A stunning landscape of rolling hills filled with the mysterious mist, a multi-layered green cover of the bamboo plants, a multi-coloured carpet of the wild flowers and a land of the narrow rivers with crystal clear water crisscrossing each other in the middle, the peaceful and enchanting Dzukou Valley is a visual treat to the wandering souls, perhaps the most graceful 2-days trek in North East India.
Surrounded by the mighty Japfu hill range and hidden by impenetrable forests of the wild Naga land, the trek offers a thrilling adventure– walking in the dense forests, traversing the raging rivers, meandering through the thick bamboo vegetation and living in an isolation away from the maddening crowd of a hectic urban life. Then comes the monsoon season in the month of July, when the wild flowers bloom in the valley. The hidden secret of North East India turned into a picture perfect paradise after the blooming of Dzuoku Lily and that’s why it is also perceived as the “Valley of Flowers of the North-East”.
Hello Friends, Welcome to our new video, the Complete travel video guide to Dzukou Valley Trek near Kohima in Nagaland with route, transport, accommodation, rates, budget, itinerary, season and all the details you want to know about this place, Lets watch the video.
Hello Friends, Welcome to our new video, here is the video about Dzukou Valley trekking. we have included all the deatils to do Dzukou Valley trekkng from start to end, so lets watch the video.
I was desperate to explore the Nagaland, so I choose the month of December, why I choose the december, becouse the Nagas great festival Hornbill happening this month, along with 4 of my friends, Prashant, Rahul & Shidhin we reached here in Kohima couple of days back and we staying this property called, Hornbill view cottage, this property is located just above the Naga heritage village, where the hornbill festival happening, this one of the budgeted stay cottage with awesome hospitality, great food, so I highly recommend this place to stay if you looking place to stay in Kohima.
Today we are going to do the trek to Dzukou Valley Along with some other friends, who staying in this cottage, Dzukou Valley trek is starting from the villages, Zakhama and Vishwema Village, we decided to go via Vishwema village & return via Zakhama village, from Kohima to Vishwema village distance is around 15 km, and the cottage owner arranged a cab for us to reach the trekking point.
Morning 7.30 we started, we took parcel our breakfast, also carrying some eatables and mainly the water, there is no shops available in the trek path until you reach in the summit. so please prepare yourself.
A shared jeep services available form Kohima typically charges 100 rupees for half an hour journey from Kohima to Zakhama. If a shared vehicle is unavailable from Kohima, then it is possible to arrange a hired one by paying 450-500 Rupees. after 30 minutes travel we reached in the Vishwema village entry checkpost, here we need to register our details and get the entry ticket to Dzukou Valley
the entry chages to valley, per head is Rs 50, and if you carrying Camera have to pay additional 200 rupees.
From here, you have to walk for approx 8 kms on an unpaved road before the actual trekking trail starts through the forest.
This distance can be covered by a hired vehicle also, that may charge up to 800 rupees. The entire 8 kms stretch appears monotonous in landscape, so there is no fun walking on that road for 8 kms. After 8 kms, you have to trek for one hour on an extremely steep trail through the deep forest. After reaching to the edge of the valley, it is a pleasant 2 hour walk on a nearly flat path though the bamboo shrubs to arrive at the guest house. This trail is preferred by most of the trekkers for the onward journey to Dzukou Valley.
We have reached in the Trek starting point, cab driver charged 2000 rupees, so per head 250 rupees.
From here is the actual Dzukou Valley trek starting, this path leading through the dense forest, approximatlly 4 hours required to reach the destination where the guesthouse located.
How to reach Dzukou Valley?
The mesmerising Dzukou Valley is located at an altitude of 2438 meters near the border of Nagaland & Manipur. It is merely 22 kms away from Kohima, the capital city of Nagaland. It is possible to trek in the valley from both the states, Nagaland as well as Manipur. The picturesque valley is best approached from Nagaland side, from the city of Kohima.
To reach Kohima from anywhere in India, one has to reach Dimapur first. Dimapur is considered as a key gateway to Nagaland. It is a major railhead and also served by an airport with daily flights to major cities. Kohima is 75 kms away from Dimapur. The road condition from Dimapur to Kohima is significantly worse, and one has to be ready for one of the most bumpiest rides in his lifetime.
A shared sumo or car takes about 3 hours to cover the 75 km distance between Dimapur & Kohima. shared vehicle may ask up to 400 Rupees per person, but bargaining is possible.
There are two proper ways to go to Dzukou Valley. The first preferred route starts from Zakhama village and the second from Vishwema village. A third route is also developed from Mao in Manipur, but I have very little information about this route.
the forest appeared so thick that it conveyed the feeling of a strange darkness in the surrounding. the unpaved trail was replaced by stone boulders covered by the slippery green algae. During the dry season, the path is good to traverse with a trekking stick, but during the rain, it would be very slippery and one has to trek with extreme caution.
