Travel Updates: North East India

In North East India Travel Updates, we celebrate some prominent reasons why our prospective clients pack their bags, book flight tickets to visit these fur flung tourist destinations, take a ride on the uneven roads and explore the 'paradise unexplored'. Here, we share some inspiring facts and practical explanations about the holiday destinations where snooping travellers across the world indulge in their obsession for travel in North East India.

Lonely Planet India magazine's recognition:

• Assam has received first Runners Up position in the competition of Best Wildlife Destination of India in 2013.

• Arunachal Pradesh is chosen by voters as the world’s fourth best travel destination in 2012.

• Arunachal Pradesh is nominated as one of the top 21 under-the–radar destination in the world in 2013.

Outlook Traveller India magazine's recognition:

• Kaziranga National Park, located in Assam has been voted as 'The Best National Park in India' in 2015.

• Arunachal Pradesh is preferred as the favourite upcoming destination by the readers.

Today’s Traveller magazine's recognition:

• Arunachal Pradesh is recognized as the Best Eco-Tourism Destination in 2015 by Gill India Group.

Discover India magazine's recognition:

• Mawlynnong village, located in Meghalaya is the cleanest village in Asia. The village is popularly known as “God’s Own                          Garden”.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's recognition:

• Kaziranga National Park was declared as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site in 1985.

• In the same year ie, in 1985, Manas National Park was also recognised as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site.

Guinness World Records' recognition:

• The Ghost Pepper or Ghost Chilli (Bhut Jolokia) of Assam is the second hottest chilli in the world after Trinidad Scorpion                          “Butch T” pepper.

• Japfu Mountain of Nagaland holds the record of being home to the tallest Rhododendron tree measuring 101 feet in height                          and 8 feet in girth.

Incredible India: North East States

Assam

• Kaziranga National Park boasts of having largest number of population of Great Indian One horned Rhinoceros (2329 according to March, 2013 census) in the world.

• Kaziranga National Park is also acclaimed as being the residence of highest density of population of Tigers (32 Tigers per 100 sq kilometers) among all the protected areas in the world.

• Manas National Park is a home to more than 20 endangered wildlife species. The park is famous for its exceptional picturesque beauty.

• Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary is recognized as the only wildlife sanctuary in North East India being home to seven out of nine species of non human primates, namely – Hollock Gibbon, Indian Slow Ioris, Capped Langur, Rhesus Macaque, Assamese Macaque, Pigtailed Macaque and Stump tailed Macaque.

• Majuli, a sub-divisional head quarter of Jorhat district, is acclaimed to be the largest river island in the world. Recently, Majuli was shortlisted for three times in the nomination list seeking the status of UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site under the category of ‘cultural landscape', but failed to achieve on “technical grounds” due to submission of “incomplete documents” by the ministry of culture, Govt. of India.

• Assam boasts of having 765 tea estates and more than 1,00,000 small tea gardens in its domain which altogether produces 5.7 million quintals of tea annually in 753 tea factories ie, 51% of the total tea production in Indian subcontinent. It is about 13% of the total tea production in the world. Assam auctions more than 1.5 million quintals of tea valued at more than INR 5,500,000,000/- every year.

• Sualkuchi, popularly known as ‘Manchester of the East’, is designated to be the largest centre for commercial production of Assam textile – Muga silk, Paat silk and Eri or Endi silk.

• Jatinga, a village located in the Dima Hasao district, is famous for mysterious phenomenon of birds “committing mass suicide” from August to November every year.

Arunachal Pradesh

• Arunachal Pradesh is recognised as the only state in India which is homeland to 26 different major indigenous tribes and numerous sub-tribes within the same state having different cultural identity.

• Arunachal Pradesh is also designated as the only state in India to be the habitat of four valued members of the cat family ie, Royal Bengal Tiger, Leopard, Clouded Leopard and Snow Leopard.

• The Tawang monastery is globally famous for being one of the oldest and the second largest Buddhist monastery in Asia after Lhasa.

• Sela Pass located in the entrance to the Tawang valley at an altitude of 13,700 feet above sea level is considered as the world’s highest motor-able high altitude mountain pass.

• The Tipi Orchid Sanctuary near Bhalukpong is recognized as Asia’s third largest Orchidarium.

• The suspension bridge over the Deopani River near Roing is regarded as Asia’s longest Bailey suspension bridge.

Meghalaya

• Mawsynram, a village near Cherrapunjee, receives the highest rainfall in the world. It is designated to be the wettest place on earth.

• Living Root Bridges of Cherrapunjee, engineered from the roots of ficus elastica, a species of the Indian rubber tree with exuberant root growths are exceptional and unique botanical wonders nowhere found in the world except in Meghalaya.

• Globally famous Butterfly Museum in Shillong is the only known museum in India for its unique and exclusive collection of butterflies and moths under the private authority of M/S Wankhar, Riatsamthiah.

• Shillong golf-course is recognized as one of the oldest and best natural golf courses in the world.

• Nongkhnum Island, the biggest island of Meghalaya is acclaimed as the second largest river island in Asia after Majuli.

Nagaland

• Nagaland boasts of being the homeland to 16 major indigenous tribes and many other sub-tribes.

• Hornbill Festival, celebrated every year in the first week of December is the only festival of its kind in entire North Eastern region which brings together all the tribes on one platform.

• Kohima village, popularly known as Bara Basti, located in the capital city of Kohima and inhabited by Angami Naga people is designated to be the second largest village in Asia. It is also one of the most densely inhabited villages in Asia.