Where is Mechuka?
The valley of Mechuka is located at an altitude of 6000 meters in the West Siang District of Arunachal Pradesh near the Indo-China border. The border is at a distance of 30 kilometers away from the town of Mechuka.
How to Reach Mechuka?
There is no direct flight or train transport service to Mechuka. Tourists will first need to reach either Guwahati by bus/train/flight or direct fly to Dibrugarh.
Aalo serves as the closest main town at a distance of 180 kilometers from Mechuka however Pasighat (d. 300 kms) serves another important town as it is nearest to the Murkongselek Railway station.
Flights to Mechuka:
There is no direct flights to Mechuka. You can fly to Guwahati, Dibrugarh or Pasighat and travel from Pasighat to Mechuka on Sumo.
1. Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (Guwahati) :
For both domestic and international tourists this airport serves a major purpose. The international tourists can travel from various countries and the domestic tourists can travel from any part of the state to Guwahati Airport and begin their journey to Mechuka. After flying in, there are options of traveling by train or road to Mechuka.
2. Lilabari Airport in Dibrugarh:
This airport is considered the nearest and important airport which is located in Dibrugarh, Assam (neighboring state) and you can fly in from different places. After landing in Dibrugarh, you can take a public transport or private cabs to reach Silapathar or directly travel to Pasighat. It will take about 3-4 hours from Dibrugarh to reach Pasighat by road. Now that the construction of the Bogibeel bridge is completed, both railway and road services are now available. The tourists have to no longer cross the Brahmaputra river by boat or ferry which will save a lot of time.
3. Pasighat Airport:
The first commercial airport in Arunachal Pradesh has been opened recently in May, 2018. Tourists can book a direct flight to Pasighat on the Kolkata-Guwahati-Pasighat route. Now you can directly reach Pasighat from Kolkata and Guwahati. The Alliance Air will fly thrice a week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
This has made the journey to Mechuka more bearable and soon will take over the road and train services to Pasighat which were the only way to reach Pasighat.
Travel by Train:
As Mechuka doesn’t have a railway station of itself there are a few trains that enters Arunachal Pradesh. There are mainly two railway services you can embark to reach as close as possible to Mechuka.
1. Naharlagun-New Delhi AC Express:
If you are an international tourist, you can book a flight to Delhi, and catch the Naharlagun-New Delhi AC Express train and reach Naharlagun. This super fast express train will make your journey super comfortable which is fully air-conditioned. The journey starts from Delhi touching Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam and reaching Naharlagun after an average journey time of 39 hours. This direct train service is available once a week, so make sure to book your seats in advance.
After reaching Naharlagun, you can take a Private Sumo or Shared Sumo to Pasighat. From Pasighat, you can catch a Sumo and travel to Aalo first, then take another Sumo to Mechuka.
2. Lachit Express:
If you are traveling from Guwahati, Intercity Guwahati train plies on daily basis from Kamakhya Junction Railway Station to Murkongselek Railway Station which serves as the closest railway station to Pasighat which is at a distance of 36 kilometers.
3. Dibrugarh to Jonai Train:
With the completion of the long-awaited Bogibeel bridge, now it has become extremely easy to travel from Dibrugarh-Dhemaji-Jonai. Two direct trains from Dibrugarh leaves for Murkongselek Railway Station in Jonai. The estimated time taken by DkgnMzs Train to reach Jonai is 5 hours and 20 minutes. From Jonai, you can take a shared cab to Pasighat which is just 36 kms from Jonai.
**After reaching Pasighat, you can catch a Sumo and travel to Aalo first, then take another Sumo to Mechuka.
Roads to Mechuka:
As there is no direct train or flights to Mechuka, a one way road is only available from Pasighat to Mechuka.
There are two roads that can be taken to reach Mechuka:
1. The most reliable and safe road is to first reach Pasighat through Ruskin Gate by any means train/flight/road and then travel to Aalo, from there you will get direct Sumos to Mechuka.
2. This road is less undertaken and you have to pass through Likabali Gate first and pass Silabari and Daporijo reaching Aalo. From Aalo you can catch a direct Sumo to Mechuka.
The first route is preferred to the second route due to good road conditions and transport services are very easily available.
Why Pasighat is a major destination while traveling to Mechuka?
After reaching Arunachal Pradesh via train/flight/road, Pasighat serves as the first major stoppage in order to reach Mechuka. No matter how you have reached Arunachal Pradesh, there is no other way. If you are coming from Naharlagun or just reached the Murkongselek Railway station, your next stop is Pasighat.
1. Several shared Sumos and Private Sumos are available in Pasighat. Though shared Sumos doesn’t directly travel to Mechuka everyday, you can always catch the morning Sumo from Aalo which travels directly to Mechuka.
2. Both Private and Shared Sumos are available from Aalo.
3. It takes 8-10 hours to reach Mechuka from Along.
4. Shared Sumos in Along leaves daily from the Sumo Stand at 5.30 in the morning. As few Sumos leave for Mechuka every morning, it’s better not to miss it.
5. The cost of ticket to travel to Mechuka in Shared Sumos is 500 rupees per person.
Prices of Shared and Private Sumos:
From Pasighat to Aalo: a) Shared Sumo: 600-700 rupees per person.
b) Private Sumo: 8000-10,000 rupees.
From Aalo to Mechuka: a) Shared Sumo: 600-700 rupees per person.
b) Private Sumo: 10,000 rupees.
Private Sumo from Pasighat to Mechuka:
if you want to travel non-stop from Pasighat to Mechuka, you can book a private Sumo which will take you directly to Mechuka. A few stops at Aalo and other Line Hotels on the way to Mechuka and you will reach Mechuka in 18-19 hours. If you start your journey at around 1 or 2 pm from Pasighat you will reach Mechuka early morning at around 6-7 am.
Price for Private Sumo from Pasighat to Mechuka:
16,000-20,000 rupees.
Returning from Mechuka
The only option available are Shared Sumo or a Private Sumo that leaves everyday in the morning. In the main town of Mechuka, there are many Sumo Stands that provides Shared and Private Cabs to Aalo. Hop on one and make your return.
Hope this article will help you navigate well your way to Mechuka.