NORTH EAST INDIA - Miscellaneous - http://www.woodrecords.com/victoriaclub5/An

North East India comprises of seven states commonly known as the “Seven Sisters”. They are Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.The North East is a true frontier region. It has over 2000 km of border with Bhutan, China, Myanmar and Bangladesh and is connected to the rest of India by a narrow 20 km wide corridor of land. One of the most ethically and linguistically diverse regions in Asia, each state has its distinct cultures and traditions. From times immemorial, India’s North East has been the meeting point of many communities, faiths and cultures. A place renowned for its magical beauty and bewildering diversity, North East India is the home for more than 166 separate tribes speaking a wide range of languages. Some groups have migrated over the centuries from places as far as South East Asia; they retain their cultural traditions and values but are beginning to adapt to contemporary lifestyles. Its jungles are dense, its rivers powerful and rain, and thunderstorms sweep across the hills, valleys and plains during the annual monsoons. The lushness of its landscape, the range of communities and geographical and ecological diversity makes the North East quite different from other parts of the subcontinent. In winters, mist carpets the valleys but swirls around the traveller in hills during summer rains, thus creating an enchanting and romantic atmosphere. The region has borders with Myanmar Bhutan and Bangladesh. The festivals and celebrations in the North- eastern states of India are a colourful reflection of the people and their lives. Throughout the year, different people celebrate festivals with lot of fanfare in different ways, most of them centering around their modes of living and livelihood. North East India comprises of seven states commonly known as the “Seven Sisters”. They are Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. Each state is a traveller’s paradise, with picturesque hills and green meadows which shelters thousand of species of flora and fauna. In addition, the states provide scope for angling, boating, rafting, trekking and hiking. Besides, there are a number of wild life sanctuaries and national parks where rare animals, birds and plants which will surely provide fascinating insight to the visitors.

Thinking of going? Click here to book this tour now Where is it, what is it? The seven states of North East India (now eight with the inclusion of Sikkim) are (clockwise) Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya. It is only connected to India by the 22km wide Siliguri Corridor and is elsewhere bordered by Bhutan, Tibet, China, Burma (Myanmar) and Bangladesh.

Permits Only Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura can be visited without PAP (Protected Area Permits) (RAP (Restricted Area Permits)). Getting them is possible but not easy for independent travelers though no problem for groups traveling with an Indian Tour Operator who will do all the paperwork. Visiting Arunachal Pradesh will cost you $50/10 days (possibly to be changed to $50/visit) all other costs are extra. Indians need Inner line permits to visit the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura.

Area Over 250,000 sq km.

Population About 40 million, more than half in Assam.

Currency Indian Rupees (approx 74/£1) Languages: Assamese, Hindi and about100 tribal languages. English is commonly spoken by all.
Religion Majority of the peoples in Northeast are from plains of Assam, most of them Hindus and some Muslims. About the tribal peoples, traditionally the Monpas of Arunachal Pradesh practice Tibetan Buddhism, whilst the tribal peoples of the east were animists. However, little of that has survived the influx of Christian missionaries who, in converting most of the Nagas and other tribes have destroyed much of the culture. Happily, there is now a genuine desire to regain that heritage as the tribes have united to form the Naga Nation. Elsewhere, the new immigrants have brought both Hinduism and Islam into some areas.

Geography Apart from Assam, it's all up or down, with almost no flat land! Trapped at the eastern end of colliding tectonic plates, deluged by monsoon rains, gouged by great rivers and covered in jungle, travel is not easy! Altitudes vary from 6800m along the Tibetan border down to less than 100m at Guwahati on the Brahmaputra River, which cuts through the eastern Himalaya, having its source at the sacred Mt Kailash in Tibet. Elsewhere, the hills are mostly around 3 - 4000m in height, divided by steep sided jungle-filled ravines often 1 - 2000m in depth.

Wildlife In the numerous National Parks, you will see elephants, one-horned rhinos, various deer, wild boar, otters and a variety of birds. Tigers, clouded leopards and snow leopards are also there but very elusive.

Adventure activities Climbing, trekking, rafting, caving and paragliding.

How to get there Numerous airlines fly to India. First choice might seem Air India and it's internal connections. Gateway to the northeast of India is the eastern city of light Guwahati. Guwahati has an international Airport connected to Bangkok by a weekly Air India flight. Apart from this it is well connected by domestic flights to the Metros of Kolkata and Delhi form where one can take a convenient domestic flight. Once in Guwahati there are smaller airports in the Northeast well connected to Guwahati by helicopter and smaller aircrafts. You will need to take to the road if you are going to take in a mixture of venue. Though there are local buses, you will really need your own transport (4 wheel drive). Even then, due to the narrow, steep and winding roads you'll be lucky to average 30kph once you've left the horizontal luxury of Assam! To go there, we recommend that you contact: Ashoka Holidays Sanmati Plaza, GS Road, Guwahati, Assam India-781005 Tel: + 91-(0361)-2457600 Fax: + 91-(0361)-2457994 Email: Manager, Partha Pratim Das: guwahati@northeastindiadiary.com
Value for money If you travel with an organised tour you won't actually need to spend anything as all costs will be included at around £2000 or $ 2800 for 2 weeks, give or take £500 - including your Airfare! If you really do want to spend some money, beer is about R70 a bottle, meals are incredibly cheap - and excellent (if you like 'em hot and spicy) and local crafts - basketwork, weaving, silks, jewellery, tribal artefacts etc are also inexpensive (rarely more than R1000 unless you want something very special).

Clothing and equipment That's a tricky one! If you go everywhere and do everything, you have to took summer wear, winter wear and waterproofs. Rafting gear will be supplied by all reputable rafting organizations. Caving gear can all be hired at the Cherrapunjee Resort (which also has a drying room, invaluable for caving). Climbing gear is obviously essential if you are heading for the big Himalayan peaks. A good sleeping bag is invaluable in Arunachal Pradesh, and a head torch (even if you only stay in hotels, power cuts happen frequently). And if you are going trekking, consider taking a compact, lightweight tent to save your porters some weight.
Health Chloroquine and Proguanil are recommended against malaria. Rabies can be a problem with cave bats, but not so much with dogs - the Nagas have eaten most of them! Water purifiers are useful, if not essential if drinking from streams. Insect repellents and after-bite creams are worth considering in jungle terrain. If going above 4 - 5000m take appropriate altitude precautions.

Best time to go It all depends what you are into. September to April avoids the monsoon and is the best time for most activities. September is generally the best time for flowers, following the rains. October - November is harvest time. The rivers are at their lowest by springtime but still have enough Himalayan run-off to guarantee a good rafting trip. Festivals happen in all states throughout the year. The Naga Hornbill Festival in early December is excellent though no doubt others such as the Budha Mahotsava Festival in Tawang in mid October is equally remarkable - or you may just bump into some travelling troubadors as we did.