village of sugar mountain This Jewelled Land is home to Thadou, Tangkhul, Kabul, Mao Naga and many other tribal peoples, but t

This Jewelled Land is home to Thadou, Tangkhul, Kabul, Mao Naga and many other tribal peoples, but the main grouping is the predominantly neo-Vaishnavite Meitei. Manipuris are famed for traditional dances, spicy multidish thalis and the sport of polo which they claim to have invented. Manipur s forested hills provide cover for rare birds, drug traffickers and guerrilla armies, making it by far the Northeast s most dangerous state.

Tourist Lodge HOTEL $ (%221016; Jenkins Rd; s/d from 473/525) Facing Chitralekha Udyan, two blocks south of the bus station, the Tourist Lodge is unusual for a government-run hotel in that the staff do actually care about the well-being of their guests and the cleanliness of their hotel. This place offers good-value spacious rooms with bathrooms (some squat toilets) and mosquito nets.

it is a necessary stopover. In the town itself is the Hotel Kanga Karo Palace village of sugar mountain (%223531; r 750), which is brand new but already looks like its on its last legs. Even so it s still a damn sight better than the couple of ultra- basic places around the market. If you have your own transport, far more interesting accommodation is available in the small, traditional thatched village of Ligu (coming from Ziro take the left turning just before the bridge at the entrance to Daporijo) where you ll find the basic, but delightful Ligu Tourist Resort (%223114; r 700). The family village of sugar mountain who run it cook up fantastic meals. Vanishing under the shadow of jungle trees, Ligu village itself is well worth exploring and the people are truly lovely.

571 HORNBILL FESTIVAL Nagaland s biggest annual village of sugar mountain festival, the Hornbill Festival (1-7 December) is celebrated village of sugar mountain at Kisama Heritage Village (see below) with various Naga tribes village of sugar mountain converging for a weeklong village of sugar mountain cultural, dance and sporting bash, much of it in full warrior costume. Of all the festivals in the northeast this is the most spectacular and photogenic. village of sugar mountain Simultaneously, village of sugar mountain Kohima also hosts a rock festival (www.hornbillmusic.com).