The ClearEast Journal

Notes from the Eastern Himalayas

Destination guides, travel philosophy, wildlife, and the kind of things you learn from going slowly.

Northeast India Travel Guide: Which State to Visit First

Northeast India is eight states, eight distinct cultures, and hundreds of landscapes. You have ten days. The honest answer to which one first depends not on rankings, but on what you actually want to feel at the end of it.

June 26, 20269 min read

Practical Guide

How to Get an Inner Line Permit for Arunachal Pradesh (2026 Guide)

Every Indian citizen who is not a resident of Arunachal Pradesh needs an Inner Line Permit before crossing the state border. Checkpoints on the road to Tawang will ask for it, printed. Here is the exact process.

June 26, 20266 min read

Destination Guide

Sikkim Without the Crowds: 8 Places Nobody Tells You About

Most Sikkim itineraries follow the same circuit: Gangtok for two nights, Tsomgo Lake on day three, Baba Mandir, then back to Bagdogra. It is a good introduction to the state. It is not Sikkim.

June 26, 20268 min read

Destination Guide

Bhutan in October: Why This Is the Month to Go

Ask anyone who runs trips here and they will tell you the same thing: if you only go to Bhutan once, go in October. The haze of the monsoon has lifted, the Himalaya stands out sharp against a hard blue sky, and the valleys are still green before winter browns them.

June 26, 20267 min read

Philosophy

Why Slow Travel Changes You (And Fast Travel Doesn't)

There's a moment that happens on almost every journey we run. Usually around day three. The traveller stops photographing everything and starts just looking.

March 12, 20256 min read

Destination Guide

First Time in Bhutan: What Nobody Tells You

Everyone tells you about Tiger's Nest before you go. Nobody tells you about the silence in Paro valley at 6am, or how cold the nights are even in October.

February 28, 20258 min read

Destination Guide

The Hornbill Festival: A Practical Guide for First Timers

The Hornbill Festival is held every December in Kisama Heritage Village, 12 kilometres from Kohima. All 17 major Naga tribes gather for ten days. Nothing else in India looks like this.

January 15, 20257 min read

Wildlife

A Dawn Safari in Kaziranga: What to Expect

The jeep enters the park at 5:30am. The grass is still heavy with dew. Your guide cuts the engine. You wait. Within twenty minutes, you understand why this is the best safari in India.

February 10, 20255 min read

Trekking

The Nongriat Trek: A Complete Guide to Meghalaya's Root Bridges

The double-decker root bridge at Nongriat takes about three hours to reach from Tyrna village. You walk down 3,500 steps into a gorge. The bridge is alive. The walk back up is harder.

March 3, 20256 min read

Culture

Darjeeling Tea: What You Actually Taste on a Tea Estate Visit

Most people have drunk Darjeeling tea. Fewer people have visited a Darjeeling estate. The difference between what you imagine and what you find is significant. And better.

April 5, 20255 min read