There is an absolute wonderland with queer but warm people, with verdant grass valleys and high snow peaked mountains, with delicacies and traditions about which not even all Indians are still aware, and a land so beautiful that you can hardly resist, you will not believe us and say pah! It happens only in dreams. But no!, Ziro valley is a stark reality and is fondly waiting in the queue for getting the tag of a UNESCO World Heritage site. Before the crowds throng, you make sure to hold the hands of Frontiers Beyond and come experience the fairyland of the Northeast jewel Arunachal Pradesh.

The nearest railway station to Ziro is Naharalagun which is connected to the national capital Delhi with weekly one train. It can also be reached from North Lakhimpur which is well connected with Guwahati, the city in Assam serving as the gateway to the Northeast. For the nearest airport, Guwahati is the closest from where a 10 hours drive will lead you to Itanagar, the capital of Arunachal, and then another 4 hours from there will land you in Ziro.

Packed with indigenous culture, and a gorgeous landscape of rice fields, and pine groves, Ziro boasts of the perfect co-existence of mankind and nature. The Apatani tribe is something worth interacting with.  The Apatani old women pierce their noses with big nose plugs and cover their faces and neck in tattoos. The practice is age-old, since a time when young and beautiful girls of the tribe would be kidnapped by rival tribes and clans like the Nyishi tribe. So, in order to look less appealing they made this arrangement, but now they hold on to the traditions as a cultural remnant of old times. But many locals completely diss it, stating that is a cooked-up story.  Frontiers Beyond can recommend you try a homestay with the simple tribesman in their bamboo homes and interact to find the real truth and post your own stories.

You can learn about their pagan form of religion where they still worship the Sun and Moon called in the local language as Donyi Polo. You can taste their local cuisine, and sip Apong which is rice or millet beer. There are many other drinks like Kiwi beer or wine available and they are pretty cheap and value for money. They will be very happy to show you their fish and paddy cultivation. The Tarin fish seed farm is located in a beautiful landscape and is really insta worthy. You can also visit their local markets and see all the food items and groceries that they sell.

Visiting Ziro valey in January lets you enjoy their festival Morong and in March they celebrate Myoko.  A picturesque dash of colors with the beautiful valley in the backdrop. And in July you can enjoy Dree.  If you are a music lover you will love to revel in September with the local youth for the musical festival held. Or even best, rely on the experts of Frontiers Beyond to plan your cultural immersion in Ziro.

Climb up the Kile Pakho point which is one of the highest points of Ziro and drink the virgin beauty of the valley beneath and Nyime Pembu, the snow-clad mountains on the other side.

The Handicraft Emporium or the District Museum in Hapoli has a good display of various items used by the Apatani tribe. If you have the appetite to see dried squirrels, rats, and bamboo shoots on display, then this market will surely intrigue you.

Ziro valley has many villages nestled and you can choose to check out any Apatani House that offers homestays. You will be amused to see how they hang a full heavy fire log structure for the purpose of cooking in almost all houses. We highly recommend you to visit Birii village where you will find many options to stay and is breathtakingly beautiful. Hapoli village is a place which is developing rapidly with concrete hotels and ATMs and for some amazing trekking expeditions we highly recommend you to try the Talle Valley. You never know what beauty and amazing experiences await you in this land of Ziro.

We highly recommend you visit the rolling hills and taste some fine unique delicacies and revel in one of the cultural festivals under the pristine shadows of the mountains less explored and hardly traversed. There is no better time to experience this absolute natural hamlet and count us in to plan your beautiful trip.