The Hidden East

10 Days | Assam • Meghalaya • Arunachal Pradesh

For travellers who want to go beyond India’s famous postcard destinations.

There is an India most travellers know.

And then there is an India that still feels like a discovery.

A land of living-root bridges, mist-covered mountains, enormous waterfalls, ancient forests, tea gardens, tribal cultures and rivers that seem to have no end.

Welcome to the North-East.

This 10-day Wanderer108 journey connects three very different worlds — the wildlife and tea country of Assam, the living landscapes of Meghalaya, and the remote mountain frontier of Arunachal Pradesh.

It is not designed to tick every attraction off a list.

It is designed to make you wonder:

“How is this still India?”

THE JOURNEY

Guwahati → Kaziranga → Shillong → Cherrapunji → Mawlynnong → Dawki → Shillong → Guwahati → Dirang → Tawang

10 Days / 9 Nights

Travel Style: Exploration • Nature • Culture • Adventure
Difficulty: Moderate
Vehicle: Private SUV / Tempo Traveller
Ideal For: Couples, families, photographers, nature lovers, adventure travellers and culturally curious international travellers.

DAY 1 — GUWAHATI → KAZIRANGA

Where the Wild Begins

Your journey begins in Assam.

Leave Guwahati behind and drive towards Kaziranga National Park, one of India’s most important wildlife landscapes.

As the city disappears, the landscape changes into tea gardens, villages, wetlands and enormous stretches of green.

Arrive at Kaziranga and settle into your lodge.

If time permits, take an evening nature experience around the park’s surrounding landscape.

Today’s experience

• Assam countryside
• Tea gardens
• Local villages
• Kaziranga landscape
• Evening nature walk / cultural experience

Overnight: Kaziranga

DAY 2 — KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK

Into the Wild

Wake before sunrise.

Today is about wildlife.

Head into Kaziranga National Park for a safari through its grasslands and wetlands.

The park is particularly famous for the greater one-horned rhinoceros, but the experience goes far beyond one animal.

Depending on season and conditions, you may encounter elephants, wild water buffalo, deer, birds and — with extraordinary luck — larger predators.

After the safari, return to your lodge for breakfast and some downtime.

Later, explore the local landscape and communities around Kaziranga.

Today’s highlights

🦏 One-horned rhinoceros
🐘 Elephants
🦌 Wild landscapes
🦅 Birdlife
🌾 Assamese countryside
🍵 Local tea

Overnight: Kaziranga

DAY 3 — KAZIRANGA → SHILLONG

From Grasslands to Clouds

Leave Assam behind.

The road begins climbing towards Meghalaya.

The landscape changes almost immediately.

Flat plains give way to hills.

The air becomes cooler.

Forests become denser.

And eventually, you arrive in Shillong, the cultural and musical heart of Meghalaya.

Spend the evening exploring the city rather than rushing through another checklist of monuments.

Visit local cafés, markets and neighbourhoods.

Today’s experience

• Assam–Meghalaya transition
• Mountain roads
• Shillong
• Local food
• Café culture
• Evening city exploration

Overnight: Shillong

DAY 4 — SHILLONG → MAWPHLANG → SOHRA

Into the Sacred Forest

Today begins with one of Meghalaya’s most fascinating cultural experiences.

Travel towards Mawphlang and explore its ancient sacred forest landscape.

This isn’t simply a forest walk.

The forest has deep cultural significance for the Khasi people, and traditional beliefs have helped preserve parts of this ecosystem.

Continue towards Sohra — Cherrapunji.

The landscape becomes increasingly dramatic as you approach one of the wettest regions on Earth.

Waterfalls appear everywhere.

Clouds roll across the mountains.

And the hills seem to disappear into mist.

Meghalaya’s tourism development specifically identifies Mawphlang and Sohra’s waterfall and cave experiences as important tourism experiences.

Overnight: Sohra

DAY 5 — SOHRA

The Land of Water

Today is dedicated entirely to Meghalaya’s landscapes.

Depending on the season, weather and traveller preference, Wanderer108 can tailor the day around:

• Nohkalikai Falls
• Seven Sisters Falls
• Mawsmai Cave
• Arwah Cave
• Local villages
• Viewpoints over Bangladesh
• Waterfall trails
• Short hikes

For adventurous travellers, the day can become considerably more active.

For photographers, it can become a slow exploration of clouds, forests and waterfalls.

For families, we keep the walks shorter and more accessible.

This is where the personal itinerary concept becomes important.

You aren’t buying a fixed schedule.

You’re choosing how you want to experience Meghalaya.

Overnight: Sohra

DAY 6 — SOHRA → LIVING ROOT BRIDGE → MAWLYNNONG → DAWKI

A Bridge Made Alive

Today is one of the journey’s most memorable experiences.

Travel deeper into the Khasi hills and, where the traveller’s fitness and route conditions allow, take a guided walk towards a living-root bridge.

