Tawang Trip Report

Tawang Trip Details:

Hi Imikers,
We are back from our vacation in Tawang. Thanks to all your support, we had a wonderful trip and the best trip I ever had.
I would like to let everyone know about the details of the trip and I’ll try to be as much informative as possible.

Itinerary:

Day 1: Kolkata to Guwahati and then to Tejpur. O\N at Tejpur
Day 2: Tejpur to Dirang, stopping at Bhalukpong, Tipi and Bomdila enroute. O\N at
Dirang
Day 3: Dirang to Tawang, visiting Sela Pass, Jashwantgarh and Jong falls enroute
Day 4: Sight seeing at Tawang
Day 5: Sight seeing at Bumla, Shungetsar Lake, P T So lakes and back to Tawang
Day 6: Tawang to Guwahati by helicopter and then to Shillong by road
Day 7: Shillong to Cherrapunjee, sight seeing and back to Shillong
Day 8: Sightseeing at Shillong and back to Guwahati in the afternoon
Day 9: Kamakhya Temple and Umananda Temple visit and back to Kolkata by evening flight

This was our complete itinerary, but I’ll give the details of Arunachal Part here. I’ll cover the Shillong and Guwahati part later in appropriate threads.

Transportation:

1. To Tejpur:

We arrived at Guwahati airport at around 8:15 AM by Kingfisher Red Flight. It arrived before the schedule time. After collecting our luggage, we came out of the airport and instantly got a shuttle to Rupnath Bramha Interstate Bus Terminus. This is the new terminus and it’s located in the outskirt of the Guwahati City.

There were 2 more passengers in the shuttle and they had to go to Paltan bazaar. The driver did tell neither us nor them that our destinations were different and hence he had to make a diversion. So, the other passengers had to travel more and he started demanding Rs 250/- (Rs 50/- extra from what we agreed) from us for the diversion. Anyway, we managed by paying Rs 230/-.

On entering the bus stand, we went to the ticket counter. Ticket counters of different private and govt. agencies are present there. We enquired with Green valley and Network first but they were full. Next we enquired at the counter of Blue Hills Travel and they informed that a bus is there at 9 AM and it was 9 then. We got 2 tickets for Rs 230/- each.

There was a small chaos in the bus. They allocated the same seat to more than one person and had to make some rearrangement to have us seated and finally it started at around 9: 45 AM at a leisurely pace. It stopped at some place near Khanapara and picked up some more people in the cabin and it was full. We were expecting a smooth sailing after that but we were stopped even before it started to move faster. There was huge traffic jam as the road towards Tejpur was waterlogged at a point named Jorabat (Junction of the road to Tejpur and the Road to Shillong). We were strangled there for around 4 hrs and finally reached Tejpur at around 7 PM after having a break at Nagaon for around half an hour.
So, it was a journey f 9 Hour altogether and we were informed that the bus had to take a longer route due to the riot at Udulguri area.

2. To Dirang:

Booking the Cab:
On our arrival at Tejpur, we were greeted by some touts who wanted to help us with the hotel booking in Tawang. We ignored them and went to the ASTC counter for booking a cab for our next journey.
As I’ve mentioned in my previous posts, I contacted many operators for booking previously and all of them quoted very high price like Rs.1800/day for the dry car and driver and diesel on actual. However, we were given the number of one agency by Hotel Pemaling at Dirang and they quoted a price much lower Rs 1200/day for dry car but they too were completely booked and referred us to another fellow named Mr. D. K Nath. He too quoted Rs 1750/day for dry car but said that there will not be any charges for the car to return to Tejpur and it was a better offer for us as we were returning by Helicopter. We had to contact him on our arrival but we could not reach him on his mobile and decided to book from ASTC counter itself.
At ASTC counter, we were suggested to book ‘Line’ car i.e. the car that plies from Tejpur to Bomdila/Tawang daily. We have to pay the fare for 10 tickets and the car will be booked for ourselves and we don’t have to pay for fuel or for the return journey. As we had to break our journey at Dirang, we wanted the car for 2 days and we were informed that we had to pay Rs 2800/- for the trip to Dirang and another Rs 2500/- for Dirang to Tawang. The guys at the counter told us that the driver of our car is a resident of Dirang itself, so he would stay at his home O\N and will take us to Tawang on the next day. If he could not go for any reason, then he would arrange for another car.
We also found another small group of 3 members traveling to Bomdila and they joined us. Perhaps, on seeing them, we were asked to pay some extra money to the driver for sightseeing as he would have to stop and make some diversion etc. They asked for Rs 500/- and we bargained and managed at Rs 300/.
When the guy at the counter gave his mobile number, we could realize that we were talking with Meeraj Ahmed, an operator known through some Imikers.

