Mizoram Travel Guide: Where to Go, When to Visit, How to Reach

Photo: GerogeIsMedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons

Mizoram is the long hill state at the southern tip of the north-east, with Bangladesh to the west and Myanmar to the east and south. Its ranges run north to south, and its towns sit along their crests, Aizawl most of all. Travellers come for quiet ridge drives, bamboo forest, waterfalls and village life built around church and community. Since September 2025 a railway line reaches Sairang, close to Aizawl.

In Mizoram the towns sit on the ridges, and the roads follow them.

Where to go

• Aizawl: the capital, at about 1,130 metres, its houses stacked down steep slopes above the Tlawng and Tuirial valleys. Paragliders launch from the Durtlang cliffs to the north of the city.
• Reiek: a short drive west of Aizawl, with a hilltop walk on Reiek Tlang and a heritage village of traditional Mizo houses.
• Hmuifang: a forested mountain 50 km south of Aizawl, at 1,619 metres, protected since the days of the Mizo chiefs. The grassy top is good for picnics and camping, and nearby villages show rural Mizo life.
• Thenzawl and Vantawng Falls: Thenzawl is a weaving town, and the falls nearby on the Vanva river drop about 750 feet, the highest in the state. A viewing tower faces them across the forest.
• Tam Dil: the "lake of mustard", near Saitual, about 110 km from Aizawl, ringed by thick forest.
• Champhai: a broad valley of rice fields near the Myanmar border, with views east to the Chin Hills. Rih Dil, a heart-shaped lake, lies just across the border in Myanmar, and Murlen National Park is within reach.
• Phawngpui (Blue Mountain): the highest peak in Mizoram, in a national park in the far south. Rhododendrons flower on its slopes in spring; it is a long journey, not a day trip.

Main cities

Aizawl is the capital and the political, cultural and commercial centre of the state. It holds the government, the main markets and most places to stay, and almost every route in Mizoram passes through it. The other towns are smaller and each serves a region.

• Lunglei: the main town of the south, and the base for the long drives towards Lawngtlai and Siaha.
• Champhai: the eastern border town, for the rice valley, Murlen and views into Myanmar.
• Serchhip: a central town on the road south, close to Thenzawl and Vantawng Falls.
• Kolasib: the first district town on the road in from Assam, by way of the Vairengte gate.
• Saitual: a small town east of Aizawl, the stop for Tam Dil.
• Lawngtlai: the far southern district town, nearest to Phawngpui.
• Siaha: the southernmost district town, in the hills of the Mara people.

Festivals

Mizo festivals are called kut, and all three of the great ones follow the farming year.

• Chapchar Kut (first week of March): the spring festival after the jungle is cleared for jhum, or shifting, farming. Dancers in bright dress perform the Cheraw, stepping between moving bamboo poles.
• Mim Kut (August or September): the maize harvest festival, a time to remember the dead with the first fruits of the year.
• Pawl Kut (December or January): the harvest feast once the year's work is done, with community meals and dances.
• Christmas (December): most Mizos are Christian, and the season fills Aizawl's churches, streets and homes for days.

Festival dates are set each year by the state and the churches; check before you go.

Food to try

• Bai: a gentle stew of greens and bamboo shoot, sometimes with pork, the everyday dish of every home.
• Vawksa rep: pork smoked over the kitchen fire, cooked with greens or eaten on its own.
• Sawhchiar: rice cooked slowly with pork or chicken into a thick, savoury porridge.
• Bekang: fermented soybean, strong in smell and flavour, cooked with pork or vegetables.
• Chhangban: a sticky rice cake steamed in leaves, eaten with tea.

Stories from Mizoram

• Cities in Mizoram: Aizawl, Lunglei, Champhai and Serchhip

Plan your visit

Best season	October to March is dry, cool and clear. The first week of March brings Chapchar Kut. Rain is heaviest from May to September, when hill roads can be cut by landslides.
How to reach	Fly to Lengpui Airport, near Aizawl. Or take the train to Sairang station, about 20 km from Aizawl, on the Bairabi-Sairang line opened in September 2025: a daily train runs from Guwahati, a tri-weekly one from Kolkata and a weekly Rajdhani Express from Delhi (Anand Vihar). By road, Aizawl is 5 to 6 hours from Silchar in Assam.
Getting around	Local taxis in Aizawl. Shared taxis and buses link the district towns, but drives are long and winding, so hire a car with a driver for Thenzawl, Champhai or the south.
Where to stay	Central Aizawl as a base; Reiek and Hmuifang for a night in the hills; Thenzawl for Vantawng Falls; Champhai for the east; Lunglei for the south.
How long to spend	Five to seven days for Aizawl, Reiek, Hmuifang, Thenzawl and Tam Dil; nine or ten to add Champhai or Phawngpui.
Permits	Indian visitors from outside Mizoram need an Inner Line Permit. Apply online at ilp.mizoram.gov.in before you travel, or at the Mizoram Houses in Kolkata, Silchar, Shillong, Guwahati, New Delhi and Mumbai; permits are also issued on arrival at Lengpui Airport. Since 17 December 2024 foreign visitors need a Protected Area Permit, applied for on the e-FRRO portal (indianfrro.gov.in) after reaching India, and must register online within 24 hours of arriving in Mizoram.

Open Mizoram, India in Google Maps

Questions people ask

Do I need a permit to visit Mizoram?

Yes. Indian visitors from outside the state need an Inner Line Permit, best applied for online before you travel. Foreign visitors need a Protected Area Permit through the e-FRRO portal and must register within 24 hours of arrival.

Can I reach Aizawl by train?

Yes, almost. Since September 2025 trains run to Sairang, about 20 km from Aizawl, from Guwahati, Kolkata and Delhi. A taxi covers the last stretch.

What is the best time to visit Mizoram?

October to March, when the skies are clear and the roads are dry. Come in the first week of March for Chapchar Kut.

Is Rih Dil lake in Mizoram?

No. Rih Dil lies just across the border in Myanmar. It is visited from Champhai, and you should check the current border rules locally before planning a crossing.

How many days do I need for Mizoram?

Five to seven days for Aizawl and the hills around it; nine or ten if you add Champhai or Phawngpui in the far south.

Written by Muthu, editor of Aura of India. Sources: Mizoram Tourism: entry formalities for domestic and foreign tourists, Aizawl District, Government of Mizoram: how to reach and places of interest, Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Mizoram: festivals, Press Information Bureau: Bairabi-Sairang railway line. Last verified: 13 October 2026.

Your turn: Have you taken the new train to Sairang? How did the ride through the hills compare with the road?