Join the cultural adventure at northeast
Trip details
Once the group has arrived at Guwahati airport, we will welcome you and take you to our tour bus where you can meet the team and your fellow travellers. For anyone wanting to withdraw money from an ATM or buy a sim card, we will do this before leaving. The journey will begin passing through beautiful mountains views and stopping to visit a scenic, man-made reservoir located in Meghalaya, Umiam lake. We will stop for a refreshment in the most peaceful surroundings before heading to our first hotel of the trip where you can relax for the evening before the fun starts.
Duration: 12 Days
Tour Type: Cultural, Historical, Scenic
Group Size: Small (8-14 people)
Season: Spring & Fall
What to pack: We recommend to pack as light as possible, travelling on the road is made easier when you have less luggage. Pack summer clothes with warmer layers for the mountain areas we visit. Comfortable footwear for longer walks.
Meals: 12 breakfasts and few meals.
Highlights
* Visit Asia’s cleanest village
* Meghalaya’s waterfalls and caves.
* Living root bridge.
* Crystal clear rivers of Dawki.
* Live music sessions.
* Assamese traditional Bihu dance performance.
* Lunch with a Assamese family.
* Kaziranga Wildlife Safari
* Visit Sivsagar (the most historical place of Assam)
* Ecstatic dance.
* Tea gardens of Assam
* Visit Golden Pagoda Monastery, one of the largest Buddhist monasteries.
* Camping in Arunachal.
* A sunrise hike in the mountains.
Included in the tour
* All accommodation (hotels, homestays and camping).
* Transportation between places .
* Daily breakfast and few other meals.
* English speaking tour guides.
* All entrance fees to national parks, temples and attractions.
Included in the tour
* International airfare.
* Personal expenses.
* Optional activities.
* Travel insurance.
* Visa.
* Some lunches and dinners.
* Tips.
We start the day with an Indian breakfast before taking a two and half hour drive to Asia’s cleanest village. Mawlynnong is known for its cleanliness, it is mandatory that all residents should participate in cleaning up the village. We will learn from a local all about this incredible way of life here. Nearby is Meghalaya famous Living root bridge, a magical heritage site which is made up of intertwined tree roots. We’ll have free time to have a dip in the water, take pictures and find peace in nature. We will have dinner and watch the sun set for the day before heading back to the hotel for the evening.
After having breakfast, we will begin our journey to a beautiful waterfall, Krangsuri Waterfall. We will trek up 100 steps to get to the viewpoint and be prepared to be wowed by the turquoise waters and magnificent landscape. Continuing our trip in paradise we will travel to Dawki next, a dreamy little town in Meghalaya. The Umngot river in Dawki is known for its crystal clear waters here, we will enjoy some boating activities to take in these transparent waters and lush greenery. We will enjoy a picnic and some group fun before we end the day and drive back to our hotel.
Today is the last day we will be road tripping around Meghalaya. We will have a slow morning, you are free to take part in some exercise or have some time out which ever suits you. We will be leaving the next day so packing your bag ahead of time is a good shout. Midday we will venture out to another beautiful waterfall in Cherrapunji and explore Meghalayas famous Arwah caves, made up of limestone and millions of year old fossils. Our last evening in Meghalaya will be spent around a fire with some live music. The group will have dinner at a local restaurant which offers the best Momo’s!!
Once we have had breakfast and packed our things, we will take one last stop in Shillong town centre where we can buy any souvenirs or essentials we need before setting off to Kaziranga National park (5/6 hour drive). After reaching Kaziranga and checking into our next stay, you have free time to enjoy the beautiful nature and wildlife Kaziranga has to offer.
Grab your camera’s - it’s Safari day!!! We will all meet for breakfast and prepare for a fun day at Assam’s largest National park and UNESCO world heritage site. Home to tigers, elephants and the world’s largest population of Indian one horned Rhinos. This will be a once in a lifetime experience exploring the beautiful wilderness of Assam!
