#1) GoechaLa Pass Trek: Have an amazing view of Kanchenjunga peak, the third highest peak in the world. One is greeted by the top trekking routes covering Sikkim Kanchenjunga National Park (the only mixed UNESCO world heritage site) famous for both natural and cultural heritage. You can also see other tall peaks, making it a treat to behold.
#2) Explore the deep secrets of Northeast India. Get some glimpses of the rich history and culture of the people of Nagaland during the world renowned Hornbill Festival held at Kisama, Nagaland during the first week of December.
#3) Welcome to the “Meghalayan age”. As per geologic time scale, we all live currently in the “Meghalayan age”. It was named so as a tribute to key data about new age derived from stalagmite growing in Mawmluh Cave in the state of Meghalaya. This was after the end of the last ice age, followed by Greenlandian age & Northgrippian age. Meghalaya also boasts of the world’s longest sandstone cave measuring over 24,000 metres in length, and more than 1,650 caves and caves located across the state. Approximately 1,000 caves have been explored or partially explored.
#4) Nameri National Park Safari, located at the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas is the only Safari in India that lets you hike inside the forest along with guides & armed forest guards. A boat ride across the river Jai Bhoroli leads you to the trek. For people who are keen on wildlife, this is a must-see.
#5) Embark on a sacred spiritual journey. Visit Tawang Monastery in Arunachal Pradesh, an important seat of Mahayana Buddhism. Urgyelling Monastery, Tawang, also is the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama & is considered very sacred. While in Tawang, do visit the Indo-China border “Bumla Pass”. Another attraction is Shonga-Tser Lake aka Madhuri Lake & Nuranang Falls, Tawang, stunningly beautiful & next to the Nuranang falls a local hydel plant station that supplies electricity locally & can be visited. Historically, Tawang is known for the 1962 Indo-Sino War. One can learn more about it at the Tawang War Memorial.
#6) Learn what it takes for women to be entrepreneurs & yet run households from the only Matrilineal system in India. A visit to Meghalaya will show you its age-old societal tradition where the women inherit from their families as well as carry the family names. Along with this, the state also practices sustainable architecture and is home to the cleanest village for the whole of Asia. You can unravel some mysteries like Nartiang Monoliths, known to be the tallest in the world & holds similarities with monoliths found in France and other parts of Europe. Also, get to know indigenous cultures and religious beliefs where literally nothing has to be taken out of a forest, not even dead leaves/pebbles.
#7) And with Meghalaya being a major Western music hub, it’s no wonder termed as the Rock Capital of India. Also, the Shad Suk Mynsiem Dance Festival is very significant, where unmarried girls dance, and where it is believed that the man who is considered as the protector of a woman’s honour. A visit to Nohkalikai Falls, India’s tallest plunge waterfall at 1,115 feet (340 metres) is a must-visit when in Cherrapunji, one of the wettest places on earth. Shillong was famous during the British era for its beautiful lakes, pine trees, gorges, lush greenery hills and was termed as the “Scotland of the East”.
#8) Meet the “Chief of Lungwa” who holds the most envious position, with his jurisdiction extending to two countries (India, Myanmar) and two states (Nagaland & Arunachal Pradesh). Even better, the “Chief of Lungwa” house is roughly North-South, and half of it is in India, the other half in Myanmar. That means the Chief & his family eat in Myanmar and sleep in India. Lungwa village, one of the biggest villages in the whole of Mon, Nagaland, shares houses on both sides of India & Myanmar. Both sides have their siblings on the other side of the border, and they have been living in harmony since ages. Lungwa village, Nagaland shows that heritage, customs, common history, traditions, etc., should not be separated by imaginary boundaries.
#9) Come face to face with Indian Rhinoceros, distinct from Afro/Javan Rhino for its famous armor skin and being singled out, found only in Assam, India. A safari to Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary (near Guwahati, Assam) or Kaziranga National Park is a must for all age groups.
#10) The Kamakhya Temple, located in Guwahati, Assam is famous for Mother Goddess Kamakhya, one of the oldest of the 51 Shakti Pithas. The yearly Ambubahchi Mela (Kamakhya Devi Puja) is known for tantric beliefs. The temple remains closed during the Ambubahchi Mela, following the belief that the presiding goddess of the temple, Devi Kamakhya, a form of Shakti is in her annual menstruation cycle during that time of the year.
