Gifted with remarkable scenic vistas, beguiling vantage points and distinctive culture, the northeast of India is rich in photographic possibilities. In this blog, know about five top-notch destinations for a photography tour in northeast India that will endow you with creative photography experiences.
These are the places which we recommend to people when they enquire about photo trips in the northeast.
Read carefully about these places to learn what EXACTLY you going to experience during a photo-immersion trip in the north-eastern part of Incredible India.
Let’s Explore now!
Destinations for Photography Tour in Northeast India
Hornbill Festival & Tribal Villages of Nagaland
Photograph an amalgam of disparate Naga culture, tradition and identity during the annual Hornbill festival. This 10-day event is the most colorful festival of this region held at Naga Heritage Village near Kohima, Nagaland. It happens every year from December 1st to 10th boosting a spirit of brotherhood between the 16 tribes of Nagaland.
From vibrant dance forms, indigenous games, unusual competitions, delectable cuisine to distinct tribal attires, there is no dearth of options for immersing yourself in the aura of this festival. The natural light of the place and the vibrant color palette of the traditional dresses will benign you with awe-inspiring portrait shots.
The amphitheater, the morungs and the craft shops are the best spots to take photographs inside the venue. Attend the opening or closing ceremony for some phenomenal shots at the Hornbill Festival.
Know more about traveling to Kohima during the Hornbill Festival – http://blog.kitemanja.com/exhaustive-detail-about-traveling-to-kohima-for-the-hornbill-festival/
During this time, you can also visit the Naga villages. Experience a surrealistic feeling of capturing the life of former head-hunters at their natural surroundings. You can travel to villages like Khonoma, Kigwema, Touphema, Ungma, Longkhum or Longwa for landscape as well as tribal portrait photography.
Highlights of the Photo Tour
Attending the vibrant Hornbill Festival.
An alluring hilly landscape of the Naga Hills.
Meeting the head-hunters tribe of Nagaland.
Type of Photography – Event, Portrait, Fine Art, Travel, Sports, Landscape
Best Month to Visit – December 1st to 10th
Ziro Valley – The Land of the Apatanis
Ziro Valley is an emerging destination for a photography tour in Northeast India. This sequestered valley of Arunachal Pradesh will enthrall you with her stunning natural beauty and the shamanist Apatani culture.
Dotted with green and golden paddy fields, village houses on stilts and a temperate forest cover, Ziro is a true paradise for landscape photographers. The valley has moody weather that will make you adaptive to different natural light conditions.
If you are a portrait enthusiast, then you will love visiting a local Apatani village. Capture portraits of the old Apatani woman known for their facial tattoos and large nose plug called ‘Yaping Hullo’. Once considered as beautification and marked the arrival of puberty is now a fading tradition that will soon get non-existent in a few years.
A photo immersion tour to Ziro Valley can also be planned during the Ziro Festival of Music in September. It is India’s greatest outdoor music festival which attracts thousands of visitors to the Ziro Valley.
Highlights of the Photo Tour
Surreal landscape & sight of the paddy fields before the harvest season.
Apatani Villages and the facial tattoo.
Type of Photography – Landscape, Event, Portrait, and Travel.
Best Month to Visit – August & September.
Enchanting East Khasi Hills in Meghalaya
Imagine a place full of gushing waterfalls, vast lakes, green valleys and hills with clouds skimming over it… Now, add some of the wildest and dramatic light conditions you can imagine. This is the East Khasi Hills for you in the state of Meghalaya. This region is definitely the most picturesque destination for a photography tour in northeast India.
There is something about this place that attracts landscape photographers from all over the world. The raw nature, quaint villages, living root bridges, the untamed fury of the cascading waterfalls and the transient character of the weather defines the pure essence of photography of this stunning region.
In a week-long photo tour, you will photograph some of the most gorgeous landscape painted with the strokes of light and clouds over a canvas of ever-flowing water, and the verdant hills. By far, it has proved to be the best location for every photographer visiting northeast India for a photo tour.
Highlights of the Photo Tour
Infinite waterfalls and streams with thick forest cover and crystal clear water.
Clean villages and living root bridges.
Photographing in the dynamic and changeable light conditions.
Type of Photography – Landscape, and Travel.
Best Month to Visit – July, August & September.
Kaziranga National Park & the Monastic Majuli Island
A real wilderness, natural outlook, riverine villages and a monastic culture … It will simply be one of the wildest and sublime places you will see and photograph. This is not just another photography tour in northeast India because you will be visiting a UNESCO World Heritage Park and the immaculate river island.
Explore and virtually represent the actual facets of the Kaziranga National Park: an expansive jungle, its wetland, the wildlife – Rhinoceros & Tigers through your photographs. Also, the life inside the Vaishnavite monasteries of Majuli is as fascinating as the color nuances of the landscape which changes rapidly as the day progresses. Depending upon your preference, this trip can be for a week or a few more days.
Read about Five National Parks in Assam – http://blog.kitemanja.com/all-five-national-parks-in-assam/
You will set out on a jungle safari inside the three ranges of Kaziranga National Park following visits to the beautiful Mishing villages and Monasteries of Majuli. This is a perfect trip for those who want to explore Assam for the first time.
Highlights of the Photo Tour
Big five of the Kaziranga National Park
Mishing Villages on the bank of River Brahmaputra
Monasteries of the Majuli Island
Sunsets and Sunrises in Majuli
Best Month to Visit – November to February
Type of Photography – Landscape, Wildlife, Portrait, Fine-art, and Travel.
The Eccentric Ambubachi Mela
There are many annual fairs held in India but there is just one Ambubachi Mela. Be a part of it for an exclusive photo-immersion trip to one of the most eccentric, photogenic and spiritual places in Guwahati city, Assam.
This photo-tour is a soul window to document the life and practices of tantric cult sadhus in the premises of the revered Kamakhya Temple. Interestingly, It is the celebration of the annual menstruation cycle of the temple’s presiding deity ‘Devi Kamakhya’.
During this four-day event, you will photograph the authentic essence of Shaktism. You can also capture night shots of the tantric performing yogic prayers under the light of the moon. Ambubachi Mela is your gateway to capture the most soul-enriching spiritual event of the people of Assam.
Know more about Ambubachi Mela – http://blog.kitemanja.com/ambubachi-mela-the-kumbh-of-northeast-india/
Highlights of the Photo Tour
Exclusive experience of making pictures of one the biggest congregations of tantric cult sadhus in India.
Soul-enriching portrait photography
Both day and night photography
Best Month to Visit – Mid-June
Type of Photography – Portrait, Fine-art, and Travel.
Now it is your turn to decide which place you want to visit first!
Or would you like to cover multiple destinations together in a single visit?
Drop us an email at info@kitemanja.com if you need more information for your upcoming photography tour in northeast India. Also, write to us to share your experience or suggest any other destination for a photo-immersion trip in this region. We would love to know why you rank it on the top of your list.
“Photography helps people to see” – Berenice Abbott
