Tengnoupal

Manipur hill town on the old Imphal-Burma road, where the highway opens over the valley.

Tengnoupal is a small hill town in the Manipur highlands, about 70 km south of Imphal on the NH102 — the road that follows the old Imphal-Burma route toward Myanmar. It sits near the highest point on this stretch of road, around 1,450 metres above sea level, with wide views over the Manipur valley stretching north toward the capital.

The town is the headquarters of Tengnoupal district and is predominantly inhabited by Kuki-Zo tribal communities. The surrounding hills are densely forested, and the area serves as a staging point for travellers heading to Moreh, the Indian border town about 12 km further south where NH102 crosses into Myanmar.

For anyone travelling the Imphal-Moreh highway, Tengnoupal is where the climbing stops and the views open up. The road itself — its history, its landscape, and what it connects — is reason enough to pause here.

Guide

Getting There

Tengnoupal is on NH102, about 70 km south of Imphal. Shared sumo taxis run regularly between Imphal and Moreh and pass through Tengnoupal. The journey from Imphal takes roughly two hours depending on road conditions and traffic at checkpoints. No rail connection exists; the nearest airport is Imphal.

The road through the hills is subject to blockades and closures during periods of unrest — check the current security situation before travelling.

Guide

Things to Do

Tengnoupal's appeal is almost entirely the landscape: the high-altitude light, the forested ridges, and the long drop of the Manipur valley visible from the road. The town itself is small, but the drive up from Imphal — and further down to Moreh — is one of Manipur's most scenic routes.