Thanks for the beautiful guide, I am from North East India and even i didn’t know all these things about Dzukou Valley before reading this article, hope to see u in soon in North East again. Iso (Mt. The last and final stream crossing of the Zakhama trail. The bifurcation where you need to take the left if you're taking the Zakhama trail back from Dzukou valley. Kohima-Dzukou-Kohima in a day? Dzukou valley’s gently rolled hills offer peace, tranquillity, and happiness of mind to the visitors. Your email address will not be published. Is it possible to trek up to the valley, stay for a night and return the next day back to Dimapur by 11am to catch a train. A huge fire broke out here in January 2006 and raged for over week. We eventually just psyched ourselves out completely and got so spooked that we simply couldn’t bear to remain in the cabin any longer. We can’t make any further commentary on this dorm as we didn’t actually spend a night here. Certain sections of the trail, particularly the river crossings, may be impassible during the monsoon season, as we’ll show you shortly. A trek to the Dzukou valley in December is never complete without witnessing the frozen views of the valley. To enter Dzukou truly feels like stepping into another dimension. The only things you might be able to use as fuel here are the dead grasses and bamboo shoots. The beautiful river view along the Dzukou valley gives an enchanting experience and you can spend a day or two in the rest houses made above in the valley. The stream was completely dried up during our trek but following heavy rain we probably would have witnessed a very different scenario. The ecosystem of the Dzukou Valley favors the growth of the rare Dzukou Lily (Lilium Chitrangadae) from April to August. The turn-off is at a bend in the road 3.8 km south of Zakhama and 20.6 km south of the local ground in Kohima. A Christmas tragedy unfolded at the foot of this waterfall at approximately 10:30 a.m on the morning of December 26, 2014, when six teenage students fell through a thin layer of ice into the depths of the frigid lake at the foot of the waterfall. In addition to the jaw-dropping scenery, the other major drawcard the valley holds is its stunning exhibition of wildflowers of varying hues, a display that reaches its peak in the first two weeks of July. Or we need to spend a night there??? The rock has a substantial overhang, which extends out far enough to keep campers dry during inclement weather. The view from the lawn outside the rest house. Fires are particularly liable to occur during the winter season, as can be seen by examining the history of previous outbreaks. Hiking to Dzukou in December is going to be difficult… mostly because it will be very cold! We … Do make sure to subscribe above in order to receive our free e-mail updates and exclusive travel tips & hints. When that horrendous pain kicks in, your only preoccupation will be in finding the fastest way possible back to dry land. Get the forecast for today, tonight & tomorrow's weather for Kohima, Nagaland, India. Hi! The sunrise! Standing near the Dzükou valley pass just after entering the valley. Well, … Wildfire In NE's Dzukou Valley Is Now Spreading To Mizoram. When you reach the main road you’re about 3.8 km to the south of Zakhama village at a place marked as “Dzukou point” on Google Maps. The finely plumaged Blyth’s Tragopan (Tragopan blythii) pheasant, designated as the state bird of Nagaland, takes refuge in the wooded pockets of the valley, though the exact size of the population here is not known. The Dzükou valley rest house or Pilgrim’s inn is a collection of about five buildings that is run, as far as we remember, by a few boys from the Southern Angami Youth Association. After the tough grind all the way up to the valley crest, you’ll eventually reach the pass where the trail enters the Dzukou valley. Something you might observe here at this site is that some of the submerged pebbles in the water below the bridge have people’s names indelibly scribbled on them, perhaps the result of the authors’ attempts to immortalize themselves in the eternal flowing waters of the heavenly Dzukou valley. km of forest cover. A sick view of Kohima from the balcony of Morung Lodge. “In 2001, I was visiting Dzukou Valley to photograph the forests. The path ascends steeply at first, levels out and contours along the side of the valley for a while, and then climbs up to the pass at the crest of the valley. We regret to inform you that many of the staff members were not particularly hospitable or eager to help out weary trekkers arriving at the end of their long day hike to the valley, so make sure you arrive with a relatively independent mindset. There are many trekking shops in and around Kohima where you can either buy or rent sleeping bags and tents. Could we return to kohima after a day tour in dzukou valley??? The utterly intolerable