Exploring The Secrets Of North East India

The people, food, mountains, lakes and rivers, the living root bridges - the reasons to visit North East India are many.

- Divya Nambiar

The North East of India comprises eight states (popularly referred to as the Seven Sisters, for Sikkim was included later in the region) namely Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura. Along with its fair share of picturesque valleys and plains, the land also has an extensive forest cover. In fact, the North East of India is known to be one of the world’s richest biomes! But the superlatives don’t end there. It is home to the world’s largest river island, Majuli (Assam), the wettest place in the world – Mawsynram (Meghalaya) – and Asia’s cleanest village, Mawlynnong (Meghalaya).

The North East (NE) is a popular destination for backpackers and road trippers, with many choosing to bike across the terrain. The call of the Himalayas is hard to resist, after all. The region is also home to some gifted musicians and artistes, with many music festivals attracting tourists round the year. Fun fact: The only Cherry Blossom festival of India happens in Shillong every year!

Discover the stays

A garden with rows of flowering plants and a vegetable patch, an animal pen next to it, and a pathway leading up to a neat little house, where the fragrance of a homecooked meal beckons you invitingly – homes in the villages of NE are simple, basic, and filled with the warmth of the people who own it.

The best way to experience the NE is to opt for homestays run by the locals, where you not only get to stay on a budget, but also get to interact with the locals and learn about the people and their culture. Be it a Lego-like home in Asia’s most hygienic village, Mawlynnong or a bamboo hut with thatched roof, accommodation in the NE is as rustic as it gets. Bamboo is used predominantly as construction material in the region.