Ziro Valley

Ziro is a broad, gentle valley of emerald paddy fields ringed by pine hills, home to the Apatani people, whose ingenious wet-rice-cum-fish cultivation — growing rice and rearing fish in the same flooded field — is a model of sustainable farming recognised on India's UNESCO tentative list. Apatani villages of bamboo houses, sacred groves and, among older women, the distinctive facial tattoos and nose plugs of a fading tradition, make this one of the most culturally rich corners of the Northeast.

For four days each September the valley also hosts the Ziro Festival of Music, India's greatest outdoor independent-music gathering, where thousands camp among the rice fields to hear bands from across the country and the world. Outside festival time Ziro is serene: a place for slow walks between villages, birdwatching, and long conversations over apong, the local rice beer.