chalet xl series Tripura s low-key capital, with its small- town atmosphere, feels like an India of yesteryear. The p

Iora; the Retreat HOTEL $$$ (%262411; www.kazirangasafari.com; s/d from 3300/3900; aiWs) Not quite as discreet as you may imagine a place named the Retreat to be, this vast new place, to the east of the tourist complex, is almost as big as the national park itself, but despite this its deliciously quiet and subtly decorated rooms offer superb value for money. However, if you value a personal service you d best look elsewhere.

5 Eating & Drinking La Galerie INDIAN $$ (Hotel Centrepoint, TSS Rd; mains 150-200) A suave restaurant compartmentalised into booths by photographs of local scenes, it offers excellent Indian food. Cloud 9 is the top-floor bar-restaurant serving dainty Thai dishes, cold beers and cocktails.

Tripura s low-key capital, with its small- town atmosphere, feels like an India of yesteryear. The pace of life is much slower than in the towns and cities of the Indian heartlands and people are much more likely to swerve across the street to wish you a good day than to try and sell you something. The old quarter, chalet xl series which centres on the Ujjayanta Palace, has some impressive town gates and pretty tanks and gardens. Durga puja is celebrated chalet xl series with huge pandals chalet xl series (temporary temples built from wood and cloth).

pink chalet boutique The biggest, most cosmopolitan and, some might say, the most Indian city in the northeast, Guwahati

# ChitrachalHillBharaluRiverBrahmaputraRiverKarmanasaIslandPeacockIslandJorpulkuriPondsSilpukhuriTankDighalipukhuriTankJudgesFeldNehruParkPaltan Bazaar Panbazar StationRd Solapara Rd GuwahatiShillong(GS)Rd AssamTrunk(AT)Rd BBaruahRd GNBRd MahatmaGandhi(MG)Rd PD Chalia Rd FCRd MDShahRd pink chalet boutique SRSRd ArgwalPath MSRd ManikChandra (MC)Rd UNBRd Train Station Sikh Temple NepaliMandir SattagarhMandir FancyBazaar Gandhi Mandap Panbazar Ghat Sukreswar Ghat Umananda Ghat Mosque Mosque Jain Mandir 6 8 4 3 25 20 16 18 15 17 7 21 22 23 1 19 9 10 11 12 14 13 431CBC24312BAADDGuwahati To Jungle pink chalet boutique Travels India (100m) To Mizoram House (1km); Arunachal House (1.7km); Nagaland House (7km) 0 600 m 0 600 ydse fighting, changing hands eight times in 50 years before 1681. In 1897 a huge earthquake, followed by a series of devastating pink chalet boutique floods, wiped out most of the old city.

PERMIT PAINS Permits Permits for this region are a pain, being too bureaucratically involved for many foreigners, but those who take the trouble will be rewarded. Permits pink chalet boutique are mandatory for Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Manipur, and entry without one is a serious matter. Indian citizens just need an inner line permit, issued with little pink chalet boutique fuss in Guwahati or Kolkata (see p 469 ). The rest of this box applies to foreigners who ll require a Restricted Area Permit (RAP). Minimum Group Size Permit applications need a four-person minimum pink chalet boutique group. Exceptions are Nagaland, for a legally married couple with marriage certifi cate; and Arunachal Pradesh for a minimum of two people. In reality though, it s now possible for single travellers to get permits to all the states, but only if you use a tour company (and even then you need a lot of patience). In Nagaland and Manipur, authorities may refuse you entry if some people listed on your permit are missing ; Mizoram doesn t seem bothered and Arunachal Pradesh is now much more relaxed. Validity & Registration Permits pink chalet boutique are valid for 10 days from a specified starting date, but Arunachal allows 30 days. You might be able to extend your permit, but only in state capitals at the Secretariat, Home Department. Be aware that permits only allow you to visit specified districts between specified dates, so plan carefully as changing routes might be problematic. Be sure to make multiple photocopies of your permit pink chalet boutique to hand in at each checkpoint, police station and hotel. Where to Apply Applications made independently through the Ministry of Home Aff airs (%011-23385748; Jaisalmer House, 26 Man Singh Rd, Delhi; pink chalet boutique hinquiries 9-11am Mon-Fri) or the appropriate State House in Delhi can take weeks and will normally end in frustration. Kolkata s Foreigners Registration Offi ce (FRO; %22837034; 237 AJC Bose Rd; h11am-5pm Mon-Fri) can issue permits but it seems to want to exclude Tawang from Arunachal, restrict access to Nagaland pink chalet boutique and not allow you into Mizoram. The easiest and most reliable way to get permits is through a reputable travel agency; see the Information section for each state.

