Things to do in Kohima
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Kohima
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best trekking window. Dry, clear and cool, with green hills after the rains.
Hornbill Festival month and the town's peak. Cold nights, full hotels, book by September.
Coldest and quietest window, with frosty Dzukou nights and the clearest Japfu mornings.
Warmer, rhododendrons in the hills, crowds gone. A calm shoulder season.
Pre monsoon showers begin. The Dzukou lily season approaches.
Monsoon. Landslides on NH-29, leeches on forest trails and mist instead of views. Greenest Dzukou is the compensation.
What's on
- Hornbill Festival 1-10 December
All Naga tribes perform at Kisama, with morung food courts, wrestling, crafts and evening music.
- Sekrenyi around 25-27 February
The Angami purification festival of feasting and song, centred on villages such as Kohima and Khonoma.
- Christmas 25 December
Churches full and commerce shut across the capital. Come only with your base and meals already sorted.
Best things to do in Kohima
Kohima War Cemetery
Terraced Commonwealth graves on the 1944 battlefield, centred on the marked tennis court where the battle turned.
Nagaland State Museum
One building that explains every Naga tribe, its dress, morungs, weapons and crafts, before you visit any village.
Mary Help of Christians Cathedral
A vast hilltop cathedral blending modern design with Naga motifs, with the best panoramic view over Kohima.
Naga Heritage Village
A morung for each Naga tribe in one village, and the Hornbill Festival grounds each December.
Kohima Village
The original Angami settlement behind Kohima, walked with a local guide through its four clan quarters.
Naga Bazaar
Kohima's market for smoked meats, fermented bamboo shoot, woven shawls and king chilli products.
World War II Museum
The Battle of Kohima explained with photos, maps and effects, inside the Kisama heritage grounds.
Kohima Zoological Park
A wooded hillside zoo for Naga hill wildlife, led by the endangered Blyth's tragopan, and an easy family stop.
Where to stay in Kohima
Aradura and the Ministers Hills
quiet stays, couples and longer trips
The calmest, greenest ridge in Kohima, home to the best reviewed hotel and the Cathedral, a short taxi from sights.
Upper Bayavu Hill and High School Road
first trips and short stays
The museum ridge on the main road through town, practical and well connected if you avoid road facing rooms.
P.R. Hill, BOC and Midland
walkable centre, markets and value
Markets, taxi stands and eateries at the door, busy by day and near silent after about 20:00.
North edge, IG Stadium Road
drivers and top tier rooms
A quieter highway edge base with valley views, a taxi ride from the centre and far side from Kisama.
Think twice about
- Dimapur as a Kohima base
A different plains city 74 km and a mountain drive away. Every Kohima sight becomes a commute and the road sets your curfew.
- NH highway frontage at BOC and Upper Bayavu
Not a safety issue but a sleep issue. Through traffic and horns through unsoundproofed road facing rooms are Kohima's top hotel complaint.
Best restaurants in Kohima
Fifa Restaurant 2.0
Kohima's terrace hangout over the town, for shared plates led by its Naga Raja chicken.
Mhachaki
The ratings leader among Kohima's local restaurants, a consistent mixed menu on the Kisama road.
The Morung Kitchen
A Naga first kitchen in the centre, the place in town to order a full traditional thali.
The Naga Kitchen
The budget Naga thali specialist, unpretentious and fast, built around smoked pork combinations.
Amaris
A long running Naga workhorse opposite the Central Jail, generous portions at local prices.
JAT Restaurant
Kohima's North Indian comfort pick, naan and butter chicken for the reset meal of a long trip.
The Bamboo Shoot
A small highly rated kitchen named for the ingredient that defines Naga cooking, open from early.
Dream Cafe
Kohima's daytime social hub for coffee, pizza and mocktails, where the town's students and creatives gather.
Outdoor things to do in Kohima
Dzukou Valley
A high rolling grassland valley of bamboo and seasonal flowers, best slept in for one basic, silent night.
Japfu Peak
Nagaland's second highest summit, a hard guided forest climb from Kigwema to views over Dzukou and Kohima.
Khonoma Village
India's first Green Village, where a hunting ban saved a forest, best walked with a village guide to a homestay lunch.
Pulie Badze Wildlife Sanctuary
Kohima's short summit walk, about 30 to 45 minutes through sanctuary forest to a viewpoint over the town.
Dzuleke
A tiny village in a stream valley built for picnics and camping, with almost no phone signal by design of distance.
Kigwema Village
An old Angami village in Japfu's foothills, the lived in companion to Kisama and the natural Japfu base.
Touphema Tourist Village
A council run Angami tourist village with a museum and guided walks through the working village beside it.
Best hotels in Kohima
Niraamaya Retreats Aradura Kohima
Kohima's best reviewed stay, a quiet green retreat on Aradura Hill with strong food and tour help.
Hotel Vivor
A polished top tier hotel with valley view rear rooms and a restaurant serving proper Naga food.
de Oriental Grand Hotel
The big central hotel with renovated rooms and a strong breakfast, if you book away from the road.
La Colline Resort
A small, warmly run resort stay on Old Ministers Hill, calm and green a short drive from the centre.
Hotel Japfu
The dependable central workhorse hotel at BOC on P.R. Hill, with parking and an easygoing restaurant.
Razhu Pru
A characterful heritage guesthouse in residential Midland, with garden views and the calm of a house.
Maple Homestay
The best reviewed budget base in Kohima, a family homestay with a terrace and proper home cooking.
Is Kohima expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ₹3,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ₹6,500 a person |
| Splurge | ₹14,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Kohima Village: a few days ahead
- Dzukou Valley: weeks ahead
- Japfu Peak: a few days ahead
- Khonoma Village: a few days ahead
- Touphema Tourist Village: a few days ahead
- Niraamaya Retreats Aradura Kohima: weeks ahead
- Hotel Vivor: weeks ahead
- Maple Homestay: a few days ahead
- For Hornbill week, 1 to 10 December, book rooms by September and confirm in writing.
- Book Dzukou bunks and guides, Khonoma homestays and December guides weeks ahead.
- Apply for the ILP online before travel, and foreigners must arrange the PAP via e-FRRO early.
Is Kohima safe?
- Carry a torch and take taxis after dark. Lanes are steep and often unlit, though the town itself feels peaceful.
- Ask before photographing people, morungs and church services, and treat the War Cemetery as a cemetery.
- Do not seek illicit liquor. Possession is an offence under prohibition and spurious supply is a health risk. Emergency number is 112.
Kohima travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Kisama outside festival week is a quiet architecture walk, not the Hornbill Festival.
- Do not base in Dimapur to save money. You will spend the saving on the mountain road.
- Taste Raja mircha chutney before spooning it. It is among the world's hottest chillies.
- Never schedule a tight flight connection off the Kohima road in monsoon landslide season.
Getting around Kohima: public transport and more
- Fly or take the train to Dimapur, then allow 2.5 to 3.5 hours up NH-29 by taxi and agree the fare before setting off.
- Hire a local taxi by the day in Kohima. The ridges are steep and there is no useful sightseeing bus option.
- Carry cash. ATMs are limited, village guides, homestays and Kisama stalls are cash first, and signal fades on treks.
Who Kohima suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Kohima your trip
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