All posts filed under: EXPLORE

A Visit To “The Woods” – Cottage by Doyang River, Pangti Village in Nagaland.

So here’s the thing about visiting Nagaland. The whole state is a treasure trove of interesting ways to experience nature in its most glorious forms. The R&L team recently visited Wokha District in Nagaland – home of the Lotha Naga tribe, to attend their post-harvest festival ‘Tokhu Emong’, and also witness the arrival of the migratory bird “Amur Falcon.” While we toured the lovely Wokha District, we got a chance to visit Pangti village, where we had a stopover at the enchanting Doyang river for lunch. That’s where we came across “The Woods” cottage by the river, and had one of the most memorial experiences of the trip. Sitting elegantly by the river bank, “The Woods”, the 2-storey hut gives visitors access to the most peaceful and scenic view of the river Doyang and its surrounding beauty. The good news is, they are open for business, and anyone can come and book a room for just Rs. 300 per night (breakfast and food extra) and enjoy a relaxing time with the unique offerings of the …

Top Five Places You Need To Visit in Dimapur, Nagaland This December During Hornbill Festival, 2018.

Published by Shanmi

One of the most exciting events of the Hornbill Festival Nagaland is the Hornbill International Music Festival, which is going to happen in Dimapur. The music festival is scheduled for December 1st to 10th with an interesting lineup of local bands, K-pop, EDM, Rock, Blues, and Christian Music. If you’re in town for the music festival, we’ve compiled a list of our top five favorite hangout spots in Dimapur. It was a challenging task as there are always interesting eateries and hangout places opening up in this bustling town. We’ll continue to update our list as new places emerge. So, without further ado, here are our current top picks that you must check out during the Hornbill Festival this December! 1. ILI-AH restaurant Location: Aiko Greens, Purana Bazaar, near Zion Hospital, Dimapur. ILI-AH restaurant is the perfect place for leisure, a place for family and dear friends, a place where time slows down, and for overdue and long conversations. A place you’ll learn to call home. Known for its Indian food and mouth-watering pork sizzlers with mashed potato, …

Top Five Cafes And Spots You Need To Visit In Kohima, Nagaland this December During Hornbill Festival 2018

Published by Shanmi

Kohima is the hilly capital city of India’s northeastern state of Nagaland. It is an ideal place to have a memorable and peaceful vacation. While summer here is tropical, winter is dry and bitterly cold. So, we suggest you to prepare with thick and warm clothes when you visit Kohima next month during the much awaited Hornbill Festival 2018. Today, we are happy to guide you to some of the top places to visit this December. How to reach Kohima : NST run buses from Dimapur to Kohima and the 75 km long road journey takes around 4 hours. Taxis are also available in the taxi stand beside the Dimapur Railway Station. Dimapur is well connected to the rest of India by rail, bus and air services. Top Five ‘CAFES’ To Visit in Kohima : 1. Cafe “Sorshia & Co.” Sorshia & Co. is located at Belho Complex, P.R.HILL Kohima. It is a cosy space that welcomes you with love and genuine hospitality that makes you feel like it’s home. Some specials from their menu include the stir-fried …

“Every Cliff You Climb, You’ll Find a Lake at The Bottom of It” – Shraddha Rai And Her Friends Go On A Girls Trip To Goragala in North Sikkim

Published by Shanmi

“This picture was taken one beautiful October afternoon in Goragala, North Sikkim, which is at the China-Beijing border. My friends and I had not met for a very long time, so we planned to catch up over this trip and have some quality time together. It was a wonderful experience …going on an adventure with my dear ones, and meeting new people and learning about the local culture!” “Goragala is a very spiritual and holy place. Every cliff you climb, you’ll find a lake at the bottom of it. That makes the place even more stunning! Tourists are generally not allowed to access this place, but we were fortunate enough to get the chance to visit through our local friends.” Shraddha Rai (22) enjoying the stunning view in Goragala, North Sikkim. Shraddha Rai with her twin sister Shreya and close friends at Goragala, North Sikkim.

A Chat with Rashingam Ngoruh, Wedding Photographer And Owner of “Cafe Timber” Imphal

Published by Shanmi

With Northeast India fast becoming a traveler’s hotspot, leisure and business activities in the region are picking up visibly. Especially with the young enterprising folks leading from the front, there is certainly much more excitement, creativity and noise – which is definitely a good thing! Amongst these new age activities, eating out is fast becoming a favorite past time, which is a drastic change from earlier days, where meeting with friends was usually limited to the house or the neighborhood. Imphal, the capital city of Manipur has seen a host of interesting food ventures with an aim to introduce global cuisines to the local folks, and authentic traditional fare to travelers from outside. Add to that, the creative minds of the young local entrepreneurs – and the ever demanding consumers, the cafe and restaurant ecosystem is fast becoming as interesting as is competitive. Today we chat with a young food entrepreneur cum photographer, who runs a cafe called “Timber Cafe” in Imphal, which is known for their simple and tasteful interiors and food. Today we chat …