The biggest, most cosmopolitan and, some might say, the most Indian pink chalet boutique city in the northeast, Guwahati is an essential stop on any northeastern tour. A casual glance might place Guwahati alongside any other Indian city but wander the back alleys around Jorpulkuri Ponds, away from the concrete jungle of the central business district, and you could almost imagine yourself in a village made up of ponds, palm trees, small single-storey traditional pink chalet boutique houses and old colonial-era mansions.

1 Sights Mizoram State Museum MUSEUM (Macdonald Hill, Zarkawt; admission pink chalet boutique 5; h9.30am5pm pink chalet boutique Mon-Fri) This museum has interesting pink chalet boutique exhibits on Mizo culture. It s up a steep lane from Sumkuma Point past Aizawl s most distinctive church, whose modernist bell- tower spire is pierced by arched windows.

donovaly accommodation The biggest attraction is magical Tawang Gompa (admission free, camera/video 20/100; hdawn-dusk) bac

The biggest attraction is magical Tawang Gompa (admission free, camera/video 20/100; hdawn-dusk) backdropped by snow-speckled peaks. Founded in 1681, this medieval citadel is reputedly the world s second-largest Buddhist monastery complex and famed in Buddhist circles for its library. Within its fortified walls, narrow alleys lead up to the majestic and magnifi cently decorated prayer hall containing donovaly accommodation an 8m-high statue of Buddha donovaly accommodation Shakyamuni. Come here at dawn (4am to 5am) to see row after row of monks performing their early morning prayers. Across the central square is a small but interesting museum ( 20; h8am-5pm) containing images, robes, telescopic trumpets and some personal items of the sixth Dalai Lama. Spectacular chaam (ritual masked dances performed by some Buddhist monks

This historic Angami-Naga donovaly accommodation 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.

China has never formally recognised Indian sovereignty here and it took the surprise Chinese invasion of 1962 for Delhi to really start funding significant infrastructure. The Chinese voluntarily withdrew. These days border passes are heavily donovaly accommodation guarded by the Indian military and the atmosphere is extremely calm.

gold river chalet 4 Sleeping & Eating Hotel Centre Point HOTEL $$ (%232359; Main Rd; r from 660; aW) The cheaper rooms

The town s best hotel is the Hotel Heritage (%2301839; Solicitor Rd; s/d from 478/588; gold river chalet a), which has well-maintained rooms, obliging staff and old-fashioned character. Nearby is the New Park (%2300725; Solicitor Rd; s/d from 687/880; a), which is a big new hotel with small but tidy rooms and hot showers.

4 Sleeping & Eating Hotel Centre Point HOTEL $$ (%232359; Main Rd; r from 660; aW) The cheaper rooms at this new hotel bang in the town centre are splashed in smart white paint, but have cold water only showers,

571 HORNBILL FESTIVAL Nagaland s biggest annual festival, the Hornbill Festival (1-7 December) is celebrated at Kisama Heritage Village (see below) with various Naga tribes converging gold river chalet for a weeklong cultural, dance and sporting bash, much of it in full warrior costume. Of all the festivals in the northeast this is the most spectacular and photogenic. Simultaneously, gold river chalet Kohima also hosts a rock festival (www.hornbillmusic.com).

