This is an amazing off-the-beaten track tour to the isolated and seldom visited "Switzerland of Asia". Nagaland is situated on the border of India, Tibet and Burma, yet the Naga people more closely resemble the Thais than they do their neighbours. The place can truly be described as "a beautiful country filled with beautiful people". Assam is famous for its game parks, and we visit the best one, Kazaringa, famous for its population of endangered one-horn rhinos, and here we go on 3 safaris, one on elephant-back. The old British hill station of Darjeeling near the borders of Nepal and Bhutan is famous for its scenie beauty and its extensive tea plantations.

The price includes all of the following:

• Return air fares from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to Calcutta (Kolkata) with Singapore Airlines, plus 3 flights within India.  

• A 3 day stopover in Calcutta.

• A 12 day tour of Nagaland, Assam and Darjeeling.  

• A 2 day stopover in Singapore. 

• Mainly 3 to 4 star accommodation in the main centres, but more basic accommodation in the isolated areas and 2 nights home-stay accommodation.  

• Most meals.  

• All transport - by air conditioned coach in Calcutta, but by small non air conditioned vans in Nagaland.

• All entrance fees, including Kazaringa National Park, and 3 game safaris. 

• Permit fee to visit Nagaland. 

• Services of local tour guides there will be an Australian tour leader if there are 12 or more participants.   

This will be a small group tour with a maximum number of about 18 passengers.

If you require a single room there will be an extra charge of $985. However, because of the shortage of accommodation in the more isolated areas of Nagaland it may be necessary to twin share for up to 2 nights.

