Travel like a Local

Our 1-Day Sightseeing Tours focus on exploring Northeast India in a way that you might have never done before. Our idea is to connect locals with a flair for their place with travellers, who are eager to explore a destination beyond the tourist trail.

For this day-tour, you have the choice between :

• Guwahati, Assam
• Kaziranga NP, Assam
• Shillong, Meghalaya
• Majuli, Assam
• Kohima, Nagaland
• Bomdila, Arunachal Pradesh
• Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh
• Dirang, Arunachal Pradesh
• Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh

Guwahati, Assam

Guwahati has been hovering a tad below the radar as a destination of choice, which is surprising because it sits on a cultural and spiritual epicentre and is fast emerging as a world-class city. A silent witness to some epic moments in history stretching back to the days of the Mahabharata, it was in this city where the winning march of the seeming to be invincible Mughals came to a grinding halt.

Giving the city its majestic charm, is the river Brahmaputra, which flows through its heart and which is intrinsically linked to its destiny. Add to it the gigantic Himalayan ranges and what you get is a tourist's paradise, a city that could be the answer to your spiritual quest.

08:30 Meet your guide for briefing on the itinerary for the day.

09:00 Visit Maa Kamakhya Temple, one of the prime centres of Hindu deity worship.

12:00 Lunch in a traditional restaurant that brings together various tribal sub-cuisines.

14:00 Drive to Sualkuchi, often referred to as the “Manchester of the East” situated on the north bank of the Brahmaputra about 35 Km from Guwahati. It is the textile centre of Assam and renowned for its quality of muga, pat and eri silks where 20 000 weavers are engaged with this occupation bringing forth pride to the North East India.

17:00 Enjoy a sunset cruise on the Brahmaputra River also called Yarlung Zanbo. It enters Indian Territory through Himalayan gorges into the state of Arunachal Pradesh. It acquires the name Dihang here. You can also access Umananda Island also called Peacock Island, smallest inhabited island in the world. TOUR ENDS

Kaziranga NP, Assam

Lying across the mighty Brahmaputra River and covering an area of 430 Km², Kaziranga National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. The one-horned Indian rhinoceros that roamed the north Indian plains in the wetlands of the Indus, Ganges and the Brahmaputra centuries ago now survives only in the north-eastern Assam and in the neighbouring Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh.

08:30 Meet your guide after breakfast for briefing on the itinerary for the day.

09:00 Enjoy a Jeep Safari in Kaziranga NP.

12:00 Enjoy the ethnic cuisine in Natundenga, a Karbi village adjoining Kaziranga National Park. Get a glimpse into the homes and lives of the tribal peoples who inhabit this rich land.

15:00 Enjoy the exclusive Jeep safari in the western (Bagori) range of Kaziranga.

17:00 Get onboard and sail on the Mighty Brahmaputra to experience the unparalleled scenic beauty and the many avian species that thrive along its course. Enjoy a picnic lunch on the beach or be partaking in a game of Frisbee or beach cricket.

19:00 Celebrate the simple joys of life with an exuberant dance performance followed by a bonfire and sumptuous barbecue dinner. TOUR ENDS

Shillong, Meghalaya

When a tiny hill station of only 65 Km² of land area enjoys sobriquets like Scotland of the East, abode of cloud and the Rock Capital of India, you know that the place is special, very special! Shillong is a one of its kind place where the modern romances the ancient to the background score of many a gifted singer and musician!

The former British capital of undivided Assam, Shillong has to be on your priority list if you are planning to relish the unparalleled northeast region of India. Once you land in Shillong, you are most likely to realize that 24 hours is not sufficient to enjoy all that this picturesque town has to offer!

08:30 Meet your guide for briefing on the itinerary for the day.

09:00 Explore Bara Bazaar. This market is one of the busiest shopping areas of Shillong with a heritage that can be traced back to the 19th century. The market has expanded and grown over the years to be a Pandora's Box for the visitor who wants to stock up on local products.

12:00 Lunch in Laitumkhrah, Shillong's educational district.

14:00 Drive to Shillong Peak which stands at a whopping 2000 m above sea level. Local legend has it that the peak is the abode of the deity Shyllong, from whose name Shillong is derived.

14:30 Proceed to Mawphlang Sacred Forest, about 25 Km from Shillong. The sacred grove has an amazing life form of plants, flowering trees, orchids and butterflies.Next door has beed created a traditional village showcasing the different traditional houses of Meghalaya.

16:30 Cruise on Umiam Lake for sunset. TOUR ENDS

Majuli, Asssam

Majuli literally means ‘land between two parallel rivers’ and so it was many centuries ago, lying between the rivers Brahmaputra to the north and Burhidihing in the south. Several earthquakes, changes in the course of the rivers and severe erosion have today left Majuli with a meagre 420 Km² of area, down from 1,250 Km² that it once covered. Majuli is now the 2nd largest fresh water river island in the world and a treasure island of culture snuggles in the bosom of the mighty Brahmaputra.

