Trip Details at-a-Glance

Cost From: $8495   see pricing
Length: 22 days
Arrive: Kolkatta, India
Depart: Kolkatta, India
Lodging: 20 nights hotels, inns, lodges
Meals: All meals included
Activity: Walking, Cultural Adventures
Trip Level: Overland travel and cultural exploration
2 explain

Highlights

  • Meet the proud Naga tribes in their remote mountain homeland
  • Exciting gameviewing by elephant at Kaziranga National Park
  • Romantic maharaja’s palaces, golden-domed temples, lively outdoor markets
  • Tea plantations, Buddhist pilgrimage sites, traditional villages

Choosing the Right Trip

We work hard to help you choose the right trip for you, paying attention to your individual interests, abilities, and needs. If you have questions about the level of comfort or any of the activities described in this itinerary, please contact us.
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References

We are proud to have an exceptionally high rate of repeat travelers. For more information, we would be happy to put you in touch with a client who has traveled with us.

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Join Trip Leader Roger Williams for a pioneering cultural adventure! India’s undiscovered northeast has unique tribal peoples, exotic wildlife, and wildly beautiful scenery from Himalayan foothills to tea estates along the mighty Brahamputra River. We begin in Manipur, where the Meithei people have their own version of Hinduism, then explore Mizoram in the lush highlands, home to the Mizo, who migrated from neighboring Burma. In Assam, we look for one-horned rhinos and other wildlife wonders at Kaziranga National Park. Our grand finale is remote Nagaland, land of the fiercely independent Naga tribes. Roger has a passion for introducing people to hidden corners of India—this promises to be a memorable adventure.

Itinerary at a Glance

For a more complete description, Download Full Trip Brochure

Day 1-4
Kolkatta / Imphal, Manipur

After visiting Kolkatta, once the showpiece capital of the British Raj, we fly to Imphal, capital of Manipur and home of the Vaishnavite Hindus of the Meithei tribe, related to the Shans of Burma. We visit the golden-domed Shri Govindji temple, the unique Ima Bazaar (Mother’s Market), and Loktak Lake, home to a fishing community who live on the lake in large reed rafts.

Days 5-9
Gauhati, Assam / Aizawl, Mizoram

In Gauhati, Assam’s capital, and visit Hajo, a site of pilgrimage for Hindus, Muslims, and Buddhists alike, and Sualkuchi, with its famous silk weaving tradition. Flying to Aizawl, caiptal of Mizoram, we enjoy the mountain scenery and visit the Mizo tribal people.

Day 10-14
Agartala, Tripura / Gauhati / Kaziranga National Park

Outside Agartala, Tripura, we visit Neermahal, the romantic water palace of Maharaja Bir Kitram Kishore Manikya. We also explore Udaipur, with its hilltop temple constructed in 1501 AD. We fly back to Gauhati and drive to beautiful Kaziranga National Park. By 4WD vehicle and by elephant, we set out for gameviewing at Kaziranga in search of one-horned rhinos and other Indian wildlife.

Day 15-22
Kohima, Nagaland / Dibrugarh, Assam

We explore fascinating villages in Nagaland, home to 14 tribal groups, each with its own dialect and traditions. The fiercely independent Naga people, living between the Hindu civilization of India and the Buddhist civilization of Burma, have a culture all their own and a famed warrior past. In Dibrugarh, Assam, we visit picturesque tea plantations then fly back to Kolkatta on Day 21. Depart Day 22.

For a more complete description, Download Full Trip Brochure

What the Trip is Like

This trip is Level 2, Easy to Moderate. It is a comfortable, vehicle-based sightseeing trip. Accommodations range from top hotels to best-available hotels to simple game lodges. Although this is not a difficult trip, please remember that travel India can be an adventure. The essential requirements are flexibility, a sense of humor, curiosity, enthusiasm about new peoples and places, and an openness to the unexpected.

