The Valley of Flowers of the East — Dzukou lilies, monsoon clouds and a trek above the Angami hills
Dzukou Valley straddles the Nagaland–Manipur border at 2,452 metres, a high-altitude basin carpeted with the endemic Dzukou lily each monsoon season and ringed by rhododendron and bamboo forest. The overnight trek — 12km from Vishwema village or 6km via Zapfu cable car — is one of Northeast India's finest routes, with basic shelters allowing camping among the clouds. Mist rolls in and out throughout the day, giving the valley an otherworldly atmosphere.
The surrounding highlands have been Angami Naga territory for centuries, and the valley's name derives from the Angami language. British colonial administrators included the area in Naga Hills District after 1878, part of their difficult efforts to pacify clan warfare in the highlands. The valley remained almost entirely unknown outside Nagaland until the 1990s, when the Hornbill Festival and improved road access from Kohima began drawing trekkers to Northeast India.