India's Best Kept Secret — The Seven Sisters

Tucked away in the far eastern corner of India, the Seven Sister states — Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura — along with the mystical Himalayan kingdom of Sikkim, form one of the most extraordinary and least explored travel destinations on Earth.

Here, ancient rainforests shelter one-horned rhinos and clouded leopards. Living root bridges — grown over centuries by the Khasi people — span crystal-clear rivers. Snow-capped Himalayan passes open into valleys where Buddhist monks chant their morning prayers. And every December, all 16 Naga tribes gather for the Hornbill Festival, creating the most colourful cultural spectacle in Asia.

The Northeast accounts for over 25% of India's biodiversity, hosts 220+ distinct tribal communities, and shares borders with five countries — Bhutan, China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Yet it remains one of the most undervisited regions in all of South Asia. That's exactly why now is the perfect time to go.