Travel Information 

• Where to fly: The best option, especially when traveling with a kayak, is Guwahati , Assam that is well connected with most airlines and about a 2 hours drive from the festival venue. The nearest airport however is Shillong, Meghalaya which is about 45 minutes form the venue. It is not as well connected as Guwahati but It might be a choice if you get a super cheap flight to Delhi or Calcutta and then transfer to a domestic flight.

• Visa: check if India has an electronic Visa on arrival option for your country (https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html) , else contact in time the Indian embassy in your country and find out the procedure. You need 6 months validity on your passport to get an Indian Visa. Generally the Visa on Arrival is more expensive compared to the regular Visa. Please start planning ahead. You should ask for a Tourist visa, and in case you need to mention a local contact in India for the visa you can mention: Sheela Vincent, Secretary Ri Bhoi Water Sports and Tourism Cooperative Society, Umtham Village, PO Umsning, Ri Bhoi, Meghalaya - 793105, +91 79747 46105 (sheelavincent.india@gmail.com)

• Indian customs: Tell them you are an athlete and you are coming to compete at MKF 2023. At times they asked some kayakers to pay import duty. You are not required to pay import duties on your kayaking equipment as long as you can prove that it belongs to you.

• Airport Pick up/ drop: We can organize airport pick up and drop for you either from Guwahati airport or Shillong. We will have a driver waiting for you with a placard with your name on it. Please let the organizer Mrs. Sheela Vincent know if we should arrange an airport pickup for you.

• Vaccines and injections: We suggest you check out with your doctor to decide if you need any particular injection for India. Typical choices could be anti-hepatitis A and B and anti-typhoid. Malaria is present, although it’s quite rare. We suggest that you get a strong mosquito repellent (you can also buy locally) A travel mosquito net can be useful at times, especially if you plan to sleep outside. Long pants and long sleeve shirts might be very useful too.

• Domestic Flights & Carrying Kayaks: For your domestic flight please choose Indigo Airlines if carrying a kayak as they are more agreeable to it. Six hours prior to your domestic flight, before 12 noon, visit the Indigo Airlines website and pay online for “international baggage connection”. Domestic flights allow 15kg per person for check-in and 7kg cabin baggage. If you have excess baggage weight it’s INR 850/kg which works out to be a lot. If you can get your excess baggage booked online it’s a big save. They have a customer care number that you can call for further help and information. You can read more here.