Tribes in Forest Lands!
Tribes in Forest Lands!
Go far east to meet the Konyaks and witness the first sunrise of India
Why this experience is unique?
Travel to the far east region of India where the country receives the first sun rays before the rest of the country. It is a land Zekhring people that showcases a beautiful amalgamation of Tibetan Buddhism and Mishmi tribe culture. It also is a land of an ethnic tribe known for its tradition of headhunting. They reside in villages where the elders happily sing songs describing their culture. Getting a tattoo at different stages of adulthood is not just a ritual a festivity in the village. The big-hearted people that share dual citizenship of India and Mynamar are rich with their food, culture, and history. They live in their longhouses and gather in massive kitchen space where there is always a pot of tea boiling. Be part of their life for few days and closely experience an unadulterated lifestyle of people living in North East India.
Meet our representative in Dibrugarh and drive to Roing. It is a long drive of at least 7 hours where one can experience the hustle-bustle of the city changing into the serenity of remoteness. After a long drive, settle down in the comfort of a hotel room in Roing.
Today is the day where you relax and take it slow in Roing that is located in Lower Dibang Valley. Post breakfast, go around to see wildlife sanctuary, archeological sites, or a famous sally lake as per your interest. Spend the evening at Idu Mishmi Tribal village and come back to your hotel in Roing.
Post breakfast, get ready to drive further east and visit the region known for the wars, remoteness, and mesmerizing sunrise. On arrival, check-in to your homestay that set up to provide comfort and feel of local culture. Head to visit a 1962- Sino-Indian War Memorial. In the Battle of Walong, the Indian Army defended the country against China in all sectors except one — Walong. Post-visit, come back to enjoy the hospitality, traditional food, and charm of traditionally set up homestay to call it a day.
Wake up almost at midnight and get ready to visit a village where the first sun rays of India hits. Take a short drive and reach Dong village before 3 AM in the morning to catch the ‘First Sun’ of India. Enjoy the moment and come back to have your breakfast in the homestay. Sip a tea with a view and chat with hosts who have plenty of stories to share about living in such remoteness. Post breakfast, drive to village Kaho, known as the First Village of India. It is the last border village on the Indo-China border and inhabited by Meyor Community. Visit an old Gompa here to see the amalgamation of Tibetan Buddhism and beautiful Meyor culture. Come back and rest in a homestay in Walong.
After spending days in remoteness, it is time to come back to a town. Post early breakfast, start the journey towards Namsai. On arrival, settle in your hotel head to visit Golden Pagoda and World’s largest Buddha statue made of bamboo. Come back and relax in your hotel.
After spending a day in a town, it is time to head towards another splendid remote location of North East India. A lesser-known region of Nagaland – Mon that has plenty of well-kept secrets of Konyak Tribes. A long drive will take you to this main town of North Nagaland where you would rest for a day and get prepared to explore the interesting culture of the Konyak Tribe.
After getting a good rest and post breakfast, head towards the village that is catching the attention of all the offbeat explorers. Longwa is a village where you will see the longhouse (Traditional Konyak Hut) that has its half part in India and half part in Myanmar. It is a tribe that follows a tradition of having a king – The Anghs in the village where beautifully carved wooden sculptures can be found. Shangnyu Village on the way to Mon is one popular for this artistry. Spend a day knowing about craft, hearing stories from locals about headhunting, and knowing about getting tattoos on different parts of the body at every stage of adulthood. Today you will stay with Konyak Tribe in a homestay where you can spend nice evening hearing stories from elders of the village.
After an enriching experience in Longwa, start your return journey via Assam. Drive to Sivasagar, a place is popular for the palaces of the Ahom Dynasty and a big lake. Visit these attractions on arrival and conclude the day in a comfortable hotel or a locally owned homestay.
After breakfast, fly back from Dibrugarh Airport.
Guests like to eat our Ladakhi food. They say it is delicious, even when it is prepared by an elderly ama (mother) like me. I always make sure I serve them the cleanest and healthiest food. My husband is a copper artist. When guests leave us, they say ‘Julley’, and hug us. It makes us feel happy.
I became a Mountain Homestay Host in 2018, and I have hosted many travellers since then. Running a homestay has helped me and my family a lot. Not only is the solar set up in our house useful for us, but even travellers prefer to stay in our homestay because of it.
The training we got in astronomy turned out to be a life-changing experience for our village. I felt happy and proud while mapping the position of the planets and sharing the secrets of the universe with the tourists. Tourists told me that even they didn’t know so much about the dark skies!