The Journey:
They wanted us to start by 5:30 AM, we wanted to start around 6:30 AM and the time was finalized. We got ready by 6:15 in morning and the car did not arrive at 6:30. At that time, we were surprised to get a call from Deepak Kakati in my husband’s cell phone and he confirmed that the car would be there soon. The car, a TATA Spacio arrived in 10 minutes and Mr. Kakati was there to greet us. He also instructed the driver to ensure that we get his car or any other car from Dirang and our journey began after we picked up the other group from another hotel.
We reached Bhalukpong at around 8:30 AM, had our permit checked there and had breakfast and headed towards Tipi. Spent some time there and went ahead. We saw some roadside waterfalls enroute and reached Bomdila at around 2 PM.
We had a look around Bomdila, it seemed a bit crowded and congested and we decided to move onwards instead of spending any time there. The driver stopped for lunch after half an hour and we started again at around 3 PM. We reached Dirang at around 4:15 PM and were dropped at Hotel Pemaling.
In the journey, we also found that there were no diversion to make for sight seeing and hence no reason to charge extra money for that.

3. To Tawang:

Booking the Cab:
After reaching Pemaling, we were at a shock when we asked our driver about the next day’s journey. He first suggested to take a small car and we denied as we preferred a 4WD car for the journey. Then he said that he would take Rs 5000/- for the trip to Tawang and some sightseeing around Dirang and enroute. When we argued saying that we were told that the price would be Rs 2500/- only, he said that we were quoted a wrong rate as this is a tourist season and nobody would take less than Rs 2800/- and he wanted another 1700 for sightseeing. We denied and he said that he would send someone else to talk regarding the booking of another cab.
We came to our hotel and asked for help. They said that the ongoing rate is Rs 2500/- and they can arrange another car for us. Later, they confirmed that the rate is changed and the charge would be Rs 2800/-. He also suggested against the sightseeing at Yak Research Center/ hot spring and we decided to follow his suggestion.

The Journey:
We got a Alto instead of a 4 WD as all 4 WD were booked and another 4 WD, supposed to come from Tejpur last night, could not arrive. We started at around 8 AM and stopped at Dirang Bazar for some times as our driver, Raju, went to search for some friend of him to accompany him in the journey as he would have to return alone but could find none!
We had our breakfast at hotel Samjhana in the outskirts of Dirang and headed ahead.
We reached Sela pass at around 11: 30 and it was raining at that time. We got down at the bank of Sela Lake and headed towards Jashwant Garh after taking some photos of the beautiful lake.
We reached Jashwant Garh in around half an hour. It was bright and shiny here. We had a long break here and had the first glimpse of Tawang.
Our next stop was at Zero Point, Jong Village. Raju had lunch here and we were able to make phone calls from a booth as no external line was working in Dirang. Only local calls within Dirang was possible.
Then we proceeded to Jong Falls, a splendid one in breathtaking surroundings. Jong falls is not a road side falls. We had walk some distance and then take some steps to reach the view point. Raju guided us in that road. A road was under construction, probably it will be possible to reach the viewpoint by car soon. We had just enough time to enjoy the beauty of the calm surroundings and the wonderful falls and had to run to our car to have a roof over us before the rain started. We were just in time!
We reached Tawang at around 4 PM and it was raining.

