Offbeat Northeast tours

From November to April, when there is little rain and the water is slow. In January and February the river is often so clear that boats appear to float on air in photos. From June to September heavy rain makes it muddy, and boating is often stopped. October is a transition month.

The Jaintia Hills are the eastern part of Meghalaya, split into West and East Jaintia Hills districts. Jowai, the main town, is 64 km east of Shillong on the NH-6 at about 1,380 m. The area is home to the Pnar people and was once the core of the Jaintia kingdom.

Balpakram is in South Garo Hills, western Meghalaya, near the Bangladesh border. It covers about 220 km² on a plateau at around 910 m, cut by a deep canyon. The nearest town is Baghmara, about 60 to 66 km away by a rough road, and Tura is a further 110 km beyond that.

Drive 13 km from Jorhat to Nimati Ghat, then take the government ferry across the Brahmaputra to Kamalabari Ghat on Majuli. The crossing takes one to one and a half hours depending on water level. Ferries run several times a day and are suspended in high monsoon floods, so check current status before you travel.

It is a river-island park at the meeting of the Brahmaputra, Lohit and Dibru, explored only by boat. It is famous for its feral horses, Gangetic river dolphins and wetland birds, including the endangered white-winged wood duck. It feels wild and uncrowded compared with Kaziranga.

Haflong is the headquarters of Dima Hasao district in southern Assam, at about 680 m, and the state's only hill station. People visit for its quiet ridge-top setting, Haflong Lake, the Jatinga ridge, the Dimasa ruins at Maibang and Panimur Falls. It sees very few tourists compared with Shillong.

About 120 km by road, a drive of four and a half to five hours through Yazali and the hills. Donyi Polo Airport at Hollongi is 14 km south of Itanagar. Lilabari Airport at North Lakhimpur in Assam is about 100 km from Ziro and is sometimes more convenient.

Mechuka is about 440 km from Dibrugarh by road: roughly 150 km to Pasighat over the Bogibeel bridge, 105 km to Aalo and 187 km from Aalo to Mechuka. It cannot be done in a day. We split it into three stages, with nights in Pasighat and Aalo, and the longest single drive is the 7–8 hour climb from Aalo.

Yes. Dirang is at about 1,620 m, only about 100 m higher than Shillong, and the sights are close to the road: the hot spring, the old dzong, Sangti valley and the orchards. This trip keeps drives under 6 hours, adds lunch stops every day and never crosses Sela Pass, so seniors can enjoy the hills comfortably.