Location & Description
Lunglei is the second largest town in the North-East Indian State of Mizoram, capital Aizawl being the largest one. Lunglei is sometimes spelled as Lungleh which means 'bridge of rock'. Such rocks can be found in the river area around nearby river Nghasih which a small tributary of the river Tlawng, the main river in Mizoram. That’s how the name Lunglei came.
Like most of North-Eastern states of India, Mizoram is also a hilly state. It is part of the Purvanchal Mountain Range, an extension of the Himalayas that cover the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram.
The range bends sharply to the south and spreads along the eastern boundary of India with Myanmar. Mizoram is the southernmost Indian State in this part of land sandwiched between Bangladesh in the West and Myanmar in the West.
To the travellers who love thick green covered rolling hills, like Arunachal, all of Mizoram is also a heaven.
Lunglei being a long established habitation in these rolling hills, you can enjoy the breathtaking natural beauty of Mizoram from your bases in Lunglei and Aizawl which are connected together by Buses, Jeeps and recently introduced Helicopter service.
Being mostly hilly, your usual travel option in North East India would be by Air.
History
From 1888 for 10 years, Lunglei was the Capital of South Lushai Hill Districts and Aizawl was the capital for the North Hill Districts. The two were united in 1898 and Lunglei became the second-largest town in Mizoram.
With direct access to the thriving Chittagong of Bangladesh nearby, until the partition of India, Lunglei attained the status of the commercial and education centre of the region.
Rich cultural traditions of the region can be experienced in Lunglei even today.
Altitude and Climate
At an average altitude of about 2300 ft and spread over hills with rich green cover, Lunglei is always cool and comfortable.
The average temperature here hovers around 21 degrees Celsius which is quite cool to an average Indian. At a mild altitude surrounded by thick green tree cover, it cannot get hot even during summer.
Rainfall is fairly heavy here and even January gets some rains.
Places to see
Around Lunglei there are a number of picnic spots where the tired traveller can take rest, relax or enjoy amidst pure nature barely touched by human hands.
Otherwise the notable tourist places to visit would be the Wildlife Sanctuaries and Nature Parks. Two of these are,