The north east is the least known but possibly the most beautiful region of India set as it is in the midst of the Himalayas and therefore providing the traveller with fantastic scenery, wonderful opportunities to see rare and endangered wildlife, the chance to imbibe local culture and traditions and to take part in many types of adventurous activity.

The north east is joined to the rest of India by a very thin strip of land between Bangladesh and Bhutan and was virtually cut off from the outside world until the last ten years or so. North East India has seven states, the largest being Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, the long border between Arunachal Pradesh and Chinese-occupied Tibet still remaining sensitive.

There have been pockets of insurgency in some of the north eastern states since India's Independence due to the demand for autonomy by separatist groups, particularly in Tripura, Manipur and Nagaland, and travel to these areas is not advised - although historically tourists have never been a target of any violence. However travel to Arunachal Pradesh and Assam has been opening up over the recent years and this spellbinding part of the world is becoming increasingly attractive to the adventurous traveller. Spectacular landscapes, an amazing variety of rare animals, birds and vegetation in National Parks such as Kaziranga and Manas together with the fascinating diversity of the people and their cultures and traditions make visiting the region more than worth the effort

Kolkata (Calcutta) and West Bengal
Bordering Assam but largely separated from it by Bangladesh lies West Bengal - stretching from the Himalayas to the Indian Ocean with a dramatic variety of landscapes and cultures ranging from the famous hill station of Darjeeling with its views of the Himalayas to the impenetrable mangrove forests of Sunderbans, a National Park and home to India's national animal, the Bengal tiger as well as much other wildlife.

The sacred River Ganges cuts a swathe across the narrowest part of the West Bengal as it surges from neighbouring Bihar to Bangladesh. Kolkatta, the capital of West Bengal, was the capital of India under the British Raj until 1911, and its architecture still invokes Victorian England. Although often reported as a city of poverty and chaos, Kolkata is also a magical place to visit with many attractions such as its famous symbol, the Howrah Bridge across the Hooghly River and the beautiful Kali Temple, with its inspiring neighbour, Mother Teresa's Hospital for the Dying Destitute.