Arunachal Pradesh - the land of dawn lit mountains

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Having visited Sikkim in 2008, which had mesmerized us with its natural beauty and grandeur, we decided to visit the land of Seven Sisters, as the seven North eastern states of India a collectively called. So in May, 2009 we embarked upon our journey to Arunachal Pradesh, the easternmost state of India and aptly named as the 'land to dawn lit mountains'.

We started from New Delhi and took a flight to Guwahati, the capital of Assam and reached their late in the afternoon. We took a pre-paid taxi from the Airport itself (we were charged Rs.2200/- for the journey) and embarked upon the next phase of our journey to Tezpur. We reached Tezpur late in the evening and booked into a Hotel for overnight stay. From Tezpur one can embark for onward journey to Arunachal Pradesh by shared Taxi (usually a Jeep like vehicle of some make), which take in upto 10 (ten) persons for each trip or else in case you want to travel independently, the charges ranged from Rs.1800/- to Rs.2000/- per day depending upon the make & type of vehicle that you require. The cost is for dry Vehicle only and the cost of fuel & road taxes etc. shall have to be borne by you in addition to the rent of the vehicle. We decided to hire the vehicle for 05 (five) days as we felt that it would be more appropriate & comfortable.

Having rested overnight at Tezpur, we started early next morning for our next destination for overnight halt i.e. Bomdilla. After having crossed Tezpur, we passed by Nameri National Park and then entered Arunachal Pradesh from Bhalukpong. To visit Arunachal Pradesh both Indians as well as foreigners have to carry an 'Inner line permit' that is issued at the various state government offices maintained in major metros of the country. The Inner line permit was checked by the officials manning the check post and having made entries regarding the details of persons travelling etc. alongwith details of the vehicle & driver etc. we were permitted entry into the state of Arunachal Pradesh. As it was raining a bit we decided to stop over for a short breakfast and having had our fill we embarked upon our onward journey. After traversing a distance of about 5 odd kilometers we reached the famous Tipi Orchidarium and were also privy to the view of the Jia Bhoreli river. Thereafter, the gradual ascent began towards Bomdilla, situated at an altitude of almost 8,000 feet. As the ascent began and as we approached the famous Nepichu Pass, intense fog enveloped the road and further progress was slowed down considerably. We took a short break at Sessa for lunch and then proceeded further. Having got past Tenga, we finally reached Bomdilla late in the evening and checked into a Hotel for overnight stay.

Next morning after having taken a B'fast at a leisurely pace, we proceeded to explore Bomdilla town and thereafter proceeded to Dirang. We stayed at Dirang for two nights and explored the nearby places like Sangti Valley, Mandla, Dirang Dzong etc. On the third day, we started for Tawang early in the morning and gradually ascended to Sela Pass situated at an altitude of 13,700 feet, after having passed Senge & Baisakhi. After a short break at Sela top, we started our descent after getting past Jaswant Garh & Jung or Nuranag Falls, we reached Tawang later in the afternoon and checked into a Hotel.

Tawang is home to the second largest Monastery in Asia called the Ganden Namgyal Lahste. This township is situated at an altitude of 10,000 feet and also houses the Ugyengling Monstery, the birth place of the 6th Dalai Lama as well as a War Memorial dedicated to Sino-India war of 1962. The foreigners are not permitted to visit any places beyond this township, but Indians are permitted upto some distant border outposts like Bumla and can also visit pristine alpine lakes like the Jong tse nir/Sungestar/Madhuri Lake, PT Tso, Heart Shape lake, Nagkhu La Tso etc. The beauty of these alpine lakes in just mesmerizing.

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Comments

[bhandariseo]

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