TravelTips24 : South Asia : India : North-Eastern India

North-Eastern India

Table of Contents

States / Cities / Other destinations / Culture and History / Talk / Travel to North-Eastern India, visa requirements By Air By Train By Road / Get around / North-Eastern India attractions and sightseeing / City tours / Good restaurants and cheap meals / North-Eastern India nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs. / Hotels, youth hostels, lodging / Get out

North-East is a region in India.

States

Cities

Other destinations

Culture and History

Talk

Travel to North-Eastern India & Visa Requirements

The main entry point for any north-eastern state is Assam, if one is entering from within India. There are a few entry points from Bangladesh (Dawki in Meghalaya) and Myanmar (Moreh in Manipur) but entry is restricted to local traders/govt. officials.

Note that entry into the states of Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram requires a Protected Area Permit (PAP) for non-Indians and an Inner Line Permit (ILP) for Indian citizens. Permits are issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, but the easiest approach is to get your Indian visa with a special endorsement allowing travel in the state you wish to visit. Individual travelers are generally granted 15 days (extendable once), but are allowed access only into major towns and sights; travels off the beaten track generally require a registered tour group of four or more people.

By Air

Assam(Gopinath Bordoloi Airport, Guwahati), Manipur (Imphal Airport), Nagaland (Dimapur Airport) and Tripura (Agartala Airport) have direct flights from other parts of India (Delhi and/or Kolkata). There are two other major airports serving upper regions of Assam and neighbouring areas - Dibrugarh Airport and Silchar Airport. There are helicopter services to Naharlagun (14 km from Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh) and Aizawl (Mizoram).

By Train

There are good train connections from most of the major Indian cities to Assam. Incidentally, Assam is the only state in region with rail lines (barring Nagaland with one station-Dimapur). The important station in Assam are Guwahati, Bongaigaon, Lumding, Tinsukia and Dibrugarh. The fastest train from Delhi is Guwahati bound Rajdhani Express (28 hrs) followed by North-East Express (32 hrs) and Dibrugarh bound Brahmaputra Mail (42 hrs), while the fastest train from Kolkatta(Howrah) is Saraighat Express. Train track in Assam is not electrified and is single lane, so delays are a norm. There are narrow gauge trains to Arunachal Pradesh and Barak Valley area but they are very much prone to cancellation, delays and are not at all comfortable.

By Road

All the states have good network of roads in urban areas. There are regular long journey buses from West Bengal to many north-eastern states. Self-drinving is not a good idea as all roads pass through heavy forest reserves and areas infested by insurgents.

Tours & Getting around North-Eastern India