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Tour Itinerary

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	Itinerary for North East India Tour - March 2009
	Included meals are indicated as B = Breakfast, L =Lunch, D = Dinner
30.03.09	Depart Brisbane at 9.30am on SQ 256, arriving in Singapore at 3.30pm. Depart Melbourne at 11.15am on SQ 238, arriving in Singapore at 4.00pm. Depart Sydney at 12.40pm on SQ 232 (This flight is usually operated with the new A380 super jumbo aircraft), arriving in Singapore at 5.40pm. Transfer to your hotel in central Singapore for a 2 night stay. Whilst in Singapore the following will be included: *50% discount on the la carte food menu (food only) at the designated food outlet in the passenger's hotel *Airport-hotel-airporttransfers on seat-in-coach basis. *Free unlimited rides on SIA Hop-on tourist bus. *Free admission to 6 attraction; Sentosa Island Resort, National Orchid Garden, Singapore River Cruise, Jurong Bird Park, The Singapore Zoo, Malay Heritage Centre. *Discounts on shopping, dining, sightseeing tours and attractions as listed in SIA Boarding Pass Privileges program.
31.03.09	Free day in Singapore to visit some of the attractions mentioned above.
01.04.09	Free day in Singapore. Late 6.00pm check-out from your hotel. Transfer to the Singapore airport departing on SQ 516 at 9.05pm, arriving in Calcutta at 10.35pm. Transfer to your hotel in central Calcutta.
02.04.09 (B)	Culcutta After breakfast at the hotel, proceed for the sightseeing tour of Culcutta. A  full day city tour of Victoria memorial, St Paul Cathedral, Secretariat Building, Old Court House Street, Dalhousie Square, Drive pass Howrah Bridge, Race Course, Kali Ghat Temple (this can be confronting as they still make live animal sacrifices here - usually midday and very crowded and pushy. Goats are ritually sacrificed each day to honour the goddess Kali, known for her destructiveness. Perhaps most interestingly of all; Mother Theresa's home for the dying "Nirmal Hriday" is next door to the temple. To create image of blood running on the ground, eg: they grind hibiscus flowers with water to run deep red on the ground, Fort Williams and Jain Temple.
03.04.09 (B/L/D)	Culcutta - Dimapur - Khonoma Nagaland - One of the smallest states of the Indian Union, Nagaland is almost unexplored, as far as tourist destinations are concerned. Located in the north-east corner of India, Nagaland has Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur on its domestic border while Burma (the regime now calls itself Myanmar) shares with it, and international boundary on the east. Until recently even Indian citizens had to have a special permit to enter Nagaland. It is best described as a tribal area set within dense jungle with 15 Naga tribes that remain autonomous even though they share a cultural heritage. Among these tribes, Ao and Angamese are the better known. While little research has been done on the tribes of this area. Weaving is a traditional art handed down through generations in Nagaland. Each of the major tribes has its own unique designs and colours. Warm and colourful Naga shawls, hand-woven shoulder bags, decorative spears, woodcarvings and bamboo works make magnificent souvenirs. Tribal dances of the Nagas give the inborn reticence of these people. War dances and dances belonging to distinctive tribes, form the major art form in Nagaland. In colourful costumes and jewellery, the dancers go through amazing mock war motions. Festivals, marriages, harvests or just joy of the moment - are occasions for the Nagas to burst into dance. Cultivation on terraced fields, and in some cases shifting system of cultivation is followed by the people in this state. Rice is the important food grain. An unusual statistic for this part of the world is the fact that in Nagaland, surrounded by Hindu's & Buddhists, 90% of the people are Christians. Another feature of the people is their physical beauty. After a recent visit  the Sydney Sun Herald's travel writer made the extraordinary claim " I estimate that at least 1000 of the world's most gorgeous women live in Nagaland. After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the airport for your flight for Dimapur. Arrive in Dimapur (103 meters above sea level). You will be met upon arrival and then driven to Khonoma which lies at an altitude of 1400 mts above sea level. Then a Angami Naga welcome at Mezoma village and light refreshment. (If the group wants to walk they can enjoy the walk through the zigzag up climb trial which has 32 turns approx. 1 hour walk). Overnight home stay at Khonoma. You will be hosted by different families.
04.04.09 (B/L/D)	Khonoma After breakfast explore the village. Khonoma is known for its fighting prowess and as a living evident you will see Forts, Morung etc. Option to  drive/nature walk to the picnic spot where you will have lunch, 4km towards the jungle to get an atmosphere of the bio-diversity. After lunch see the majestic 'Mithum' the State Animal Cultural show  and then Indigenous games in the evening. Overnight Home stay in Khonoma.
05.04.09 (B/L/D)	Khonoma - Kohima After breakfast drive to Kohima the state capital which lies at an altitude of 1444mts above sea level. Visit Sale Emporium, Local Market, Second World War Cemetery and the site of one of the great battles of the Second World War where the Japanese advance into India was stopped by the combined British & Indian troops. After lunch visit Southern Angami Villages. Overnight at Hotel Japhu.
06.04.09 (B/L/D)	Kohima - Tuophema After breakfast we drive to Tuophema a community owned tourist village. En-route to Kohima Village we visit, State Museum then drive to Tuophema. Lunch follows. After lunch, a village walk where we meet the local people. In the evening there will be a cultural show. Overnight at the Tourist Cottage.
07.04.09 (B/L/D)	Tuophema - Mokokchung After breakfast we have a full day drive visiting Tseminyu a Rengma Naga village, Longsa a Lotha tribal village and Longkhum Ao Naga village, known as the Vanguard of the Aos during the head-hunting days. Overnight at the Tourist Lodge Mokokchung.
08.04.09 (B/L/D)	Mokokchug - Kaziranga After breakfast you transfer to Kaziranga Assam, en-route we see the log drum at Aliba Ao village. Overnight at the IORA the Retreat.
09.04.09 (B/L/D)	Kaziranga Kaziranga National Park - the World Heritage Site. Its 430 square kms of swamps and grasslands with all thickets of savannah elephant grass and patches of evergreen forest support the largest number of Rhino on the subcontinent and gives you one of the highest wildlife viewing probabilities of any wildlife park - from the back of an Elephant or from a four wheel drive vehicle. Apart from 60% of the world's endangered One-horned Rhinoceros, the Park sustains half the world's population of genetically pure wild Water Buffaloes, over 1000 wild Elephants, and perhaps the densest population of Royal Bengal Tigers anywhere, but sighting of Tigers are difficult because of grassland, the largest savannah grassland left in eastern India, Kaziranga is also home to some 500 species of birds, It is Raptor Country - Paradise. The Crested Serpent Eagle, Pallas's Fishing Eagle and the Grey headed Fishing Eagle circle the skies above the marshes. And the Swamp Partridges, the Bar-headed Goose, the Whistling Teal, the Bengal Florican, Storks, Herons and even Pelicans play in the water. Each monsoon, the mighty Brahmaputra breaches its banks and floods the park, breathing life back into the parched land and replenishing the 200 'beels' or shallow lakes with water and fish. The easy accessibility to wildlife is the secret of Kaziranga's popularity among wildlife lovers and tourists. With its primeval vegetation, it presents a view of what the Brahmaputra Valley must have been many centuries before it was touched by cultivation and civilization. Early morning Elephant ride. Return for breakfast. After breakfast you will take a Jeep Safari to Central Range. Return for lunch, then after lunch take another Jeep Safari to Western Range. Overnight in Kaziranga.
10.04.09 (B/L/D)	Kaziranga After breakfast you take a Jeep Safari to Eastern Range. After lunch another Jeep Safari to Central or Western Range. Overnight in Kaziranga.
11.04.09 (B/L/D)	Kaziranga - Guwahati - Bagdogra After breakfast we drive to Guwahati airport for your flight to Bagdogra. Upon arrival you will be met and then will travel up through hills and tea plantations to Darjeeling. Darjeeling is perched amongst the clouds at 2134m. It retains is old colonial charm and lies in the heart of rolling hills of premium tea plantations. The name is derived from "Dorje Ling" meaning 'the place of the Dorje' - the Mystic.
12.04.09 (B/L/D)	Darjeeling Rise early for your jeep ride to Tiger Hill, hoping for a clear sunrise over the world's third highest peak, Mt Kanchenjunga (8585m). Visit one of Ghooms oldest monasteries before returning to our hotel for breakfast. Later we head to the train station to board the famous World Heritage Steam Powered, narrow gauge 'Toy Train' and enjoy a ride through the hills of Ghoom.
13.04.09 (B/L/D)	Darjeeling Today we visit a tea plantation, local Zoo and the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute. The afternoon is at leisure.
14.04.09 (B)	Darjeeling - Bagdogra - Calcutta After breakfast at the hotel, drive to Bagdogra airport for your flight to Calcutta. Upon arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Afternoon at leisure. Overnight at hotel.
15.04.09 (B/D)	Calcutta - Singapore After the breakfast at the hotel, day free for own activities. Later in the afternoon check out of the hotel and proceed for evening boat cruise followed by "Farewell Dinner" at a local restaurant. Later transfer for your flight departing Calcutta at 11.50pm on SQ 517, arriving in Singapore at 6.30am the next morning.
16.04.09	Sydney passengers depart Singapore at 9.30am on SQ 219, arriving in Sydney at 6.55pm. Brisbane passengers depart at 9.55am on SQ 245, arriving in Brisbane at 7.20pm. Melbourne passengers depart at 9.55am on SQ 217, arriving in Melbourne at 7.15pm.
Note:	Airport taxes and levies at present total an additional amount of approximately $570. We have no control over this price and it is subject to change.