08:30 Meet your guide for briefing on the itinerary for the day.

09:00 Discover the Kamalabari Satra, founded by Bedulapadma Ata. It is a centre of art, cultural, literature and classical studies on the island. Its branch the Uttar Kamalabari Satra has performed cultural programmes of the Satria Art all around the country and abroad.

11:00 Visit of a Mising Village. A walk through any village will give you a glimpse of the daily life on the island – agriculture, fishing and dairy farming are the main industries.

12:00 Traditional lunch in a bamboo hut.

14:00 Head to Samaguri Satra to visit the mask museum.

15:00 At the Auni Ati satra (5 Km west of Kamalabari), monks are keen to show you their little museum of Ahom royal artefacts.

16:30 Discover the traditional skills of the island artisans (boat making, wood carving, weaving, pottery…) TOUR ENDS.

Kohima, Nagaland

Located at 1200 m above sea level, Kohima is the state capital and home to the Angami Naga tribe. The name Kohima is derived from the Kewhi flower found here. Apart from the exotic flora and fauna, one can experience fragments of history scattered across Kohima. It was during the Battle of Kohima in World War-II, the Japanese lost to the British for the first time in the Asian war theatre.

08:30 Meet your guide for briefing on the itinerary for the day.

09:00 Explore Kohima’s legendary Supermarket or Keeda Bazaar (Insect Market), though the live creepy-crawly action is surely not for the faint-hearted. Eels swirl around in tubs, frogs jump about in plastic bags, little wasps hatch in hives, pink woodworms pinched and held at end of a split twig wriggle like garlands while Naga ladies chewing betel leaf nonchalantly flip escaping silkworm larvae and fat grubs back on their leaf plates. Unfortunately, there are no eateries around selling readymade insect fare as locals buy them fresh and prepare it at home.

10:00 Visit Mary Help of Christians Cathedral, considered as one of the biggest churches in the north-east region of India and is one of its kinds in the entire Kohima. In 1948, Sisters of the Missionaries of Christ Jesus came to Kohima to facilitate services at one of the civil hospital of the region. At the same time, this church began to spread Christianity, which produced substantial results. As a result of this attempt, separate diocese for the states of Manipur and Nagaland were created.

11:00 Drive to Kisama Heritage Village, located 10 Km from Kohima on the foothills of evergreen hills. Nagaland is a land rich in culture and tradition. With a heritage which is very different from any other of the country, a trip to Nagaland is more about the experience one can have from learning its unique culture. And what can be better than to visit a village which is built in the model of the various houses of all the ethnic communities of the state. It is also the ground of the annual Hornbill Festival

12:00 Lunch in a typical restaurant.

14:00 Head to Khonoma Village, located 20 Km west of Kohima. The village offers delightful views of Nagaland's natural beauty and ecological diversity. The village setup a privately owned sanctuary and is managed by the Village Community - Khonoma Nature Conservation and Tragopan Sanctuary (KNCTS), a unique community initiative for wildlife and environment conservation.

16:30 Return to Kohima. TOUR ENDS.

Bomdila, Arunachal Pradesh

Walk down Main Street in Bomdila and feel nostalgia well up in you like a spring. The timbered houses and pots beaming with flowers, the crisp breeze and cobalt sky are all reminiscent of distant places in the Alps. But instead you are here, in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas at the heart of the Buddhist region.

Located 15 Km from Rupa village in West Kameng District, the Sang-Ngag Choekar Dargyeling Monastery is built on a promontory which offers spectacular 270 degree views of the surrounding Eastern Himalayan valleys. More commonly known as Chilipam Gompa, the secluded sanctuary is adorned with some of the region's most magnificent Buddhist art.

08:30 Meet your guide for briefing on the itinerary for the day.

09:00 Take a scenic walk up to Rigzin Woeseling Monastery. This short trek lasts 40 minutes and requires some physical stamina. Take in stunning panoramic views of Bomdila town and the surrounding valleys on the way. Experience traditional Moo (fortune telling) and share tea with the revered resident monk, Sange Lama.

12:00 Visit GRL Monastery and walk down to the covered market in Bomdila. Let aromas of yak's cheese and smoked morel mushrooms tickle your nose, and shop for colorful woven baskets, bags and traditional hand-loomed satchels.

14:00 Sample a typical lunch of momo and thukpa.

14:30 Drive to Sang-Ngag Choekar Dargyeling Monastery, more commonly known as Chilipam Gompa, located approx. 28 Km away in Rupa. Take your time to marvel at and photograph the stunning alpine scenery.

