©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
Northeast States
Includes Why Go? Assam ...... 561 Thrown across the farthest reaches of India, obscured from Guwahati...... 561 the greater world by ageless forests and formidable moun- Kaziranga tain ranges, the Northeast States are one of Asia’s last great National Park . . . . 567 natural and anthropological sanctuaries. Sharing borders Arunachal Pradesh. . 572 with Bhutan, Tibet, Myanmar (Burma) and Bangladesh, these remote frontiers are a region of rugged beauty, and Nagaland...... 579 a collision zone of tribal cultures, climates, landscapes and Kohima...... 579 peoples. In this wonderland for adventurers, glacial Hima- Manipur...... 583 layan rivers spill onto Assam’s vast floodplains, faith moves Mizoram...... 584 mountains on the perilous pilgrimage to Tawang, rhinos Tripura...... 586 graze in Kaziranga’s swampy grasslands and former head- hunters slowly embrace modernity in their ancestral long- Agartala...... 586 houses in Nagaland. Meghalaya. . . . . 588 Of course, it’s not all smooth sailing in these faraway Shillong...... 588 states, and there’s a horde of obstacles to battle along the way (bad roads, poor infrastructure and rebel armies, to name a few). Only those with a taste for raw adventure need apply. Best Places to Eat ¨¨Paradise (p563) When to Go ¨¨Luxmi Kitchen (p584) Assam (Guwahati) ¨¨Moti Mahal (p571) °C/°F Te mp Rainfall inches/mm 40/104 32/800 ¨¨Maihang (p568) 24/600 ¨¨Trattoria (p591) 20/68
16/400
0/32 Best Places 8/200 -20/-4 0 to Sleep J FDM A M J J A S O N ¨¨Diphlu River Lodge (p568) Mar The best Oct A time for Dec Fierce Naga ¨¨Puroni Bheti (p569) season for dazzling Hima- warriors in ethnic rhino-spotting layan vistas and regalia assemble ¨¨Ri Kynjai (p591) in Kaziranga. trips to remote for Kohima’s spec- ¨¨Prabhakar Homestay outposts. tacular Hornbill (p563) Festival. #] :: :: :: k w m r a o k a s a a R P i u g 0
s h l z ) 0 n s s p M A a e e 2 a a a l A n #\ T P P i c d o M #\ g i m M ÷ # m t i n i 0 a a R N n i k 0 o N N 1 U n u R A b A B #\ Y ( #\ m :: : a M h D ::: #\ r n g a 5 5 5 o n t t : ::: g #\ a o h a i M u #\ h #\ g 5 5 e k h : r n G g g br D
i o t i u n s 5 5 5 i a N a :: :::: :: :: – # h m r D ) l M g a Y #\ h a c A a a 7 m n a P #\ r (p579) Visiting Visiting Kohima (p579) (p584) Lake Loktak m g i 3 k h ak #\ g L i :::::: :: i & t 7 t h e k t o a hi t #\ A 5 O u #\ R xploring the lake’s unique unique xploring the lake’s k s a o k g #\ 1 p a o T :: :: ::::::: :::::::::::: : : r G n o E and floating ecosystem islands. sculptures of gods amid the gods of sculptures wilderness. 7 6 cemetery and WWII cemetery a quaint Naga traditional sampling hospitality. U b 2 ak n e o h i i m
W
v K #\ #\ A i r
P i ; m o L a L
e M S l i i #\ I I : :: : ::
R t o
N N l u
A n
6
g m J N # ^ 7 u 9 p # #\ # ^
n u #\
a # : : ::: ::: : : :::: : :: :: :: 3 j A g #\ &
a o
B i a #\ n – # – # a M
a M : :::::::
g S #\ 0 0 w M o #\ k
