Plan With Confidence
Permits, seasons, routes, and festivals — the practical side of a Northeast India trip, in one place.
Inner Line Permits & PAP
Indian Citizens — Inner Line Permit (ILP)
Mandatory for Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Mizoram. You'll need a scanned photo ID and a passport-style photograph for each traveller, ideally submitted around ten days before departure. We handle the paperwork for every package that touches these states.
Foreign Nationals — Protected Area Permit (PAP)
Required in place of the ILP, and it takes considerably longer to obtain — plan well ahead if you're travelling on a foreign passport. Talk to us early so the permit doesn't become the bottleneck on your dates.
Bumla Pass & Border-Adjacent Excursions
Certain excursions, like Bumla Pass near Tawang, need a separate local permit issued on the spot and are open to Indian nationals only. We build these into the itinerary only when they're feasible for your dates.
Best Time to Visit, State by State
| State | Best Season | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Assam | November – April | Kaziranga safaris run October to mid-June; parks close during the monsoon. |
| Meghalaya | October – April | Living root bridges and waterfalls are at their best just after the monsoon. |
| Arunachal Pradesh | March – October | Tawang and Sela Pass can close under snow in peak winter — shoulder months are ideal. |
| Nagaland | October – May | Time it around 1–10 December for the Hornbill Festival specifically. |
| Mizoram | November – March | Cool, dry, and clear for viewpoints like Reiek Tlang. |
| Manipur | October – March | Loktak Lake's floating phumdis are most photogenic in the cooler months. |
| Tripura | October – March | Comfortable temperatures for Unakoti and Neermahal, away from monsoon humidity. |
| Sikkim | March – June, Oct – Dec | Spring for rhododendrons, autumn for the clearest Kanchenjunga views. |
Guwahati Is Your Gateway
Fly Into Guwahati
Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (GAU) has the best connectivity in the Northeast, with direct flights from most major Indian cities. It's our home base and the start and end point for almost every itinerary on this site.
Onward by Road
Shillong is roughly 3 hours from Guwahati, Kaziranga around 4–5 hours, and the Tawang circuit in Arunachal Pradesh is a multi-day overland journey through Bhalukpong, Dirang, and Sela Pass. We handle the whole route with one private vehicle for your entire trip.
Alternate Gateways
Sikkim and Darjeeling trips typically fly into Bagdogra; Nagaland and Manipur packages can route via Dimapur or Imphal depending on the itinerary. We'll confirm the right entry point when we quote your trip.
Northeast India Festival Calendar
Magh Bihu
Assam
Harvest festival with community feasts and bonfires.
Torgya Festival
Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh
Masked monastic dances at Tawang Monastery.
Rongali Bihu
Assam
Assam's biggest festival — Assamese New Year, music, and dance.
Ziro Music Festival
Ziro Valley, Arunachal Pradesh
An independent music festival set in the Apatani valley.
Wangala Festival
Meghalaya
The Garo tribe's "festival of a hundred drums".
Hornbill Festival
Kisama, Nagaland
All sixteen Naga tribes together — dance, food, and craft, 1–10 December.