Kohima

Hill capital of Nagaland, known for its Second World War cemetery and the Hornbill Festival.

FamousHeritageVillageTrekHill-station

Kohima spreads over a series of ridges and mixes Second World War history with Naga tribal culture. It is a good base for Angami villages such as Khonoma and for treks to Dzukou Valley. It suits history readers, culture lovers and walkers, and gets very busy during the Hornbill Festival in early December.

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Best time to go

When	What to expect
October to March	The best time to visit. Winter days are mild, about 11 to 24 C by one guide, and nights in December can drop to about 5 C. December is crowded and costly because of the Hornbill Festival.
April to May	Pleasant and mostly dry by one guide; summer temperatures run about 18 to 29 C. Spring is when the Dzukou lily blooms.
June to September	Monsoon months. Landslides can slow the Dimapur road, and Dzukou trails get slippery, so treks are best avoided.

Sights and activities

Kohima War Cemetery

A terraced cemetery with nearly 1,500 graves of soldiers who died in the 1944 Battle of Kohima. It sits at the junction of the Dimapur and Imphal roads.

Distance: About 1-2 km from the town centre
Entry: Free
Timings: 8am-4pm in summer, 8am-3pm in winter (another guide says 9am-5pm)
Time needed: 1 hour

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Kohima WWII Museum

A small museum on the Second World War battle, close to the War Cemetery.

Distance: Walking distance from the War Cemetery
Entry: Rs 20 adults, Rs 10 children
Timings: 9am-5pm, closed Mondays
Time needed: 1 hour

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Nagaland State Museum

Shows Naga tribal dress, jewellery, weapons, model houses and dioramas of the tribes. It is on Bayavu Hill.

Distance: About 2 km from the main town
Entry: Rs 5 by an older guide, Rs 50 by a newer one; extra charges for cameras
Timings: 10am-5pm, closed Sundays and public holidays
Time needed: 1-1.5 hours

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Catholic Cathedral, Aradura Hill

A large red-roofed cathedral, said to be the biggest in the Northeast, with seats for about 1,500 people.

Distance: Short taxi ride from the town centre
Entry: Free
Time needed: 45 minutes

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Kohima Village (Bara Basti)

The old Angami village beside which the British built the town. Its name gave Kohima its name.

Distance: Southern part of Kohima, short taxi ride or walk
Time needed: 1-2 hours

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Naga Heritage Village, Kisama

The venue of the Hornbill Festival, with traditional morungs (youth dormitories) of the Naga tribes. The festival runs from 1 to 10 December.

Distance: About 10-12 km
Entry: Rs 30 for Indians, Rs 100 for foreigners (festival days had a separate small daily ticket)
Timings: 9am-5pm
Time needed: 2-3 hours

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Khonoma Village

A historic Angami village known for its 1879 stand against the British, terraced rice fields and simple homestays.

Distance: About 20 km
Timings: Open all day
Time needed: Half day

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Dzukou Valley

Nagaland's best-known trekking area, a high valley reached by steep trails, with the most used route starting near Zakhama.

Distance: About 25-30 km south
Timings: Daylight hours; start early
Time needed: Full day or overnight

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Getting there

By bus: Shared taxis, private cars and Nagaland State Transport buses run between Dimapur and Kohima on the national highway in about 2.5 to 4 hours. Private buses also run from Guwahati to Kohima, about 340 km, overnight.
By train: Dimapur railway station, about 74 km away, is the nearest major station, with trains from Guwahati and other cities.
By air: Dimapur Airport (DMU), about 74 km away, has flights to cities including Guwahati, Kolkata and Delhi.
Where to base yourself: Central Kohima, around High School Road, Razhu Point and the main town, keeps you close to the cemetery, museums and taxi stands.

Getting around

Kohima spreads over hills and has little public transport, so most visitors hire a taxi for the day; a day trip to Kisama and Khonoma was quoted at about Rs 1,500.
Local taxis on fixed routes charge about Rs 20 to Rs 70 per seat, or Rs 80 to Rs 280 for the whole car, as notified by the district transport authority.
City buses charge about Rs 10 to Rs 30 per person on short routes.
Shared taxis from Dimapur to Kohima cost about Rs 400 per seat; a private taxi costs about Rs 2,800 to Rs 4,000.
Two-wheelers can be rented for about Rs 800 to Rs 1,200 a day, mainly during the festival.

Often combined with

Places people usually visit on the same trip, and how long it takes to get between them.

Imphal and Loktak Lake: Road, about 4.5 to 5 hours, about 140 km by road. See the Kohima and Imphal trip

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Where to stay

Budget level	Type	Price per night
Budget	Homestays and simple guesthouses	₹1,000 to ₹1,500
Mid-range	Mid-range hotels such as Classic Aradura Inn	₹2,200 to ₹4,950
Luxury	Larger hotels such as Hotel Vivor or Hotel Japfu	₹3,300 to ₹9,900

Food

Local restaurants near Razhu Point and the post office serve Naga food, while hotel restaurants add North Indian and Chinese dishes. Cafes are found on High School Road and in the main town. One homestay dinner buffet cost about Rs 150, and village meals about Rs 250 to Rs 350.

