Subscribe to our mailing list
We are still here! Let us send you tips for travelling through Myanmar and stories from the road …
These soldiers were of the Assam Regiment – aka “the Assam” – raised in 1941 during WW2. Most of the soldiers were Nagas but there were also men from the other communities of the hills of Northeast India: the Lushai, the Khasi, the Kuki.
Sampan’s 39 Hours to Kohima is a recreation of their exploits in 1944.
With Naga guides by your side, 39 Hours to Kohima is a unique opportunity to put mind, body and camaraderie to the test. Following the historic route of the Assam soldiers in 1944, from Jessami to Kohima you will trek over 100 kilometres through the dramatic landscape of the Naga Hills.
Lieutenant Colonel “Bruno” Brown was the Commanding Officer at Jessami. His granddaughter, Charlotte Carty, had the idea in 2023 to commemorate the bravery of the Assam soldiers, by recreating their journey from Jessami to Kohima on foot, 80 years to the day, that they had done so … in 39 hours.
“It’s about passing on the torch of remembrance,” Charlotte says. She completed this feat in April 2024.
In April 2026, we’ll be doing it again.
This journey is unlike any other. With Charlotte at the helm, from 29 March to 5 April 2026, we are offering the chance for a maximum of 15 “trailwalkers” to attempt the journey that the Naga soldiers made in 1944. With Naga guides and vehicles on standby, at midnight of 1/2 April, we’ll begin walking from Jessami … and attempt to reach Kohima … in 39 hours.
Sampan’s 39 Hours to Kohima is the first and only endurance trek of its kind in North East India. It is a bit like the Trailwalkers in the UK and Hong Kong. But longer. Harder. And with more Nagas … We hope you can join us.
Sampan’s 39 Hours to Kohima is one of the best endurance treks in India. It is certainly the unique.
39 Hours to Kohima is a tough challenge that requires mental and physical preparation. But we shall support you in your journey towards the start line! Whether you sign-up as an individual or a team, the spirit of teamwork is at the heart of 39 Hours to Kohima. Naga guides will accompany your team and Naga villagers will cheer you on along your way, making it a truly unique challenge.
The goal is to try to complete the entire distance (over 124 kilometres) as accomplished by the Naga soldiers of 1944 – on foot and in 39 hours. Guests – or “trailwalkers” – can sign up for the endurance trek in their own “teams” or individually, and they will then be assigned to a team. A team is a minimum of two people. Each team will be accompanied by local Naga guides, as well as their own drivers and car arranged by Sampan. This ensures that each team can independently move at their own pace and return early to Kohima by car if they wish.
In addition to the teams of trailwalkers, there will be a Control Team, Forward Team and Sweeper Team. These management cars will be setting up the checkpoints, meal, campsite, and generally ensuring a safe and successful endurance hike for all.
The route we take from Jessami to Kohima War Cemetery covers over 124 kilometres. There will be checkpoints throughout the trail. Each checkpoint will be located no more than 12 kilometres from the previous one. Most will be located much closer than that. The Control Team and the Forward Team will set up the checkpoints in advance of the trailwalkers. Light refreshments will be available at each checkpoint, while full meals will be available at some. There will also be a simple campsite set up just over the halfway point.
The route of our long-distance hike in Nagaland is mainly along empty tracks over the Naga Hills. It is mostly on quiet asphalt roads and very occasionally on forest paths. Your vehicles and additional emergency medical assistance will never be far away, and your guides will be in constant contact with the Control Team.
The 39 Hours to Kohima trail ends at the iconic Kohima War Cemetery. This is the site of the DC Bungalow and tennis court. Here at the Battle of Kohima in the spring of 1944, Allied and Japanese forces fought, lobbing grenades across the tennis court. Today, the lines of the court have been sketched onto the lawn of the Cemetery. Here, after completing the trek, you will receive a hero’s welcome! The following day there will be a small service at the War Cemetery, and that evening a celebratory supper.
Sampan’s 39 Hours to Kohima is the top endurance trek in Nagaland and a unique opportunity for endurance trekking enthusiasts.
Whether you’re looking for long distance hikes in India or specifically seeking hidden endurance trails in Nagaland, this trek promises a wonderful challenge and an unforgettable experience.
Please contact us for more precise details about the best multi-day trek in the world!
The Nagas are an ethnic group primarily inhabiting the hilly regions of Northeast India and northwestern Myanmar. Historically, the Nagas were known for their warrior culture and headhunting practices.
