The Mighty Apatani – Legends of North East India

The Mighty Apatani – North East India Photography Tour
This tour will be a once in a lifetime photographic adventure taking us from Tantric temples to a natural paradise in the middle of the Brahmaputra river, from elephants and rhinos to fascinating tribes with unique traditions.

We will be visiting the Apatani tribe, a group of 60.000 people living in Arunachal Pradesh in perfect balance with their environment with their sustainable agricultural traditions. This ethnic group is famous for the facial tattoos and nose plugs worn by their women, a tradition born from the renowned beauty of the Apatani women that brought many raiders to take them for their own villages. The elders proposed such measures to prevent the kidnapping of their women by making them less attractive. The nose plugs were banned by the government in the 1960s, so only the older women still wear them, and this tradition will soon disappear.

We will reach the Ziro valley, where the Apatani live, just in time for the start of the Myoko festival, celebrated to extend and strengthen the family bonds, and bless the family members with fertility and good luck. We will be spending time with them during the celebrations and in their homes to really get to know them and their culture.

To reach the Apatani tribal region we will start our tour in Guwahati, the City of Temples. We’ll spend the first day here visiting the famous Kamakhya temple and witnessing the worshipping and practises there.

We will then travel to Tezpur, spending the night in what is known as the cultural capital and the oldest city of Assam.

Our tour continues with our visit to the Apatani homeland, where we will meet them and witness the Myoko festival, and we will remain there for 5 nights, to allow us to fully immerse ourselves in their culture and traditions.

Majuli Island is our next stop: once the largest river island in the world and still a natural paradise, it is home to the Mising tribe. This island is slowly being eroded away by the river Brahmaputra, and it might disappear within 20 years. This island is a wonderful mix of unique traditions, old style fishing, crafts and welcoming people. It will be another highlight of the adventure, and we will stay 3 nights.

On our way back to Guwahati we will stop and spend one night at the Kaziranga National Park, where we will explore the natural beauty and look for the rare one-horned rhinos as well as elephants.

Throughout our tour, Mark and Flavio will be with you, guiding and helping you along with our own private guide to make the most of your experiences and create wonderful images to be proud of. Don’t miss this fantastic adventure! Due to the travelling routes and accommodation availability the number of attendees is limited, making this a very tight and closely knitted group that will get a lot of individual tuition time!