Northeast in Winter

• Shillong
• 1,525 m
• 115 km · 3–3.5 hrs
• Dinner

Our driver meets you at Guwahati Airport for the 3 to 3.5 hour drive up NH-6 into the Khasi Hills. Stop at the Umiam Lake viewpoint, where winter skies are clear and the reservoir is at its bluest. Shillong in December and January runs about 15°C by day and 5–7°C at night, and most hotels use room heaters rather than central heating. In the afternoon visit the Don Bosco Museum for its seven floors on Northeast cultures, then walk Ward's Lake and Police Bazar. December brings Christmas lights and carols across the city, which has a large Christian community. The hotel registers you on the Meghalaya tourism app at check-in, so keep ID handy.

• Kaziranga
• 70 m
• About 250 km · 6.5 hrs
• Breakfast, Dinner

Leave Shillong at 7 am after an early breakfast, with a stop at Umiam Lake as the morning mist lifts off the water. The road drops to Jorabat and runs east on the highway through Nagaon, with fog possible on the plains until about 10 am in December and January. From Jakhalabandha the highway skirts Kaziranga's southern boundary, and rhinos and elephants often graze in view. We reach your lodge near Kohora by mid-afternoon. Walk through a nearby tea garden before sunset, or visit the Kaziranga National Orchid and Biodiversity Park. Winter evenings are cool, around 11°C, so keep a fleece handy for the open jeep tomorrow.

• Kaziranga
• 70 m
• About 60 km in total · two safaris of about 2 hrs each
• Breakfast, Dinner

Winter is the best season for Kaziranga. The grass has been burnt back in patches, water has receded into the beels, and animals gather where you can see them. The morning jeep in the Central Range starts around 7.30 am, sometimes in light mist; rhinos, wild water buffalo, swamp deer and elephants are regular sightings. After lunch, the afternoon jeep goes into the Western Range at Bagori, known for its open grassland and dense rhino numbers. Migratory ducks and geese arrive from November, and bar-headed geese are common. Tigers are here but rarely seen. Jeeps cost from about ₹3,500 per vehicle; park entry is included in your package.

• Dirang
• 1,560 m
• About 265 km · 8 hrs
• Breakfast, Dinner

A long road day, so we leave at 6.30 am. The route crosses the Brahmaputra on the Kalia Bhomora bridge near Tezpur and heads north to Bhalukpong, where Indian citizens show their Arunachal ILP and foreign nationals their Protected Area Permit. The road then follows the Kameng river gorge and climbs through Tenga to the Bomdila ridge at about 2,400 m, where it turns properly cold, before dropping into the Dirang valley. We reach Dirang by late afternoon. Soak in the riverside hot springs if you have energy, then eat and sleep early. Tonight's lower altitude helps your body adjust before the pass tomorrow.

• Tawang
• 2,670 m
• About 135 km · 5–6 hrs in snow
• Breakfast, Dinner

We leave Dirang by 7.30 am to reach the pass before afternoon cloud. From December to March, Sela Pass at 4,170 m is usually under snow, the prayer-flag gateway stands in drifts and Sela Lake below is frozen white. When the old pass road is clear, we stop at the top for 20–30 minutes; after heavy snowfall, Army and BRO crews may close it and we take the Sela Tunnel, opened in 2024, which keeps the route to Tawang open. Walk slowly at the top and keep your hands and ears covered. Beyond, the road passes Jaswantgarh war memorial and Nuranang Falls, partly frozen in January, before reaching Tawang by afternoon.

• Tawang
• 2,670 m
• About 25 km around town · 2 hrs
• Breakfast, Dinner

Tawang Monastery, founded in 1680–81, is the largest Buddhist monastery in India. In winter the morning prayers in the assembly hall are the warmest place in town, with butter lamps, drums and horns, and visitors may sit quietly at the back. Visit the monastery museum, then the Tawang War Memorial for the 1962 war and Urgelling monastery, birthplace of the Sixth Dalai Lama. If the three-day Torgya festival falls in your dates, usually in January by the lunar calendar, you will see masked dances in the courtyard. Indian citizens can request a Bum La permit today for tomorrow morning, but after snowfall the Army often closes the road.

• Bomdila
• 2,415 m
• About 170 km · 6 hrs
• Breakfast, Dinner

We leave after breakfast and cross Sela once more, a second chance for clear snow views if the first day was cloudy. If Bum La is open and permitted, it replaces the morning and we overnight in Tawang again, adjusting the rest of the plan; this needs a spare day and costs extra. Otherwise the road descends through Dirang to Bomdila, a ridge town at about 2,400 m with views of the Gorichen and Kangto ranges on clear winter afternoons. Visit the Gontse Gaden Rabgye Ling monastery above the town at sunset. Bomdila is cold at night, often below zero in January, so the hotel's heater and extra blankets matter.

• Guwahati
• 55 m
• About 340 km · 9–10 hrs
• Breakfast, Dinner

The longest drive of the trip, so we leave at 6 am. The road descends through Tenga and the Kameng gorge to Bhalukpong and the warm plains, where you will shed layers by lunchtime. From there the route runs past Tezpur and along the north bank before crossing the Brahmaputra into Guwahati. Expect to arrive around 5 pm. Staying overnight in Guwahati rather than flying straight out protects you if the mountain road is slow after snow. In the evening, a riverside dinner in the city or a short walk along the Brahmaputra at Uzan Bazar is a gentle end to a week of cold.

• Departure
• 55 m
• About 40 km · 1.5 hrs
• Breakfast

If your flight is after 2 pm, start the morning at Kamakhya Temple on Nilachal hill, one of the most important Shakti shrines in India. The general queue is free but can take hours; special darshan tickets cost ₹501 per person at the last check and shorten the wait considerably. Darshan runs from about 8 am. For earlier flights, the Assam State Museum or a silk shop for Assam muga and eri stoles are shorter options. Our driver then takes you to Guwahati Airport, about 28 km from the city centre, at least two hours before departure. Morning fog occasionally delays winter flights, so keep your phone on for airline updates.