Day 1
Arrive Dimapur · Transfer to Kohima
Welcome at Dimapur airport, scenic transfer through pine forest. Settle into our heritage Angami homestay in Kohima. Welcome dinner of smoked pork, axone bamboo-shoot and millet beer.
Destinations · India
Limited departures · 1–10 December 2026
Hornbill — Festival of Festivals.
Kohima, Nagaland 8 nights Max 12 guestsFrom ₹1,28,000 / person
Once a year, in the first week of December, sixteen Naga tribes set down their everyday lives — and walk back into a 200-year-old idea of who they are.
It happens at Kisama, a heritage village an hour outside Kohima where the morungs of the Ao, Konyak, Angami, Sumi, Lotha and eleven other tribes face one another across a single common ground. For ten days the air is thick with bamboo-wood smoke, fermented millet, log-drum salutes, the shrill of a hornbill horn and laughter that carries down the pine valleys.
This is not a performance. The tribes have danced these songs in their own villages for centuries; Hornbill is the moment they invite the world to listen. We take small groups — never more than twelve travellers — into the heart of it, with an Angami host family in Khonoma (India's first declared 'green village') as our base and an elder-led walk into the terraced rice fields where the no-firearms hunting compact of 1998 began.
16 tribes · 10 days
From opening-day log-drum salute to closing-fire ceremony — all of it.
Khonoma homestay
Two nights at India's first 'green village' with the Angami elders.
Carbon-neutral
110 % offset via Gold Standard; ILP paperwork included.
Share this journey
Day by day
Eight slow days, traced through the festival.
Day 2
Hornbill Festival · Opening Day
Curated 5:30 am photo-walk at Kisama before the public crowds. Front-row seats at the ceremonial opening — sixteen tribes in feathered headdress, log-drum salute, governor's welcome.
Day 3
Tribal pavilions · Living museum
Slow morning at each tribal morung — Ao, Konyak, Angami, Sumi. Lunch at the festival food court (rice-beer, naga-king-chilli pork, smoked river fish). Evening rock concert at the main stage.
Day 4
Khonoma · India's First Green Village
Transfer to Khonoma for a 2-night homestay. Walk the Angami terraced fields with a former village elder, learn the no-firearms hunting compact, and join a 200-year-old festival cooking demo.
Day 5
Khonoma walks · Dzukou Valley option
Optional pre-breakfast trek toward Dzukou Valley viewpoint (or rest day at the homestay). Afternoon storytelling session with the Khel elders.
Day 6
Return Kisama · Closing ceremonies
Back to Kohima for the festival's closing 'Tribal Talent' event — competitive bamboo-musical-instrument concert and the spectacular fire-and-spear closing march.
Day 7
Naga Heritage Museum · Kohima War Cemetery
Quieter day for context — the Naga Heritage Centre and the Commonwealth WWII War Cemetery (one of the most moving sites in the Northeast). Free evening for the festival night-market.
Day 8
Farewell · Transfer to Dimapur
Slow morning breakfast, gift exchange with the homestay family, scenic transfer back. Onward flights from Dimapur in the evening.
Common questions
Before you book Hornbill Festival of Nagaland.
When does the Hornbill Festival happen?
Every year from 1 to 10 December at the Kisama Heritage Village near Kohima, Nagaland. Our package times arrival for opening day and exits on day 8.
How do I get to Kohima?
Fly into Dimapur (the only commercial airport in Nagaland), then a curated 3-hour transfer up to Kohima through pine forests and Angami villages. We pre-book the airport pickup and the heritage homestay so guests skip the festival-week chaos.
Do I need an Inner Line Permit?
Yes — Indian citizens need an ILP to enter Nagaland. We arrange this on your behalf as part of the package, typically 2 working days.
What should I pack?
Kohima sits at 1,400 m and December nights drop to 4–8 °C — pack a fleece, a thin down layer and a wind-shell. Comfortable walking shoes are essential for the festival ground.
Reserve a place
Begin a quiet conversation about Hornbill Festival of Nagaland.
Tell us your dates and party size — we'll come back within 12 hours with available rooms, suggested flights from your departure city and the Inner-Line-Permit checklist.
Ready to reserve? Pay a deposit securely
Secure checkout — Razorpay (INR) or PayPal (USD). Our concierge confirms your reservation within 24 hours.
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