📍 Festival📍 Cultural📍 Heritage

Hornbill Festival

Kisama, Nagaland, India

4.9 (0)

Overview

The 'Festival of Festivals' each December at Kisama, where all Naga tribes gather for war dances, folk songs, indigenous games, crafts and food.

Why visit: The single best window into the whole of Naga culture, condensed into ten days.

History: Launched by the state in 2000 to revive and unite Naga heritage; now a flagship draw for visitors worldwide.

Things to do

›Tribal war dances
›Naga chilli-eating contest
›Morung food & rice beer
›Night carnival & rock contest

Cultural ShowFood WalkShopping

Location & MapDirections

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Travel Information

Best time

1–10 Dec

Entry fee

₹30–100

Est. budget

₹500–2,000

Duration

1–3 days

Nearby attractions

Within

0 km

📍 Heritage

4.7

Kisama Heritage Village

Kisama, Nagaland

The permanent Naga Heritage complex 12 km from Kohima and the grand stage of the Hornbill Festival, with authentic morungs of all major Naga tribes.

1–10 Dec (Hornbill Festival)Half dayExplore

0.1 km

📍 Museum

4.5

Naga Heritage WWII Museum

Kisama, Nagaland

A modern museum at Kisama telling the story of the Battle of Kohima through relics, dioramas and personal accounts from all sides.

Oct–May1–2 hrsExplore

5.9 km

💎 Hidden Gem📍 Peak

4.7

Japfü Peak

Kohima, Nagaland

Nagaland's second-highest peak at 3,048 m, home to the world's tallest rhododendron tree recorded in the Guinness Book.

Nov–Mar1–2 daysExplore

6.3 km

📍 Church

4.5

Kohima Cathedral (Mary Help of Christians)

Kohima, Nagaland

One of the largest cathedrals in Northeast India, on Aradura Hill, its Naga-style timber ceiling arching over 3,000 worshippers.

Oct–May; Christmas1 hrExplore

7.1 km

📍 Museum

4.3

State Museum, Kohima

Kohima, Nagaland

A rich ethnographic collection of the 16+ Naga tribes — ceremonial dresses, weapons, jewellery, ancestral gateposts and a rare log-drum.

Oct–May1–2 hrsExplore

8 km

💎 Hidden Gem📍 Valley

4.8

Dzukou Valley (Manipur side)

Mao, Manipur

The southern approach to the celebrated Dzukou valley — rolling green dunes and the Dzukou lily reached via Mt Iso from Manipur's Senapati hills.

Jun–Sep (flowers); Oct–Nov2 daysExplore

8 km

📍 Memorial

4.8

Kohima War Cemetery

Kohima, Nagaland

Terraced hillside cemetery honouring the Allied soldiers who fell at the 1944 Battle of Kohima — the turning point that halted the Japanese advance into India.

Oct–May1 hrExplore

8.2 km

💎 Hidden Gem📍 Valley

4.9

Dzukou Valley

Kohima, Nagaland

The 'Valley of Flowers of the Northeast' — rolling emerald hills at ~2,450 m that erupt with the rare Dzukou lily and seasonal blooms in summer.

Jun–Sep (flowers); Oct–Nov (clear)2 days trekExplore

8.2 km

💎 Hidden Gem📍 Peak

4.4

Mount Iso (Tempü Peak)

Mao, Manipur

Manipur's second-highest summit (~2,994 m) guarding Dzukou's southern rim — a stiff, glorious climb over grass ridges.

Oct–Apr1–2 daysExplore

8.3 km

📍 Market

4.2

Naga Bazaar (Kohima Market)

Kohima, Nagaland

The buzzing local market where Naga produce, smoked meats, bamboo shoot, king chilli, herbs and exotic hill foods spill across the stalls.

Oct–May1–2 hrsExplore

8.7 km

📍 Heritage

4.1

Razhü Pru & Kohima Heritage Walk

Kohima, Nagaland

The old Angami quarter of Kohima village (Bara Basti), one of Asia's largest villages, with traditional gates, morungs and heritage homes.

Oct–MayHalf dayExplore

10.2 km

💎 Hidden Gem📍 Village

4.2

Jotsoma Village

Jotsoma, Nagaland

An Angami village near Kohima with sweeping views of terraced valleys and a role in the 1944 siege as the relief artillery position.

Oct–May2–3 hrsExplore