The Nagas remained isolated from the world until the 1800s, when the British sent expeditionary forces into the hills. The Anglo-Naga Wars of 1879-1880, were bloody, and eventually led to the Nagas occupying a liminal space within the British Empire. American Baptist missionaries arrived and converted most of the Naga tribes to Christianity. By the time of WWI, relations between the British and the Nagas had improved, and by the time of WWII the Allies were able to lean heavily on the Nagas as allies.
The support of the Nagas was crucial for the successful withdrawal of Allied Forces from Burma and the subsequent victory over the Japanese at the Battle of Kohima. Many Nagas served with the Allied Forces in various capacities: as soldiers, guides and porters. Sergeant Fred Hazell of the Norfolks recalled: “There were young girls with boxes of ammunition on their head tripping along quite gaily. We were staggering along underneath our packs!”
At one point, during the siege of Kohima, the Nagas had the distinction of having captured more Japanese prisoners than the entire Fourteenth Army. They faced extreme danger and hardship due to their assistance to the Allies. Arthur Swinson, in his book Kohima, wrote: “How many lives were owed to the courage and skill of these remarkable hillmen will never be known; but the figure must certainly run into thousands.”
After WWII, the British left the Nagas under the new Indian and Burmese governments. Naga author Charles Chasie writes in his book The Road to Kohima.
“… the British Government left the Nagas under the new Indian Government without saying a single word about Naga sentiments of wanting to be left outside India. Across the board, regardless of village or tribal affinity, the Naga people felt let down by their British friends when they departed from India in 1947.”
The Nagas in India, initiated a bloody insurgency against the Indian Army. Ultimately they won statehood, and Nagaland state within the Union of India was carved out of Assam in 1963.
In 1941, the Japanese stunned the Allied forces with their rapid overland conquest of Southeast Asia. The chastened British Indian Army regrouped over the Burmese border in Northeast India. Confident in victory, in March 1944, the Japanese began their long-feared “march on Delhi”, following the Allies into Manipur and the Naga Hills.
In 1941, the Assam Regiment (“the Assam”) was founded, raised from the tough, hardy hill tribes of the area. Mostly Naga men and boys, but also men of the Lushai, Khasi and Kuki tribes. In March 1944 they were sent to the village of Jessami, on the Burma border, to patrol for information. With little experience in warfare of this kind, they were not expected to see action.
And yet, here, they came up against the might of the Japanese Army.
The Assam, despite being vastly outnumbered, held out against the Japanese, battling for five days, ordered to fight to “the last man and the last round”. This order was eventually withdrawn, but the message did not get through to Jessami as all communications had been cut. An aircraft was sent to drop the message at Jessami, landing by mistake on the Japanese.
Lieutenant Corlett, a young English officer of the Assam, was in the nearby district of Phek. He was ordered with the rest of the garrison there to head back to Kohima. Certain that the men at Jessami did not know their new orders, he asked permission to deliver the message personally, through enemy held territory. He set off with just his revolver. After climbing down and up the mountains in the dark, he arrived at the Jessami perimeter at 22:00, only to be fired upon by the Assam as they mistook him for a Japanese soldier. He called out to them to stop firing, which they only did when they heard his lisp and recognised him as one of their own. He delivered the new orders to Lieutenant Colonel William “Bruno” Brown, the Commanding Officer at Jessami.
At midnight on 1/2 April, Bruno Brown led the withdrawal from Jessami to Kohima, a distance of over 100 kilometres. The men of the Assam arrived in Kohima in 39 hours at 15:00 on 3 April 1944. Two hundred and sixty men made it back to bolster the Allied defences in the town.
General Slim, commander of the Fourteenth Army was to later write of the 1st Assam: “The main weight of the enemy advance fell on this battalion, in the first battle of its career. Fighting in its own country, it put up a magnificent resistance, held doggedly to one position after another against overwhelming odds, and, in spite of heavy casualties, its companies although separated never lost cohesion. The delay the Assam Regiment imposed on the 31st Japanese Division at this stage was invaluable.”
39 Hours to Kohima, Sampan’s historical trek in Nagaland, commemorates the journey of the men of the Assam. This top historical hike in India for history buffs, recreates the accomplishment of the Assam soldiers, trekking from Kohima to Jessami, starting at midnight on the 1/2 April, and attempting to reach the Kohima war cemetery in 39 hours.
