Northeast photography tours

Seven days covers the main circuit comfortably: Shillong, Laitlum, Sohra with the Nongriat trek, Mawlynnong, Dawki and Krang Suri. It leaves out the Garo Hills, West Khasi Hills and deeper Jaintia Hills, which need their own trips. Most first-time visitors find six nights the right length.

Yes, with sensible planning. The main roads stay open, and we avoid steep treks and river activities. The risks are slippery paths, poor visibility and occasional landslides that briefly close hill roads. Travel with a flexible schedule, follow your driver's advice, and check current status before you travel.

Seven nights is the minimum we suggest to see Guwahati, Shillong, Sohra, Dawki, Mawlynnong and Kaziranga without skipping sunrises. Two long drives, the Dawki day and Shillong to Kaziranga, are unavoidable. With nine or ten nights you could add Majuli or the double decker root bridge trek.

They are different. Kaziranga has open grassland and the easiest rhino, buffalo and bird sightings in India. Manas is more forested and quieter, with golden langur, Bengal florican and the Bhutan hills as backdrop, but sightings take more patience. Seeing both, as on this trip, shows two faces of the Assam grasslands.

They hold different birds. Kaziranga is floodplain grassland and wetland, rich in pelicans, storks, raptors and winter ducks. Nameri is foothill forest and shingle river, with hornbills, the white-winged wood duck and ibisbill. Together they cover a broad share of Assam's lowland birds in under a week.

Yes, but it takes at least 12 nights by road, because there is no direct road between the three valleys. This route crosses from Mechuka to Ziro on the Trans-Arunachal Highway, drops into the Assam plains to reach the Kameng valley, and then climbs to Dirang and Tawang. We recommend 14 nights if you want an easier pace.

Yes. There is no direct road from Meghalaya to Tawang, so you return to the Assam plains and cross the Brahmaputra to Tezpur, about 270 km and 7 hours from Shillong. From Tezpur, Tawang is two driving days with a night at Dirang. Ten nights gives you three in Meghalaya and three in Tawang without rushing.

To see Tawang, Ziro, Majuli, Kaziranga and Meghalaya without rushing, plan at least 14 nights. Guwahati to Tawang alone takes two driving days each way, and Ziro sits in a separate valley with no road link across the hills. This loop uses 14 nights with four no-drive days, which is the shortest version we recommend.

The timing. Each stop is scheduled for its best light: Laitlum at sunset, Dawki in late morning when the riverbed is lit, Kaziranga at the start of the day, Majuli at sunrise and Sela before cloud builds. Groups are capped at six in one vehicle, and the guide plans around shots rather than a fixed timetable.