[amitsethi100]

Originally Posted by chandra1

Thanks for sharing this.
How did you book the car and driver and how much did it cost you?

One of my core intent in blogging about this trip was to get more people to travel to Mizoram and hence happy to share the below details to help folks planning a trip to Mizoram. Actually sharing more than Travel in the hope that the below folks and Mizoram tourism corporation get more business.

Travel -

We booked the Xylo through Mr. Zoliana. He runs a tours and travels company called Omega travels. I strongly recommend him for any bookings. He has been in the business for 35+ years. The going rate for a Xylo was 25 Rs/KM. Even if the rates might appear to be higher, the roads of Mizoram fully justify the rates. His phone number is 096129-51288. My overall spend on vehicle was 30K approx.

Please ask for a driver who can talk in both Mizo and English. You will need someone to talk to the locals.

I am also sharing the numbers of some of the Mizoram Tourism properties and some select managers who were exceptionally good. It is very difficult to get these numbers and so hope these are useful to folks booking their stay. Generally the best way to get the number of any Mizoram tourism property in any part of the state is to call the Chaltlang lodge and ask for the number of the property that you intend to book. (I found this the hard way after making 20+ calls).

Internet booking is still not active and the Mizoram government should try to enable the same.

The Chaltlang Lodge number in Aizawl is 0389 -2346589/ 2341083/ 2346422.

Here are a few other numbers of people who work with Mizoram Tourism who were efficient, helpful and tourist friendly. They all deserve an award for the great work that they are doing. The numbers are used by them for taking tourism lodge bookings and hence sharing their numbers.

Mr. Thlenga - Zokhawthar - 087945 31778 - He is a great guy and takes personal ownership of ensuring that you have a good stay.

Mr. Rela - Kawlkhul - 089744-19053 - Again a great, sincere guy who runs the Kawlkhul Mizoram tourism lodge exceptionally well.

Ms. Pui - North Vanlaiphai - 089744-19053 - Very efficient, sincere lady who does a terrific job of running the lodge.

The Rabung field forest officer Mr. Channa. He can help book the inspection hut in Rabung for a visit to the Murlen national park. He can also help with a four wheel drive booking from Rabung to Murlen and back. I am unable to find his number. But if anyone needs it, please PM me and I will try to get it.

The guide in Chawngltai village Mr. Raltawna 098625-38351.He does a great job of taking you around the village and giving a detailed tour of the village and its history in English.

In case any of you use their services, do convey my regards.

Thanks
Amit

[gadadhar]

Amazed to hear about the wonderful culture of Mizoram, and has added to my list of must visit. I have been to Darjeeling and Gangtok, but both are heavily impacted by tourism. Its a distant dream that rest of our country adapt this hill culture, its more probable that the hills will get influenced by people from the plains

[ringoism]

Having married into the Mizo community over six years ago, I've since had the pleasure of spending cumulatively at least six months of my life in the state. Truly a very special place.

Originally Posted by amitsethi100

beyond these examples there were ample examples of kindness, honesty and simplicity....The Mizos have a strong sense of community. They actually have a word for it - "Tlawmngaihna". The word essentially means putting the welfare of others ahead of our own welfare. There were ample demonstrations of care for the community when we were in Mizoram. To summarize, the rest of the country needs to learn a ton from this "land of the hill people".

Essentially the "Golden Rule": "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"; Tlawmngaihna is apparently an ancient principle for them, and I'm not sure how all that fit into the earlier practice of raids and headhunting - but between the British administration's asserting law & order on the one hand, and on another level the people's almost universal embrace of Christianity, all that ceased, and the clans / villages have truly been peacefully unified ever since. It is not a perfect place (what is, on this earth?), but the cleanliness, the considerate driving practices, the lack of cheating in the markets, and the overall high level of regard that people have for one another is certainly striking in comparison to many other places.

Originally Posted by amitsethi100

One of my core intent in blogging about this trip was to get more people to travel to Mizoram... Actually sharing more than Travel in the hope that the below folks and Mizoram tourism corporation get more business.

I wrote my own Mizoram travelogue well over two years ago with the intent of sharing here on TBhp, but have been of two minds about finally posting it. In various ways, the Mizos have demonstrated a desire to protect and preserve their homeland, and having over time observed so many of the good qualities of the place and its people, I can't blame them. Mizoram is one of India's best-kept secrets, and part of me certainly wanted it to remain as such.

Originally Posted by gadadhar

I have been to Darjeeling and Gangtok, but both are heavily impacted by tourism. Its a distant dream that rest of our country adapt this hill culture, its more probable that the hills will get influenced by people from the plains

We've seen the highly corrupting influences of the tourist flood here in Himachal over the past decade... I didn't want to be part of the cause of the same thing happening out there by publicizing my experiences; On the other hand, while increasing tourism is probably inevitable to some degree, there is reason to hope it could go better in Mizoram than elsewhere. As noted, Mizo society does enjoy a large degree of unity and cooperation, also evidenced in volunteer and community organizations that really work to keep things orderly, clean, secure, etc (YMA - Young Mizo Association, JAC - Joint Action Committee, VC - Village Council; and there are the activities and initiatives of the churches besides). The place is certainly isolated geographically, and over the years has proven its ability to receive/absorb what it wanted to from outside, and to keep out what it didn't want. Let's hope they will succeed in this when it comes to tourism development, as well. It would be such a shame to witness the ruin of one of the seemingly few remaining unspoiled hill places.




There's a lot more to be seen and experienced in Mizoram (the cuisine, since somebody asked, is phenomenal, though a little limited for pure vegetarians) - but you covered a lot of ground in nine days, thanks for sharing.

Now that "the cat's out of the bag" I may have to finally give in and start a thread of my own...

-Eric

[Unavowed_X9]

@amitsethi100
Nice write up. Amazingly, there are not many travelogues or information about Mizoram. So this is truly informative. I am heading to Mizoram (a 4000 km one-way trip from the western part of the country with some detours) in a couple of weeks time, and would appreciate any further inputs like gps location tags or mapping details about the route and places you have been to. Evidently, having had a taste of the excellent driving habits of NE, it would surely be a pleasure to drive there. Once having reached there, would be able to give a comprehensive update on the forum considering it is going to be a prolonged stay! Stay tuned.
Thanks for the write-up.
Best wishes,
Unavowed_X9