Finally we will say goodbye to the beautiful wildlife at Kaziranga and begin a 3 and a half hour journey to Sivasagar! The most historical place of Assam where you will visit ancient palaces and monuments, you’ll learn about the Ahom Dynasty who ruled Assam for 600 years (an incredible tale about this mighty empire). Not forgetting the Shiva Dol here in Sivasagar, this is the tallest Shiva temple in the whole of the north east, we will have the pleasure of experiencing what a Puja (ritual for devotional worship) is in this beautiful temple. We have a nice lunch planned together before driving to our next stay in Chabua - home of the tea gardens. To introduce us to the vibrant Assamese culture we have arranged a special Bihu dance and a traditional Assamese Thali dinner for our first evening in Chabua.
Welcome to Chabua - The motherland of tea plantations. The names derives Chah (tea) Bua (plantation) and was the first place in Asia to cultivate tea. This is also the hometown of our team at Sunsets and Spices so we have cherry picked the best bits to experience here. Starting our day with a good breakfast we will then head to the tea factory where we will see step-by-step how tea is produced in Assam and a chance to taste the best tea India has to offer. To follow we have a wonderful culinary experience visiting a Assamese family living in a local village, we will get an insight into their traditional way of life.
We will meet for breakfast and have a relaxing morning before starting our journey to Arunachal Pradesh in the afternoon. The drive will be 2 hours and once we’ve crossed the border prepare for the most amazing views. Arunachal Pradesh is a designated a protected area to preserve its rich cultural heritage and protect its indigenous communities. This is an incredibly unique opportunity to visit India’s wildest and unexplored state! We will meet with a local person to learn more about the natural beauty and biodiversity here whilst visiting one of Arunachal’s famous temples. We will visit Golden Pagoda which is known for its beautiful architecture and has a giant statue of lord Buddha overlooking breathtaking valleys. In the evening we have a camp site booked, once we have settled into our tents we will gather around the fire for live music.
Starting the day with a wild camping breakfast taking in lush green valleys and snow capped moutains! Make sure to have your belongings packed as we will have our team arrange your things to be taken to our next homestay where we will be staying this evening. Arunachal diverse landscapes offer lots of scenic picnic spots. We will have a picnic prepared for the afternoon and some group fun playing cricket and trying out Arunachal’s traditional game Bamboo Wrestling! We’ll spend the day exploring and taking a dip in the clear waters, this place is super tranquil, you’ll be feeling very zen. We will have an early night ready for our sunrise trek the following morning.
It’s an early start this morning as we will have a group walk to a quiet spot to take in the morning sunrise. We will have breakfast with us to enjoy whilst the sun comes up. We will head back to our accommodation for people to relax and take rest before we have our tribal village experience in the afternoon. Prepare for an interesting visit to one of Arunachal Pradesh tribes where we will learn about their indigenous culture. We will have the pleasure of seeing a meal be prepared which the group will get to enjoy. This evening we will have a music jam around the bonfire where the group can try playing some instruments and learn new chants.
Once everyone has packed their stuff and had breakfast, we will make our way back to Dibrugarh. We will have a farewell dinner on a boat at a picturesque river today to end this fabulous trip with all the incredible memories and new friendships we’ve made! Enjoy the sunset and be grateful for this unforgettable journey we have all been on. Our last evening together in our accommodation ready for the group to depart the following day.
Everyone will need to book their outward flight from Dibrugarh Airport. Whether you have a flight today or the next day, we will arrange everyone to be dropped at the airport and any help you need to travel further around India which we highly recommend you do so, we can also help you with that.
*If your stay exceeds day 13, you will need to pay a small amount to stay an extra night in the accommodation and transport will be arrange for you the day after.
Please email sunsetsandspicestravel@gmail.com if you have any queries or you would like further information. The team will be on hand to assist you from the very beginning to make this an easy stress free trip!
