Shilloi Lake (Latsam)
Foot-shaped sacred lake below Phek's pine ridges near Myanmar
Best time to visit Shilloi Lake (Latsam)
- Jan, peak season
- Feb, shoulder season
- Mar, shoulder season
- Apr, off-season
- May, off-season
- Jun, best avoided
- Jul, best avoided
- Aug, best avoided
- Sep, best avoided
- Oct, peak season
- Nov, peak season
- Dec, peak season
peak shoulder off-season avoid
- Go: October to January
- Shoulder: February to March, quieter, and the weather is less of a sure thing
- Skip: June to September
Shilloi Lake (Latsam) season by season
Winter December to February Prime time
Dec-Feb is still and blue with near-frost nights; mist burns off the water by 8 am and you may not meet another visitor all day.
Summer March to May Shoulder
March is fine and quiet; Apr-May greens the ridges but afternoon storms make the long Phek roads slow and greasy.
Monsoon June to September Do not go
Jun-Sep the day-long approach from Kohima crawls with slips and fog while the lake sulks in grey; not worth the grind.
Autumn October to November Prime time
Oct-Nov is best: post-rain clarity, terraced paddy gold around Lutsam village and calm water at the lakeside huts.
What Shilloi Lake (Latsam) is actually like
A small government tourist cottage by the shore and Lutsam homestays; locals hold the water sacred, so nights are hushed
Getting to Shilloi Lake (Latsam)
ILP online; from Kohima a full day via Pfutsero and Phek, 8-9 h; hire a taxi in Phek, sumos are scarce
Practical ways in: road
Trip facts
- How long to stay
- 2 days
- Budget
- Shoestring
- How busy
- Quiet at its peak
- Solo travel
- Doable solo with some planning
- Altitude
- 954 m
- State
- Nagaland
- Coordinates
- 25.5954, 94.7930
Common questions
When is the best time to visit Shilloi Lake (Latsam)?
October to January is peak season in Shilloi Lake (Latsam). February to March is shoulder season: thinner crowds, a bit more risk in the weather. Avoid June to September. Oct-Nov is best: post-rain clarity, terraced paddy gold around Lutsam village and calm water at the lakeside huts.
How many days do you need in Shilloi Lake (Latsam)?
2 days is the usual stay. A small government tourist cottage by the shore and Lutsam homestays; locals hold the water sacred, so nights are hushed.
How do you get to Shilloi Lake (Latsam)?
ILP online; from Kohima a full day via Pfutsero and Phek, 8-9 h; hire a taxi in Phek, sumos are scarce. Practical ways in: road.
Is Shilloi Lake (Latsam) expensive, and does it get crowded?
Shoestring by Indian travel standards, and it runs quiet at the busiest time of year. Doable solo with some planning.
Nearby, and where to go next
-
Touphema Village
Nagaland
Angami hilltop village where you sleep in traditional huts
100 km from Shilloi Lake (Latsam), roughly about 3 h by road
-
Kohima
Nagaland
Naga hill capital and gateway to Hornbill Festival
100 km from Shilloi Lake (Latsam), roughly about 3 h by road
-
Dzukou Valley
Nagaland
Rolling green trekking valley famous for summer lilies
110 km from Shilloi Lake (Latsam), roughly about 3 h by road
-
Khonoma
Nagaland
Angami stone village that banned hunting and kept its terraces
120 km from Shilloi Lake (Latsam), roughly about 3 h by road
-
Mokokchung
Nagaland
Ao Naga heartland of ridge villages and Moatsu drumming
130 km from Shilloi Lake (Latsam), roughly about 3 h by road
-
Longwa (Mon district)
Nagaland
Konyak village whose chief's house sits astride the frontier
190 km from Shilloi Lake (Latsam), roughly about 5 h by road
-
Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary (Jorhat)
Assam
India's only ape, in a rainforest patch cut by a railway line
170 km from Shilloi Lake (Latsam), roughly about 3 h by road
-
Loktak Lake
Manipur
Floating phumdi islands, world's only floating park
200 km from Shilloi Lake (Latsam), roughly about 4 h by road
More places to visit in Nagaland
- Dzukou Valley Nagaland
- Khonoma Nagaland
- Kohima Nagaland
- Longwa (Mon district) Nagaland
- Mokokchung Nagaland
- Touphema Village Nagaland