Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur now open without permit...

Ask again in December.

Quote:

I will backpack through Northeast India in January. I will have an OCI but am a Canadian, so I assume I should just show my Canadian passport to be treated as a foreigner. However, my Canadian passport will contain the OCI stamp. I wonder if I should follow the rules of an Indian or of a foreigner?

Despite the confusing nomenclature, an OCI does not grant you nationality, it's basically a life-long visa. You're a foreigner, plain and simple. I.e., if the permit-waiver is extended, you won't need to apply for one (lucky you).

Sheesh.

So, what comes to 7 sisters area, it is so that I need some permits for only to sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, and to travel alone without tour operator into A. pradesh seems to be very hard. How about Tripura? Independent travelling is possible in any other area?

No permit required for Tripura.

At the slight risk of cross posting I want to ask for travel advice for this region. Medical exigencies dictated that I would only have a short window if opportunity to plan a visit to these previously off limits sections of India. I have been given another all clear to travel by my consultant

Could somebody please give me some information on possible itineraries(I will have about 2 weeks to travel to and from Guwahati in October)

I want information on the reliability, quality and availability of public transport links in this area. Although I am an elderly fat ex-hippy with some medical issues I was earlier this year and still am able to deal with such journeys as the 6 hour songthaew journey from Mae Sariang to Mae Sot in Thailand and the local bus between Mae Hong Song and Mae Sariang, the former journey, judging by the expressions on the faces of much younger travelers going in the opposite direction, appeared to all the genders of that generation as a strain of purgatorial dimensions. Perhaps they had taken a laxative in the hope of a paradoxical effect from the medication ... one never knows.

I'm no hero, much preferring 2AC to 3AC for overnight journeys now that I'm several years into my grunter rail discount.

Any suggestions about hotels etc would also be much appreciated.

All the usual guff including a TIA and a feel free to PM me

Martin

Oh and what's the beer like ....

Uncle Martin,
Instead of beer, stick to apong, the local brew, then you will not feel the discomforts of the road!

I was there in 2010 and spent the best part of 4 weeks touring.

Travelling is really quite difficult, depending on where you decide to go. I was lucky and I paid for a jeep and driver when I was there. Still the journeys were difficult. I do know that there were some coaches/buses plying their trade between Guwahati and Kaziranga(which really is an excellent place to visit)so that is an option. Further afield, sumos are the order of the day in Arunachal Pradesh. There were a lot of shared taxis around too but you probably need more up to date info about them. I honestly don't remember seeing any trains at all, which is amazing considering the extent of the Indian rail network.
Shillong is a good place to see and not too far from Guwahati by road. I had an article published in the hindustan times about Shillong which you might like to read - http://travel.hindustantimes.com/fea...n/shillong.php Arunachal is nice too but, as I've previously hinted at, travel is difficult as the infrastructure just isn't in place. It sometimes took 6 - 7 hours to travel 120km.

If you can get hold of the Lonely Planet guide for the North East then that will give you good pointers on hotels/places to stay.

If I can help you further please just ask

Thanks Robn (and yamdancer) I have been to Shillong and would revisit but its the areas that abut Myanmar which i most want to experience before my wife demands my presence for her agenda.

Perhaps Arunachal Pradesh should be on my agenda but those areas appeal more than the Himalayas and Sikkim.

Any suggestions much appreciated though.

The relevant sections of the LP North East India amount to about 20 pages which is better than nothing.

Travel was difficult in western Thailand too ... Mae Sariang to Mae Sot in the back of a pick-up a tough option for those 40+ years younger that I.

Yeah LP North East sucks. 2 weeks is not lot of time in the region since travel is so time consuming. Travel is usually by shared Sumo, if you want luxury and more flexabilty you can hire one. For border regions with Burma the most interesting areas would be the Mon district of Nagaland the most famous and touristy of these villages is Longwa which straddles the ridge that makes the border between Nagaland and Burma lies half in Burma half in India, but there are several other villages in that same region. No places to stay, other than with villagers, Longwa does have some guesthouses and homestays though. The border trading town Moreh is also an interesting place in Manipur also reached by Sumo from Imphal. Though this area is more volatile than the others. Mizoram border areas are the most developed. The area is also the most stable Mizoram having been at peace since the mid 80s. The Champai district (again travel mostly by sumo but there are buses to the district headquarters form Aizawl. See my post on in this thread. I would concentrate on one of these three areas for just two weeks.

Good advice sbballer33
I travelled to Aizawl in Mizoram and was fortunate to witness Chapchar Kut 2010. I was planning to visit Champai but was persuaded away from that by the tortuous journey!
I'm due to go back to NE soon but I've been warned off from Manipur as just too dangerous to visit atm.
Bottom line is travelling in NE region is hard but can be made easier if you are willing to pay for own transport I guess.
LP guide for the region, despite being only 20pages, is still the best there is I suppose.

This is a good news. I remember getting an inner-line permit that i took during my Nov-10 trip to Mizoram.

ILPs are for Indians and that requirement was never removed, as is clear from Page 1 of this thread.
What was removed was the PAP requirement for foreigners (which will also lapse on 31 Dec, unless it's extended).

Hi all,

I am Dutch. I want to visit my friend in Aizawl. I already have my tourist visa for India. Do I need an extra permit for Aizawl? I have been reading & hearing mixed messages on this.

Please help me!

Thanks,
Mauke

Hello Mauke,

As far as I am aware, the necessity for non-Indian tourists to obtain a permit for Mizoram has been suspended for the duration of 2011.


The official sites for Mizoram do not seem to have been updated! There is a possibility that this "relaxation" will be rescinded from 2012. I don't know.

Welcome to IndiaMike.

Thanks for your reply. I am less worried now.

I am a Bangladeshi Passport holder, Have SAARC Visa, I Want to go to Imphal from Shilchar, Do I need ILP?

Have you an information about the Restriction/permit system imposed again from January, 2012? (which lifted for 2011).

Kindly, Inform me....

I am waiting at karimganj (Assam) on January 06, 2012.

Anwarul Karim Raju