gold river chalet Mar The wildlife Oct The Himal-Dec Fierce Naga is at its most ayan vistas are warriors descend visib

Mar The wildlife Oct The Himal-Dec Fierce Naga is at its most ayan vistas are warriors descend visible in Kaziperfect and the on Kohima for the ranga and other national parks. roads to Tawang and Mechuka remain snow-free. Hornbill gold river chalet festival (December 1 7).

oClassic Hotel HOTEL $$ (%2443967; North AOC Rd; s/d from 845/1170; gold river chalet aiW) This unexpectedly classy hotel is one of the best-value business hotels in the northeast. The large spotless rooms come with full facilities, staff who love to please and the town s best restaurant (mains 100 to 150). Opt for one of the Classic Standard rooms (s/d 1885/2470).

Several trains serve Dimapur (sleeper/3AC/2AC from 166/401/531, four to six hours), Jorhat (sleeper/3AC 202/521, seven to 11 hours) and Dibrugarh (3AC/2AC/1AC 926/1206/1970, 11 hours). Trains to Jorhat and Dibrugarh cut through Nagaland, but you don t need a Nagaland permit as long as you stay on the train (the same rule doesn t apply for buses however).

oHotel Gakyi Khang Zhang (%224 647; r from 1320), a couple of kilometres gold river chalet out of town on the road to the monastery, offers far and away the best rooms in town colourful sky-blue affairs with polished gold river chalet wooden floors. There s a decent restaurant (mains 80-120) and the staff are great fun. It also has good monastery views, a generator and, most bizarrely, a lounge bar/nightclub complete with throbbing strobe lights!