Roots & Leisure Team Tours Wokha District in Nagaland to Cover “Tokhü Emong” Festival and Welcome The Famous Migratory Birds Amur Falcons

Published by Shanmi

“Tokhü Emong” is a post-harvest festival which is celebrated by the Lotha tribes in Nagaland. This year, the founders of Roots and Leisure will be traveling to Wokha district (home of the Lotha tribes) in Nagaland. We will be experiencing the festival first-hand and will take all our readers along for the ride – Tune in for LIVE video coverage from the tour and the festival on our Instagram page. This year, the festival starts from the 5th of November and goes on till the 7th of November at Wokha, Nagaland. It will host various local indigenous fun games like fire making, traditional karting, yodelling and more – with local Naga bands like De Band, Tune Up Channel from Mokokchung and more performing at the evening function. Banner set up for Tokhü Emong Festival in Wokha, Nagaland. | Photo by wethenagas Tune Up Channel, rock band from Mokokchung will be playing at Tokhü Emong Festival | Photo taken from Indihut Another exciting thing about this tour is the “Amur Falcon Festival” which will be happening this week from …

#FACES | Aswathy Krishna From Kerala Explores The Most Beautiful Tourist Spot In The Forest Hills Of Coorg, Karnataka

Published by Shanmi

“It was a very pleasant morning following a breathtakingly beautiful sunrise in March at the Three Hills Farm House, 30km away from Madikeri City, Coorg. I was sitting with a cup of coffee outside the cottage which was built completely of wood, reading my book and enjoying the lovely view. Surrounded by the cool breeze, dreamy fog, the alluring forest view, those avacado and orange trees and small talks with my companion, the entire experience was an unexpected gift from Mother Nature. It was unforgettable!” “The farm house is situated in a no network zone of the village Bettathur in Karnataka. Coorg is the most beautiful tourist spot in the state and is at the border of Kerala. My ex-colleague, Chandan and I decided to go on an unplanned and sudden trip to get a break from the city life.” “I’m very happy to have found this heavenly place on Earth.” – Aswathy Krishna, Kerala.

Rootsandleisure_Langol Peak Garden_Imphal

“Time Stood Still As We Came Across These Beautiful Row of Sunflowers in Langol Peak Garden in Tengnoupal District in Manipur” – Shanmi

Published by Shanmi

“It was a beautiful August afternoon around 3 pm .. here we are enjoying the beautiful landscapes at Langol Peak Garden – located in Tengnoupal district in Manipur. It was only recently opened to the public in 2017. It’s a short hour-and-a-half-long drive from the capital city of Imphal along the Indo-Myanmar road. It is undoubtedly one of the most sought out tourist destinations in Manipur, so I was super thrilled to finally visit the garden with two of my friends that day. The garden is maintained so well by the local folks; it is so clean and refreshing. And as we were walking up to the peak, we were totally mesmerized by the scenic view of the whole area created in part by these beautiful row of sunflowers. We spent a good half an hour just soaking in the beauty, and taking pictures. Behind us, you can also see the tower on top of the peak. Watching the view from up there was another breathtaking experience – you can literally get a good glimpse of the surrounding valley with …

Amy Kim from Canada Talks About Her Trip To Pakistan and The Wonderful Places She Visited During Her Stay There

Published by Vilina

Traveling to a new place, meeting new people and learning about a new culture is one of the most thrilling things. Especially, when it’s full of little unexpected surprises like Amy Kim’s lovely visit to Pakistan. With the breathtaking views up in the north, green valleys, friendly and warm people, and so much more, she reminisces about her experience. She chats with R&L about her travel stories. Amy Kim from Canada (she is half Korean and half Taiwanese), who is currently working in Mumbai talks to R&L about her incredible visit to Pakistan, the unbelievable beauty of the landscape and the friendly hospitality of the locals. Hi Amy! Tell us a little about yourself and what you do. My name is Amy Kim and I’m a 26-year-old Canadian working in Mumbai. I’m heading the marketing department of a travel social enterprise based in Dharavi called Reality Tours and Travel. I love what I do mainly because I know 80% of all our profits go back to the community through our charity Reality Gives. My team is …

#Faces | “I Wanted to Capture The Moment When This Mom (Who Runs a Homestay) Finally Gets Time to Piggyback Her Baby” – Abi Lama, North Sikkim

Published by Nara Longkumer

“I work for a travel company, so this was taken during one of our work visits to a homestay at Gnathang Valley which is at an altitude of 14,000 ft. The woman in the photo runs this warm homestay with her husband, who is posted in North Sikkim. In the picture is her baby Hissey, who is as adorable and caring as her mum. She had just finished serving us breakfast and I managed to take this picture of her and her baby. This picture, to me, really captures her warmth as well as her strength as a woman and as a mother. Because her husband works as a police officer in Sikkim, she runs this homestay by herself for the better part of the year. Gnathang Valley is such a remote place… life up here isn’t as easy as it looks, so just her unabashed zeal and commitment is truly inspiring.” ~ Abigial Lama “I felt like capturing those little moments, like when she gets time to piggyback her baby” – @AbigialLama