Experience
Kisama Heritage Village
The Hornbill ground — morungs of every tribe.
- From Kohima
- About 12km · 30–40 min
- Festival
- Dec 1–10 every year
- Entry
- Festival-week tickets at the gate
- Best time
- December for Hornbill
Kisama — the name joins Kigwema and Phesama, the two villages it sits between — is a permanent heritage village about 12km from Kohima. Every tribe in Nagaland keeps a morung here: a traditional communal house, built in its own style, with its own carvings.
During the Hornbill Festival (December 1–10) Kisama becomes the stage for the whole state — arena programmes each morning and afternoon, food and craft stalls, and the morungs open to visitors. Outside festival week it is quiet, and you can walk the grounds almost alone.
Things to do
What you're here for
The morungs
Each tribe’s house, built and maintained in its own style.
The arena
Morning and afternoon programmes during the festival.
Food stalls
Tribal kitchens cooking on wood fires — the fastest education in Naga food.
Craft stalls
Weaves, beads, wood and metal work from across the state.
Getting there
Taxis run between Kohima and Kisama throughout festival week; the road gets busy by mid-morning.
Our Hornbill packages include festival-day transfers so you arrive before the arena programmes begin.
Best time: December 1–10 for the festival. The grounds are open to walk around at other times too.
Tours
Trips that come here
3D / 2N · Festival focus
Hornbill Express
Two full festival days at Kisama with stay in Kohima — the fastest way into Hornbill.
4D / 3N · Festival + Kohima
Hornbill Classic
Festival days plus Kohima town — war cemetery, market and the night carnival.
5D / 4N · Festival + villages
Hornbill Explorer
The Classic plus Khonoma and a village kitchen day — festival and culture in one trip.
7–10D · Festival + region
Hornbill + Northeast
Hornbill plus Kaziranga or Meghalaya — the festival and a wider Northeast journey in one plan.
Journal
Read before you go
Guide · 7 min
How to reach Hornbill Festival 2026
Flights and trains to Dimapur, the 3-hour road to Kohima, and what festival-week traffic does to your plan.
Guide · 5 min
Nagaland Inner Line Permit — the simple version
Who needs an ILP for Nagaland, how it works, and what we handle for booked travellers.
Story · 6 min
Ten days at Kisama
What the Hornbill Festival actually feels like — mornings in the arena, afternoons in the morungs, nights in town.
Guide · 4 min
What to pack for Hornbill Festival
A December packing list written by people who were cold so you don't have to be.
Guide · 5 min
Where to stay for Hornbill Festival
Kohima hotels, festival tents and homestays — what each option costs you in comfort and commute.
09 — Plan with us
Add Kisama Heritage Village to a trip?
Tell us your dates — we'll build the route around it.
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