Tourist Information on North East India

Where is Northeast India ?

Northeast India is located in the extreme east corner of India connected to mainland India by the 22 kilometre land Siliguri Corridor. It is truly a frontier region bordered by Bhutan, Tibet, China, Myanmar and Bangladesh having, 4500 km long international border.

What is Northeast India ?

The 7 border states located in the north-eastern direction of India, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya (now eight with the inclusion of Sikkim) is formally known as Northeast India.

INNER LINE PERMIT :

Only Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura can be visited without PAP (Protected Area Permits) or RAP (Restricted Area Permits). Prior permit is required to visit Nagaland, Arunachal, Manipur and Mizoram. We can help you to collect permit in advance.

Area :

Over 250,000 sq km

Population :

About 40 million, more than half in Assam.

Latitude and longitude :

89.46 degree to 97.30 degree East longitude and 21.57 degree to 29.30 degree North latitude

Time zone :

UTC+05:30

Currency :

Indian Rupees (approx 74/£1 or 47/1$)

Language :

Assamese and Hindi are the common languages spoken by all. Bengali and English, also spoken in some places. Most of the tribal's speak local tribal dialects, English and mix of Hindi and Assamese.

Official languages:

Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, English, Garo, Khasi, Kokborok, Manipuri.

Geography :

Most of the Northeast Indian terrain consists of Hilly region. It offers a wonderful landscape with blue hills, dense forests, magnificent rivers, thousands of waterfalls and streams. Altitudes vary from 6800m along the Tibetan border down to less than 100m at Guwahati on the Brahmaputra River. The region is mostly covered by the mighty Brahmaputra and Barak river systems and their tributaries. Brahmaputra valley, the largest region, constitutes about 22 per cent of Northeast India.

Adventure activities :

Wildlife Safari, Bird watching, Climbing, trekking, rafting, caving and paragliding.

Clothing :

Warm woollens for winters (Nov to Feb) and light clothing for the rest of the season. For high altitude reason in Meghalaya , Arunachal, Tripura and Mizoram you need heavy woollens in winter and light woollen in summer and Monsoon.

Can I use my mobile phone?

Many international GSM operators provide coverage in Northeast India in addition to local GSM operators such as Airtel, Aircell and Vodafone.

Can I drive in Northeast with my driver's license?

Foreigners may drive in Northeast India provided that they keep their passport, international driver's license and the vehicle license with them all the time.

Money Exchange Facility :

currency exchange services are easily available all through Northeast India and Assam. From airports to 5-star hotels and resorts, there are a number of places where you can get your foreign currency exchanged. However, the most reliable ones are the Government authorized currency exchangers, such as the banks.

Some of the currency exchange bank in Guwahti are :

Allahabad Bank ( Pan Bazaar)
Assam Co- Op Apex Bank (Pan Bazaar)
Bank of Baroda ( G.S.Road, Bhangaghar )
Bank of India ( Kamarpatty, H.B Road )
Canara Bank ( G.S Road, Christian Basti )
Central Bank of India ( Silpukhuri )
Federal Bank ( Fancy Bazaar )
Indian Overseas Bank ( Pan Bazaar )
Punjab National Bank ( Fancy Bazaar)
Reserve Bank of India ( Pan Bazaar, Station Road )
State Bank of India ( Bharalumukh )

Some of the currency exchange facility in Shillong are :

Shillong Airport
BRAC Bank Limited (Airport Rd, Sylhet 3100, Bangladesh)
Yes Bank Shillong (Police Bazar)
Hotel Polo Towers(Polo Grounds, New Colony, Shillong)