Northeast India: Places that're perfect for New Year holidays

​New year, new places. Make that your mantra for 2024 journeys, starting right from the New Year holidays. You can skip the regular for the new year break and head off to the Northeast India, one of India's most beautiful, surreal parts. While its warm, welcoming people are a charm, the places in Northeast India are like no other place. Here, TimesTravel has picked some of the most amazing places in Northeast India for New Year holidays this year.

Unakoti is one of the most famous as well as intriguing places in the state of Tripura. It is famous as the Angkor Wat of the Northeast and is definitely a place that is worthy of all the attention. Plan a trip to Unakoti this new year, a place famed for its beautiful and giant rock beliefs. They are India's largest bas reliefs and there are a number of theories (some very fascinating!) about their origin.

Read more: Story of Unakoti, India's incredible wonder

Aizawl is the capital of Mizoram and is a wonderful place for New Year's as well as Christmas celebration. This is the time of the year when Aizawl erupts in much gaiety and celebrations, its streets beautifully lit up and the many bakeries charging the very air with unforgettable aromas.

Majuli is a beautiful river island in Assam and is great for those looking for an offbeat new year holiday. It is also the world's largest river island, and is famous for its biodiversity, cultural heritage, beautiful landscapes and more.

This valley lies between two states in the Northeast - Nagaland and Manipur. It is every nature lover's dream come true and makes for a great escape if you are keen on a quieter, offbeat yet beautiful holiday for the new year holidays. With some luck, you can experience snowfall as well.

Arunachal's Ziro Valley is stunningly beautiful and is also on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 1,500 mts above the sea level, the place has lush meadows, beautiful bamboo groves, rolling hills and more. It is also home to a number of homestays that promise an experience like no other.

Assam's Kaziranga National Park is a wild odyssey that is great for the new year holidays. The park is spread across the plains of the mighty Brahmaputra river and is home to tigers, elephants, Ganges river dolphins and more. Of course, one-horned rhinoceroses are its most famous inhabitants. It is also one of the most beautiful forests in the country.

Meghalaya's living root bridges are a natural wonder unlike any other in the world. The state has more than 100 living root bridges, and each stands as a testimony to nature's unfathomable marvels. These bridges sway over water bodies, and are roots of ficus elastica trees, intertwined together to form a bridge. This wonder can take up to 20 years to build.

Head to Shillong for a nicely urban getaway in the hills of Meghalaya. You can club it together with day trips to Dawki, Cherrapunji, Mawlynnong and the other attractions around. The beautiful Umiam Lake, Golf Links, and its many bakeries are just the thing you need for a joyous new year getaway.

Dawki town in Meghalaya sits on the India-Bangladesh border and is famous for the river by the same name. Dawki (also known as Umngot) river is famous as the cleanest river in Asia. On a typical day here, one can hop onto a boat and ride across the crystal-clear waters of the river, marvellous and fascinating at the same time.