sensation that arises in the ankle region after just a few seconds of immersion can only be described as total agony. However, in Nagaland there are actually two different parts of the valley that people can visit, namely the west and south Dzükou areas. The first building on the left as you approach from the trail has just two rooms, but the attached bathrooms here are roomier than those in the other building. Dzukou Valley is situated at the very top, amongst the clouds. The whole enterprise is however a bit of a scam because both the blankets and sleeping pads are excessively thin and are woefully inadequate for the extremely cold nights in the valley, especially in wintertime. At the bifurcation you need to take the left hand fork. If you’re doing the Zakhama trail in reverse, just reverse these directions. The rest house offers two main lodging options; a “dormitory” or a private “VIP” room. We could only imagine the scary scenario that might unfold here after a large downpour. Your blog really helps us a lot. From here getting back to the main road is pretty straightforward. If you don’t want to walk or hitchhike all the way from Viswema you should be able to charter (reserve) another Sumo from outside the village gate. You can hire a taxi from the main highway to the end of the motorable road, but be prepared to pay 1,500 Rs for the ride. Go straight through the crossroads, past a Y-junction displaying a large green sign with white lettering that reads “way to Dzükou” and just keep following this dirt road all the way down to the river crossing. On the third day, you can trek back from Dzukou Valley to the town. If you happen to be attending the Hornbill Festival when you decide to visit the Dzükou valley, it is possible to hire a guide through your campsite, if you happen to be staying in one. If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. From Kohima, the laid-back capital of Nagaland, getting to Dzukou Valley is a relatively straightforward affair. When the shoots reach the desired thickness they can be cut for firewood, poles, animal fodder (for mithun, cattle etc.) Thank you for the information. Would be glad if you could help me out. Climbing a small hill rising from the flat floor of the Dzükou valley. The place is also spelled as Dzoüko Valley or Dzuko Valley. The valleys of Dzukou are usually very pleasant during the day but can experience a temperature drop of more than ten degrees during the night, so make sure you pack woollens generously. We were incredibly grateful that the place was not overrun with tourists. This guide is all about the portion of the Dzükou valley that falls within Nagaland. I am planning for Imphal tour for 4 days (28 Apr|Imphal-1st May|Kohima or vice versa). Dzukou valley means the valley of cold water, ‘ Dzu ’ means cold and ‘ Kou ’ means water. Stretching as far as the eye can see in all directions, the Dzükou valley boasts an astonishing, undulating treeless sweep of knolls, hillocks, verdant glens, river-cut ravines, meandering rivulets and deep-reaching caves, all just begging to be explored. Continuing the descent from here, you will soon reach the flat valley floor, where the bamboo vegetation grows less vigorously than in the valley’s upper reaches (or at least it was in our case), hardly exceeding knee-height. Post breakfast, you will start trekking to Dzukou from the Seikhakie base camp. last Dec of 2018 we have visited Dzukou Valley which is located in Manipur & Nagaland, but you have to enter from Nagaland only, at an altitude of 2438 m above sea level, behind the Japfü Peak, this magical valley looks like a freshly mown lawn, from a distance, watered by two meandering streams—the Dzukou and the Japfü rivers. (I found this post on Pinterest). The catch is that it requires 3-4 hours of unremitting, steep uphill trekking. Many trekkers like to spend the night here. Would love to have your sound advice on whether it really is that bad because I most likely would not be carrying any sleeping bags, blankets along with me so shall have to completely depend on the facilities provided. Kohima itself is reached by bus. I had to go visit the valley. I think that if you go without blankets or a good sleeping back, the end of November is not a great time to go. This guide will focus on how to get to Dzukou Valley from Nagaland. I use cookies to make your browsing tastier. The Nagaland state bird called the Blyth’s Tragopan and the Dzüko Lily are also rare species. However in this guide we will be dealing with the two Nagaland approaches to the valley, namely the Viswema and Zakhama trails. While, trekking, tourist can adore the hypnotic view of the valley with hugging clouds above the lush green vegetation. Having accrued such a wealth of stories and knowledge from our extraordinary and transformative journey, our mission is now to share everything we've experienced and all of the lessons