Viswema

Getting to Viswema

The nearest airport is Dimapur Airport located at Chümoukedima–Dimapur about 96 kilometres (60 miles) away. The airport serves domestic flights. The Bir Tikendrajit International Airport is about 120 kilometres (75 miles) south of Viswema. Both the airports are linked to Viswema by the Asian Highway 1. The Dimapur railway station serves as the nearest railway station to Viswema.

Worth seeing

1. 01
   Dzüko Valley

   The main entry to Dzüko Valley is from Viswema where one can travel to the rest house above Teyozwü by a Tata Sumo taxi.

2. 02
   Mount Tempü

   This is the highest peak in Viswema situated at an altitude of 2994m above sea level.

3. 03
   Teyozwü Hill

   This is a hill between Viswema and the Dzüko valley.

Things to do

Te–l Khukhu is a festival that falls on the 13th of Chünyi (July). It is a time of giving and sharing of food with each other. It is the only festival dedicated for girls. Come July and the young damsels are abuzz with preparations for the Te–l Khukhu festival. They start collecting wild flowers in advance to decorate the particular Chokrwu (eaves at the entrance of a house) they decide on.

Where to eat

Zawo, commonly known as Galho among the Angamis, is also a popular dish in Viswema. It is a mix dish made of rice, vegetables and various meats. Mesü is pork or beef cooked with its blood. It is a common cuisine among the Tenyimis but the Mesü of Viswema is considered to be the best.

Getting around Viswema the local way

Viswema is a southern Angami village strung along NH-2 about 23 km below Kohima, and it is reached the way locals reach it: a shared yellow sumo or van from the Kohima stand that costs a few tens of rupees and leaves when seven seats are taken. Nothing goes further. The Dzukou valley trailhead is another 8–9 km up a rough track above the highway, and that leg is a hired pickup at a flat per-vehicle rate, a three to four hour walk, or a lift on a construction truck. Everyone needs an Inner Line Permit to be in Nagaland at all, and in the first ten days of December the whole corridor is rearranged around the Hornbill Festival at Kisama.

1. 01
   Kohima – Viswema line taxishare taxi

   Kohima to Viswema, about 23–25 km south on NH-2 through Phesama, Kigwema and Jakhama

   Where

   Yellow shared sumos and vans wait at the Network Travels AOC bus stand in Kohima, by the petrol pump, not at the NST stand or the ISBT where Dimapur vehicles arrive. Locals call these line taxis. Say Viswema and pay the driver. They set down at the highway junction in the village, not at the Dzukou trailhead, which is a separate hire from there. The BOC sumo stand nearby runs the same kind of vehicle to Kigwema and Kisama.

   When

   No timetable. A vehicle leaves once its seven seats are full, which took about 30 minutes in one traveller's account. Daylight hours, thinnest in the early afternoon

   Fare (2026)

   ₹50 per seat was the rate seen in 2018 and the rate the Southern Angami Youth Organisation fixed during the 2017 highway collapse. RTA Kohima's notified regional taxi rate is ₹100 per passenger to Viswema and Jakhama and ₹80 to Kigwema. A 2026 guide quotes ₹150 from the Network stand

   Takes

   30–45 minutes, up to an hour when NH-2 is slow

   Season

   Year-round. NH-2 near Phesama was under restoration in 2025 with traffic suspended daily between 10:00 and 14:00 and during heavy rain, with a bypass via Kisama and Kigwema past the Rhododendron Resort

   Booking

   None, pay the driver. Indian and foreign visitors both need an Inner Line Permit before entering Nagaland

   Sources: lostwithpurpose.com (2019) · mytriphack.com (2018) · morungexpress.com (2020-10) · confidence medium

2. 02
   Pickup truck from Viswema up to the Dzukou trailheadprivate hire

   Viswema highway junction to the end of the motorable track at the Dzukou valley trekkers' gate, about 8–9 km of gravel and mud

   Where

   Ask at the junction where the shared taxi drops you, or at a Viswema homestay the evening before. The vehicles are local pickups and jeeps that work the construction traffic on this track. The rate is per vehicle, not per seat, so travellers pair up at the junction. The track ends where the trail begins and there is a forest office there that collects the valley entry fee.

