THE LOST Valley

Relatively less explored with a landscape that enthrals, the Dzukou Valley in Nagaland is a paradise that can make even the most discerning trekker an ardent fan.

- RANJAN PAL

IN THE WINTER of last year, as I was planning my first extensive tour of the Northeast, I was advised by David Angami, founder of the adventure travel outfit India Trail (indiatrail.org), that I shouldn’t miss out on the Dzukou Valley in Nagaland. I must admit I was a bit sceptical and a tad blasé at first, having been on several magnificent high-altitude treks in the Great Himalayas, where I had crossed icy passes forbidding in their isolation and took in amazing vistas of soaring peaks that kissed impossibly blue skies. What could such a low altitude ramble in the green hills of Nagaland offer to an experienced adventurer?

Few tourists even hear of the place. But David Angami persisted and sent me some images as well. I stared at them for longer than I thought I would. There was something hauntingly different about this lost green valley, and the idea of a trek to stretch our limbs at the end of our Northeastern adventure appealed to me. And so, Dzukou Valley was added as dessert to the main course of Kaziranga National Park and the Hornbill Festival (hornbillfestival.com).

It was a crisp winter morning in November, when the five of us found ourselves bumping along a hill track in a battered old Sumo towards the starting point of our adventure. There are two trails that take you to the hidden valley—the Viswema route and the Jakhama route, both named after the villages from where they are accessed. Being a shorter but sharper ascent, the Jakhama trail is definitely the one less taken, but we opted for the more leisurely Viswema route considering we were all in our senior citizenhood!