DZUKOU VALLEY TREK VIA JAKHAMA
The blog article (travelogue) of this post titled “Four Souls One Paradise Part 1” has been published for the Tour Genie Blog. Do click here to read it. It has a detailed expression of all my precious moments during the trek.
Well, let me give you a gist of that trek to Dzukou Valley Nagaland.
The story is about four backpackers- Abhijeet, Joseph, Navjith and Joydeep. Joseph and Navjith are from Kerala. Abhijeet is from Uttar Pradesh and I am from Assam.
The plan was to issue the Inner Line Permits for Nagaland in Guwahati but we missed it. Hence, we chose to issue it in Dimapur.
Having issued the ILP in the District Commissioner Office, Dimapur, we somehow managed to book a cab to Kohima.
The ride was adventurous – the taxi driver lacked a window glass which meant a dusty journey considering the highway from Dimapur to Kohima was under construction.
KOHIMA
We reached Kohima around 7 p.m. The shops were already shut. We were in desperate need of a play to stay the night. As we kept walking into the fog around the town, we saw a signboard named Central Guest House Backpackers. We could immediately relate to the word “Backpackers.” We booked a dormitory, freshened up and sat on the roof watching the beautiful night view of Kohima City.
Waking up early and after a short morning walk, we started the day with tea with the view of green Kohima city. Clumsy me! I lost my hat during my morning walk. We headed to BOC, Kohima from where we boarded a Sumo vehicle to Jakhama. At BOC, we walked up to Hotel Japfu thinking the path leads somewhere, haha!
JAKHAMA VILLAGE AND THE DZUKOU VALLEY TRAIL
The locals that we travelled to Jakhama, also suggested we trek to Mt. Japfu – the second highest peak of Nagaland. It excited us but Dzukou is what we had yearned for a long time. Deboarding at the Jakhama taxi stand, we walked down towards the bridge on the river. What caught my eye was the Monolith representing the Angami Youth Association on our way down. The beautiful terrace fields were a delight too. We met locals carrying firewood and confirmed if the route was correct.
Not many trekkers might have seen that tiny waterfall against the background of that high Jakhama Hill. The fact that we climbed right from the bridge helped us embrace the scenery one moment at a time.
Abhijeet led us along the way. It was our first trek together and our first trek to Dzukou too.
Ah! Such scenic Jakhama trail to the majestic Dzukou Valley. A little ahead was a farm, where cabbages were being cultivated.
Credit goes to Joseph Prathul for clicking such amazing pictures as we hiked up to the valley. Tiny huts up the hills in the farms were scenic too. Hiking a bit more, we reached a stream.
The best part of the trail starts right after crossing the stream. Let us embrace the greenery!
This spot beside the boulder near the peak of Jakhama Hill on the trail is my favourite. How tranquil and blissful it was!
Exhausted! Here I was resting on a small rock and smiling at Joseph’s camera. Small rests as such are important in such steep climbs, don’t you agree?
To reach the top of Jakhama Hills and watch this sunset view of Dzukou Valley are moments that literally tell you life is beautiful, my friend!
Read the next half of the story here