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Deposits and Payments - A non-refundable deposit of $600.00 per person is payable within 7 days of booking. This deposit is not refundable should you later cancel, as we need to purchase the internal India flights. The balance is payable 8 weeks prior to departure. 
Refunds and Cancellations - Cancellations after final payment will result in a refund limited to whatever we can recoup from the airline.
Insurance - Adequate travel insurance is essential. We can arrange this for you if desired.
Passports - All travellers require a current passport with at least 6 months left on it at the end of the tour. Non-Australian passport holders require a re-entry visa for Australia.
Visas are required for Australian passport holders to for India. Visa fee for India is $88.00 and we charge $20.00 for processing.
Not  Included in the Cost - All items of a personal nature such as telephone calls, drinks, excess baggage, tips, meals, (except those specified in the itinerary), visa fees etc.
Also travel insurance and departure taxes. Australian airport tax must now be paid with your ticket, and comes to $570 at present.
****Please note that these taxes are subject to change.****
Health and Fitness
Macleay Valley Travel recommends that the passenger is reasonably healthy and/or fit to participate in this tour.  Persons with a disability requiring special assistance must be accompanied by a companion. Macleay Valley Travel and their representatives cannot provide this service.  Macleay Valley Travel reserves the right to accept/decline or terminate a passenger's participation in the tour under certain circumstances.
Booking through other Agents - As we keep the cost of out tours as low as possible, there is insufficient margin for us to be able to pay commission to other travel agents, so some bookings can only be accepted if the client pays the other agent's commission. 
Macleay Valley Travel is a fully licensed travel agent and as such any monies paid to us are fully insured by the Travel Compensation Fund. We are happy for any prospective traveller with us to check us out with your local Consumer Affiars (fair trading) department.
Similarly, credit card payments can only be accepted if 2% is added to the price to help defray the heavy merchant fees charged to us by the credit card companies.
Limitation of Liability - As Macleay Valley Travel acts only as agent for the Airlines, Hotels, Coach Companies etc., providing accommodation, transportation and other services, Macleay Valley Travel shall not be liable or responsible for death or injury to any person or loss or damage to any property including baggage arising out of or connection with any transportation, accommodation or other services, or resulting directly or indirectly from acts of God, fire, breakdown in machinery or equipment, acts of Government or other authorities, de jure or defacto wars, whether declared or not, hostilities, civil disturbances, strikes, riots, thefts, epidemics, quarantines, medical or customs regulations, delays or cancellations caused by changes in schedules or itinerary, or over bookings or defaults or for any causes beyond Macleay Valley Travel's control or any loss or damage resulting from improper or insufficient passports, visas or other documents and neither Macleay Valley Travel, and its servants or employees shall be or become liable or responsible for any additional expenses or liability sustained or incurred by the tour member as a result of the foregoing causes.
Macleay Valley Travel reserves the right to modify the itinerary or the accommodation if circumstances make this necessary, provided that the amended itinerary is of equal value or greater value than that of the original program.
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