we've learned with our readers. Looking back at the Dzukou valley from the pass. Bring your own inflatable mattress, or you’ll regret your poor life choices. An estimated 70 sq. Panorama shot of the Dzukou valley from near the helipad. It was also here at this crossing that we caught up with the Bengali couple who had set out from the rest house about an hour before us and had just crossed the stream ahead of us. If you’re staying at the rest house, trekking down into the valley is the obvious thing to do once you’ve familiarized yourself with the rest house and spent your first night there. I wish to go with you someday. The path snakes along the slope of the valley, its twists and turns dictated by the valley’s folds and contours. The winter season (October to March), which was when we visited, is not the best time for witnessing flowers but boasts a different kind of stark, desolate beauty. Further on we passed a wonderful display of pink blossoms courtesy of two magnificent cherry trees flanking the road. But coming back to the subject of accommodation, the rest house is a good option if you're travelling light during your Nagaland trip and aren't carrying camping equipment. View from the rock overhang shelter in the Dzükou valley. This is where all the food is prepared for guests. It’s a beautiful place to hike around in itself, flowers or not, and if you’re into rock climbing there are plenty of opportunities to break a sweat within the valley. Just follow the instructions in this article and you’ll be fine. An advantage of visiting during the drier months is the absence of pesky, bloodsucking leeches. It is located at a distance of 2452 meters above sea level. We may be incorrect about the organization that runs it though. The highest peak in the Dzükou valley area is Mt. Our lives are very much the same. Trekkers do occasionally get lost or take a wrong turn on both of these trails but if you carefully study the instructions we’ve laid out in this guide, you should be able to avoid ending up like one of those unfortunates. The trek from Viswema to Dzukou Valley is more gradual but generally takes longer. A panorama shot of dormitory no.1 with its tiled ceiling. And so began to believe that some unseen and unknown power existed in the valley. The valley is almost 2 to 4 million years old and is occupied with many caves which can accommodate 2000 people at one time. Have a few questions. Here is what’s available from the kitchen and the pricing: Vegetarian meal (rice, dal, fried potatoes) – 200 INR. We were lucky to have visited in December, at the tail end of the flowering season for the cherry trees. We saw old fire sites down here during our visit so people do camp there. For this the Mao would pay royalties (taxes) to the Angami in the form of meat or other goods. Nagamese does not have gender in the language , so I gave my own gender to Dzukou. The first notable landmark on the trail is a little wooden staircase with log bannisters that somebody went to the trouble of constructing in the middle of the forest. As the temperature dropped steadily, we got inside our sleeping bags and listened to stories (thanks to RD & Antara), played games and laughed over lame jokes, until dinner was served at around 8′ O clock. The buildings on the left and right are dormitories. Some trekkers like to pitch their tents on the grassy area just outside the rest house. A panorama taken just near the entry point to the valley. The temperature of the state ranges from 16°C to 31°C in summer (May to July) and 4°C to 24°C during winter season. Having never visited west Dzükou we know very little about this part of the valley, except that it is accessed by several hours of trekking from Khonoma village. Even this remote mountain valley is not free from the far-reaching influence of Christianity. It’s the sort of damp, humid forest environment that would usually be writhing with leeches, so have a bag of salt at the ready if you’re hiking up these steps in the monsoon season. Situated between the states of Nagaland and Manipur, Dzukou valley is fast becoming a popular destination in the Northeast. You have a few options for getting to Viswema. To the left is a small shack and this is the way to Manipur. If you continue on from the rock shelter, the trail intersects the stream again and you will have to cross it if you wish to visit the cross on the hilltop. Three of the students managed to extricate themselves from the icy-cold water but the other three (a boy, his sister and another girl) lacked the ability to swim and they all drowned despite efforts by the other group members to rescue them with bamboo sticks. It takes 6 hours for an average trekker to reach the valley. The valley is a breathtakingly beautiful, picture-postcard masterpiece of nature’s handiwork that more rightfully belongs in a fairytale book or fantasy novel than in this earthly realm.