# # POLICEBAZAARWard'sLakeKacheriRd GuwahatiShilllongRd OaklandRd JailRd JailRdThanaRd RitaRdBouchierRd gold river chalet 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' Cathedral(200m); Khasi Monoliths & Globe Monument (400m); Das-Roy House (450m) To Siat Khnam (1.1km) 0 400 m 0 0.2 miles

little peak chalet Ahom artefacts and nearby Assam Tourism (h10am-5pm Mon-Sat, closed 2nd & 4th Sat) in the good-value

has a U-shaped pond (paddleboat hire 10 per person) wrapped around pretty manicured lawns, dotted with fine ancient sculptures. The park also contains bumper cars and waterslides (hApr-Sept)! A block east, then south, stands Ganeshgarh temple, which backs onto a ghat overlooking the surging river, a good place for Brahmaputra sunsets. Nearly 1km east along the narrow, winding riverside lane is Agnigarh Hill

Ahom artefacts and nearby Assam Tourism (h10am-5pm Mon-Sat, closed 2nd & 4th Sat) in the good-value Tourist Lodge (%2321579; MG Rd; s/d 578/683), which has tiled floors, mosquito nets and enthusiastic staff who know how to use cleaning products. little peak chalet

oHeritage Hotel HERITAGE HOTEL $$ (%9774416649; www.theheritage.in; Offi cers Hill; r/ ste 1800/3500; W) Back in colonial days this was the home of the deputy commissioner and, with roaring open fires taking the chill off a cold winter night and hunting trophies and tribal arts adorning the walls, it retains something of the flavour of those times.

Mizo culture little peak chalet has no caste distinctions and women appear liberated; in Aizawl girls smoke openly, wear jeans and hang out in unchaperoned posses meeting up with their beaus at rock concerts on the central field.

chalet school ebooks Assamese people might look Indian, but Assamese culture is proudly distinct: their Vishnu-worshippin

Assamese people might look Indian, but Assamese culture is proudly distinct: their Vishnu-worshipping faith is virtually a regional religion chalet school ebooks (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. chalet school ebooks

Of four Hindu temples chalet school ebooks around the palace compound, the most fanciful is Jagannath Mandir (h4am-2pm & 4-9pm). Its massive sculptured portico leads into a complex with wedding-cake architecture painted in ice-cream sundae colours. Several royal mausoleums are decaying quietly on the riverbank behind Batala market. To get to them walk west down HGB Rd, turn left at Ronaldsay Rd and right along the riverbank. chalet school ebooks Chaturdasha Devata Mandir (Temple of Fourteen Deities) hosts a big seven-day Kharchi Puja festival in July in Old Agar- tala, 7km east down Assam Agartala (AA) Rd (NH44) at Kayerpur. chalet school ebooks

