Battlefield Tour of Kohima and Imphal

Reach Imphal Airport, where our representative will receive you at the airport. Imphal is the capital of the state of Manipur in North East India. In the afternoon visit the Manipur State museum and the Govindajee temple constructed in the early 18th century, a historic centre for Vaishnavites.

Today visit the sites in and around the city related to the Battle of Imphal and Manipur’s overall War experience. This includes a Second World War-era airfield (Koirengei or Imphal Main), two War cemeteries and a battlefield (Nunshigum). Evening at leisure in the hotel.

Visit the Kangla Fort, the most important historical and archeological site of Manipur, Lake Loktak and Ima Keithel, the largest all women’s market.

Fly to Guwahati. Check into the hotel and then visit the Guwahati cemetery. This cemetery was started during the Second World War for burials from the several military hospitals posted in the area. Later, other graves were brought in by the Army Graves Service from Amari Bari Military Cemetery, Sylhet Military Cemetery, Mohachara Cemetery, Nowgong Civil Cemetery and Gauhati Civil Cemetery, where permanent maintenance could not be assured. For the same reason, further graves were brought to the cemetery from isolated sites in the Lushai Hills and from civil cemeteries in Badarpur, Cooch Bahar, Darjeeling, Dhubri, Dibrugarh, Dinjan, Katapahar, Lebong, Lumding, Shillong and Silchar, in 1952. There are now 486 Commonwealth servicemen of the Second World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 25 of the burials are unidentified. The cemetery also contains 24 Chinese war graves, and two non-war graves.

In the morning go for a sightseeing around Guwahati. Visit the famous Kamakhya temple, which is known for tranticism and is one of the Shakti Peethas. In the afternoon, go for a river cruise on the Brahmaputra.

Drive to Shillong (3 hours), the capital of the state of Meghalaya and home to the Khasi tribe. Shillong has rightly earned the sobriquet of “Scotland of the East” owing to the rolling hills, beautiful scenery and climate. On the way to Shillong, you will visit the beautiful Umiam lake, a major tourist attraction located just before entering Shillong. Rest of the day at leisure.

In the morning after breakfast you will visit the Don Bosco museum, which showcases the entire of North East under one roof. You will then visit Shillong peak and get a bird’s eye view of the entire city of Shillong. After lunch you will visit local Khasi marketplace and then go see a game of ’Tir’ or archery gambling involving archers to shoot over a thousand colourful arrows to get the lucky number and learn about the mythical story behind this game. Evening at the hotel/ lodge.

Drive from Shillong to Kohima (6 hrs), the capital of Nagaland, Home of the Angami Nagas and characterised by their unique cultural traditions, Kohima is a town steeped in history, a place which changed the fate of world politics in the 2nd World War when British soldiers aided by Indian sepoys and valiant Nagas stopped the invasion of Japanese forces. Stay in a hotel.

Visit the Kohima World War Cemetery, a memorial in honour of those officers and soldiers killed during the war and maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. After lunch you will visit the Kohima Cathedral, largest one in Asia and Kohima State Musuem, which houses a rare collection of artefacts of each of the 16 Naga tribes.

Drive to Jorhat (6 hrs), known for its tea estates. Here stay at a century old colonial styled tea garden.

Visit the Tocklai research centre, largest and oldest tea research institute. Rest of the day explore the town of Jorhat.

In the morning, you will be dropped at the airport to catch a flight for your onward journey home.