Explanation of Trip Levels

 

Departures & Leaders

Feb 24-Mar 17, 2012  Roger Williams

Tour Costs

Prices are for 2011
$8495 (13-15 members)
$9095 (11-12 members)
$9495 (9-10 members)
Single supplement: $2195
Internal airfare: $1495 (subject to change)

more on pricing

Tour Cost Includes:

  • expert leadership of a Wilderness Travel Trip Leader and local guides
  • accommodations
  • welcome and farewell dinners, plus all meals as indicated in the Full Trip Brochure
  • ground transportation
  • airport transfers for passengers as noted

Tour Cost Does Not Include:

International airfare, internal airfare, meals not specified after each itinerary day, airport departure taxes, optional tipping or gratuities to leaders or staff, hotels en route to or on return from Kolkatta or additional hotel nights that may be necessitated by airline schedule changes or other factors, individual arrival/departure airport transfers, visa fees, cost of medical immunizations (if any), travel insurance, and other expenses of a personal nature (alcoholic beverages, laundry, etc.).

Trip Payment Schedule

At time of reservation: $500
120 days prior to departure: 20% of tour cost
60 days prior to departure: Balance

Cancellation Fee Schedule*

Minimum fee: $250
46-90 days prior to departure: 25% of tour cost
45 days or less: 100% of tour cost

*Please note that this differs from our regular catalog departures.

Roger Williams

Roger Williams has led Wilderness Travel trips for over 20 years. He is a Tibetologist who lived in Nepal for eight years, studying Tibetan Buddhism, Buddhist iconographics, Himalayan languages, and woodblock art. He lived in Kyoto for two years studying Japanese woodblock art, Japanese language, and Shingon Shu, an esoteric sect of Japanese Buddhism. Roger has led many trips for us through India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, along the Silk Road, in Southeast Asia, to Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Central Asia, Iran, Mongolia, and into remote corners of the Russian Far East. Since 2002, Roger has been working as a technical advisor with USAID consulting in tourism development projects in Mongolia, Armenia and Croatia. In July, 2010, he returned from his third The Great Game journey, a special WT Expedition that included visits to the Wakhan Valley as well as Mazar i-Sharif and Balk (formally Bactria) in northern Afghanistan. When not leading trips, Roger is the director of Snow Lion Graphics/SLG Books in Berkeley, California, a publishing house specializing in books and calendars relating to Asian cultures.

Upcoming Trips:

The Andaman Islands and South India, October 9-27, 2010
Treasures of Southeast Asia, January 18-February 7, 2011
The Great Game, May 20-June 14, 2011
The Great Game, June 17-July 12, 2011
The Four Corners of Mongolia, August 5-31, 2011
Armenia and Beyond, September 23-October 16, 2011
Passage to India, November 20-December 13, 2011
The Burma Road, January 2012
India's Wild Northeast Frontier, February 24-March 17, 2012

Client Testimonials:


Tibet is a place like no other on the planet! Roger’s language skills and knowledge of Tibetan Buddhism opened many doors. Connie Diernisse, Alamo CA
Heart of Tibet Exceedingly knowledgeable, very caring. Priscilla and Franklin Osgood, Malvern PA
Mystical Bhutan Roger knows how to run a trip. He’s very organized and clearly communicates the daily plan. Also, he's a lot of fun and I was impressed with his expertise on Buddhist iconography. Fran Mueller, Mill Valley, CA
Hidden Himalayas
Roger is remarkable. This trip showed him at his best. We could never have traveled across the roof of the world without his preparation and energy. Thanks for a grand experience! Ruth and Frank Harold, Edmonds WA
In the Footsteps of the Great Game Roger takes good care of his travelers and we learned a lot about the people, their culture, and history. His love for this part of the world is infectious. Ruth Gibbons, Del Mar CA
In the Footsteps of the Great Game Roger is great! Hard working, knowledgeable, personable. He really makes a difference. Bill Rowland, Walnut Creek, CA
Passage to India