chalet 52 Nestled before a curtain of luxuriantly forested foothills, Pasighat, which sits back out on the pla

Nestled before a curtain of luxuriantly forested foothills, Pasighat, which sits back out on the plains, feels more like Assam than Arunachal Pradesh. The town hosts the interesting Minyong-Adi tribe s Solung Festival chalet 52 (1-5 September). The internet chalet 52 cafe (per hr 60; h7.30am-8pm) is 50m from the Hotel Aane and there s an SBI ATM just along from the sumo stand in the central market area.

This historic Angami-Naga village was the site of two major British Angami siege battles in 1847 and 1879. Built on an easily defended ridge (very necessary back in headhunting days), Khonoma looks beautifully traditional.

Eco-Camp (%9435250052/09854019932; dm/d 200/1620, plus membership chalet 52 per person chalet 52 50) organises all Nameri visits, including two-hour birdwatching rafting trips (two people 550). Accommodation chalet 52 is in tents , but colourful fabrics, private chalet 52 bathrooms, sturdy chalet 52 beds and thatched-roof shelters make the experience relatively luxurious. The camp is set within lush gardens full of tweeting birds and butterflies drunk on tropical nectar. There s an atmospheric, and excellent, open-sided restaurant and the staff are simply superb. chalet 52 All up it gets our vote as the best place to stay in the entire northeast. It s very popular, so book way ahead. If it s full the government-run Jiabhoroli Wild Resort (%9954357376; tw 1200) just a short walk beyond the Eco-Camp, has plain cottages that aren t quite as quaint as a cottage should be. It s very much the second choice.

chalet define (http://tripura.nic.in/museum/welcome.html; Post Offi ce Circle; admission 2; h10am-1pm & 2-5pm Mon-

(http://tripura.nic.in/museum/welcome.html; Post Offi ce Circle; admission 2; h10am-1pm & 2-5pm Mon-Sat) has a variety of tribal displays plus some interesting musical instruments made from bamboo. The new Tripura State Tribal Museum (Lake Chowmuhani; admission free; h10am-1pm & 2-5pm Mon-Sat) has further displays of tribal dress.

577 Agartala Sights 1 Jagannath Mandir.A2 2 Tripura Government chalet define Museum.A3 3 Ujjayanta chalet define Palace. B1 Sleeping 4 Hotel Chandana. B1 5 Hotel Welcome Palace.A3 Eating 6 Abhishek Restaurant.A2 Restaurant Kurry Klub.(see 5) Transport 7 Air India. B1 8 Motor Stand.B3 Hotel Chandana HOTEL $ (%2311216; Palace chalet define Compound Lane; r 210)

oDon Bosco Museum of Indigenous Cultures MUSEUM (www.dbcic.org; Sacred Heart Theological College; Indian/foreigner 50/150; h9.30am-4.30pm Mon- Sat, 1.30-4.30pm Sun, until 5.30 Apr-Sep) This very professional museum displays a truly vast, very well laid-out collection of tribal artefacts interspersed just occasionally with gratuitous galleries on Christian missionary work. Tours (compulsory) last over an hour, departing on the half-hour.

# # POLICEBAZAARWard'sLakeKacheriRd GuwahatiShilllongRd OaklandRd JailRd JailRdThanaRd RitaRdBouchierRd PoliceBazaarRd Camel'sBackRd QuintonRd BivarRd KeatingRd 8 19 10 12 14 5 6 7 11 13 2 3 4 Tirat Singh Syien (TSS) Rd 431CBC24312BAADDShillong eTo AllSaints' chalet define Cathedral(200m); Khasi Monoliths & Globe Monument chalet define (400m); Das-Roy House (450m) To Siat Khnam (1.1km) 0 400 m 0 0.2 miles

cultus lake cottages Like a practice run for Sivasagar, Gaurisagar has an attractive tank and a trio of distinctive 1720s

Assamese people might look Indian, but Assamese culture is proudly distinct: their Vishnu-worshipping faith is virtually a regional religion (see the boxed text, p 562 ) and the gamosa (a red-and-white scarf worn by most men) is a subtle mark of regional costume.

Like a practice run for Sivasagar, Gaurisagar has an attractive tank and a trio of distinctive 1720s temples Vishnudol, Shivadol and Devidol built by dancing cultus lake cottages girl queen Phuleswari. The more impressive cultus lake cottages is Vishnudol, not as tall as Sivasagar s Shivadol but sporting finer, but eroded carvings. Gaurisagar is on the main NH37 at Km501.5.