4. Return Journey by Helicopter:

Booking:
We booked the seats by talking to Mr. Karlu long back. He maintains a list with him and tickets are allocated as per his list. He is a methodical man. On our second day in Tawang, we tried to call him as we wanted to confirm that we have arrived and we would be back by helicopter only. But he was not reachable over his cell phone and we rang his home and left a message with his son.
On our departure date, we arrived at the Helipad at around 9:30 AM and Mr. Karlu arrived after 15 minutes. He confirmed that our names are there in the list.
We waited in the small lounge and were given our tickets at 10 AM. There were some VIPs, Honorable. Chief Justice of Uttaranchal with his wife and Lingchen Lama from Tawang Monastery accompanied by 3 other Lamas, were traveling on the same day and a lot of security people were there. But we were not harassed by any means.
We were skeptical about maintaining the weight limit of 10 Kg/ person as Mr. Karlu told us that we might be denied boarding in case of over weight. But there was no weight checking at Tawang and our co-passengers who also had their onward journey by the helicopter, informed that no weight checking was done at Guwahati too.
However, there was a manual checking for all the bags. Two security personnel did the checking and on receiving green signal from them, we were given baggage tags.

The Journey:
The copter starts from Guwahati at 10:20 AM and arrives tawang at 11:25 AM and starts from Tawang at 11:55 AM. We reached Guwahati at 1 PM. The journey was wonderful, a memory that I’ll cherish for rest of my life. The view from the copter was spectacular. I was mesmerized by the sights of the little hamlets on the hills of Bhutan and India. The cultivated plane lands were looking like a picture created by joining the pieces of a big jigsaw puzzle.
The journey was totally safe. We didn’t even feel any jerking. Well, the noise was high but I did not feel it intolerable. Would suggest you to carry earplugs/noise reduction headphones if you can not bear moderate noise for a long period.


Sight seeing at Tawang:

Sight seeing at Tawang can be divided in 2 broad categories. One is local sight seeing which includes Tawang Monastery, Birth Place of 6th Dalai Lama, War Memorial, Emporium and few gumphas and the other is sight seeing up and above Tawang which includes Sino-Indian border at Bumla and the P T So lakes, Shungetsar (Madhuri) Lake etc.

Local Sight Seeing:

Maruti Omni is the common car used as Taxis in Tawang. The rate is fixed. One have to pay Rs. 500/ - for local sight seeing. Half a day is enough for the sight seeing.

Sight Seeing up and above Tawang:

A 4WD car is a must if you plan to visit Bumla. Small cars can not go by the steep roads. But, if you plan to visit the lakes only, then any car can be taken.
Again, the rate is fixed. For Maruti, Rs 1500/- is charged for the lakes and local sight seeing. For Bumla, sumo has to be booked from the Sumo counter in the old market (Opposite to Hotel Gorichen). Trip to Bumla and the lakes is generally a combined one and the charge is Rs 3500/-. If it’s to Bumla only, then the rate is Rs 2500/-. But it’s better to combine the two as one has to travel mostly on the same road; a diversion is taken after traveling around 20km. Bumla and the lakes canbe covered in half a day and you must start early as the weather condition worsen with the day and it’s a must to return by 3 PM.
The people at the Sumo counter were very helpful. We requested them to see if we can share the car with some other small group as we were just two of us and they made the arrangements and that too without any extra charge.

Permit Requirements:

Inner line permit is required to enter Arunachal Pradesh. It can be collected in advance from some major cities of India including Kolkata, Guwahati and Tejpur and also on the spot at Bhalukpong. Copy of one photo identity card with address (passport, voter ID, driving license etc) and 2 copies of passport size photo is required to get the permit.