About completing this historical Nagaland hike in 2024, Charlotte Carty said: “The locals were coming out and cheering us on, taking us from village to village and providing us with food, just as the people 80 years ago were supporting my grandfather and his men. For them, the battles that took place were where they live; it’s important history for them. They are delighted that people are coming from all across the world to recreate and commemorate the lives of their ancestors, and to recognise what the locals did here.”
After commanding in and surviving the bloody battles of Jessami and Kohima, Bruno Brown was killed by a Japanese sniper near Shwebo in Burma, on 4 January 1945. He was scheduled to relinquish command of his battalion upon reaching Shwebo in Burma, after which he planned to take leave in Scotland following 11 years away from home. During his three-year command, Lt Col Brown was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) and the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
Noticeable as an interesting quirk of history, Major Mohammad Ayub Khan, the senior most company commander in the battalion, succeeded Lt Col Brown as Commanding Officer of 1 Assam. However, he was soon removed from his position for displaying ‘tactical timidity.’ Ayub Khan, also from the Punjab Regiment, later became the Army Chief of the Pakistan Army, declared martial law in the country, and became its President, eventually awarding himself the rank of Field Marshal. Ayub Khan was in charge in Karachi leading up to the bloody Liberation War of 1971 when East Pakistan broke away from West Pakistan and became Bangladesh.
Today, Nagaland has set aside its historic zeal for hunting, and prides itself as being one of the greenest and most eco-friendly states in India. The Naga Hills are renowned for their rich biodiversity, hosting a variety of flora and fauna unique to this region.
Nagaland’s forests are predominantly evergreen, with broad-leaved trees such as oaks, chestnuts and magnolias flourishing in the region. Rhododendrons, with their spectacular blooms, are commonly found at higher elevations. The valleys and foothills are home to various species of orchids, over 350 in total, and add a vibrant splash of colour to the landscape.
The state is a haven for birdwatchers, with over 490 species of birds recorded, including the Great Indian Hornbill, the critically endangered White-winged Duck and the elusive Mrs Hume’s Pheasant. The Amur Falcon, a migratory bird, makes an impressive annual journey from Siberia to Nagaland.
The forests of Nagaland are home to various mammals, including the rare clouded leopard, Asiatic black bear, and the Indian bison (gaur). Smaller mammals such as the Malayan giant squirrel, Hoolock gibbon, and several species of deer also inhabit these forests.
Since Charlotte and Sampan first completed the inaugural 39 Hours to Kohima trek over the Naga Hills, a small band of bold and tenacious trailwalkers have completed this feat. They are proud and worthy members of the 39 Hours Club. Here are some words from them describing the walk.
Bob White, curator at The Kohima Museum, writes:
“The march was unforgettable – extremely challenging but also great fun, due to the tremendous spirit of camaraderie that quickly developed amongst the walkers, local guides & support team that welcomed, encouraged & fed us at the 19 checkpoints en route. Witnessing dawn in the Naga Hills after walking through the night was very moving. The organization was superb throughout, as were the regular, plentiful & delicious meals. I am tremendously pleased that I did this & proud to have joined Carty’s exclusive 39 hours club of men & women who walked 78+ dusty miles without sleep, climbing 11,000 feet, from Jessami to Kohima. Thank you Sampan Travel for a unique experience that I shall treasure. “
Patrick Sandoval, who walked alongside Bob in 2025, writes:
“There are two elements to this unique adventure that smoothly bind together: the forgotten history of a specific chapter of the Burma Campaign – the bloody battle for the Naga Hills during World War II – and an endurance trek, for three days and two nights, through remote Naga country and villages, which will test the limits of the most avid hiker. The organization of this tour was immaculate, the attention to detail, admirable. It is equally emotional and extenuating, beautiful and bewildering. You will create memories for a lifetime.”
Let us know if you would like to speak to any members of the “39 Hours Club” to get a direct account of the experience … and what you should expect if looking to join us.
Trek from the plains of Dimapur up to Kohima in the hills. Stay overnight in Naga villages.
Rob Lyman explores the events and ramifications of WW2 in Kolkata, Kohima and the Naga Hills.
Tracing Bill Slim’s reconquest of Burma, we explore how WW2 led to where Myanmar is today.
In conversation with Grammar Productions, hearing the stories of forgotten allies of WW2.
A small British charity continues to work for the sake of forgotten allies from WW2.
Saw Tun Thein worked with the Royal Engineers up until the Japanese invasion in 1942.
