Do It Yourself: Dzukou Valley Trek

Disclaimer: Purpose of this blog is to help you plan or craft your trips and treks in a budget-friendly way by yourself.

We go through numerous blog posts to get that one itinerary which suits our budget and number of days. If you are here for such an itinerary, don’t scroll further.

My motive is to make trekkers and travelers capable in planning their own trips and in the process, knowing the place they are going to visit. So here is a brief about Dzukou Valley.

Where is Dzukou Valley?

On the border of Manipur and Nagaland lies the valley that boasts of quintessentially formed mountains with seasonal but rich flora and fauna.

Situated at an altitude of 2452 m above sea level, the rare Dzükou Lily is found only in this valley.

My Journey to Dzukou

I happened to take the road leading to Dzukou Valley from Nagaland in Nov-Dec of 2018. It is a time not considered suitable for tourists due to Autumn/Winter season. But anyway, I went ahead.

So my journey began from Kohima (the capital of Nagaland) from where I took a shared taxi to Viswema, the starting point of the trek.

I’d describe the trek as one of the easiest. It is a 1-hour climb and then 2 hour of walk in the plain lands. After reaching the valley, I spent the night in a dormitory run by the Nagaland Union and headed to Kohima next morning.

Do It Yourself

• Kohima: Wherever you depart from in the country, after reaching Kohima, stay at any of these places mentioned : Central Guest House Kohima, Backpackers Hostel, Rovi’s Homestay in Kigwema.
• If you are scared of doing the trek alone, try to find a partner but there’s no necessity as the route is very safe for solo trekking.
• Taxi: Hire a private taxi to the start point of Dzukou. If your budget is short, find some company who can hop along and the fare may be shared.
  Also, you can reach the starting point with India Trails if they have a trek planned. You can share the car ride up to Viswema and pay the per head charge.
• Trekking: Ask the locals for the right path leading to Dzukou Valley or download an offline map of the region to make sure you don’t lose the way. Most important is that you learn to use the compass while trekking solo.
  Follow the path to the top of the mountain.
• Atop: Now you have two signboards. Follow Dzukou on the right and keep walking and embracing the immense beauty of the valley.

The Right Season

There’s nothing like the right season to visit this valley. It is very cold in winters, hot & humid in summers and dangerous in rainy.

But this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t visit the valley. Choose the season according to your preference, better if bordering Spring.

Where To Stay?

There is an inexpensive dorm in Dzukou which provides only basic necessities. You can stay for a night there and rent some blankets and a mat to sleep on. Food is also available at the dorm.

From my experience, I would suggest you to carry a sleeping bag along because the condition of blankets is not up to the mark.

Time To Follow

The ideal way to complete this trek is to start from Kohima/Viswema as early as possible. This will allow you to enjoy the beauty of this valley for a longer duration.

If you happen to reach the Rest House/Dorm by 1-2 pm, you probably can capture postcard-perfect pictures of sunset (sunset time – 4-5 pm) in Dzukou. The golden hour illuminates the valley in a way that words can never describe. Try not to miss the sunset.

Leave from the rest house for Kohima by the sunrise. If you visit the valley during winters, like I did, you can view a hint of freeze and stillness.

Back To Base

Reaching back to Kohima is easiest. You can hitch-hike all the way or take a cab (sharing or personal) from Viswema.

What Not To Expect

Dzukou is gorgeous during every season. Yet, don’t force your expectations on nature, Don’t feel negative about the trek if the valley isn’t in its best form during your visit.

When I visited, half of the forest of Dzukou was burnt; thanks to our disastrous ways! According to locals, the valley was in its worst state and shouldn’t have been paid a visit to. But I loved it. I found the charcoal-like molds to be pretty enough.

My Budget

• Stay in Kohima – INR 500
• Food in Kohima – INR 80
• Taxi to Viswema – INR 400
• Mat, Blanket & Dorm charges – INR 300
• Welfare charges at the Rest House – INR 300
• Food at the Rest House – INR 150
• Way back to Kohima – INR 50

Why Visit Dzukou?

• It’s cost effective (excluding the air fare).
• Its beauty is unparalleled.
• It’s considerably unexplored.
• It’s one of the easiest treks to be done.

Want a visual experience? Watch my video of Trek to Dzukou Valley.