Hornbill Festival 2026 with Dzukou Valley Trek (6D/5N)

• The Kisama Heritage village is the venue of vibrant Hornbill Festival that happens every year from December 1 to 10.
• After a fulfilling Breakfast, we will walk down to the Heritage village where all the action takes place (there is no need of vehicle).
• Explore Bamboo pavilions, Idols, Museum, Morungs which are the arenas for the tribes to learn and display different skills like archery, arts, crafts and even headhunting!
• Wake up the foodie in you. Taste authentic delicacies of Nagas, different kinds & colors of Rice Beer.
• A day outing at the Hornbill Festival is truly an exhilarating experience once cannot forget.
• Late evening – usually from 5 PM to 9 PM – there is a musical festival where different bands from local and international perform. 
• There are a variety of food options around Hornbill arena to tickle our taste buds. We will walk back to the stay after finishing Dinner.
• Take good rest.

• After breakfast we will walk to Kisama Heritage Village one more time.
• Get thrilled with magnificent performances by different tribes that form the heart of Naga culture.
• We will do shopping, buy souvenirs for family/friends and celebrate festival along with thousands of people coming from all across the world.
• Afternoon time – we will arrange a vehicle for Kigwema village walk. The village is very Instagrammable with colorful houses and peaceful streets. There is an open library at a beautiful location, couple of restaurants for Lunch and a house where famous Japanese general lived. 
• We will come back to Hornbill arena and attend the musical festival in the evening time.
• Finish Dinner and walk back to the stay.
• Snooze for the night in your assigned rooms/tents.

• Today we shall go on a guided trek to the heavenly Dzukou valley.
• We will give a wake up call around 5AM, and our Dzukou cab driver will be at our stay around 7AM in the morning. It takes about 30 mins of journey to the base point of the trek.
• The initial part of the trek, around 2 hours of the mountain slope, is steeply surrounded by rain forest. The locals have done a great job in maintaining the sanctity of the trail.
• Once we hike up the mountain, a completely new world appears in front of our eyes. Tens of rolling hills carpeted by dwarf bamboo trees welcome trekkers with a captivating views.
• This remaining part of trek of about 2 hours through the valley to our base camp is relatively easy but long. The beauty of the valley will make trekkers forget everything else.
• We will reach base camp located at a magnificent setting and drop our bags in the tents once our care taker pitches the tents.
• After having late Lunch at the camp, we shall explore a Helipad and trek down the Dzukou valley to reach breathtaking grasslands, pristine rivers & floating clouds that act as a crown to the majestic mountain peaks.
• We shall finish the trek by late evening.
• Gear up for an extremely cold night with warm clothes like thermals, monkey caps, thick sweaters & woolen socks.
• Weather permits, locals may even light a bonfire.
• Good night inside the cozy tents.

• Today after early Breakfast & Tea, we shall do return trek along the hills, and finally hike down the rainforest of the mountain slope to reach back to Viswema village, the base point where our Dzukou cab driver will be waiting to pick us.
• Journey back to the camp, relax for a while, gather luggage.
• Start our journey back to Dimapur via Kohima town.
• We will stop by at Kohima Cathedral that also offers a grand view of Kohima town.
• After 4 nights of camping stay, we will dearly wait for the warmth of the cozy stay at Dimapur homestay/guest house.
• Your body asks for rest after 2 days of trek and exploration.
• Finish Dinner, have a tight sleep.

• Good morning Nagaland, one last time during the trip, until we return back.
• All the outgoing flights are scheduled around afternoon time from Dimapur Airport. 
• We will drop you well ahead of time, and good bye for now!

• Toiletries, moisturizer, light towel, lip balm, wet wipes, toothbrush, toothpaste, 
• A lightweight large Backpack for the entire trip (60 liters or more)
• A small backpack for basic items (to carry valuables, water bottles, etc for outdoors)
• Good grip shoes/sandals for the trek walk to/from Hornbill arena
• Photo identity proof with address (Aadhar/Passport/Voter ID)
• Thermal inners and warm clothes (cold climate)
• A rainproof jacket with a hood (to protect from cold winds, sudden rain/snowfall)
• Waterproof gloves, thick socks, track pants, full sleeve t-shirts (to keep your body warm)
• Cap/Hat/Sunglasses (to protect from harmful sun rays)
• Sunscreen (SPF 50 or more)
• Power bank, charger, camera, binoculars (if you wish to)
• Hand sanitizer and liquid hand wash will help during journeys
• Proper water bottle for your trip. You may fill at our guesthouses
• Disposable garbage covers (To separate used/unused, wet/dry clothes)
• Extra slippers to use at camps
• Personal medications, any drugs that you may feel necessary (remember ghat roads, chill climate)
• No need to carry snacks/chocolates. You may buy at local shops to support local people.

