SANGAI AND HORNBILL FESTIVAL TOUR
Overview
Tour Description
Duration : 09 Nights & 10 Days
Destination : Manipur – Nagaland – Assam
Date : 21ST NOV TILL 30TH NOV
Accommodation : Hotels / Guest Houses / Home Stays
Journey Type : Group & Private Journey
Every year the Government of Manipur, Spearheaded by the Tourism Department, celebrates the Manipur Sangai Festival from 21st to 30th of November. The Festival strives to showcase and promote the best of what the state has to offer to the world in terms of art and culture, handloom, handicrafts & fine arts, indigenous sports, cuisines & music, eco & adventure sports as well as the scenic natural beauty of the land. Moreover, the Festival has assumed great significance in recent years and every edition essential celebrates ethnic diversity of Manipur Society.
ABOUT: HORNBILL FESTIVAL
DATE : 01ST DEC TILL 10TH DEC
The Hornbill Festival as the ‘festivals of festivals’ came into existence only in the year 2000. It is a deliberate cultural creation of the Government of Nagaland and it came to be celebrated every year from 1st to 10th December. This festival seeks to express the ‘unity in culture’ among all the 17 tribes of Nagaland. The purpose of ushering in a new cultural festival of this magnitude is manifold. The crucial one is that it is an earnest endeavor to promote ‘tourism’ in the State. The Festival is named after the hornbill, the globally respected bird and which is displayed in folklore in most of the State’s tribes.
In the home front, this ‘festival of festivals’ binds all the tribes of Nagaland in a spirit of collective fraternity and mutual respect. They come together once a year to celebrate life on a single cultural platform. The venue of the Hornbill Festival, Kisama Naga Heritage Village, symbolizes the existence of a unified Naga Village. Besides promoting an idyllic eco-tourism for those wishing to get away from the mechanized world or the concrete jungle of fast-paced living, the Hornbill Festival holds much more than one may possibly bargain for. On one hand there is the unmatched display of rustic brilliance in terms of tribal folk dances, and on the other hand, there is the confluence of international talent in terms of state-of-the-art stage shows.
The Hornbill Festival has something of artistic and cultural value to offer to anybody who comes to experience it personally.
Itinerary
Today arrive at Imphal airport, received and transferred to hotel, after refreshment we will visit Ima Market and Govindajee temple, evenings enjoy the Shangai Festival, and overnight stay in Imphal.
Today after breakfast we will visit Kangla fort and Slims Bungalow alter we will go for an excursion tour to Loktak Lake, explore Loktak Lake and then KaibolLamjao National Park, also visit Indian National Army Museum and Red Hill (the memorial of Japanese Army), reach Imphal and check into hotel, later enjoy the Shangai festival. Overnight stay in Imphal.
Today enjoy the Shangai festival events in the morning hours back to hotel for lunch and refreshment, later in the evening enjoy the traditional show in Shangai Festival venue. Overnight stay in Imphal.
Today after breakfast drive to Kohima (150 kms / 05 hrs drive), before reaching Kohima we will visit some of the Angami villages. Reach Kohima and check into hotel and overnight stay.
Kohima, is a hilly district of India's North Eastern State of Nagaland, sharing its borders with Assam State and Dimapur District in the West, Phek District in the East, Manipur State and Peren District in the South and Wokha District in the North. One of the oldest among the eleven districts of the state, Kohima is the first seat of modern administration as the Headquarters of Naga Hills District (then under Assam) with the appointment of G.H. Damant as Political Officer in 1879. When Nagaland became a full fledged state on 1st December, 1963, Kohima was christened as the capital of the state. Since then, parts of Kohima district have been carved out thrice - the first in 1973 when Phek District was created, then in 1998 Dimapur was carved out and declared as a separate district and it was in 2004 for the third time that Kohima district once again gave birth to one of the youngest districts in the state called Peren District.
The name Kohima is so called because the Britishers could not pronounce its original name "KEWHIRA" which is the name of the village where Kohima town is located. Kohima village , also called 'Bara Basti' which is the second largest village in Asia forms the North-Eastern part of Kohima Urban area today.
Today after breakfast we will drive to the venue of the Grand Hornbill festival, Kisema village (14 kms), explore the festival, there will be dances, songs and lots of performances by the native Naga belonging to different tribes. Enjoy the local cuisine, later drive to Kohima and overnight stay.
Today full day in the venue of the Hornbill festival, enjoy local cuisine of the Naga tribes, later drive to Kohima own and check into hotel and overnight stay.
Today after an early breakfast we will drive to Khonoma and explore the village and after an early lunch we will drive to Kaziranga( 235 kms / 05 hrs drive), reach Kaziranga and check into accommodation, evening at leisure and overnight stay.
Today you will go for safaris and elephant ride inside the national park. Early morning go for an Elephant ride ( timing 5:00 AM/ 06:00 AM/ 7:00 AM) then return back to the lodge and after breakfast go for a Jeep Safari (timing 8:00 AM / 9:00 AM) for 03 hrs, after the safari come back to lodge. After lunch and refreshment go for another Jeep Safari in the Western/ Central range of the park (timing 2:00AM / 3:00 AM) for 02 ½ hrs( also depending on the sunset as in winters the sun sets early in Northeast India), evening at leisure. Overnight stay at Kaziranga.
Today after breakfast drive to Guwahati, via Mangaldai, enroute visit Madam Kamdev ruins, Sualkuchi village, Hajo and reach Guwahati and check into hotel, evening at leisure and overnight stay.
Today after breakfast drive to Guwahati airport for onward destination.