Tribes & Culture

In this grand journey across the vast expanse of northeastern India, you will travel through the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, and Nagaland, visiting various beautiful landscapes inhabited by some of the most fascinating tribes of the region. Despite the lack of proper infrastructure in these remote frontiers, the highlight will be the ethical and authentic interactions with the host communities.

• — 32 days, four states
• — Anini & the Mishmi Hills
• — Adi, Mishmi, Konyak & Ao

You'll drive across the central region of Arunachal Pradesh which is the tribal heartland of the state. Various tribes inhabit these lands, such as the Apatani, Tagin, Adi, and Gallong, where they live in close partnership with nature and practice sustainable ways of living. You will get to visit their villages and houses, interact with them and learn about their unique cultures.

• — Ziro's rice-fish terraces
• — Daporijo, Aalo & Pasighat
• — Village homestays throughout

The highlight of this trip will be your visit to the living root bridges made from the roots of wild fig trees which are a marvel of sustainable and eco-friendly architecture. The Khasis, a tribe in the mysterious highlands of Meghalaya, long ago noticed the fig tree's powerful roots and began knotting them to build bridges and navigate a land so abundantly flowing with water. Also included are cultural interactions and ethnic homestays.

• — Living root bridges at Nongriat
• — A night below the bridges
• — Mawlynnong & the Khasi hills

Assam is a land of simple people, pleasant countryside, tea plantations, rivers, and jungles. This tour allows travelers to indulge in the countryside lifestyle of the people – learning about the simple ways of life, sustainable practices, and their graceful cultures. Traveling through Majuli and Namphake, you will learn about two different cultural practices of the Assamese and Tais.

• — Namphake Tai-Phake village
• — Majuli, the river island
• — Satras, mask makers & Mishing villages

Located high in the mountain ranges of the Eastern Himalaya, is the holy town of Tawang – the land of the Monpa and Sherdukpen people; cultures which display an integration of indigenous beliefs and Tibetan Buddhism. Often referred to as the ‘Land Of Snowy Mountains’, the region offers extremely scenic mountain panoramas, peaceful villages, rare floral diversity, enlightening monasteries & serene lakes.

• — Tawang monastery
• — Sela Pass at 13,700 ft
• — Thembang walled village

This short break takes you to the quaint valley of Ziro in Arunachal Pradesh, which is home of one of the planet’s most fascinating tribes – the Apatani people. The valley is also famous for the rice cum fish cultivation which is practiced in high altitudinal plains.

• — Stay with an Apatani family
• — Tattooed elders & nose plugs
• — Hong, Hari & Siiro villages

This tour is a great way to start one’s journey into Northeast India, meeting the tribes and witnessing the virgin wilderness they inhabit. Among the tribes, you will meet the fascinating Apatanis in Arunachal Pradesh, the tattooed headhunting Konyaks in the hills of Nagaland, and learn about Assamese heritage and culture in the river island of Majuli.

• — Apatani, Mishing & Konyak tribes
• — 5 national parks across 3 states
• — Namdapha rainforest trekking