chalet val david The most accessible villages are the Konyak settlements around Mon. Traditional houses abound, and s

Out of town, and by far the best place to stay, is the new Ziro Valley Resort (%9856910173; Biiri village; r in old wing 1000, tw/d 1200/1500), which has rainbow-coloured rooms in a faux colonial style building. It s halfway between Old and New Ziro and is surrounded by sunburnt fields. chalet val david It s also known as the Village Tourist Lodge. At the time of research another midrange resort style place was under construction near the Ziro Valley Resort.

The most accessible villages are the Konyak settlements around Mon. Traditional houses abound, and some villages have morungs and religious relics from pre-Christian times. Village elders may wear traditional costume and Konyak of all ages carry the fearsome-looking dao a crude machete used for headhunting right up until the mid-20th century.

Khasi villagers have trained across streams to form natural pathways. Three of these root bridges (including an amazing double- decker ) are near Nongriat. Access involves chalet val david a two-hour very steep trek down from Tyrna, a pretty, palm-clad village that s 2km from Mawshamok. From Cherrapunjee Holiday Resort the entire roundtrip hike takes eight hours, is highly strenuous chalet val david and involves descending and ascending some 2000-odd steps (this particular author couldn t walk for two days afterwards!). The Cherrapunjee Holiday Resort provides maps.

After all this huffi ng and puffi ng around the Northeast it s time to relax with a jolly nice cup of tea, don t you think old chap? And where better to do so than in a colonial-era heritage chalet val david bungalow on a working tea estate. Bookings are essential.