Try these

Pork with bamboo shoot (a common Naga meat dish)
Smoked meats (pork and other meats dried over the fire)
Zutho (local millet beer)

Naga food is mostly meat-based, but hotels serve North Indian vegetarian dishes and at least one vegetarian restaurant was reported.

Daily costs

Budget level	Stay per room	Food per person	Local transport
Budget	₹1,200	₹500	₹150 per person
Mid-range	₹3,200	₹900	₹1,500 per vehicle
Luxury	₹7,000	₹2,000	₹2,500 per vehicle

Per day. Travel to and from your city is added in the planner above.

Permits and documents

The Nagaland Police site says Indian citizens from outside Nagaland need an Inner Line Permit, applied for online or at Nagaland House in Delhi, Kolkata, Shillong or Guwahati; a 30-day tourist permit was reported at Rs 200. Foreign visitors do not need a protected area permit but must register at the local police station after arrival.

Safety

By day: Daytime travel in town is generally calm; most shops and offices close on Sundays.
At night: Keep to central areas after dark.
Roads: The Dimapur to Kohima road is narrow in places, with roadwork, landslides in the monsoon and heavy traffic during the festival, so allow extra time.
Emergency numbers: 112 (all emergencies)

Practical

Mobile network: Mobile signal is generally fine but internet can be patchy.
ATMs and cash: ATMs are available but can run out of cash during the festival, so carry cash.
Fuel: There are several petrol pumps in and around town.
Medical: There are several hospitals within about 6 km, including Naga Hospital and Oking Hospital And Research Clinic Pvt Ltd. In an emergency dial 112, or 108 for an ambulance in most states.

Coverage maps: Jio · Airtel · Vi · BSNL. Report a problem

Accessibility

Seniors: The town is hilly with steep roads, so a hired taxi is easier than walking; Dzukou treks are steep.
Children: Museums and the heritage village suit children; steep treks may not.
Wheelchair users: The terraced cemetery and hill roads involve slopes and steps.

Unless a sight is described as accessible, assume it is not step-free.

Culture and responsible travel

Sunday is a day of rest in Kohima and most places except hotels and eateries close.
Kohima village and Khonoma are living communities; ask before photographing people or homes.
The War Cemetery is a place of remembrance, so keep noise low.
Book stays early for December, when the Hornbill Festival fills hotels and raises prices.

What to pack

Photo ID (Aadhaar, passport or driving licence); hotels and permits ask for it
Printed copies of your permit, with a few passport-size photos
Walking shoes with a good grip, a small daypack and a refillable water bottle
Some cash in small notes for autos, stalls and tips
Your regular medicines, plus basics for stomach upsets, headaches and cuts

Multi-stop trips that include Kohima

Kohima and Imphal, 5 nights

At a glance

State: Nagaland
District: Kohima
Altitude: About 1,495 m
Gateway: Dimapur
Best time: Oct-Mar
Ideal trip: 3 days
Difficulty: Easy. Reached by road, and the sights need little walking.

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Booking links

About this page

Checked against online sources in October 2026. Not field-verified. ATMs, fuel and hospitals from OpenStreetMap, October 2026.

Could not be confirmed online:

Inner Line Permit rules conflict: the Nagaland Police site says Indians from outside the state need one, while two travel sites say they do not; the Rs 200 fee was reported for Dimapur district.
Altitude of 1,495 m is converted from a single guide's figure of 4,904 ft.
War Cemetery and State Museum timings and the museum fee differ between sources (Rs 5 in a 2017 guide, Rs 50 in a newer blog).
Entry fees for Dzukou Valley, Khonoma and Kohima Village could not be confirmed.
Hotel tariffs come from a 2017 guide and may have risen.
No train or flight fares from Guwahati, Kolkata or Delhi to Dimapur could be confirmed; only the Guwahati to Kohima bus fare was found.
Daily food and luxury local transport costs are estimates built from a few meal and taxi prices.
Night safety, solo women travel, fuel stations, hospitals and wheelchair access could not be confirmed online.

Cover photo: Wikimedia Commons

Sources: Nagaland Police - Domestic Tourists (Inner Line Permit), Nagaland Police - Foreign Tourists, Outlook Traveller - A quick guide to Kohima, Outlook Traveller - Kohima: In the Garden of Kewhi, Outlook Traveller - Nagaland: The Hills Are Calling, EastMojo - Kohima revised taxi rates, Eastern Mirror - Kohima bus and regional taxi services, Eastern Mirror - Dimapur ILP system, EaseIndiaTrip - How to reach Kohima from Dimapur, TripXL - Things to do in Kohima, Muddie Trails - Kohima travel, Travelshoebum - Dimapur to Kohima, redBus - Guwahati to Kohima buses, ixigo - Guwahati to dimapur by train, easeindiatrip.com - How to reach kohima from dimapur hornbill festival