Northeastern India

Although the northeast of India is one of the country's most interesting regions, it is mostly ignored by travelers. Most visitors come to Kolkata (Calcutta), Darjiling (Darjeeling) and Puri, but there are numerous other cities and towns that are at least as interesting. For many years large parts of the Indian Himalayan states were off-bounds for travelers and facilities have not developed yet, which might explain for tourists' lack of interest.

The northeast of India is only connected to the rest of the country by the narrow Siliguti corridor. The link with the rest of the country is also very thin politically.

The northeast of India is a physical diverse region, with marshes and plains around Kolkata (Calcutta) and high mountain peaks in the north. Valleys, forests and snow-capped peaks cover most of the states of Assam, Meghalaya and Sikkim. There are numerous temples, monasteries and other monuments in this part of India, as well as several rare animal and plant species. A huge number of tribes share the region, including Bengalis, Nepalese, the hill tribes of Assam and Maghalaya, as well as some 62 ethnic groups in Orissa.

Transportation

The main transportation hub in northeastern India is Kolkata (Calcutta). It has the region's largest airport and important rail and bus connections.

The main border crossing into Bangladesh is at Taki (Dauki), 70 km east of Kolkata (Calcutta), but the border is often closed.