can be reached from Itanagar, North Lakhimpur, or from Dibrugarh via ferry to Giramghat. Accommodation in both is available at the local Circuit House. Pasighat also has a handful of private hotels and the option of a visit to the Dr D Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary, home to buffalo, tiger, deer and a variety of bird life.

In eastern Arunachal, the remote valleys of the Dibang and Lohit rivers, inhabited by tribes such as the Mishmis, descend from snow-covered passes through subtropical forests to the plains of the Brahmaputra. The sacred Hindu site of Parasuramkund, on the banks of the River Lohit, is mentioned in the Kalika Purana as the place where Parasuram washed away his act of matricide. Thousands of pilgrims make the arduous journey here on Makar Sankranti (mid-Jan), the most auspicious day of the year to take a dip as it’s said to wash away all negative karma accumulated in this lifetime. The nearest town, Tezu, acts as the gateway to the site, with accommodation available at the Circuit House and Inspection Bungalow. The nearest railhead is at Tinsukia, 120km to the southwest.

Namdapha National Park (Oct-April) is unique for its massive range of altitude (200—4500m). Close to the Myanmar border, it is home to tigers, leopards (clouded and snow), as well as red pandas. The park headquarters are at Miao, where a Tourist Lodge provides transport. Accommodation is also available at the Forest Inspection Bungalow. Buses to and from Miao pass through Margherita, 64km southwest, and Tinsukia, 40km further on. Tinsukia has three daily trains to Guwahati all via Dimapur (7hr) and Lumding (9-10hr 30min). From Dibrugarh, 47km beyond Tinsukia, daily flights serve Delhi and Guwahati with Sahara Airlines, and Calcutta (4 weekly) with Indian Airlines. Daily trains run to Guwahati including the #5960 Howrah Kamrup Express which terminates in Calcutta and the #4055 Brahmaputra Mail which goes to Delhi.

Independent travellers should register at the foreigners’ registration office, above and behind the state bus stand. Arunachal State Transport run buses to Bomdila and there are also private buses, but the daily Tata Sumo services arc by far the best mode of transport if you’re willing to pay the extra rupees. Book in advance from ticket agents in the bus stand square.

The few restaurants in town offer basic Tibetan food - momos (meat or veg dumplings), thukpa (thick noodle soup) - and simple Indian dishes- The Masaang Norling restaurant opposite the Masaang hotel bakes delicious Tibetan bread with home-churned butter and also sells Meakins 10,000 - a super-strong lager brewed in Uttar Pradesh and available only in Arunachal. There are a couple of decent mid-range hotels, which are mostly basic yet clean. As the sun sets the temperature here plummets; shops and restaurants close at around 5pm.

Arunachal Tourist Lodge, above the main market road, halfway along. The most comfortable and spacious hotel in town with rooms ranging from basic to large with running hot water.

Drema, Fairly basic, but with the luxury of hot water.

Gori Chen, overlooking the large Tibetan arch on the main road. Impressive exterior, but fairly basic inside, with double and triple rooms.

Masaang, 200m from the bus stand. Basic, but clean and friendly place, with attached bathrooms.

Paradise, just before the large arch on the main market road. Large, en-suite rooms with sofas, TV and hot water by the bucket.

Shangri La, next door to the Masaang. Clean and basic rooms with bathrooms attached.

Another 180km east from Bomdila along mountainous switchback road, and cut off from the rest of Arunachal by a high ridge breached by the dramatic Sela Pass, the great Buddhist monastery of Tawang, the largest in India, dominates the land of the Monpas. Perched at around 3500m, it looks out onto a semicircle of peaks, snowcapped for much of the year, and seemingly close enough to touch. Tawang feels very much like the end-of-the-road place that it is and there are few luxuries to be enjoyed here.

The monastery is a couple of kilometres beyond the town. It was established in the seventeenth century when this area was part of Greater Tibet, and was the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama. The magnificent fortress-like complex houses around 500 monks in 65 residential buildings, and is renowned for its collection of manuscripts and thangkas, the main shrine room is richly decorated and houses several statues including a beautiful 1001-armed Chenresig (or Avalokitesvara).Two am gompas (nunneries) are visible from the main gate, clinging to the steep mountain slopes in the distance. They can be reached by foot in a couple of hours or by vehicle from the centre of town. Beyond Tawang and very close to the border of Tibet lies the lake district of Bangachangsa. Dotted with pristine high-altitude lakes, small gompas and Guru Rinpoche caves, it is sacred to Tibetan Buddhists and also to Sikhs - Guru Nanak visited the region twice, hence the small Sikh gurudwam. There is no public transport but Jeep taxis are available for the journey.