• Organizers will get in touch with you, or vice versa.
• Once minimum number of people book this trip (at least 4 members), Organizing team will give a green signal to book your flights.
• A Whatsapp group will be created for all the registered folks 5 days before the event.

• The itinerary is fixed. No special requests to change itinerary/schedule shall be entertained. Travellers are not allowed to advice/instruct the Organizers (Driver or Trip Leader or Operations Manager) to change the itinerary.
• Cooperate with the Organizers in following the schedule set for the day (especially getting up and getting ready in the morning). This will ensure travellers won’t miss out on the real fun part that is traveling and visiting all places in itinerary.
• Every traveler is responsible for his/her for your own safety. Do not indulge in any illegal or silly activity that causes harm to self or fellow travelers.
• Do not wander into the forest away from the designated trail for treks. There may be snakes, scorpions, and dangerous animals.
• Unexpected situations: In rare scenarios, we might not be able to cover all the places mentioned in the itinerary because of unpredictable reasons like bad weather, landslides, wild animal presence, abrupt blocking of sites by the police/forest/local authorities, delay in travel because of an issue with our group itself, traffic conditions, etc. In most cases, if the time permits, the Organizers will take travelers to an alternative place. But in some cases, we may have to skip places altogether.
• Note: In case of flight delays, cancellations, or reschedules, Muddie Trails will not be responsible for missed connections to the trip starting point. Travelers are requested to make their own arrangements to reach the destination, as per the itinerary. We recommend booking flights with sufficient buffer time to avoid any last-minute issues.
• No alcohol & smoking during travel, treks, and other outdoor activities. There would be a separate window and space (usually at night) to have these at the stays for interested people.
• This is a budget, backpacking group trip. The facilities are shared between all group members. By default, all the stays and vehicles are Non-AC. No special preference shall be given to anyone.
• Travelers are expected to respect each other and help one another. Avoid discussing sensitive matters like sex, politics, and religion/caste/race.
• Using foul or abusive language, eve-teasing, arguing with fellow travelers/Organizers, and/or involving in the physical assault will not be accepted and will stand a chance of being deserted by the group then and there.
• Every traveler is expected to digitally fill & submit a liability/waiver form given by the Organizers before the trip. This liability form will discharge Muddie Trails of any unexpected incident like injury/death/theft etc.

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Cancellation by Traveler

• 80% refund if a cancellation request is sent 30 days before the trip start date.
• 50% refund if a cancellation request is sent between 30 to 15 days before the trip start date.
• An email has to be sent to muddietrails@gmail.com to raise a cancellation request.
• No refund within 15 days of the event start time whatever is the reason (Health, COVID, Accident, Family crisis, Office issue, or anything else).
• No refund during/after the event.
• No refund on the partial payment (advance) done to block your seat for the trip.

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Cancellation by Muddie Trails

Muddie Trails may decide to cancel the event if there are less than 3 travelers signed up for the trip/trek.

What if we don’t get the minimum number of people for the trip?
We have 2 options in this case:
Option 1: Complete refund.
Option 2: Switch to any other long trip of the same dates or future dates. The difference amount will be collected from you or paid back according to the new trip cost.

Note: We do not recommend to book flight tickets until the trip is confirmed with atleast 3 travelers signed up.

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Cancellation due to external factors

Muddie Trails may have to cancel the event in case of external factors that are beyond our control like Natural Disasters, Extreme Weather Conditions, Red Alerts, Political Disturbances, Bandh/Curfews, Local Issues, Road Blocks, Train cancellations, Covid-19 or any other disease outbreaks etc.

In these scenarios:

• No Refund is allowed.
• 100% trip amount can be used for any other new trip of the same weekend or future weekends. The difference amount will be collected from you or paid back according to the new trip cost.
• Once you confirm your participation on the new trip, all the above Cancellation policies will apply for the same.