Restricted & Protected Areas
Certain parts of the country need special permits to be visited. For promoting tourism in the North-east region, the Government has decided to allow foreign tourists to visit Nagaland which until recently was a restricted area. However foreign tourists can visit the destricts of Kohima, Dimapur, Mokokchong and Wokha for a maximum of 10 days and in a group of 4 or more only (only for unmarried travelers).
These permits are issued by the Directorate of Tourism, Nagaland, Kohima Phone- +91 (370) 21607/ 22214/ 21945 or the Secretary, Tourism, Nagaland, Kohima Tele-Fax- +91 (370) 33067 and Under Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Foreigners Division, Lok Nayak Bhavan, Khan Market, New Delhi 110 003.
Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram are protected areas and foreigners can enter these areas with special permits. These permits can be obtained from the Under Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Foreigners Division, Lok Nayak Bhavan, Khan Market, New Delhi 110 003. they have to be applied for at least 4 weeks before the date of the expected visit.
Certain areas of Sikkim like Gangtok, Rumtek, Phodang and Zongri in West Sikkim and Pamayangtse are also declared as restricted areas. Tourists are permitted to visit Zongri and Pamayangtse. Individual tourists are permitted to visit Gangtok, Rumtek and Phodang. The permitted duration of stay at these places has been raised from 7 to 15 days. Permits can be issued by all Indian Missions abroad, all FRROs, Immigration Officers at Airports at Mumbai, Calcutta , Chennai and New Delhi .
Permits are also available for visiting Manipur. These can be issued by all Missions abroad, all FRROs and Home Commissioner, Manipur, Imphal. The duration of stay through these has also been raised from 3 to 5 days.
No permits are required for Darjeeling , Assam , Meghalaya, Tripura.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Individual foreign tourists can visit Port Blair Municipal Area, Mayabunder, Diglipur, Havelock Island, Long Island, Neil Island, Rangat, where a night halt is allowed and Jolly Buoy, Madhuban South Cinque, Red Skin, Mount Harriet, where only a day visits are allowed. Prior permit is necessary for all these.
Lakshadweep Islands
Only Bangaram and Subeli Islands are open to foreign visitors. The required permit is obtainable from the Lakshadweep Administration, Wellington Island , Harbour Road , Kochi -3.
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