Northeast Odyssey
The Hmuifang Resort is a model heritage village that has been created to promote eco-tourism, allow sight-seeing for academic purposes.
Located on Mt Hmuifang, one of the tallest mountains of Mizoram, it is 50kms away from state capital Aizawl.Hmuifang is about 5000ft above sea level. The hill range runs north to south and most of the western side is almost vertical and could be quite challenging for tourists looking out for an opportunity to go rock climbing. The hill range is covered in virgin forest area (which starts right outside the resort) and has sheer cliffs in many places. The height of these hills offers great views and the grassy glades are also ideal for picnics and outdoor camping. From here, you may visit the five Mizo villages: Hmuifang, Sumsuih, Lamchhip, Chamring and Sialsuk, to experience the rural life of the Mizos. For nature lovers, this place is a dream dotted with a variety of exotic flora and fauna.Expect descent meals from the in-house cafeteria.
Inaugurated in 2013, the resort is an attempt to preserve the Mizo traditions as well to educate people about them. Beautiful cottages with green roofs lay dispersed around the knoll of grassy glades and provide a lot of privacy for a relaxing weekend getaway. Each cottage is made up of bamboo, wood and topped with a thatched roof. The walls have decors of animal heads and horns and some cottages have a spacious kitchen with a fireplace. In fact, some of the cottages also have a big wooden mortar that is still used in many villages to pound rice. Inside these huts, one can still see some of the items which play a central role of daily Mizo life like the fireplace, mortars, bamboo basket for keeping chickens, acorn grinding machine, wooden tool for spinning yarn out of cotton, bamboo baskets with straps for carrying rice and other commodities to field.
The village also has huts of the Mizo chieftains and of various sub-tribes in the State. Each house is fitted with a small porch like extension with roof over it, mainly to pound rice during rainy season. The display of rich tradition, which is in danger of fading out, seems like a good way of passing on the knowledge to the younger generation, who might have never experienced the true Mizo way of life. There are also houses built in the modern style to showcase the changing trend among the Mizos.
Near the entrance of the village, one can find a distinct hut bigger than the others. It is known as a Zawlbuk or bachelor's dormitory. In the olden days, it was where bachelors would assemble every night after working in the paddy field. It was a place of learning where oral traditions were kept alive, passed down from one generation to another. The dormitory is where every Mizo youth would begin training to move into adulthood.
