Khonoma

Khonoma is an Angami Naga village of stone-walled terraces stepping down a hillside, historically known for resisting British forces in the nineteenth century from a fortified position. Its modern distinction is a decision taken by the village council: after a hunting competition in 1993 killed a large number of blyth's tragopan, a threatened pheasant, the village banned hunting and logging across some seventy square kilometres of its own forest, creating the Khonoma Nature Conservation and Tragopan Sanctuary under customary law rather than state designation. Alder-based terrace farming, in which trees are pollarded and left in the fields to fix nitrogen, is practised on the slopes.

What you actually see

• The stone terraces - walled rice terraces stepping down the hillside.
• The community sanctuary - forest protected by village decision, not state law.
• The alder farming - pollarded trees left standing in the fields.
• The village fort - the historic defensive position above the settlement.

When to go

October to April for clear weather; the terraces are green in the monsoon but travel is harder. The Sekrenyi festival in February is the main Angami celebration.

Honest expectations

An Inner Line Permit is required for Nagaland, including for Indian nationals. Accommodation is village homestays with basic facilities. Tragopan sightings are rare and need a guide and early starts.

Nearby

Kohima lies east; Dzukou valley is southeast.