“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”
For a very long time, I wanted to visit Northeast India. Every year I planned it, and every year I postponed it. But finally, in October 2025, I decided to stop waiting and just go. I started this journey with no fixed plan. It was completely spontaneous. I had a few places in mind, but I had no idea how many days the trip would last, how many places I would explore, where I would stay, or what transportation I would use. Honestly, I had no clue at all.
I decided to do a proper backpacking tour of Northeast India. That meant hitchhiking, staying in my tent, asking locals for a place to stay, living in monasteries, gurudwaras, temples, and with local families whenever possible. I wanted to eat local food and always stay close to local people.
It sounds exciting and it is but it’s not easy.
This kind of travel comes with a lot of hardships. You need to step completely out of your comfort zone. You must be adaptable, kind, grateful, patient, and calm. At times, it’s a real struggle. But the outcome (the fruit of these efforts is something truly special.) You meet people who help you with no expectations at all. The memories you create stay with you forever. The experiences teach you gratitude, kindness, and how to be less judgmental. They open your mind and help you understand the world in a deeper way.
I didn’t choose this style of travel just to save money.
Think about it booking a taxi or bus, checking into a hotel, following a package itinerary, exploring only with a driver or guide, eating food only from the restaurant where you stay, and then returning home. That doesn’t really teach you much about a place, its people, or its culture. To truly experience a place, you need to live with the locals, eat with them, talk to them, and sometimes even ask them for a lift. When people understand your journey, they open their hearts and help you in ways you’ll never forget.
I’ve traveled like this many times around the world, and for my Northeast India tour, I committed to this approach again. I managed to travel this way for almost 80% of the journey. Of course, sometimes I had to book accommodation or use public transport due to restrictions or practical reasons.
My journey started in Siliguri. From there, I hitchhiked through Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, and Sikkim, before ending the tour back in Siliguri.
What a journey it was.
Honestly, Northeast India is one of the best places in the world to travel this way. The people are incredibly caring, helpful, and kind. I backpacked for around 55 days, and I only paid for accommodation for about 5–7 days. The rest was managed somehow, somewhere. I stayed with local families, truck drivers, in homestays, hostels, tents, hotels, temples, gurudwaras, and monasteries many of them completely free. I hitchhiked thousands of kilometers, changed around 30 trucks, and traveled in all kinds of vehicles you can imagine.
It was a different experience altogether one I’ll carry with me for life.
If you’re planning to travel in this way, I can highly recommend Northeast India. You’ll receive so much kindness and help that you’ll remain forever grateful.
This blog is just an overview of the journey. In upcoming blogs, I’ll write individually about each state sharing small experiences, places to visit, and tips and tricks for backpacking in Northeast India.
Thank you for reading.