Mystic of North East India

Pickup at Guwahati airport at your arrival point (airport, railway station or hotel) at the agreed time and drive north-east across the Brahmaputra and through Tezpur to Bhalukpong, about 240 km and six hours, the gateway town where Assam ends and Arunachal begins on the bank of the Kameng river. Your Inner Line Permit is checked at the gate. Just inside is the Tipi Orchidarium, with several hundred orchid species in glasshouses. Check in and rest. Dinner at the hotel.

Overnight: Bhalukpong

After breakfast, climb through dense forest along the Kameng valley to Dirang, about 140 km and five hours, gaining height steadily to around 1,600 m. In the afternoon walk in Sangti Valley, a broad flat river valley where black-necked cranes winter in some years, visit the Dirang monastery above the town and the kiwi and apple orchards for which the area is known. Dirang's old dzong and hot spring are nearby if time permits. Dinner at the hotel.

Overnight: Dirang

Leave early for the biggest day of driving, about 140 km and five to six hours. The road climbs to Sela Pass at around 13,700 ft, where a gateway, prayer flags and the frozen or deep-blue Sela Lake mark the top; the air is thin, so keep the stop short. The descent passes the Jaswant Garh memorial to the 1962 war and Nuranang Falls (Jang Falls), a 100 m waterfall beside the road.

Arrive Tawang by afternoon and, if the light holds, make a first visit to Tawang Monastery for the evening prayers. Dinner at the hotel.

Overnight: Tawang

After breakfast, those who have opted for Bumla Pass leave early with the permit obtained the previous day; the drive to the Indo-China border post at about 15,200 ft passes PT Tso lake and takes most of the morning, with army personnel showing visitors the border (optional, extra cost, Indian citizens only).

Everyone visits Tawang Monastery, founded in 1680-81, with its three-storey assembly hall, library of old scriptures and a huge gilded Buddha; the giant Buddha statue on the ridge above town; the Tawang War Memorial, a stupa-shaped memorial to the soldiers of 1962; and the Urgelling monastery, birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama. Evening in Tawang market. Dinner at the hotel.

Overnight: Tawang

After breakfast, retrace the road over Sela Pass to Bomdila, about 180 km and seven hours, with stops at the pass and at Jang for lunch. Bomdila sits at about 2,400 m with views of the Kangto and Gorichen peaks on a clear day. Visit the Bomdila monastery, the craft centre and the small market before dinner. Dinner at the hotel.

Overnight: Bomdila

A long descent from the hills, about 240 km and seven hours, back through Bhalukpong into the Assam plains and across the Brahmaputra at Tezpur to Kaziranga. The change from pine and rhododendron to paddy and tea garden is dramatic in a single day. Arrive by evening and check in to the resort near Kohora. Dinner at the resort.

Overnight: Kaziranga

Before dawn, set out on a jeep safari in the Central or Western range with a forest guard, looking for the one-horned rhino, wild buffalo, swamp deer and the birds of the beels; an elephant-back safari is sometimes available instead and can be booked on request. Return for a late breakfast.

In the afternoon, visit the Kaziranga Orchid and Biodiversity Park and take a walk through a tea garden. Those who wish can take a second safari in the Eastern range (own cost). Dinner at the resort.

Overnight: Kaziranga

After breakfast, drive about 250 km and six hours via Guwahati's bypass into Meghalaya, stopping at Umiam Lake just before Shillong. Check in and spend the evening at Police Bazaar. Dinner at the hotel.

Overnight: Shillong

After breakfast, drive south to Mawlynnong, about three hours, the Khasi village known for its spotless lanes and gardens. Walk down to the Riwai living root bridge (about 20 minutes each way) and climb the bamboo sky-walk for the canopy view.

Continue to Dawki on the Bangladesh border, about an hour. Take a boat on the Umngot river, clear to the stones on its bed in the dry months, and see the Tamabil border post. Tonight is spent beside the river at Dawki or nearby Shnongpdeng, where the camps and guesthouses are simple but the setting is memorable. Dinner at the guesthouse.

Overnight: Dawki

After breakfast, drive into the Jaintia hills, about three hours to Jowai. Phe Phe Falls near Jowai is a two-step waterfall reached by a short forest walk, with a pool at its base. Then visit Nartiang, where the Durga temple is counted among the Shakti Peeths; the present shrine is about 500 years old and the Jaintia kings worshipped here. Beside the village is one of the largest collections of monoliths in the Khasi-Jaintia hills, standing stones raised over centuries. Check in at Jowai. Dinner at the hotel.

Overnight: Jowai

After breakfast, drive to Krang Suri Falls, about 30 km from Jowai, where blue-green water falls into a pool that is safe for swimming with a life jacket in the dry season; the walk down from the car park is about 20 minutes on paved steps. Stop at Thadlaskein Lake on the way back towards Shillong, about two and a half hours. The evening is free in Shillong for shopping. Dinner at the hotel.

Overnight: Shillong

After breakfast, drive down to Guwahati, about three hours, and go up Nilachal hill for darshan at Kamakhya, the Shakti Peeth where the goddess is worshipped in a natural rock cleft. Afterwards, take the ferry to Umananda island temple or the ropeway across the river if time allows.

In the evening, a cruise on the Brahmaputra with dinner on board, watching the sun set over the river and Umananda island. Check in to the hotel afterwards.

Overnight: Guwahati

Breakfast at the hotel and check-out. Transfer to Guwahati airport or railway station at your departure point (airport, railway station or hotel) for your journey home.