16:30 Return to Bomdila and drop at meeting point - TOURS ENDS.

Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh

Surrounded by undulating hills and punctuated by streams, the Ziro valley is a highly fertile landscape which is home to the Apatani, an ethnically distinct tribe whose relationship with nature lies at the heart of its cultural identity.

The livelihood of the Apatani people is based on agriculture, specifically paddy cultivation, where every centimeter is prudently utilized to maximize the yield of three crops: millet is planted on the inside walls of the plots, rice is grown in the irrigated fields, and within this carefully constructed network of ponds and channels, fish are also farmed. This one day tour opens a window onto the way of life of these fascinating people.

08:30 Meet your guide for briefing on the itinerary for the day.

09:00 Visit Hong, Asia's largest village, and meet the Apatani tribal people in their traditional environment. Stroll through the lanes and take in views of their houses and meet the people whose unique facial decorations truly set them apart. Witness them carrying out tasks in the paddy and tending to their vegetable and bamboo gardens.

13:00 Enjoy regional cuisine for lunch.

14:00 Explore the local market in Ziro where bamboo shoots, colored corn, chickpeas and an abundance of jungle roots and fragrant herbs are on display.

15:00 Stop in at the craft center and emporium.

16:00 View and participate in an Apatani folk dance followed by snacks and tea.

17:00 Visit a local shaman for fortune telling and a photo session.

18:00 Drop back to meeting point - TOUR ENDS

Dirang, Arunachal Pradesh

Like three beads on a chain, Dirang lies between Bomdia and Tawang. Settled over a millennium ago, Dirang's fortified old town is still intact and inhabited. The architecture reflects the building style typical of Monpa houses to this day.

Sangti Valley near Dirang is one of the most picturesque landscapes in the Eastern Himalayas where green hillsides are plump with orange and kiwi groves, and the scent of earth and pine from nearby forests fills the air. This day excursion allows plenty of time to admire the idyllic scenery here which is dotted with shrines and silver streams.

08:30 Meet your guide for briefing on the itinerary for the day.

09:00 Visit medieval Kastong Monastery which stands watch over the gateway to West Kameng. The intricate and beautifully maintained 'sambu' which adorn doorframes, window encasements and even entire ceilings at this revered sacred site are reason alone to visit. But it is also from this unique vantage point, that the most breathtaking panoptic views of Dirang village and the surrounding valleys can be taken in.

09:30 Walk down to and explore a 9th century Monpa village. See the quaint stone tribal houses built with fairytale-like whimsy.

10:30 Drive to Sangti Valley and spend two hours at your leisure.

12:30 Drive back to Dirang for lunch.

14:00 Visit a hot water spring known for its medicinal healing power. Drive on to Chug village located in a serene alpine valley flanked by a patchwork of woodland and meadow where silence is broken only by the gurgle of a nearby river, the maw of grazing cattle and the bluster of the wind.

16:00 Drive back to Dirang and stop for a stroll in the market - TOUR ENDS.

Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh

There are several monasteries nestled on the hillsides below Tawang town and each stands out in its own magical way. This day tour is conceived to shed light on monastic life in the Buddhist region of Arunachal Pradesh while focusing on the unique characteristics of several sacred sites.

08:30 Meet your guide for briefing on the itinerary for the day.

09:00 Walk for 30 minutes from the market in Tawang town and enter the Tawang monastery compound. Founded in AD 1680, Tawang Monastery is the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in India. Situated at an elevation of 3300 meters, the mesmerizing Buddhist citadel comprises 65 residential buildings which are home to 450 lamas. A centre for Buddhist cultural studies and a library with an invaluable collection of 400-year-old manuscripts are also found inside the compound. Also pay a visit to the museum and butter lamp house.

11:00 Visit a craft centre and emporium and shop for authentic woven goods and garments.

12:00 Drive to the outskirts of Tawang town and visit Urgelling Monastery which was built around 1487. Almost two centuries later Tsangyang Gyatso, H.H. the Sixth Dalai Lama, was born here in 1683. Pilgrims can burn incense and perform a candle lighting ceremony in which conical terracotta lamps are used.

12:30 Visit Khinmey Gompa which will impress with its kaleidoscope of glorious colours.

13:30 Drive back to Tawang town for lunch.

14:00 The Ani Gompas or nunneries of Tawang are steeped in the same time-honoured Tibetan Buddhist traditions as their larger all-male counterparts, the monasteries. Devoted to the study and practice of Lord Buddha's teaching, the nuns known as 'Anis' commit their lives to helping others. Perched on a secluded hillock above Tawang town, the visit to Thukje Chueling Nunnery opens a window onto the lives of 50 pious women serving here.

16:00 Drive back to Tawang - TOUR ENDS.

No details found.