Northeast Tour Package from Bangalore: Plans and Costs

Bangalore has pleasant weather all year, so people who fly east from it are usually chasing something the city cannot give them: rain that means it, forests with bridges made of roots, rhinos in tall grass, and snow on a high pass.

We plan plenty of trips for Bangalore travellers, many of them working in tech and fitting the trip around long weekends. This guide is built around that reality: how to get there, how to stretch a long weekend, and which routes are worth the flight.

Getting from Bangalore to Guwahati

Airlines, flight times and train days change, so check current status before you travel.

Flights

Several airlines run non-stop flights from Kempegowda International to Guwahati, covering roughly 2,000 km in a little over three hours. Early departures land in Guwahati mid-morning, which is ideal: you can be in Shillong by mid-afternoon or at Kaziranga by evening.

Booked four to six weeks ahead, we typically see one-way economy fares around ₹7,000 to ₹11,000 per person. Around Diwali, Christmas and the long weekends when half of Bangalore flies out, fares can be much higher. These are indicative figures only.

A tip that saves money: check Guwahati to Bengaluru return fares separately from the outbound. Late-evening flights home are sometimes cheaper, and they give you most of your last day on the ground.

The train

Train 12509 from SMVT Bengaluru to Guwahati covers roughly 2,970 km in around 52 to 53 hours, crossing Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Bengal. It is a long, interesting ride, but it costs about four days on a round trip. Most Bangalore travellers fly at least one way.

What Bangalore travellers come for

We have noticed a pattern. Bangalore travellers tend to pick their Northeast trip around one strong motive. Here is how each one maps to a route.

Root bridges and trekking

The most popular request. The Nongriat double decker root bridge sits about 3,000 steps below Tyrna near Sohra, and the stay in the village below makes the trip. Our five-night living root bridges trek, from ₹18,500 per person, spends a night in Nongriat, walks to Rainbow Falls, visits Wei Sawdong and Nohkalikai falls, and finishes at Mawlynnong with the easy Riwai root bridge. Read our double decker root bridge trek guide before you go.

Serious rain

Bangalore gets rain; Sohra gets roughly ten times as much. Many travellers come in July and August to see waterfalls at full flow and clouds rolling up out of the gorges. Our four-night monsoon Meghalaya trip, from ₹15,000 per person, is built for it, with a day trip to Mawsynram and two nights in Sohra for the falls at their fullest. The monsoon in Meghalaya guide explains what to expect, including road delays and leeches on trails.

Wildlife

Kaziranga holds the largest population of the one-horned rhino in the world and opens for safaris in phases from October, with the best months from mid-November to April. Our five-night Shillong, Cherrapunji and Kaziranga trip, from ₹23,000 per person, pairs Meghalaya's waterfalls with jeep safaris in two ranges. See the Kaziranga best time guide for month-by-month sightings and closures.

Snow

Bangalore's coldest night rarely goes much below about 15°C. For snow, head to western Arunachal. The road to Tawang now runs through the Sela Tunnel, opened in March 2024, but the old road over Sela Pass at about 4,200 m is still a sightseeing stop in fair weather and often holds snow from December to March. Our six-night winter Tawang and Sela snow trip is designed around the short winter days. Our Tawang travel guide covers the Inner Line Permit and altitude.

Photography

Photographers get the most from a longer trip with dawn starts at the Laitlum canyons, boats on the clear Umngot river at Dawki, rhinos in morning mist and monasteries in Tawang. The ten-night Northeast photography tour covers all of these.

Budget backpacking

Solo travellers and friends on a budget do well with shared taxis, guesthouses and homestays. The nine-night Northeast backpacker route links Shillong, Sohra, Nongriat, Dawki, Kaziranga and Majuli.

Which months suit which motive

Because Bangalore travellers usually pick a trip by motive, the calendar matters more than usual. The table below matches the two.

If you want two motives in one trip, look for the overlap. November to March covers the root bridges, Kaziranga and the clear river together, and Tawang's snow season sits inside it too. Opening dates and road conditions vary, so check current status before you travel.

Stretching a long weekend

Most Bangalore trips start from a long weekend. Here is what each extra leave day buys, assuming you take the earliest flight in and a late flight home.

A three-day weekend alone is too short for the flight time involved. We advise adding at least two leave days.

