Kisama
The Hornbill Festival
Ten days of dance, games, music and food, with Naga tribes gathered in one heritage village.
- Type
- Festivals
- When
- 1 to 10 December
Destinations › East India & the Himalaya
Nagaland
The Hornbill Festival, Naga villages and the Dzukou valley.
Experience Nagaland
Choose a place on the map to see what your client can do there.
Kigwema
Inside a Naga Village
Walk among carved gateways and morungs, the traditional youth dormitories, in the Angami hills.
- Type
- Culture
- When
- October to May
Dzukou Valley
Trek to Dzukou
A day or overnight hike to rolling green meadows at about 2,400 m on the Manipur border.
- Type
- Nature
- When
- Flowers June to September
Khonoma
The Green Village
Terraced fields and community-protected forest in India's first green village.
- Type
- Nature
- When
- October to May
Kohima
Kohima War Cemetery
A moving memorial on the hillside where the 1944 Battle of Kohima was fought.
- Type
- Heritage
- When
- All year
Kohima
Smoke & King Chilli
Smoked pork with bamboo shoot, and the famous raja mircha, in the market lanes and family kitchens.
- Type
- Food
- When
- All year
Longwa, Mon
The Konyak Country
A village straddling the Myanmar border, home of the Konyak people and their tattooed elders.
- Type
- Culture
- When
- October to April
Illustrative map, not to scale. The outline is indicative and is not an official boundary. Outline data: DataMeet (CC BY 4.0).
About Nagaland
Kohima, Kisama, Dzukou Valley
Nagaland is home to more than sixteen Naga tribes, each with its own dress, language and festivals. Kohima, the capital, is the base for most trips, with its Second World War cemetery and a busy local market.
The state’s calendar is set by the Hornbill Festival, held every year from 1 to 10 December at the Kisama Heritage Village near Kohima, where the tribes build traditional morungs and perform their dances, games and music. It is the one week of the year when the whole of Naga culture is in one place.
Outside festival time, Khonoma, a green village of terraced fields, and the trek into the Dzukou valley on the Manipur border are the highlights.
What Your Client Will See
Hornbill Festival
Ten days of Naga dance, music and food at Kisama every December.
Naga villages
Morungs, carved gateways and tribal crafts across the hills.
Dzukou Valley
A day or overnight trek to rolling meadows at about 2,400 m.
Khonoma
India’s first green village, with terraced fields and conservation forests.
Kohima War Cemetery
The memorial to the 1944 Battle of Kohima.
Naga cuisine
Smoked pork, bamboo shoot and the famous king chilli.
Departures & Catalogues
Fixed departures and catalogues for Nagaland. A departure added on the Fixed Departures calendar appears here by itself.
Fixed Departures 2
Nagaland — Hornbill Festival, Batch 1
IDM-NAG-1130 · Guaranteed
Nagaland — Hornbill Festival, Batch 2
IDM-NAG-1203 · GuaranteedCatalogues
Plan the Trip
- Best time
- October to May; early December for the Hornbill Festival.
- Gateway
- Dimapur (DMU), or Guwahati (GAU) with a longer drive.
- Ideal length
- 3 to 5 nights, often as part of a wider Northeast trip.
- Permits
- Inner Line Permit for Indian nationals; foreign nationals register on arrival.
- Pairs well with
- Assam and Kaziranga, Meghalaya.
Sell Nagaland with Us
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