On many other trekking trails, we trek over the soil, so falling on the trail doesn’t cause any severe problem. But there on the trek to Dzukou Valley, most of the trail consists of rocks. A slight moment of carelessness can cause you to fall on the stones while breaking your feet, back, waist or something else. Therefore, it is not a pleasant experience to fall over the stones at all. A sturdy trekking shoe and a trekking stick are highly recommended on this trail.
we walked continuously on the trail. The sun rays were able to filter the canopy of the trees and suddenly the impenetrable darkness of the surrounding vanished with the glowing light. after 2 hours forest walk, we are reached the edge of the valley,
From the edge of the forest, I could see a magnificent widespread charm of Mother Nature spread in every direction in front of me. A stunning landscape of rolling hills filled with the mysterious mist.. we sat here for a while and had our breakfast which is we took parcel from the home stay.
After while, we started the treak to the destination. The trekking trail from the leading edge of the pristine forest of the guest house is almost flat through the bamboo bushes. As far as my eyes could see, the breathtaking views of the valley were a memorable experience. Slightly away from the marked trail, in one part of the valley, sun rays were falling gently on a limited portion after penetrating through the enveloping clouds creating a golden hue over the lush vegetation. What a view it was! It was hard to believe a landscape could be so magical. All the pain of a treacherous trek vanished instantly after seeing that breathtaking vista of nature.
I could see a magnificent widespread charm of Mother Nature spread in every direction in front of me. I imagined them as a green carpet of wild grasses from the distance, but a closer look revealed that they were the bamboo bushes adequately covering the entire stretch of the lovely valley. In some parts, the bushes were high enough to hide a young man, but the trekking trail is so well marked that there is hardly any chance to get lost there. the tails is almost flat through the bamboo bushes.
After waking for a few more minutes, we reached at the guest house by the time 1.30 PM, already buzzing with many young boys and girls. the stay facility almost full it seems, there are many tent houses arranged in the outside the guesthouse.
During the tourist season, guest house facility is available in the valley for the night stay. there is cottages, dormetary and tent facilities are available.
this is the view of the lower parts of the Dzukou Valley. From the guest house, a narrow path leads to the lower part of the lush valley. On the way, there is one small helipad. The helipad serves as a vantage point to click some beautiful photographs of the valley. During the rainy season, when Dzukou Lily blooms on the larger scale, the panoramic view of the valley looks beyond imagination.
As we planned to return the same day, we are not going to the lower part, so if you are staying here, then it’s possible to explore the lower part of the Dzukou Valley.
Stay in the private rooms cost 1500 rupees and dormetary space availabe for the 100 rupees, but the mat, pillow blanket everything you need to pay extra money. it’s all available on the rent. if you plan to stay in tent and not carried your own, there is tent rent facility also available, it cost 800 rupees for two sharing and our own tent setup if they do the arrangement, it charge 200-300 rupees. there is very less choice of food items, rice, noodles, omelet, tea these are available in the canteen, but all charging extra.
If you do not get any accommodation from the caretaker, then there are 2-3 rock shelters (like a cave) on the riverbank down in the valley from the guest house. But, it requires a lot of courage to stay in the open area in the middle of nowhere, and advisable only if you are in a group.
There are adequate arrangements in the valley for the night stay, but if you wish, you can carry your own tents also.
I moved ahead to explore the lower parts of the Dzukou Valley. From the guest house, a narrow path leads to the lower part of the lush valley. On the way, there is one small helipad. The helipad serves as a vantage point to click some beautiful photographs of the valley. During the rainy season, when Dzukou Lily blooms on the larger scale, the panoramic view of the valley looks beyond imagination.
The lower part of the Dzukou valley contains a vast open ground for the camping. There is no fear of wild animals, so this part is ideally suitable for the night camping. If you carry your own tents, you can easily pitch there in the middle of that isolated paradise.
spend few hours in the guest house and then we decised return from the Dzukou valley, this time via Zakhama village route. The trail from the Zakhama Village to the Dzukou valley is extremely steep, and the forest is significantly deeper. In the monsoon, it can be extremely challenging, and you have to cross fiercely flowing water streams. Most trekkers traditionally prefer this route for the return journey from Dzukou Valley.
The trek can be easily completed in two days from Kohima, however one added day in the valley is advisable. it possible to complete in a single day if starting early in the morning from Kohima and returning by evening.
One of the most important places to visit in the North East, the Valley of Celestial Charm is best visited between June and September, i.e., the full bloom season.
There are no special permits required for the Dzukou Valley. However, an entry fee of Rs 100 per person is required.
Dzukou Valley is one of the best place for trekking lovers. The trekking route is somewhat challenging for every one, but after reaching the Dzukou valley everybody forgot the hurdle of past 4-5 hours of challenging journey.
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