North East India is served by major airports at Guwahati, Agartala, Pakyong, Shillong, Lengpui, Dimapur, Dibrugarh, Silchar and Imphal. Leading domestic carriers serve these destinations. Helicopter services are available in Naharlagun (14 km away from Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh) and Aizawl in Mizoram. The international airports that serve the North-eastern part of India are Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (Guwahati), and Imphal International Airport.
Railway connectivity is offered by the North East Frontier Railways. Siliguri, New Jalpaiguri, Dispur, Itanagar, Silchar and Agartala are the major train stations of North East India.
From the railway station, you can hop on to buses or hire cars and taxis. You will find counters at the airport where from you can book taxis. The Assam State Transport Corporation and Network Travels have services in Assam and Sikkim. If you are in Shillong, you can check the MTC Bus Station.
Assam has State-run buses that connect to the other states in North-East India easily enough. Places like Guwahati, Tezpur, Kaziranga National Park can be reached by the Assam State Corporation buses. Guwahati’s Paltan Bazaar is the main bus stand. Other options to travel locally include Sumo, shared taxis which leave once they are filled up with enough passengers. These don’t have a schedule and will depart only when all seats have been filled, so expect delays in reaching your destination. In Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland where these Sumos run every hour, it’s a better idea to buy tickets from the counter beforehand as these tickets run out very fast.
An important thing to remember is that if you’re travelling in North-East India during winter which is the peak season, it gets dark by 3.45 pm and it’s best if you’re not travelling around at this time as the roads can be quite dangerous, so make an early start. The roads are not just bumpy, they curve around hills and have potholes and can be quite a challenge.
There are tourist taxi services available in North-East states which make it convenient to travel around the different states. There are different ranges of cabs based on budget and requirement and you can choose what works best for you. Since this is a hilly region with lots of rainfall, it’s best to travel with experienced drivers who know how to navigate these areas. This is the most convenient and flexible way to travel around in North-East states as you can be in control.
Ferry services are being planned in North-East India by the government to make travelling around easier for locals and tourists. The waterways projects that are being planned will definitely add to the convenience factor while planning holidays in the North-East.
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