Trekking in Mizoram
I did a four day trek. I will
rate the trek difficulty as “easy”. This
trek will be a disappointment for people expecting a hard core trek. There are
no high altitude treks in Mizoram, but the countryside is beautiful. There are
very few trekkers in Mizoram. People are very friendly. Once during the trek I
ran out of water and went to house to ask for some water. The lady of the house
told me to go to the kitchen and get water myself. Then she picked up her farm
implements and walked out when I was proceeding into the kitchen. My guide told
me that people in the villages rarely lock their houses. One can walk into the
many orchards and request the owners for some fruits. The owners will always
give a few fruits free of cost.
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| Tuithun waterfall |
Day 1: Camp at Vaipuanpho
From Aizwal we took the van out
to Vaipuanpho. For lunch we stopped at the local hotel near river Tlawng. The hotel was meant for locals and we were
the only outsiders there. Enroute there
are numerous waterfalls, as we were there during the monsoons. We stopped at Vaipunho for the night. Most of
the trekking was on the tarmac road as the mountain roads had become slippery
and muddy. The camp at Vaipunho is beside a small brook. People from Aizwal
occasionally come here to fish in the brook. Beside the Vaipunho camp is
Tuithun waterfall. Do not be put off by the dangerous steps to climb to the
Tuithun waterfall. There is a huge flower farm near the camp site and worth
visiting. From the farm Aizwal can be seen on the adjacent mountain. Floral
export has become big income earner in Mizoram.
Day 2: Camp at Ailawng
Most of the trekking was done on
the road. Beside Ailawng is the Khuangchera cave. In the years gone by, Mizo’s believed
that the caves were inhabited by evil spirits. The cave was first traversed by
Mr. Khuangchera. This was my experience in caving and I would certainly rate it
as the highlight of my Mizoram trip.The
cave runs under the road and emerges between many boulders. I crossed the cave
in about 20 minutes. Some sections of the cave are very narrow and even squeezing
my body through the opening took a bit of effort. If you are in Mizoram only
for a day, I recommend that you do this. We continued to Ailwang. Enroute we
stopped at a farmer’s farm shack. The shack is on stilts and we had a tea with
him
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| Reiek peak |
Day 3: Camp at Ailawng
After breakfast we set out to
Reiek peak. The trek was quite slippery and I fell down a few times. We had a
few leech bites by the time we reached the top. There are spectacular views
from the top. Rappelling can be done here. From Reiek peak we walked to the
“Model Village”. A traditional village has been recreated complete with the
utensils of the that time. Outside the houses are skulls of wild animals.
Hunters would proudly display the skulls of their big kills. A man’s status was
measured by the number of skulls displayed outside his house.
Day 4: Back to Aizwal
Morning breakfast was arranged at a
local house. Food consisted of rice and port. The room was dominated by a
magnificent traditional fireplace. We stopped at another waterfall. by this time we had seem so many waterfalls that I forgot to note the name of this waterfall.Reached
Aizwal in the late afternoon.
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