The whole of India's North-East, in one honest guide.
Eight states. Rhinos, root bridges, monasteries and living tribal cultures. Everything a first-time traveller needs — permits, connectivity, festivals and heritage — told straight, and kept current.
The eight states
Seven sisters and one brother — each with its own landscape, people and permits. Tap any state for a full guide.
Assam
The gateway • rhinos, rivers & tea
Meghalaya
Abode of the clouds • waterfalls & root bridges
Arunachal Pradesh
Land of the dawn-lit mountains
Nagaland
Land of festivals & warrior tribes
Manipur
Jewel of India • the floating lake
Mizoram
The songbird hills
Tripura
Palaces, rock gods & royal history
Sikkim
Himalayan monasteries under Kanchenjunga
Three things every first-timer asks
We answer them up front — no package sales, just straight information.
Do I need a permit?
Four states need an Inner Line Permit; foreigners need a PAP for some. Use our permit checker to see exactly what applies to you.
When should I go?
October to April suits almost everywhere; December for Hornbill; spring for Tawang. A month-by-month guide for each state.
How do I move between places?
Guwahati is the hub. Real drive times, airports, the new railways, shared Sumos and helicopters — all in one place.
Experiences you won't find elsewhere
Kaziranga's rhinos
Two-thirds of the planet's one-horned rhinos, in Assam's grasslands.
Living root bridges
Bridges grown from living roots over generations in Meghalaya.
Tawang Monastery
India's largest monastery, high on the Arunachal frontier.
Hornbill Festival
Sixteen Naga tribes in one place, every December.
The crystal Umngot
Boats that seem to float on air at Dawki, on the Bangladesh border.
Under Kanchenjunga
Monasteries and alpine lakes below the world's third-highest peak.
India's calendar of colour
From the hundred drums of the Garo Wangala to the sixteen tribes of Hornbill, the Northeast runs on festivals. We track the visitor-friendly ones with their 2026 dates so you can plan a trip around them.
Open the festival calendarIndia's greatest outdoor indie festival, in a Himalayan rice valley.
The Garo thanksgiving to the sun-god Misi Saljong, with a hundred drums.
India's only autumn cherry-blossom festival, with big-name music acts.
More than a trip — a place worth knowing
Beyond the itinerary, understand the Northeast: its peoples and history, its temples and monasteries, and the industrial moment it is living through, from a Tata semiconductor plant to India's Act East gateway.