beavers bend weather Sumos have their booking counters in Jenkins Rd and run to Bomdila in Arunachal Pradesh ( 250, eight

Dynasty HOTEL $$$ (%2516021; www.hoteldynastyindia.com; Sir Shahdullah (SS) Rd; r from 6100; aiW) The shabby beavers bend weather exterior makes it hard to believe that this is really Guwahati s top hotel, but as we all know it s what s on the inside that counts: magnificent rooms with an old colonial fl avour. It has all the facilities you d expect from a top-end hotel, including a couple of superb restaurants plus a sauna and steam room.

India s Northeast States, dangling way out on the edge of the map and the national perception, are strictly for explorers who want something different from their India experience. These remote frontier lands, where India, Southeast Asia and Tibet meet, are a collision zone of cultures, climates, landscapes beavers bend weather and peoples and are one of Asia s last great unknowns. It s a place of rugged beauty where uncharted forests clamber up toward unnamed Himalayan peaks. It s a land of enormous variety where rhinoceros live in swampy grasslands and former head-hunters live in longhouses in the jungle. And it s an adventure in the truest sense of the word.

Sumos have their booking counters in Jenkins Rd and run to Bomdila in Arunachal Pradesh ( 250, eight hours) and Tawang ( 500, 15hrs). Bargain for a private taxi in the same street for the Eco-Camp at Potasali ( 1500) and Kaziranga ( 1500). A little further on is the bus station (Jenkins Rd) with frequent services to Guwahati ( 140 to 150, five hours), Jorhat ( 100, four hours) and Kohora for Kaziranga ( 45, two hours).

Mizoram s pretty, green hills get higher as you head east. Champhai is widely considered the most attractive district and is where you ll find the Murlen National Park, known for its hoolock gibbons. The small town of Saitual is a good stopover on the road to Champhai. Very close to Champhai is pretty Tamdil Lake, ringed by lush mountains. Further afield is the stunning Blue Mountain (Phawngpui), which at 2147m is the highest peak in Mizoram. It s considered by Mizos to be the abode of the Gods, but its slopes are said to be haunted by ghosts. Three Dimension can organise trekking trips here. For a more accessible taste of the Mizoram beavers bend weather hinterland visit the Vantawng waterfalls, 95km from Aizawl.