Kohima
Naga hill capital and gateway to Hornbill Festival
Best time to visit Kohima
- Jan, shoulder season
- Feb, shoulder season
- Mar, shoulder season
- Apr, shoulder season
- May, shoulder season
- Jun, best avoided
- Jul, best avoided
- Aug, best avoided
- Sep, best avoided
- Oct, shoulder season
- Nov, peak season
- Dec, peak season
peak shoulder off-season avoid
- Go: November to December
- Shoulder: January to May and October, quieter, and the weather is less of a sure thing
- Skip: June to September
Kohima season by season
Winter December to February Prime time
December is peak: Hornbill Festival packs Kisama; January-February stay cool and clear too.
Summer March to May Shoulder
Pleasant hill-station warmth through May, comfortable temperatures, fewer crowds than festival time.
Monsoon June to September Do not go
Heavy rain on steep hill roads brings regular landslides around the district.
Autumn October to November Prime time
October-November is lovely, clear skies building toward December's festival crowds.
What Kohima is actually like
Hornbill month is a huge friendly crowd; otherwise a quiet WWII-history town.
Getting to Kohima
Fly Dimapur, 3h shared taxi to Kohima. ILP + PAP.
Practical ways in: flightroad
Trip facts
- How long to stay
- 3 days
- Budget
- Mid-range
- How busy
- Busy at its peak
- Solo travel
- Fine solo
- Altitude
- 1444 m
- State
- Nagaland
- Coordinates
- 25.6701, 94.1077
Common questions
When is the best time to visit Kohima?
November to December is peak season in Kohima. January to May and October is shoulder season: thinner crowds, a bit more risk in the weather. Avoid June to September. October-November is lovely, clear skies building toward December's festival crowds.
How many days do you need in Kohima?
3 days is the usual stay. Hornbill month is a huge friendly crowd; otherwise a quiet WWII-history town.
How do you get to Kohima?
Fly Dimapur, 3h shared taxi to Kohima. ILP + PAP. Practical ways in: flight and road.
Is Kohima expensive, and does it get crowded?
Mid-range by Indian travel standards, and it runs busy at the busiest time of year. Fine solo.
Is there a festival in Kohima?
Dec 1-10: Hornbill Festival, Kisama Village. Time a trip around it and you see the place at its loudest, but book beds early.
Nearby, and where to go next
-
Khonoma
Nagaland
Angami stone village that banned hunting and kept its terraces
10 km from Kohima, roughly under an hour by road
-
Dzukou Valley
Nagaland
Rolling green trekking valley famous for summer lilies
20 km from Kohima, roughly under an hour by road
-
Touphema Village
Nagaland
Angami hilltop village where you sleep in traditional huts
30 km from Kohima, roughly under an hour by road
-
Shilloi Lake (Latsam)
Nagaland
Foot-shaped sacred lake below Phek's pine ridges near Myanmar
100 km from Kohima, roughly about 3 h by road
-
Mokokchung
Nagaland
Ao Naga heartland of ridge villages and Moatsu drumming
130 km from Kohima, roughly about 3 h by road
-
Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary (Jorhat)
Assam
India's only ape, in a rainforest patch cut by a railway line
150 km from Kohima, roughly about 3 h by road
-
Kaziranga National Park
Assam
One-horned rhino capital: jeep and elephant safaris
160 km from Kohima, roughly about 3 h by road
-
Haflong
Assam
Assam's only hill station, on the Lumding-Silchar hill railway
160 km from Kohima, roughly about 3 h by road
More places to visit in Nagaland
- Dzukou Valley Nagaland
- Khonoma Nagaland
- Longwa (Mon district) Nagaland
- Mokokchung Nagaland
- Shilloi Lake (Latsam) Nagaland
- Touphema Village Nagaland