These bridges are extraordinary examples of traditional Khasi ecological knowledge — bridges grown from the aerial roots of living trees rather than constructed like conventional infrastructure.

The journey itself is part of the experience.

Forest.

Streams.

Villages.

And eventually, a bridge that looks almost unreal.

Continue towards Mawlynnong and then Dawki.

At Dawki, the landscape changes once again.

The Umngot River cuts through the hills in astonishingly clear water.

Today’s highlights

🌳 Living-root bridge
🥾 Forest walk
🏡 Khasi villages
💧 Umngot River
🇮🇳 India–Bangladesh border landscape

Overnight: Dawki / Shillong depending on preferred comfort level.

DAY 7 — DAWKI → GUWAHATI → DIRANG

The Long Road North-East

Today is deliberately different.

We leave Meghalaya and begin the journey towards Arunachal Pradesh.

This is a long transfer day, so Wanderer108 would handle it with a comfortable private vehicle and carefully planned breaks.

As you move deeper into Assam and towards Arunachal, the landscape gradually transforms once again.

By evening, reach the mountain town of Dirang.

And suddenly, you’re in another world.

Dirang sits in a beautiful Himalayan valley and is known for its hot springs, orchards, mountain landscapes and cultural sites.

Overnight: Dirang

DAY 8 — DIRANG → SELA PASS → TAWANG

Into the High Himalayas

Today the road climbs.

Leave Dirang behind and begin the ascent towards Sela Pass.

The landscape becomes increasingly dramatic as you move towards the high mountains of western Arunachal Pradesh.

Depending on road and weather conditions, stops can include:

• Sela Pass
• Sela Lake
• Jaswant Garh
• Nuranang/Jang Falls
• Mountain viewpoints

Eventually arrive in Tawang, home to the Monpa people and one of the most spectacular Buddhist landscapes in India.

Arunachal Tourism describes Tawang as the land of the Monpa people and highlights its mountain and cultural character.

Overnight: Tawang

DAY 9 — TAWANG

Where Mountains Meet Monasteries

Slow down.

Today is about understanding Tawang rather than simply photographing it.

Visit Tawang Monastery, explore the town and surrounding landscapes, and spend time experiencing the local Monpa culture.

Depending on conditions and permits, the day can be customized with additional mountain excursions.

Possible experiences

🛕 Tawang Monastery
🏔️ High-altitude viewpoints
🧘 Buddhist culture
🏡 Monpa villages
🍜 Local cuisine
📸 Himalayan photography

Arunachal Pradesh’s official tourism department highlights the state’s extraordinary cultural diversity, including its many indigenous tribes, as a core part of the travel experience.

Overnight: Tawang

DAY 10 — TAWANG → GUWAHATI / TEZPUR

The Journey Home

After breakfast, begin your return journey.

Depending on the traveller’s onward flight, the final destination can be customized between Tezpur or Guwahati.

And if ten days have only made you curious rather than satisfied, that’s exactly how it should be.

Because Arunachal alone can become an entire expedition.

WHY WANDERER108?

We don’t want you to “do” the North-East.

We want you to experience it.

The North-East isn’t one destination.

It is a collection of cultures, ecosystems and landscapes that change dramatically within a few hours of driving.

One morning you can be watching rhinoceros in Assam.

The next day you’re standing in a cloud-covered Khasi forest.

A few days later you’re driving through the Himalayas towards Tawang.

Three worlds. One journey.

WHO IS THIS FOR?

Perfect for

🌿 Nature lovers
📸 Photographers
🦏 Wildlife enthusiasts
🥾 Hikers
🏔️ Mountain lovers
🏡 Culture seekers
👫 Couples
👨‍👩‍👧 Families
🌍 First-time visitors to India’s North-East

Especially suited to travellers who say:

“I’ve already seen the Taj Mahal. Show me something most tourists haven’t seen.”

THE WANDERER108 PROMISE

The North-East isn’t India’s hidden secret anymore.

But it is still one of India’s greatest opportunities for discovery.

And we don’t want to take you there just to say:

“I’ve been to Meghalaya.”

We want you to remember:

the sound of rain in the Khasi hills.

the first rhinoceros you saw in Assam.

the smell of a tea garden after rain.

the people you met in a mountain village.

the road into Arunachal.

the prayer flags moving in the Himalayan wind.

And perhaps, somewhere along the way, you’ll realize:

you weren’t sightseeing.

You were discovering.

SPLENDID NORTH-EAST

10 Days. Three worlds. One side of India most travellers never truly see.

Come discover the India beyond the obvious.

Your Journey Starts Here

Every Wanderer108 journey is designed around you — your interests, your pace, your travel style, and the experiences you want to discover. Fill in the enquiry form below and tell us a little about your plans. We’ll get back to you with a personalised itinerary crafted just for you.

Tell us where you want to wander. We’ll take care of the rest.