Mistakes we see on Bangalore trips

A few patterns come up often enough that we flag them at the enquiry stage.

Trying to do Meghalaya, Kaziranga and Tawang in five nights. On a map they look close. In practice, Shillong to Kaziranga is 6.5 to 7 hours by road and Guwahati to Tawang is two long days each way. Five nights fits one or two of these, never all three.

Booking the last flight in. A flight that lands in Guwahati at 6 pm means a night in the city and a lost morning. The earliest arrival gives you a usable first day.

Assuming the weather is like Bangalore's. It is not. Meghalaya can be foggy, wet and cold within one afternoon, and the Northeast gets dark by about 4.30 to 5 pm in winter. Our itineraries start early and finish before dark.

Underestimating the Nongriat climb. Going down is easy; coming back up the same steps is a proper workout of two to three hours. Regular gym-goers are fine. If you have not walked much recently, a few weeks of stair climbing at home helps.

Leaving the permit late. Tawang needs an Arunachal Inner Line Permit for Indian visitors. Apply once dates are fixed, not the week before.

Working remotely from Shillong

Some Bangalore travellers ask whether they can add a few working days to a holiday. Shillong is one of the easier places in the Northeast to do this. The city has cafes, reliable 4G in most central areas and several hotels with workable Wi-Fi; mobile data is generally the more dependable backup. Power cuts are occasional, so ask your hotel about backup before booking.

What does not work is working from Sohra, Nongriat, Dawki or Kaziranga. Signal is patchy on the plateau and in the river valleys, Nongriat has no road at all, and Kaziranga's resorts are built around early safaris rather than video calls. If you plan a workation, base yourself in Shillong on the working days and schedule the sightseeing loops for leave days.

Food notes for South Indian travellers

Rice is the staple across the Northeast, which helps. In Guwahati and Shillong you will find North Indian and some South Indian vegetarian restaurants alongside local food. Try Khasi jadoh (rice cooked with meat) and dohneiiong (pork in black sesame) in Shillong, and an Assamese thali with masor tenga (a light, sour fish curry) in Guwahati or Kaziranga.

Vegetarians eat comfortably in the towns. In villages and at Nongriat, menus are short and often built around rice, dal, potato and seasonal greens. Carry snacks for long drive days, and tell your hotel in advance if you need Jain or strictly vegetarian meals.

What it costs for two from Bangalore

Indicative ranges for two adults on a five-night trip, for budgeting only. Actual costs depend on dates, hotels and how you travel.

Winter holidays and Diwali push both flights and hotels up. The monsoon is the cheapest time on the ground. For a line-by-line breakdown, see the Northeast trip cost guide.

Packing for the Northeast from Bangalore

This is where Bangalore travellers most often get caught out. The city's mild climate makes it easy to underpack.

• Warm layers from November to February. Shillong's average lows are about 6 to 7°C and clear nights go colder; Tawang drops well below freezing. A down or fleece jacket, thermals, gloves and a woollen cap are essential for Tawang.
• Rain gear in every season. A proper rain jacket and a small umbrella for Meghalaya, even in the dry months.
• Shoes with grip. The Nongriat steps are wet and mossy in places year-round.
• A daypack and headlamp for the root bridge trek and early safaris.
• Motion-sickness tablets for the winding Sohra and Dawki roads.
• Cash in small notes for village entry, boats and parking.

Our what to pack for the Northeast guide has season-by-season lists.

How we'd plan it

For two friends from Bangalore with a long weekend and three leave days in November, we would book the earliest Friday flight to Guwahati and drive straight to Sohra, about 5 hours, with a lunch stop on the way. Saturday for the Nongriat trek, with a night in the village. Sunday for Rainbow Falls in the morning and the climb out. Monday for Wei Sawdong and Nohkalikai. Tuesday across to Mawlynnong and the Riwai bridge, then on Wednesday back to Guwahati for an evening flight home. Five nights, three leave days, and a trip that feels like an adventure rather than a checklist.

For a Bangalore couple on the same dates who prefer comfort to trekking, we would swap Nongriat for two nights in Shillong and two in Kaziranga, keeping every day's drive under about seven hours.

For a December or January trip with snow on the wish list, we would plan Tawang only and give it six nights, rather than squeezing it next to Meghalaya.

Tell us your long weekend and what you are coming for on our contact page, and we will build the route around your flights.