Tribes & Customs of Remote India

Arrival in Delhi or Kolkata

Fly to Guwahati in Assam, on the banks of Brahmaputra River. Guwahati is known as the birth place of the love deity, Kama. Visit Kamakhya Temple.

Cross Brahmaputra River and enter Arunachal Pradesh, the most remote state of India. Drive to picturesque Bhalukpong. Walk along Kameng River.

Drive to Itanagar, capital city of Arunachal. Wander around Ganga Lake near forests of bamboos and orchids. Evening stroll around local markets.

Morning visit Ita Fort in Itanagar, dating back to Ahom Kings. Drive to Ziro (elevation: 1,700 m / 5,600 ft), a plateau inhabited by Apa-Tanis tribes.

The region is inhabited by semi-nomadic and resident tribes, some of them followers of animist cults based on worship of Donyi-Polo (Sun-Moon). Visit the village of Kardo where a Shivling is worshipped as a symbol of Lord Shiva.

Drive down to Daporijo and visit villages of Tagin, Galo and Himiri tribes.

Drive to Along and visit nearby villages of Adi Galong tribes. Later visit Paya and Kabu villages, en route stopping to observe an interesting Bamboo bridge.

Drive accross tribal villages such as Komsing and Boleng. Proceed to Pasighat located on the bank of Siang River. The city stands near the confluence point of Siang, Dihang and Lohit Rivers which together become the great Brahmaputra river.

Early morning transfer to the jetty to board a ferry boat. Cruise over the Brahmaputra downstream up to Dibrugarh in Assam, a major centre for tea and silk production. Check in a British tea estate and wander in the plantation.

Excursion to Namphake, a village located near Buri-Dihing and home to the Tai Phakial community, which hailed from Thailand and follows the Hinayana school of Buddhism (contrary to most Indian and Tibetan Buddhists). On the way back to your chalet, visit Shiva Tilinga Mandir (Bell Temple).

Proceed to Mon in the heart of Nagaland. The Nagas clans fiercely fought against British occupation. They used to live on hunting rather than farming, traditions which they celebrate every year in December during Hornbill festival.

Take a trip to Longwa which stands out as a unique cross-border village at the Indo-Burma border. The Konyak Naga inhabitants live under the rule of a single chief, called the Angh. Drive back to Mon via Shangyu Village.

Drive back to Assam and discover the ancient capital cities of the Ahom kingdom: Sibsagar and Jorhat. Visit Shiva Temple and Talathal Ghar Palace in Sibsagar.

Drive to Kaziranga and check in a Jungle Lodge. Kaziranga National Park features three kinds of interconnected habitats, untouched by man: wetlands, grasslands and woodlands. It is home to the endangered one-horn rhino as weel as tigers, elephants, birds, buffalos, panthers, snakes, turtles and numerous migratory birds.

Early morning leave for a memorable elephant ride in the Jungle. After breakfast walk in nearby villages or in the jungle. Then take a rest. Afternoon take a jeep ride into the Jungle again.

Drive back to Guwahati Airport and connect a flight to your onward destination.