The Hornbill Festival Extravaganza
Join the joyous celebration of the locals in the annual Hornbill Festival tour, which is a riot of colour, culture, cuisine, music, and craft of the north east. This tour also packs in some must visit destinations in the north east before culminating in festival celebrations.
Tour Itinerary
Day 1: Guwahati
- Arrival at Guwahati airport. Pick up from the airport and check in to the hotel.
- Visit the famous Maa Kamakhya temple, dedicated to the Mother Goddess.
- Take a sunset cruise on the mighty Brahmaputra river.
- Evening at leisure.
- Overnight stay in Guwahati.
Day 2: Guwahati to Kaziranga
- Drive to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Kaziranga National Park.
- The park is spread across the floodplains of the Brahmaputra river. Its forests, wetlands and grasslands are home to tigers, elephants and the world’s largest population of Indian one-horned rhinoceroses.
- Evening at leisure.
- Overnight in Kaziranga.
Day 3: Kaziranga National Park
- Start early in the morning for a jeep safari in search of the Asian one-horned rhino and other wildlife.
- The park is home to a sizeable population of tigers, a variety of snakes, large monitor lizards and a significant bird population that includes crested serpent eagles, Palla's fish eagle, great adjutant stork, whistling teal and pelicans.
- In the afternoon, take to the jeeps once more for more wildlife spotting.
- Overnight stay in Kaziranga.
Day 4: Kaziranga to Kohima
- After breakfast and head towards Kohima, Nagaland's pleasant and thriving capital.
- Visit the local market or spend the evening at leisure.
- Overnight stay in Kohima.
Day 5: Kohima
- Join the locals as they come together and celebrate at the annual Hornbill Festival.
- Taking place in the first week of December each year the festival is a celebration of the rich heritage of Nagaland.
- Tribes from all over the state come together and perform traditional dances, folk songs and display their ornate clothing, jewellery and for the men their hunting spears.
- The festival is named after the state bird, the Hornbill, admired by the tribes for the grandeur of its plumage. The headdresses worn by many of the tribes reflect the birds colourful feathers.
- Visit a village called Khonoma located about 20 kms from Kohima. It is famous as being the first green village of India.
- Take a stroll through the village and learn about the local people and their culture.
- Return to Kohima.
- Overnight stay in Kohima.
Day 6: Kohima
- Spend a second day soaking up the atmosphere at the festival.
- Besides the traditional dances being performed, there is a chance to sample traditional artwork and sculpture or pick up a few souvenirs at various stalls selling traditional handicrafts.
- Food is a big part of the culture and there are stalls selling tempting treats throughout the day. The bravehearts can savour dishes containing the spicy Naga chilli!
- Overnight stay in Kohima.
Day 7: Departure from Dimapur
- Post breakfast, drive to Dimapur airport. The drive takes approximately 3 hrs from Kohima. Drop at the airport for your onward journey.
- End of service.
Useful Information
- Accommodation on twin sharing basis
- Transportation using Innova or similar vehicle
- Entry fees to Hornbill Festival
- Inner Line Permits for Nagaland
- Two Jeep safaris inside Kaziranga National Park
- Elephant safari in Kaziranga National Park
- Entry fees for entering National Park
- Flights
- GST
- Excess stay & meals due to bad weather conditions or strikes, resulting in delay of flights or any other form of transport
- Tips, soft drink charges, bottled water, laundry, cigarettes, telephone expenses, beer and liquor charges
- Any other costs not mentioned in the “Included” section above
- Meals
- As per budget