Khonsa is a hill station situated in the Tirap District of Arunachal Pradesh, the easternmost tip of India. It is also the headquarters to Tirap District and lies towards the south-east of Arunachal Pradesh.
Khonsa is a town situated in the Tirap District of Arunachal Pradesh. The Khonsa Museum is one of the major sightseeing in the town. This museum holds a display of bamboo work, cane work handlooms and traditional tribal artefacts.
The Borduria, Kheti and Lajo are some of the nearby villages that can be visited on the way to Khonsa. The Nehru Stadium is also located in the town, where people of Khonsa celebrate various festivals, such as Durga Puja, Independence Day and Republic Day.
The Khonsa region of Arunachal Pradesh is primarily occupied by the Nocte and Wanchoo tribes. Besides these traditional tribes, the population of Khonsa also consists of migrants from the nearby states of Nagaland and Assam as well as from Myanmar and Bangladesh. Assamese, Hindi, Nocte, Wancho and English are the languages used in Khonsa.
The historical background of Khonsa is very obscure. The historical isolation of this rural place had given it the name 'forgotten land'. This place was under the control of the British during the era of colonisation.
Khonsa is one of those regions of Arunachal Pradesh that firmly hold on to the age old customs and traditions. The town, located at an altitude of about 3000 ft above sea level, is surrounded by the Himalayas. The town of Khonsa is bordered by Myanmar on its east and Assam on its west. Khonsa can easily be reached from Tinsukia and Dibrugarh cities of Assam which are located at a distance of about 75 km and 215 km respectively.
The topography of Khonsa is marked with many hilly, rocky and mountainous regions, a number of valleys, deep chasms and scores of uncharted tropical forests. Plain plots are very hard to find in Khonsa. There are several streams and rivers that flow through the region. Khonsa is covered mostly by the Namsang-Dirak River Valley and partly by the Tissa River Valley. The entire area that comes under the Tissa River Valley circle is covered by thick tropical forests.
Enveloped by dense forests and hilly terrains, Khonsa is home to diverse avian and animal species. Tiger, leopard, jackal, wild boar, bear, barking deer, red panda, musk deer, mithun, numerous species of rodents, etc. are found in these forests. The forests of Khonsa bear more than 500 species of fine varieties of orchids.
Today, Khonsa has become a prime tourist destination in Eastern India. Trekking and hiking through the natural trails, visits to nearby tribal villages of Kheti and Lajo villages, etc. are some of the activities in Khonsa. The Khonsa Museum, Namdapha National Park and Miao are the other places of tourist attraction in Khonsa. The best time to visit Khonsa is from September to April.