What December looks like
Clear, dry, cold at night, and the best month of the year for seeing the region, which is why it is also the busiest and the most expensive.
Two things dominate the calendar: Hornbill Festival in the first ten days of December, and Christmas.
Christmas, properly
Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram have Christian majorities. Christmas is not a decorative imported holiday there; it is the festival of the year.
Shillong decorates thoroughly. Carol singing runs through December, churches hold midnight services, and the city is busy.
Kohima and Nagaland the same, and the Hornbill crowds have usually left by then.
Aizawl is quiet and observant, and Sunday rules apply with more force.
What closes
Most things, on the 25th, and to a lesser extent around it.
Shops shut, many restaurants shut, offices shut, and shared transport thins out considerably. If you are travelling on Christmas Day, arrange the vehicle in advance and do not assume you will find food on the road.
This catches people out every year. A visitor arriving in Shillong on the 25th expecting an ordinary tourist town finds a town at church.
New Year
Busier and more commercial than Christmas. Shillong and Gangtok both fill up.
Accommodation over 28 December to 2 January is the hardest booking of the year in the whole region, and prices roughly reflect that.
If you want December without the crush
Early December for Hornbill, which is its own kind of crowded but a planned one. Hornbill Festival guide.
Mid December, the 10th to the 20th, is the quiet window. Clear weather, everything open, normal prices. This is the best two weeks of the year in the Northeast and almost nobody targets them.
Avoid the 24th to the 2nd unless the festivities are specifically why you are coming.
Weather, by place
| Place | December |
|---|---|
| Guwahati and the plains | Pleasant days, cool nights |
| Shillong | Cold nights near freezing, mild days |
| Kohima | Cold, clear |
| Aizawl | Cool, clear |
| Gangtok | Cold, snow possible higher up |
| Tawang | Properly cold, snow, road risk at Sela |
Attending a service
Visitors are generally welcome at Christmas services in Shillong, Kohima and Aizawl. Dress as the congregation does, arrive early because they fill, and ask before photographing anything or anyone.
What we have not verified
We have not spent Christmas in Kohima or Aizawl. The Shillong description is closer to first-hand; the others are from people there. Prices and what closes are marked for checking rather than asserted.
Related reading
Common questions
- Is Christmas celebrated in Northeast India?
- Substantially, yes. Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram have Christian majorities and Christmas is the major festival of the year in all three. Shillong, Kohima and Aizawl are decorated, churches are full, and carol singing runs through December.
- What is open on Christmas Day in Shillong or Kohima?
- Very little. Shops, offices and many restaurants close, and transport thins out considerably. It is a family and church day. Plan to be somewhere you are happy to stay, with food arranged.
- Is December a good time to visit Northeast India?
- Yes for weather, which is clear and dry, and for Hornbill Festival in the first ten days. The last week of December is the most expensive and most heavily booked of the year, so book early or shift dates.
- How cold is the Northeast in December?
- Shillong, Kohima and Aizawl are cold at night, in low single figures, and mild by day. Guwahati and the Brahmaputra plain are pleasant. Tawang and high Sikkim are properly cold with snow.
Written by
Kundan GuptaWrites from Assam. Checks fares and fees in person before publishing.
Kundan Gupta runs Axomor and edits its Northeast India coverage. He is responsible for the accuracy of the guides published here, including checking permit rules, fees and travel logistics against primary sources before they go live.
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