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Northeast States

Includes  Why Go? ...... 561 Thrown across the farthest reaches of , obscured from ...... 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 . . 572 with Bhutan, Tibet, Myanmar (Burma) and , these remote frontiers are a region of rugged beauty, and ...... 579 a collision zone of tribal cultures, climates, landscapes and ...... 579 peoples. In this wonderland for adventurers, glacial Hima- ...... 583 layan rivers spill onto Assam’s vast floodplains, faith moves ...... 584 mountains on the perilous pilgrimage to Tawang, rhinos ...... 586 graze in Kaziranga’s swampy grasslands and former head- hunters slowly embrace modernity in their ancestral long- Agartala...... 586 houses in Nagaland. . . . . . 588 Of course, it’s not all smooth sailing in these faraway ...... 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

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