Festival · 4 Nights · Garo Hills, Meghalaya · November 2026
The Garo tribe's great post-harvest thanksgiving - a hundred long drums beating in synchrony, warrior dances and feathered regalia in the green Garo Hills.
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
Deep in the western Garo Hills of Meghalaya, the Garo people celebrate the Wangala - their great post-harvest thanksgiving to Misi Saljong, the sun god. Its signature is the Hundred Drums Festival, where a hundred long drums are beaten in perfect synchrony as lines of dancers in feathered headdresses and warrior regalia move to the rhythm.
It is a vivid, little-seen celebration in one of the remotest corners of the North East, around the hill town of Tura - a window into a culture and a landscape almost untouched by tourism.
We frame it with the wider wonder of Meghalaya - the wettest, greenest hills on earth.
Deep in the western Garo Hills, the Garo people celebrate the Wangala - their great post-harvest thanksgiving - in November 2026. Its signature is the Hundred Drums Festival, where a hundred long drums beat in synchrony as lines of dancers in feathered headdresses and warrior regalia move to the rhythm. It is a vivid, little-seen celebration in one of the remotest corners of the North East, around the hill town of Tura.
Major Attractions
The Itinerary
A representative 5-night flow via Guwahati. The Garo Hills are remote; the festival programme and travel times shape the plan, which we tailor each year.
Guwahati → Tura
Met at Guwahati and driven west into the remote Garo Hills to Tura, the gateway to the festival - a long, scenic road as the green hill country, the bamboo villages and the Garo culture come slowly into view.
Highlight Forested Garo ridges unrolling on the long road into the hills.
Tura (festival)
The Wangala itself - the Hundred Drums festival, where a hundred long drums beat in perfect synchrony as lines of dancers in feathered headdresses and warrior regalia move to the rhythm, in a vivid post-harvest thanksgiving to the sun god Misi Saljong.
Highlight A hundred long drums beating as one beneath a forest of feathered headdresses.
Garo Hills
The villages and culture of the Garo Hills - the stilted bamboo houses, the weaving and crafts, and the edge of the Nokrek biosphere reserve with its rare wild citrus - a rare, gentle immersion in one of the least-visited corners of India.
Highlight A Garo elder explaining the meaning of the harvest dances.
Tura → Shillong
East across Meghalaya to the genteel hill capital of Shillong - the 'Scotland of the East' - the pine ridges, willow-fringed Ward's Lake, and a different, colonial-tinged and music-loving corner of the state.
Highlight Pine ridges fading into cloud above the silver of Umiam Lake.
Shillong → Guwahati · Departure
A final hill morning before the drive to Guwahati for your onward flight - or, if your journey continues, onward to Cherrapunji and the living root bridges.
Where You Stay
Representative stays - simple but comfortable in Tura, the best of Shillong. Confirmed with your quote.
The best-available hotel in the remote western hills, for the festival.
A lakeside resort or Taj's Vivanta in the hill capital.
The hundred drums, warrior dances and feathered regalia of the Garo.
The Detail
Pricing
Indicative lead-in price for the festival season. Premium stays (limited in the Garo Hills) are quoted on request.
Common Questions
Good to Know
The Wangala (Hundred Drums) Festival is held in November 2026 in the Garo Hills near Tura; the date shifts slightly each year and we plan to the confirmed schedule.
Drive from Guwahati into the western Garo Hills to Tura - a long, scenic road. We handle the remote logistics.
Meghalaya needs no Inner Line Permit; an Indian e-Visa is sufficient for foreign visitors.
Culture travellers and photographers ready for a remote, authentic experience. Hotels are simple but comfortable; the reward is a rare immersion.
Layers for warm days and cool evenings, sturdy shoes, insect repellent, and a telephoto lens for the drummers.
Cherrapunji, the living root bridges and Shillong, or Kaziranga in Assam.
Continue Exploring
NatureShillong · Cherrapunji · Dawki - root bridges and the clearest river in India.
WildlifeOne-horned rhinos and the Majuli river island in Assam.
GuideAssam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland 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 dates around the Wangala - we'll plan the journey into the Garo Hills. 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.