Festival · 4 Nights · Kohima · Kisama
Seventeen Naga tribes gathered in ancestral regalia for war dances, music, food and craft at the Hornbill Festival - the most extraordinary cultural gathering in the North East.
Private & Fully Customizable
Every journey we plan is completely private and shaped around you. We craft this route in three lengths - all fully customizable to your dates, pace and budget:
Why this journey
Every December, all of Nagaland's warrior tribes come together at the Hornbill Festival - the 'festival of festivals' - at the Kisama Heritage Village near Kohima. For ten days, 17 tribes fill recreated morungs (longhouses) with war dances, log-drum music, indigenous food and craft.
We base you in Kohima for the festival itself, and weave in the region's deeper stories - the moving World War II war cemetery, the green, headhunting-history village of Khonoma, and a home meal with a Naga family.
It is one of the most vivid cultural experiences in India - but the festival runs to fixed dates (1-10 December), and Kohima books out, so plan early.
For ten days, 1-10 December 2026, all sixteen major Naga tribes gather at the Kisama Heritage Village below Kohima, each raising its own morung - a traditional log dormitory hung with weapons, trophies and crafts. Named for the hornbill, the bird woven through Naga folklore, the festival fills the days with war dances, log-drum rhythms, indigenous games, song and rice beer. It is the great window onto a culture that, a few generations ago, the outside world barely knew.
Major Attractions
The Itinerary
A representative 4-night flow built around the festival (1-10 December). An Inner Line Permit is required (we arrange it); Kohima books out early.
Dimapur → Kohima (≈3 hrs)
Met at Dimapur and driven up to the hill capital of Kohima, settling in ahead of the festival - an evening orientation on the seventeen tribes you are about to meet, and a first Naga meal of smoked meats, bamboo shoot and fiery chillies.
Highlight Mist rolling over the Kohima ridges as the hill town lights up.
Kohima (Kisama)
A full day at the Kisama Heritage Village - the carved morungs of each tribe ranged around the ground, the arena alive with war dances, log-drum rhythms and call-and-response song, the indigenous food and rice beer stalls, and the chilli-eating and Naga wrestling contests.
Highlight A line of warriors in hornbill-feather headdresses stamping out a slow war dance.
Kohima (Kisama)
A second festival day to go deeper - the distinct rituals, dress and crafts of tribe after tribe, the weaving and the headhunting heritage, and the night carnival and music in Kohima town - balanced by the moving Kohima War Cemetery, where one of the fiercest battles of the Second World War was fought.
Highlight Rows of white headstones at the Kohima War Cemetery, the epitaph "When you go home..."
Kohima → Khonoma → Kohima
The historic 'green village' of Khonoma, the last Angami stronghold to fall to the British - its stone-walled terraces of rice climbing the hillside, the old fort, and a remarkable community conservation story - with a home-cooked Angami Naga lunch.
Highlight Terraced rice fields stepping down the Khonoma valley in the morning light.
Kohima → Dimapur · Departure
The drive back down to Dimapur for your onward flight - or, if your journey continues, onward to Kaziranga's rhinos or Meghalaya's hills.
Where You Stay
Representative stays - boutique hotels and Naga homestays (festival season is in high demand; book early). Confirmed with your quote.
The best-available boutique stay or an authentic Naga homestay in the hill capital.
The famous green village - visited by day, with home-cooked Angami cuisine.
Daily transfers and guided access to the Kisama Heritage Village festival grounds.
The Detail
Pricing
Indicative lead-in price for the festival season. Premium stays (very limited) are quoted on request - book early.
Common Questions
Good to Know
The Hornbill Festival runs 1-10 December 2026 at the Kisama Heritage Village near Kohima, gathering all sixteen Naga tribes in one place.
Fly to Dimapur, then drive about 3 hours up into the hills to Kohima; Kisama lies some 12 km further. We handle the mountain roads, timing and permits.
Foreign visitors need an Indian e-Visa and a Protected Area / Inner Line Permit for Nagaland, which we arrange for you.
Culture travellers, photographers and the genuinely curious - this is one of the great tribal gatherings of Asia. December mornings are cold; the days are full of ceremony.
Warm layers for the cold mountain mornings, sturdy shoes, a rain shell, and a telephoto lens for the morung performances.
Kaziranga's one-horned rhinos in Assam, or Manipur's Sangai Festival in late November for a fuller North East journey.
Continue Exploring
WildlifeOne-horned rhinos and the Majuli river island - wild Assam.
NatureRoot bridges, waterfalls and the clearest river in India.
GuideAssam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Arunachal and the seven sisters.
Plan Deeper
Explore our in-depth guides to India's great cities and destinations - what to see, where to stay and when to go:
Tell us your December dates early - Kohima books out fast. We'll arrange permits, stays and festival access. A thoughtful proposal follows within 24 hours during office hours.
Planned and hosted by our own team in Kolkata — the same people who filmed this route. Meet us.
Read our booking and cancellation terms before you enquire.
Prefer to talk first? WhatsApp us or call +91 74497 70077.