Let me just start by saying that Arunachal and in fact North East in itself is and unexplored gem. I feel that Himachal, Uttarakhand and the places nearby have been explored quite extensively and a very few visit North East.
I have tried to express my journey with more pictures rather than words. So I hope you read it till the end.
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Day 1 - We arrived at Guwahati in the evening.
Day 2 - The trip began from Guwahati to Dirang
Day 3 - Dirang sightseeing and move to Tawang
Day 4 - Tawang Sightseeing
Day 5 - Tawang to Bumla Pass
Day 6 - Tawang to Bomdilla
Day 7 - Bomdilla to Guwahati
Note: There are two permits required. One to enter Arunachal and the other for BumLa Pass.
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We were 4 guys and we started our journey from Kolkata and arrived at Guwahati Airport a day early. We had booked a Homestay in Guwahati. I had booked the tour with the help of a tour operator. The package included a Mahindra Mazzaro with driver and fuel. The rooms were also booked by them. (Follow me on Insta @illlusionary for more details). We went to the homestay from the airport with a local taxi. The homestay was really great and so was the owner. Our driver was suppose to pick up from the Homestay next day early morning next day.
We started our trip bright and early towards Dirang. On the way you will get to see beautiful tea gardens and the rawness of Assam. The drive to Dirang from Guwahati is around 9 hours. Trust me, the view will keep you hooked throughout the journey. While entering Arunachal, there is a check point where they check your permit and ID. There are plenty of small food shops along the way to eat and rest. We took quite a few stops along the way, clicking pictures, eating momos and last but not the least to Puke( Yes, the mountains roads do that, and one of the 4 members had to puke).
We reached Dirang by 7 pm and checked in to our Hotel. The rooms were really good and so was the food. We had some local wine and then went off to sleep.
After having a great breakfast we checked out of the hotel and started our trip to visit the Dirang town. We were supposed to visit three places in Dirang:
1) Dirang Monastery, 2) Apple Orchard 3) Hot Water Spring
1) Dirang Monastery is a beautiful little monastery located a little above Dirang overlooking the whole town.
After spending some time at the Monastery we moved on to the hot water spring.
2) The hot water spring is a small spring with hot water gushing out from the ground. It is not that great compared to what hot water springs are supposed to be. Beside the spring there is a small river that flow
The river besides the spring
The Apple Orchard was apparently closed and so we had to move on.
After spending some time both the places it was around 12 Pm. We now had to start moving towards Tawang which would take 6-7 hrs from Dirang. Along the way we would cross the magnificent SELA Pass.
We started moving towards Tawang and stopped along the way we stopped in many shops to enjoy local delicacies and of course momos.
As we started approaching Sela Pass, the view got better and better and so this the cold. We could see frozen ice on the road.
The roads were filled with ice.
SELA Pass: 4170 m (13,700 ft) We reached Sella at around 4 PM. It was so freaking cold and the wind was blowing. We went to a small shop nearby where we had the mandatory hot Maggi and a little Old Monk to heat us all up.
Although it was difficult to withstand the cold wind and the temperature we ended up spending quite some time clicking pictures and absorbing the beauty of the Pass and the Sela Lake.
After absorbing the mesmerising view and cold of Sela Lake we moved on towards Tawang. The views were equally amazing throughout the journey.
We stopped at Jaswant Memorial on the way.
This memorial is dedicated to Jaswant Singh who fought very bravely for India and martyred is his life for Indians.
Note: There is a bakery opposite this memorial run by the Army. It is really good. Do try it out!!
We reached Tawang in the evening. We directly checked in. The hotel was really nice and so was the food. We had some local wine and tucked ourselves in as we had to start early the next day.
We started our day by visiting the Buddha Statue of Tawang. The statue is quite big and is visible from different vantage points of the town.
From there we headed to the Tawang Monastery.
This is India's largest monastery.
The monastery so huge and peaceful. There are steps at the entrance and you need to walk up a bit bit to reach the monastery. There is a buddhist school as well among other things.
There is a museum as well inside where you have so many historical artefacts to see and admire. We spent and hour two here. While leaving we said goodbye to a friend that we made in the monastery.
From the monastery we headed towards Tawang Memorial.
This memorial was built in the memory of the thousands whole lost their lives during the Indo-China war.
We spent some time visiting the memorial and then visited the gift shop which had some great products for gifting. There is a good bakery as well run by the Army.
There is an amazing amphitheatre there where every evening there is a laser show. With the help of light they try to tell the story of what happened during the war. It is a must watch. Really Amazing!!
We proceeded to our hotel, had our dinner and slept early.
We started bring and early for Sungester Lake A.K.A Madhuri Lake and from there to Bumla Pass. This lake is called Madhuri Lake because a song from the movie Koila was shot here.
Note: For Madhuri Lake and Bumla Pass you need to hire a separate vehicle as only local taxis are allowed here.
It is around 3 hours journey from Tawang. The view is brilliant along the way.
Finally we reached the Lake.
Isn't it spectacular!! The weather was perfect, the sky was the right amount of blue and water was crystal clear.
We explored the area near the lake as well.
We spend an hour or two absorbing the view and the weather. The lake is quite wide and you can see quite a few migratory birds swimming in the lake.
We started moving towards Bumla pass.
This the border of India and China (Tibet). It is at a height of 15200ft.
Note: If you have breathing problems, do take the necessary medication and equipments along with because the air is pretty thin at this height
The journey to Bumla Pass was filled with icy roads and mountains. The area is heavily guarded by the Army
When you reach the entrance, you are given a token. One Army personnel will take a batch of 20-25 people to the exact border where they will breed you about the history and the importance of the place. You can see the Chinese army right in front of you. Cameras are not allowed in this area.
We started our trip back to Tawang after spending some time and clicking pictures in the snow.
While retiring we stopped at a cafe which is again run by the army. This is one of the highest cafe's in the world.
We reached Tawang in the evening and then spent sometime time exploring the local market. Not a lot to explore but yeah. We had our dinner and we went to sleep as we had to start early for Bomdila.
Early morning we started our drive towards Bomdila. On our way we would be visiting Nuranang Falls.
The waterfall is not that steep, but is not doubt mesmerising. The water directly flows into the river. We spent quite sometime here absorbing the beauty of this place.
We them moved on towards Bomdila.
We arrived sometime in the afternoon.
We directly went to the Bomdila Monastery. It is such a beautiful monastery. It quite big as well and has a school as well
After spending some time at the monastery we checked in to our hotel. We took some rest, had lunch and post that went out to the market.
Bomdila as a town is comparatively bigger than Tawang. The market
The next day we woke up early and sad as it was the last day and we had to return. The journey had been just amazing. Such amazing people, such rich culture, some mind blowing landscape and finally some amazing company.
In the end I would just say that when you plan to visit any mountains, the first things that pops up is Himachal or Uttarakhand. With this blog I just wanted people to know that North East is a wonderful gem, and people rarely visit it.
Back your bags and try the North Eastern flavour as well.
Note: I travelled to Europe as well, and I will be posting about it in my further blogs. So keep an eye.