Tribes of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh

This tour is for anybody wanting a fascinating yet sensitive insight into the world of north-east India’s last tribal elders.

One of the key highlights of this tour is the privileged visits to the local tribes of Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. Astoundingly, in a single state as small as Arunachal Pradesh, more than 100 tribes and sub-tribes live here, tracing their indigenous history to faraway places in Mongolia and Southeast Asia.

In Nagaland, spend time in the presence of the Konyak tribe, former head-hunters, where you will be able to spend time sitting talking to the elders – an incredible experience.

Yes. Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh are both politically sensitive areas with certain groups campaigning to be a separate state and not part of India. However, this situation rarely impacts on tourism and when it does is more likely to be in the form of peaceful roadblocks or protests rather than anything more sinister. The people of this region are very friendly and welcome tourists. However, please note that unforeseen road closures may mean altering the itinerary.

Road conditions are very poor in this region of India, so road journeys may take a long time and are likely to bumpy and windy at times. We have detailed rough journey times in the day to day itinerary, seven hours being the longest journey, from Dibrugarh to Mon. It is advisable to pack a travel pillow or cushion. As above, road closures do happen and this can mean last-minute changes to the planned itinerary. All part of a pioneering journey.

Our group tours are perfect for solo travellers, as travelling as part of an organised group in faraway places does provide security and peace of mind. We handle all of the arrangements for you and there will be a local tour guide on hand throughout to provide advice and help if needed, as well as the expertise of a Tour expert.

If you are willing to share, we will always do our best to match you up with another solo traveller of the same sex so that you do not have to pay for a single room.

If you would prefer the privacy of your own room and would like this guaranteed, then the single room price supplement will apply.

The staple food in Arunachal Pradesh is rice along with fish, meat and green vegetables. The Arunachali’s prefer not to have their meat fried, and it is therefore either boiled or smoked. The most common meat is that of an animal called Mithun (Bos frontalis), a member of the cattle family found only in the North East.

Nagaland is the home of the fiery Naga King Chilli, one of the hottest in the world. Naga chilli chutney is everywhere but tread carefully, it is ferocious. Dishes tend to involve pork or chicken and rice but with plenty of fresh local vegetables as well.

This won’t be a tour for ‘foodies’ and eating can get slightly repetitive. It’s worth bringing a few favourite snacks from home e.g. cereal bars, sweets, nuts, as road journeys are long and opportunities to stop can be few and far between. Packed lunches will be provided where possible and where lunch stops at restaurants cannot be guaranteed.

You need to be relatively fit to enjoy this tour, there will be a number of walks to the local tribal villages, which may be up steep slopes and over uneven ground. In addition, there are several long travel days, which can be tiring, so we have taken this into consideration when rating the activity level for this tour. You will be in remote areas during this trip with limited/basic/no medical facilities.

Please make sure you bring a good comfortable pair of walking shoes as some of the cities and areas we visit will have uneven surfaces.

Yes, this can easily be arranged at the end of the tour. Private travel arrangements with a car and driver will be provided and a private guide arranged for sightseeing.