   When

   On demand, no schedule. Easiest in the morning while construction and supply vehicles are moving

   Fare (2026)

   ₹1,500 for the vehicle one way is the figure most often quoted between 2019 and 2025; ₹1,000 was seen in 2018; one 2026 guide puts a pickup taken all the way to the top of the trek point at about ₹2,500. Valley entry is small and separate: ₹50 for Indians and ₹100 for foreigners in one account, ₹100 plus ₹200 for a camera in another

   Takes

   About 45 minutes to an hour to cover what takes three hours to walk

   Season

   Year-round but the track is worst in the June to September rain, when the mud makes walking it slow and hiring worthwhile

   Booking

   None in advance; negotiate at the junction or through a homestay

   Sources: lostwithpurpose.com (2019) · stampedmoments.com (2023) · anindiantraveler.com (2020-01) · confidence medium

3. 03
   Walk the Viswema approach roadwalking trail

   Viswema highway junction to the Dzukou trailhead on foot, then the steep climb to the ridge

   Where

   Turn uphill off NH-2 at the junction in Viswema and follow the gravel road. It is the only track going up and there is no navigation problem; the question is only time. Above the road end the trail steepens for 45 minutes to an hour to the ridge, then it is a two hour walk across the valley to the rest house.

   When

   Any time, but start early because the descent in the dark is unpleasant

   Fare (2025)

   Free, plus the valley entry fee at the gate

   Takes

   About 3 hours up the road for most people, 4 hours in one account, and roughly 90 minutes down

   Season

   Year-round. Slippery and leech-heavy in the June to September rain, frosty mornings in December and January

   Booking

   none

   Sources: lostwithpurpose.com (2019) · anindiantraveler.com (2020-01) · confidence high

4. 04
   Lifts on the Dzukou approach trackhitchhiking

   Viswema junction up the gravel road toward the trailhead

   Where

   The track is a working road with construction and supply vehicles on it. Walk up and wave down what passes. Drivers already going up will often take walkers, and groups sometimes buy a place on a truck for less than the ₹1,500 vehicle hire.

   When

   Traffic-dependent; more in the morning and while roadworks are active

   Fare (2019)

   Often free, or a shared contribution toward the standard hire rate

   Takes

   Unpredictable

   Season

   Year-round, sparser in heavy rain

   Booking

   none

   Sources: lostwithpurpose.com (2019) · mytriphack.com (2018) · confidence low

5. 05
   Dimapur – Kohima shared sumoshare taxi

   Dimapur railway station area to Kohima ISBT, about 74 km on NH-29

   Where

   Maruti Omnis, Sumos and similar cars line up in front of Dimapur railway station and leave frequently on weekdays. They set down at the ISBT on the edge of Kohima, a couple of kilometres from the centre, from where a local taxi or the AOC stand vehicle for Viswema continues. There is no luggage space beyond the overhead rack, so a big pack means paying for a second seat or taking a bus.

   When

   Frequent through the day on weekdays, leaving when full; far fewer on Sundays

   Fare (2025)

   ₹330 per head seen in March 2025; ₹400–500 quoted for the same run in 2024 and 2026, and ₹3,500–4,000 to reserve the whole car

   Takes

   2 hours when the road is good, 3–4 hours when it is not

   Season

   Year-round. Prices and waits rise sharply in the first ten days of December for the Hornbill Festival

   Booking

   None, turn up and pay. An Inner Line Permit is needed before you enter the state; foreign visitors also register with the police within 24 hours

   Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2025-03) · en.wikivoyage.org (2024) · bharatexplored.com (2026-04) · confidence high

6. 06
   Nagaland State Transport bus Dimapur – Kohimaminibus

   Dimapur NST stand to Kohima

   Where

   Non-AC NST buses leave from a stand near Dimapur railway station. Tickets are sold at the counter only when a bus is physically at the stand, so there is no useful advance schedule; ask at the counter on the day. Slower than a shared taxi but the only option with real luggage room.

