Benreu & Mount Pauna

Nagaland India

Wake in a cloud-wrapped village of mithun herders, then climb Nagaland's third-highest peak through orchid-strung forest to a ridge where two states unfold beneath your feet.

Perched at around 1,950 metres in remote Peren district, Benreu is a traditional Zeliang village and one of Nagaland's finest eco-tourism bases — a quiet cluster of bamboo homes under the gaze of Mount Pauna, the state's third-highest peak. Mist pours through daily (this is one of India's rainiest belts), rice terraces shimmer in the foothills, and the Teipuiki river below marks the Nagaland–Manipur line. The moderate Mount Pauna trek climbs through virgin forest thick with rhododendron, wild orchids, medicinal herbs and birdsong, opening to panoramas that reach toward the Dzükou Valley and Manipur. Stay at the ridge-top Mount Pauna Tourist Village, share smoked meats and bamboo-shoot dishes, and feel the pull of deep, unhurried Naga country.

October to April for clear trekking and mountain views; late October brings the Zeliang Lamsimnyi (Langsimnyi) festival.

Roads in are rough and public transport is almost nonexistent — arrange a driver and, ideally, a guide from Kohima before you set off, and pre-book the tourist village so the caretaker has it open when you arrive.

Plan your visit via Nagaland Tourism.

This deep-offbeat base rewards slow travel and slots neatly into BreakBag Holidays customised Nagaland tour packages for trekkers and nature lovers.

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