569 NORTHEAST TRIBAL chalet school ebooks STATES W E S T E R N A R U N AC H A L P R A D E S H NAMDAPHA NATIONAL PARK Arunachal Pradesh is said to contain fifty percent of India s bio-diversity. In fact, so rich is life in Arunachal that the whole area has been proclaimed a world bio-diversity hotspot. Nowhere is the gathering of habitats and plant and animal species so dense as in eastern Arunachal and it s here that the staggering chalet school ebooks Namdapha National Park (Indians/foreigners/ cameras/cameras chalet school ebooks with zoom lens/video 10/50/75/400/750) chalet school ebooks can be found. Covering 1985 sq km this vast park has an altitude range from 200m to 4500m and contains an exceptional diversity of habitats chalet school ebooks and an equally varied array of wildlife. Namdapha is famous for being the only park in India to have four big cat species (leopard, tiger, clouded leopard and snow leopard). It s also a birdwatching hotspot with around 500 species recorded. The park is a long haul from anywhere but it s slowly opening up to tourism. The access point is the small town of Miao. From here you will need private transport to take you 26km to Deban where the park headquarters are located. Simple accommodation is available in Miao at the Eco-Tourism Guest House (%9436228763; per person Indian/foreigner 400/600) or in Deban at the Forest Rest House (%3807-222249; s/d from 175/300). To really get into the middle of nowhere you ll have to stay at one of the campsites inside the park. Bring a tent and all supplies. Porters and guides can be obtained in Miao or Deban. Tour companies in the northeast can help with the logistics of a visit, or UK-based tour company Naturetrek (www.naturetrek.co.uk) chalet school ebooks runs pioneering 16-day tours of Namdapha and other northeastern parks. However you do it, prepare for real adventure. 569 NORTHEAST TRIBAL STATES W E S T E R N A R U N AC H A L P R A D E S H NAMDAPHA NATIONAL PARK Arunachal Pradesh is said to contain fifty percent of India s bio-diversity. In fact, so rich is life in Arunachal that the whole area has been proclaimed a world bio-diversity hotspot. Nowhere is the gathering of habitats and plant and animal species so dense as in eastern Arunachal and it s here that the staggering Namdapha National Park (Indians/foreigners/ cameras/cameras with zoom lens/video 10/50/75/400/750) chalet school ebooks can be found. Covering 1985 sq km this vast park has an altitude range from 200m to 4500m and contains an exceptional diversity of habitats and an equally varied array of wildlife. chalet school ebooks Namdapha is famous for being the only park in India to have four big cat species (leopard, tiger, clouded leopard and snow leopard). It s also a birdwatching hotspot with around 500 species recorded. The park is a long haul from anywhere but it s slowly opening up to tourism. The access point is the small town of Miao. From here you will need private transport to take you 26km to Deban where the park headquarters are located. Simple accommodation is available in Miao at the Eco-Tourism Guest House (%9436228763; per person Indian/foreigner 400/600) chalet school ebooks or in Deban at the Forest Rest House (%3807-222249; s/d from 175/300). To really get into the middle of nowhere you ll have to stay at one of the campsites inside the park. Bring a tent and all supplies. chalet school ebooks Porters and guides chalet school ebooks can be obtained in Miao or Deban. Tour companies in the northeast can help with the logistics of a visit, chalet school ebooks or UK-based tour company Naturetrek (www.naturetrek.co.uk) runs pioneering 16-day tours of Namdapha and other northeastern parks. However you do it, prepare for real adventure.

GARO HILLS The lush, green Garo Hills in the far west of Meghalaya are well off the beaten path. The towns are not visually distinctive, but most houses in small hamlets remain chalet school ebooks traditionally chalet school ebooks fashioned from bamboo-weave matting and neatly chalet school ebooks cropped palm thatch. The Garo Hills are easier to visit from Guwahati than from Shillong. Sprawling Tura is the western Garo Hills regional centre chalet school ebooks and an unhurried transport hub. The tourist office (%03651-242394; h10am-5pm Mon-Fri) chalet school ebooks is 4km away towards Nazing Bazaar. Friendly staffoffer brochures and sketchy maps, and arrange guides for anywhere in the Garo Hills, including a three-day hike to Nokrek Biosphere Reserve where it s possible to watch for Hoolock Gibbons from a traditional-style borang (Garo tree house). There are some cheap and not very cheerful places to stay near the market in Tura or, for something a little more comfortable, try the Rikman Continental (%03651-220744; Circular Rd; s/d from 900/1080; ai). Almost on the Bangladesh chalet school ebooks border, Baghmara is the southern Garo Hills district centre. From Baghmara you can visit the Balpakhram National Park, 45km away, but jeep and guide hire will have to be organised in Tura.

chalet hosts The surrounding grassy moors justify Meghalaya s over-played Scotland of the East tourist-office sou

State Museum MUSEUM (admission 5; h9.30am-3.30pm Tue-Sun) The superbly presented chalet hosts State Museum, 3km north, includes plenty of tableaux with mannequins- in-action depicting diff erent traditional Naga lifestyles plus everyday tools.

The surrounding grassy moors justify Meghalaya s over-played Scotland of the East tourist-office soubriquet, although they re dotted with Khasi monoliths and scarred by quarrying. Much more impressive is the series of grand canyon valleys that plunge into deep lush chasms of tropical forest chalet hosts sprayed by a succession of seasonally chalet hosts inspiring waterfalls. The Nohkalikai Falls, fourth highest in the world, are particularly dramatic, especially in the monsoon when their capacity increases 20-fold. You can see them easily enough without quite entering the official viewpoint chalet hosts (admission/camera 10/200; h8am-5pm), 4.4km southwest of Sohra market.