We (Husband, 5 yr old kid and myself) decided to take a break from the regular hum drum of life. The choice this time was a road trip from Guwahati to Tawang. We had tried doing this circuit earlier as well in December but were dissuaded by reviews of extremely risky (read zero visibility on sharp turns) roads. This time however the weather seemed perfect to undertake the circuit.
While planning this trip, the first challenge we faced was fitting in everything in a 6 day duration. Ideal time to cover the circuit would be 8-10 days. We had to compromise on exploring the forest reserves (we wanted to cover Pakke, Nameri, Doimara, Tenga if we had more time). Once the route was finalized the second challenge was finding accommodation. Due to festive season and political activities in the area, there was acute shortage and most online options were not available. We had to call some 20 people and take references of other hotels to get our bookings done finally. TIP- don't go by online availability of rooms. Do call the hotel/home stay to confirm your bookings always in this circuit. Even if they are booked they will give you reference of others that are available. The community feeling is pretty strong. Third thing to be taken care of was the Inner Line Permit (ILP). We got it done online and it was seamless.
Day 1. Landed in Guwahati where our driver Abhijit was waiting for us. We immediately started for our first stop to Bhalukpong. Guwahati to Tezpur is 160 kms which is approximately covered in 5 hours. The last one hour is single lane road. From Tezpur to Bhalukpong is a drive through thick forests (especially at night the drive is covered in a mysterious ambience) Tezpur to Bhalukpong was 60 kms covered in approximately 1.5 hours. The roads were in good condition. Bhalukpong is the entry point to Arunachal where the ILP check is done. Our accommodation for night was at Hotel Druk. Spacious double room with a huge balcony and views of farms and hills rolling by. You would be greeted with butterflies of brightest color and grass hoppers. The room and the view was awesome. Food was very basic and just about edible.
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| Abhijit and his vaahan:) |
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| View from Hotel Druk room |
Day 2: After spending the morning watching the town of Bhalukpong wake up from its stupor we headed for Dirang. It's a 180 kms drive compounded with landslide prone roads in complete wreck. The drive however is surreal and you would mostly be driving through or above the clouds. If you are lucky enough, you might get to see the pristine blue sky and the light play over the hills sneaking through tiny patches amidst dense clouds. Our first stop was at Nag Mandir where we gorged on the chicken momos at Shalu Hotel (yummy delicious.. Best that I have personally ever had) after a tiring 8 hour journey we reached Dirang where it took us another hour to find our homestay Gompa Lok. At some point I even thought that there was no road ahead and we were on the wrong track. But the track was right, just less traveled. Gompa Lok was well worth the effort. It's a definite recommendation from me for anyone who would want to stay at Dirang. The view is stunning (we took the deluxe room), people super hospitable and food was divine homely food. Definite one day extra here would have helped.
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| View from homestay in Dirang |
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| Gompa Lok Homestay in Dirang |
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| Shalu and her momos |
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| Its been an overdose of monsoon this season! |
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| Hide and seek with clouds and sun! |
Day 3: Post a sumptuous breakfast we started our onward journey to Tawang. This was a 132 kms stretch which took us 10 hours. It's a landslide prone area taking you to Sela pass at 13700 ft before you descend to around 10400 ft at Tawang. The road never closes completely because of the constant army movements but landslides and one way passes make it very difficult to cover the distance in lesser time. Having said that, the difficulty is probably the only reason why this terrain has escaped human wrath. It's pristine, it's calm, the Flora range is unbelievable and a pure relaxation to mind, soul and eye. There is a helicopter service available from Guwahati to Tawang which can avoid the misery of the road but personally I would not trade the experience for the time that can be saved using a chopper, not to forget the Maggi at Sela pass and free tea (and paid samosas) at Jaswant war memorial en route! From Jung onwards the road to Tawang was good and we entered Tawang well into night driving under the stars. Our abode for tonight was Tashi homestay. We could make out that the hosts had given one of their rooms to us. After discussions with host, we decided to utilise our stay in exploring the town instead of going for Madhuri Lake and Bum La. The only disappointment for us with Tawang was that it is a majorly vegetarian zone now and non veg is cooked rarely in domestic homes.. Probably only for tourists.
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| When you see this not from an Airplane but with your feet on concrete! |
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| Waterfall at Jung |
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| The Heights of Sela Pass |
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| Fall Colors |
Day 4: We were greeted with clear sky for the day promising a good day ahead. The hosts prepared a yak cheese curry and Tsing momo breakfast for us which was a culinary delight. We went ahead to explore the town checking on local market and produce at Naya Bazar and Nehru market, before heading to Tawang monastery. Tawang monastery is a 400 year old structure and is very different than other monasteries that we have been to. It is a complete village in itself with balconies peering down narrow lanes.. It was exactly what we had expected it to be.. Steeped in history. We also happened to visit the State when the whole of Arunachal was on a 3 day cleaning drive run by guess who.. Civilians! Every civilian is assigned areas by panchayat which they clean by themselves. A duty so basic.. Never taught to an urban dweller. It's commendable to notice the community bonding and how close to nature these folks are. In the evening we went for light and sound show run by the Indian Army. It is a passable affair with projectors used for light and sound and facts distorted to defend war. back at homestay the hosts organised a momo making workshop for our daughter which was a complete delight.
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| Tashi homestay, Tawang |
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| Momo lessons |
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| Tsing momo, yak cheese curry and aloo dum |
Day 5: We started our ascent from Tawang to Sella Pass again before descending to Bomdilla- A small town nestled among'st untouched lush greenery. Its also acclaimed by bird watchers and if you are equipped and knowledgeable enough (which I was not) you could sight some of the rare birds. It was an 8 hour journey before we reached our hotel at Bomdilla - Lungta Residency. I was not very happy with the hotel rooms and the service staff but am not sure if that small town could offer anything better. We spent the day exploring the place and shopping for some local kiwi, apples, and walnut.
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| Need help with the name of this flower! |
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| Conversations to remember |
Day 6: after a lazy breakfast, we started downhill towards Tezpur. As slowly we came down from the hills to plains, the reality of coming back to the real world started hitting us. The hills went further and the air heavier. We checked in at KRC Palace in Tezpur. I had to indulge in a spa to get over my depression. Good food helped too.
Day 7: We left from Tezpur to Guwahati to catch our flight back home. We left rather late from Tezpur. If you leave early enough, a trip to the local zoo, or any of the many pilgrim temples is possible.
However hard my daughter tried, she could not grab the clouds back in her snack boxes. However hard I try, I wont be able to do justice to writing about the place. All I would request for is, if you are inspired to take the trip, please be a responsible tourist and do not carry or litter plastic.
Disclaimer: Distance is approximate. Incase, numbers of Abhijit (our driver) or any of the hotel/homestays is required, pls message me directly, will be happy to share.
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