The Mon district of Nagaland, land of the Konyaks, offers the best opportunity for finding semi-traditional villages and tattooed warriors in loincloths. The main attraction in Mon is the remote geographical location, and the opportunity it affords to get a glimpse of a life far removed from ours.
The Mon landscape has the densest landscape in Nagaland, and the plains of Assam can be delightfully viewed from high up in the hills. The district's largest village, Lungwa, is situated right on the Myanmar border. In fact, the chief's house is bisected longitudinally by the border. Visitors to the village, who must stop by his house, will have the strange experience of sitting near the hearth with half their body in Myanmar and the other half still in India. It's not the only unusual thing -- the chief also has dozens of wives! The chief's house, filled with dubious trophies of various animal skulls, is also quite a sight.
If you visit Mon during the beginning of April, you'll be able to witness Konyaks all over Mon celebrating the Aoleong Monyu festival. Undertaken to welcome spring and pray for bountiful harvests, this happy week-long festival has plenty of feasting and sacrifices to appease the divine forces that watch over the farms.
There are two ways of getting to Mon -- from Kohima along the eastern extreme of Nagaland, and via Jorhat in Assam. The latter route is longer, but it has excellent roads. However, those with a thirst for adventure should be sure to travel via Naginimora in Mon and Wakching in the Tuesang district of Nagaland. There road changes from monotonous concrete to a tyer-marked trail. However, due to its remoteness, the best way to see Mon is on a tour.
