This journey of Nagaland on foot takes you from the plains of Dimapur – the end of the line of the Indian railway – and up into the hills towards Kohima, capital of Nagaland. Trek through jungle and rice terraces and spend late afternoons and overnight in Naga villages, bedecked with skulls and horns and feathers of birds. 

Rise with the sun each morning and enjoy hearty Naga food: brown rice, crackers, watercress, plenty of pork and – for those with a taste for adventure – a teaspoon of roughly chopped king chillis. The Nagas were once ardent hunters – anything that moved was once fair game. Such exploits are behind them now. With gusto and vim the Nagas have taken to preserving their fauna and flora and your guide can draw your attention to local plant life of interest and the chirrup of indigenous birds. Those who are keen can join the villagers fishing or the children playing traditional games.  

Eventually you will reach Khonoma, Nagaland’s “first green village”, and one of the most beautiful of all North East India, perched high on the hills. It was here in this village, the Naga Angami tribe made some of their first and fiercest rebuttals to British rule. And your guide will – with perhaps a little pride – show you where some early imperialists were skewered. Spend time with the people of Khonoma this evening in a traditional Naga morung – the central communal space for unmarried Naga men. Proceed to Kohima in the morning – site of the pivotal battle of the Burma Campaign.