   When

   Several a day but not to a published timetable; NST runs 211 scheduled services statewide

   Fare (2023)

   ₹100 as of May 2023. NST's published structure is ₹1.56 per seat per km semi-deluxe and ₹2.00 per seat per km super deluxe and mini bus

   Takes

   2½ to 4 hours

   Season

   Year-round

   Booking

   At the Dimapur counter on the day. Local hire of an NST bus within 40 km is ₹6,000 for up to 12 hours

   Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2023-05) · nst.nagaland.gov.in (2026-09) · nst.nagaland.gov.in (2026) · confidence medium

7. 07
   BOC junction line taxis to Kigwema and Kisamashare taxi

   Kohima BOC junction south to Kigwema and Kisama, the villages between Kohima and Viswema

   Where

   Ask around at BOC junction; the sumo stand there is about five minutes downhill from the AOC stand. These are the vehicles for Kisama heritage village and for Kigwema, which is the usual base for the Japfu peak climb, and they pass Jakhama on the way to Viswema.

   When

   Through the day, leaving when full

   Fare (2024)

   RTA Kohima's notified rate is ₹80 per passenger to Kigwema and ₹70 to Phesama. During the Hornbill Festival a shared seat from PR Hill to Kisama was notified at ₹120 and a reserved taxi from Kohima ISBT to Kisama at ₹700

   Takes

   20–35 minutes to Kigwema, about 30 minutes to Kisama

   Season

   Year-round; overwhelmed in the first ten days of December

   Booking

   none

   Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2024) · morungexpress.com (2020-10) · ipr.nagaland.gov.in (2024-11) · confidence medium

8. 08
   Hornbill Festival shuttle to Kisamaminibus

   Kohima to Kisama heritage village, about 12 km along the Viswema road

   Where

   During the festival the Transport Department and NST run city buses on this corridor from fixed points: PHQ Junction and the ISBT. A free shuttle also runs from the Kigwema public ground parking area to the venue and back, which is the one to use if you have driven or been dropped there. This is the one week of the year when there is a published timetable on this road.

   When

   Daily 08:00 to 22:00 during the festival, first departures from Kohima at 08:00 and returns from Kisama from 10:00, last bus 21:00

   Fare (2025)

   ₹50 per passenger from PHQ Junction, ₹80 from the ISBT

   Takes

   About 30 minutes, longer in festival traffic

   Season

   1–10 December only

   Booking

   None, pay on board

   Sources: ipr.nagaland.gov.in (2025-11) · nagalandtribune.in (2024-11) · confidence high

Not yet confirmed: No published timetable exists for the Kohima – Viswema line taxis. First and last departures in each direction were not found anywhere; travellers report only that vehicles run in daylight and fill in about half an hour. Ask at the Network Travels AOC stand on arrival, and ask specifically about the last vehicle back from Viswema.; The current Kohima – Viswema fare is uncertain. ₹50 in 2018, a notified RTA rate of ₹100, and ₹150 in a 2026 guide are all in circulation, and none of them is a 2025 or 2026 government notification. The RTA Kohima regional taxi fare list has not been republished since 2020 in any source that could be read.; The Viswema – Dzukou trailhead hire has no fixed or notified rate. ₹1,000, ₹1,500 and ₹2,500 all appear, and the difference may be how far up the track the vehicle goes. Agree the drop point before starting.; No source gives the Viswema valley entry fee consistently: ₹30, ₹50 for Indians and ₹100 for foreigners, and ₹100 plus a ₹200 camera charge all appear. Assume a small cash fee at the gate and keep the receipt, which one source says the valley guesthouse asks for.; Whether any Nagaland State Transport bus serves Viswema itself, as opposed to the shared taxis, could not be confirmed. NST publishes no route list online; the General Manager's office in Dimapur on 03862295111 is the only stated contact.; Winter conditions on the Dzukou approach track were not documented. December and January bring frost on the ridge but no source says whether the gravel road becomes unusable.; No Viswema homestay or Dzukou camp publishes its own jeep timings online, unlike the pattern in other hill areas. Booking a Viswema homestay and asking them to arrange the trailhead vehicle appears to be the standard workaround..

The field note on Viswema reads this entry in full, one option at a time, with every source beside it.