r j – # m n h
a e i
t a rk
u t
s u r r o r a
h u # \ :: e : : ::: ::::::: e i
a r
a l v r
h #\
p #
o n i
a
W o r
i a P
e
o R
g l
#\ c ( B P k p g o a u l h 3 o h a B m : a e N L # i a l h n o p p R u M an h a 1 A a D M K t K M H r r i #\ # ^ ::::: :: # m k i r i i g na ro H ey A S a #\ m r a a e z o l i a n #\ l o C E S a R L h a i #] :: h Zi o az g D g l al #\ h A c D C K #\ O f n 6 K a #\ c at a l V 3 a N a A l Z :: :: :: n u & i r I
n
# N ^ N L o
R H U w
a
S r #\ a
e a
M
P r R
v a
p
i t i – #
g
i
R i
u l
I i z A t
l a
a i
a r p
:::: : e
ul o a – #
s f h N z B i l B g #\ A a h k l . ÷ # l l e i i #\ i n p s :::: : l i #\ a d y a T k u l m e a d r a a i r H r i n n e
u i w R
A t n n a (p592) (p592) Cherrapunjee (p588) Staring (p588) Staring Unakoti (p574) (p574) Valley Ziro a a
:::::: :::::: ::: :::::::::: r m ey a
a r l k W ) r o
U o r
i l P
u i R m i t i t o b a J t a
c w a a t b M t
#] # ^ m e #z U a B u :::::: : : al n l 5
K N #\ a a # \ a n a #\
in awe at massive rock-cut rock-cut at massive in awe Visiting scenic villages where where villages scenic Visiting about and learn meet can you tribe. Apatani the intriguing 4 5 3 Gazing down on the plains Gazing down a lofty from Bangladesh of escarpment. 6 i N h a r p S
# P or e a g l
a L 7 #\ V a I ) D N t a # + u
g i m k 1 h i #\
y J : ::: : : ::: ::: ::::::::: : n S # \
e R
p a a 4 m n n a g a
i S #\
l ( S o h e #\ g T
T
a L ob a
a a : : ::: :::: n B w 0 #\
r g p t P
d # ^ an 4 a B f r & a m u c a r U 4 #\ r o a i g : : : : :: : :::::: ::::::::: a t
# i a g G ee aw A t y D a n T i i B #\ A
m a T :::: # ^ #] o ( hra) g nj 2 r E h N l B U #\ # #\ n a o l u – # – # #\ I k #\ i M ::::::: :: #\ C a h # + B r S g A o g h R ( a m I a ap j H n 4 4 4 4 a r P a : S a l S
H a r T l u C S e
h H k a a err t S ::: :::: :::: ::: : : A a A i M n ÷ # h l h er p Y
o v a k E 7 i l s m i R :::: : C 3 A
u a a
a t n k r & A j e n
i h
L r a n e g o #\ D n B #\ Z i a pass before before a pass
i Me a S a
a ÷ #
:: :::: : : ::: : : v A t N a d r
o
4 4
4 4
P i k t A a #\ o i
a a
H M h
c N e R a N ::::::: o z A b s #_ L #\
p l
P
s
l u R a
r
A s
m l a K EG i um r n e G r a : : : : :::: :::: :: :::::::
a a
T t Y g a H
A M u
Y B
u D n T
B N 1 o Kaziranga National Kaziranga (p578) (p578) Valley Tawang
p : : : : :::::: a H U 3
r #\
& G #\
a a
A 4 4 4 4 4
4 4 D
H m : : : : : : :::: ::::::::::::
i G
h at the the clouds Touching L Se 4176m descending to the Tawang Tawang the to descending hot Buddhist Tibetan a Valley, spot. 2
1 Northeast States Highlights (p567) Roaming the Roaming (p567) Park in search grasslands expansive rhinos. of r
B
B a b
r : : : : : :
:::::: na River u u #\ B Jam
h : : :: ::::: :: ::: : : : : : ::: : :::::
States Highlights :::::::: : D tates
Northeast S
560 : ::::: ::::::
:::::: ::
4
4 4 4 4
:
:
:::::
: : ::::::::
:::: ::::::::
: ::::
:: 5
: 5
5 5
5 :
: : : 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 5 4 4 4 4 4 #\ :: #\ 5 # ^ #] #\ :: #\ #\ 5 #\ #\ #\ #\ # ^