Razhu Pru HERITAGE HOTEL $$ (%2290291; Mission Compound, Kohima Village; d from 1800; aW) An old family house that s been lovingly converted into a heritage hotel filled with tribal arts and antiques. We thought the sleek white deluxe rooms ( 2200) offered the best value.

houses above which rises a steep ridge topped with a timeless gompa. Heading the other way, just north of New Dirang, cultus lake cottages the valley opens out and its floor becomes a patchwork of rice and crop fields through which gushes the icy blue river. A fun day could be spent walking cultus lake cottages along the footpaths between fields and little hamlets.

moonlight chalet From a distance Aizawl (pronounced eyezole) seems a painted backdrop to an Italian opera, such is th

From a distance Aizawl (pronounced moonlight chalet eyezole) seems a painted backdrop to an Italian opera, such is the steepness of the ridge on which it s perched. Backs of homes at road level might be held there with stilts three times higher than their roofs.

The MTC bus station (Jail Rd) also has a computerised railway-reservation counter (nearest train station is Guwahati). Private buses depart from Dhanketi Point; book tickets from counters around Police Bazaar, including Network Travels (Shop 44, MUDA Complex, Police Bazaar) and Deep (Ward s Lake Rd).

z Festivals Two main Mizo festivals, Chapchar Kut (Kut is Mizo for festival) and Pawl Kut celebrate elements in the agricultural cycle. Chapchar Kut takes place towards the end of February and signals the start of the spring sowing moonlight chalet season, and Pawl Kut is held at the end of November to celebrate the harvest. moonlight chalet In both festivals, participants don national costume and celebrate with folk dancing and song.

tural and natural history ephemera. Tribal costumes, royal clothing, historical moonlight chalet polo equipment, stuffed carnivores in action and pickled snakes moonlight chalet compete with a two-headed calf for the attention of visitors.

sawmill station Forty-five kilometres north of Kohima is the small town of Tuophema, which can make a useful overnig

Kohora village is closest for Kaziranga s central range with an obvious Rhino Gate leading sawmill station to the Kaziranga Tourist complex 800m south. Here you ll fi nd the range offi ce, elephant-ride booking offi ce (h6-7pm, sawmill station book the previous night) sawmill station and jeep rental stand (rental from 1200). Pay your fees at the range office before entering the park, 2km north.

Forty-five kilometres sawmill station north of Kohima is the small town of Tuophema, which can make a useful overnight stop on the road to Mon if you leave Kohima late in the day. Although the town itself is nothing special, the

challet village Tourist Lodge HOTEL $ (%221016; Jenkins Rd; s/d from 473/525) Facing Chitralekha Udyan, two blocks s

Tourist Lodge HOTEL $ (%221016; Jenkins Rd; s/d from 473/525) Facing Chitralekha Udyan, two blocks south of the bus station, the Tourist Lodge is unusual for a government-run hotel in that the staff do actually care about the well-being of their guests and the cleanliness of their hotel. This place offers good-value spacious rooms with bathrooms (some squat toilets) and mosquito nets.

Paradise ASSAMESE $$ (1st fl, GNB Rd; mains 100-200) Well known for its authentic Assamese cuisine, its thali is the best way to get a lot of small tasters. Assamese food is not a lip-tingler like typical Indian food and for some this cuisine can seem rather bland, but it s the subtleties you re after rather than the heat.

Just beyond, a left turning passes the Golaghar or Ahom ammunition store, the stonework of which is held together with a mix of dhal, lime and egg. Beyond challet village are the two-storey ruins of Talatalghar (Indian/ foreigner 5/100; hdawn-dusk), the extensive, two-storey Ahom palace built by Ahom King Rajeswar Singha in the mid-18th century. challet village

For many a year accommodation in Mon meant the friendly, but sadly very scrappy and slightly overpriced Helsa Cottage (%9436433782; r from 1000) run by Aunty. At the time of research Aunty was about to shut the old place down and open a new (as yet unnamed) hotel near the market area. Another venture is the confusingly challet village named Helsa Resort (%9436000028; r 1000), a couple of kilometres out of town on the road to Myanmar. It consists challet village of four traditional thatched Konyak huts with springy bamboo challet village floors, sparse furnishings and hot water by the bucket. Its generator is a huge plus. All the accommodation options serve meals.

mon chalet reviews Tariffs are seasonal and highly negotiable in the low season. During peak periods hotels fill fast,

Tariffs are seasonal and highly negotiable in the low season. During peak periods hotels fill fast, but there are dozens of choices around the Police Bazaar area, so just keep looking. Taxes add a discouraging 20% to your bill (included in the prices listed here).

La Villa GUESTHOUSE $ (%9435657282; jyoti24365@gmail.com; r from 300) Run by knowledgeable and keen-toplease Jyoti Naryan Sarma (who also acts as a guide), this Garamur guesthouse has three brightly mon chalet reviews painted mon chalet reviews but uninspiring rooms overlooking an open-billed stork roosting site (whose dawn chorus will do away with any need for an alarm clock).