Escape to
Things to do in Kohima
Festival base, hill capital, WWII history.
The list
The short version: Kohima spreads along a ridge, the natural base for Hornbill, Dzükou and the villages around it.
01
Kohima War Cemetery
2,142 graves on the ridge where the 1944 battle was fought.
02
Main market
Hill produce, weaves, smoked meat and everything in between.
03
Kisama Heritage Village
The Hornbill ground, 12km south of town.
04
Day trips
Khonoma 20km, Dzükou trailheads under an hour.
Know before you go
- From Dimapur
- 74km · about 3h by road
- Kisama
- About 12km south
- Elevation
- About 1,400m
- Permit
- ILP ₹200 online; waived during Hornbill
The town holds the Kohima War Cemetery, maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, one of the most moving WWII sites in India. The main market sells everything the region grows, weaves and smokes.
Best time: October to May. December is festival season, book stays early.
Practicals
Permits & season for Nagaland
ILP required for Indian nationals outside the Hornbill window (waived Dec 1–10 with photo ID), online at ilp.nagaland.gov.in; foreign nationals pay a fee.
October to March is the clean window; December adds the Hornbill Festival, and the monsoon makes eastern roads slow.
Trips that include Kohima
All of Kohima, none of the guesswork
Fixed departures you can join solo, or a private plan around your dates. Prices on the page, real people on WhatsApp.
Keep planning
- Nagaland travel guide
- Dimapur to Kohimaroad
- Kaziranga to Kohimaroad
- Flying into Dimapur Airport: flights, cabs and onward connections
- Dimapur Railway Station railway station: trains, cabs and onward connections
- Nagaland permits: the complete guide
- Aoleang Festival: the Konyak festival of Mon, Nagalandfrom the journal