Journey Into The Aoleang Festival
Where the Hills Drum Their Stories
In the far northeast, the land rolls into misty hills and dense bamboo forests, where dawn breaks to the echo of log drums and the slow rise of wood smoke. Here, in the Mon district of Nagaland lives the Konyak Nagas, tattooed warriors, skilled hunters, and keepers of fierce traditions carrying the last living echoes of a headhunting past.
LEGENDS OF NORTH-EAST
Road to Aoleang Festival
Indigenous experience
Tribal Festivals · Cultural Immersion · Storytelling Through Lived Experience
11 days/10 nights
Nagaland
Nagaland · Assam · Majuli · Kaziranga
Where emerald hills meet ancient rhythms!
The Aoleang Festival marks the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new harvest. For the Konyaks, it is a sacred time, it’s celebration of renewal, gratitude, and ancestral memory. Villages awaken in unison: log drums thunder, rice beer flows freely, and vibrant dances erupt under starlit skies. Elders sit in quiet dignity, narrating tales of war, courage, and survival, while the younger generation carries forward rituals that bind the past to the present.
With Roots of Indigene, you don’t just watch from the sidelines, you step inside the circle. You sit cross-legged beside the fire, share space with the Angh (the village chief), hear stories that history books will never tell, and witness traditions that remain untouched by time. Between the pulse of drums and the silence of the hills, you photograph, document, and live the raw beauty of this festival.
This expedition is an , to be present for a culture that is both enduring and fragile. Experience the Aoleang Festival now, before the last of the headhunters fade into legends.
itinerary
Arrival in Guwahati
- Day 1
- Arrive & settle in Hotel
- Group dinner + introductions
- Easy evening near the Brahmaputra
Kamakhya Temple
- Day 2
- Early visit to Kamakhya Temple
- Explore Fancy Bazaar
- Sunset boat ride on the Brahmaputra
Sibsagar
- Day 3
- Drive from Guwahati to Sibsagar
- Scenic drive via villages & rivers
- Photography stops en route
- Evening arrival & rest
Mon
- Day 4
- Drive from Sibsagar to Mon
- Drive into the Naga Hills
- Visit Longwa & meet the Angh
- First day of the Aoling festival
Mon (Wakching + Tamlu)
- Day 5
- Witness war-dance rituals
- Taste local rice beer
- Fire-side storytelling at night
Mon (Chui + Shangnyu)
- Day 6
- Meet tattooed Konyak elders
- Visit megalithic sites
- Community feast in the evening
Mon Town
- Day 7
- Mon Town
- Festival peak day
- Explore Mon market
- Night dances & celebrations
Majuli
- Day 8
- Drive from Mon to Majuli
- Scenic descent from the hills
- Ferry across the Brahmaputra
- Quiet Majuli sunset
Majuli
- Day 9
- Explore Mishing tribal villages
- Visit Samaguri mask-makers
- Evening chants at the satras
Kaziranga
- Day 10
- Final Satra visit
- Drive to Kaziranga
Kaziranga National Park
- Day 11
- Early morning safari
- Spot rhinos & elephants
- Drive back to Guwahati & depart