Inner line permit is not sufficient to visit Bumla. One has to get a permit from the DC office in Tawang and the same has to be accepted by the Army to get you there.
Getting a permit is not difficult, your inner line permit will suffice as a supporting document to get the permit. The official at DC office issues tourist permit for Bumla from his residence if the DC office is closed for any holiday. Our taxi driver, Keysam, helped us to get the permit. We went to DC office but it was a holiday and we were asked to go to the residence of the concerned stuff and Keysam took us there. The official issued the permit and the charge was RS 250/-.
Surprisingly, Keysam did not even take any charge for the extra miles he had to travel for us to get the permit.
We also met a guy in Tawang Inn who helps tourists to get the permit and he charges Rs 300/- including the amount payable to the official.
Once the permit is issued, vehicle number is required to get the clearance from Army and it can be obtained from the Army base just opposite to the War Memorial. The total process took half an hour for us.

Accommodation:

Tejpur:

Hotel Name: Grand City
Distance from Bus stand: Less than 1km, a rickshaw will charge Rs. 10-15/-
Hotel Category: Business Class, Probably the best in town
Tariff: Rs. 600 – 1200/- (Rs1050/- for standard AC double bed)
Facilities: Non AC/AC Rooms, Room Service, Internet, Hot water on
Demand (No running hot water), No Restaurant, Cards are
accepted
Cleanliness: Good
Food: Veg / Non Veg, Average in quality
Contact Number: 09954050044

Dirang:

Hotel Name: Pemaling
Location: Location is the best virtue of this property. On the slope of
A Hill overlooking the valley
Hotel Category: Undoubtedly the best in the region
Tariff: Rs. 1500 – 3000/- + 10% Service Charge
Facilities: Room Service, Running Hot water, Restaurant
Cleanliness: Excellent
Food: Veg / Non Veg, Good in quality, slightly overpriced
Contact Number: (91) (3780) 242615
Website:http://www.welcomheritagehotels.com/...ing_Dirang.htm

Tawang:

Hotel Name: Hotel Sela
Location: Conveniently located in Nehru Market Area. It’s near to the
Main market and provides a good view. Tawang Monastery on it’s right and hills in other directions.
Hotel Category: Standard
Tariff: Rs. 1000 – 1500/-
Facilities: Room Service, Running Hot water, Heater (Charges extra),
TV in rooms, Power Back Up
Cleanliness: Excellent
Food: Mainly Veg, Non-veg on demand, Good in quality, Home cooked
Contact Number: 03794 222487, 09436220473 (Tserine Lhamu)


Guwahati:

Hotel Name: President
Location: Conveniently located in Pan bazar Area. It’s 1km from Paltan Bazar and near to Kachhari Ghat.
Hotel Category: Business Class
Tariff: Rs. 1300 – 1500/- (For Standard Double Room, Non AC and AC respectively + 15% Luxary Tax + 10% Service Charge, we got a 20% discount on room tariff even without asking for it. Bed Tea and Breakfast included in tariff)

Facilities: Room Service (12.5 % VAT + 10% Service Charge), Running Hot water, Lift, Cards accepted
Cleanliness: Good
Food: Veg / Non-veg on demand, Good in quality
Contact Number: 91-361-544682/544979/544911/638141

My Experience:

The place:

As many other Bengalis, I’m also an ardent lover of traveling and has been to many places since my childhood. So far, Tawang is the best place on earth that I’ve seen!
The drive to Tawang was a scenic one but the road was terrible. There were some good stretches in between, particularly near the localities and Army Base like Tenga Valley. We were awestruck by the beauty of the river and the mountain and kudos to the driving skills of the drivers. They were so familiar with the roads that they maintained a good pace even in those dangerously damaged roads and we never felt any sign of danger.
As I’ve mentioned earlier, we spent some time in Tipi orchid center but we could not see much. It was a Sunday and hence some of the orchid houses were locked and we could had a glimpse from outside the glass panes of the doors. We could see only 2 flowering orchids and could not make anything from the rest. Perhaps, it’s not the flowering season.
There were 2 roadside waterfalls till Dirang and we enjoyed them thoroughly.
In Bomdila, we had a glimpse of the monastery but didn’t visit it. I could make from the fellow IMikers that the view from the Upper Monastery was awesome and it’s worth a visit but we wanted to reach Dirang early as there was a Dirang bandh for the past 2 days and no phones were working there. However, after seeing Tawang Monastery and its enchanting surroundings, I feel that I didn’t miss much in Bomdila.
The drive to Bumla was an exciting one. The scenery was unforeseen. The beauty was serene. Once you pass around 15kms on the Tawang – Lasa highway, you start seeing lakes. P T So is not a single lake; there are many lakes which is called P T So collectively. Near Bumla, one can see Bumla Lake and for Shungetsar Lake, you have to make a diversion. At this time of year, fall colors can be seen on the vegetation.
At Bumla, Indian Army serves the nation at sub zero temperature. Unlike Sino-Indian border at Nathula, Chinese Army is not in vicinity. Our Army men at Bumla were very friendly and helpful. They guided us there and took us to a point which is inside China. We took some snaps there and then took some rest at Bumla Hut which is a hall of friendship between India and China. We were served piping hot tea and biscuits by the Army men and we were overwhelmed by this hospitality.
We started from Tawang at around 7:30 and our visit to Bumla was completed by 10:30 and we started towards Shungetsar Lake. We got snowfall on our way back.
I loved the serene surroundings of the Shungetsar Lake but it was a bit crowded. It is a prime tourist attraction but in terms of serenity I liked P T So Lake more.


The people:

People of Dirang and Tawang were very good. They are honest and helpful. Both at Dirang and Tawang, our stay were hassle free for the help of these people. In both the places, the stuffs at the hotel, the cab drivers, the shop owners, govt. officials and the Army men were happy to help. Being a small town, people are known to each other and they are close-knitted.

Food:

Almost all the hotels in Tawang serve foods to their guests and you have to order well in advance particularly if you are not a guest of the hotel. There are few restaurants in the old market area but they are very basic in nature and you may have to order in advance to avail non-veg food. We tried Dragon restaurant for some momo and thukpa but didn’t like the test.
Some Bengali restaurants are there too. We had our lunches from Basana Restaurant, just next to hotel Sela and they serve Bengali foods.

Word of Caution:

Be careful while booking your car from Tejpur. They may not tell you all the cost upfront and later they reveal the same when you have no other option than to pay it.
If you are hiring a cab from Assam or any state other than Arunachal, then you will not be allowed to do the sightseeing in that car without getting another permit from the RTO in Tawang and the charge is Rs 500/-. This rule is imposed to reduce the revenue of Arunachal Pradesh Government.

Links for my photos:

http://picasaweb.google.co.in/banerj...y=Ju7tnClM6SM#

Some Useful Links and contacts:

Tejpur Sumo Service:

ASTC:
Dipak kakati : 09864182449
Meeraj Ahmed(Tejpur) 09435080318
Nurul Islam(Tejpur)- 09954126877

S Serv Travels:
D.K. Nath – 09854003817

Aditya Travels:
Bimi – 09854000103
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Hotel at Tejpur:
Hotel Grandcity : 09954050044
Hotel Luit : 03712224708


Hotel at Bhalukpong:
Goba Angu – 09436242274

Hotel at Dirang:
Hotel Pemaling : 03780242615, 03322127301
http://www.welcomheritagehotels.com/...ing_Dirang.htm

Hotel at Tawang:
Hotel Buddha : 03794222954 ( Manager Rajkumar Sarma helps to book hotel Sela)
Hotel Sela (Tserine Lhamu)- 03794 222487, 09436220473
http://arunachalpradesh.nic.in/racco.htm
http://www.arunachaltourism.in/


Helicopter( Tawang):
Mr. Karlo 03794 222308(o),03794 222267(R), 09436220515
Mr. Nayang: 09436051250
http://arun-aviation.nic.in/

Taxi at Tawang:
Kesang ( Taxi ) 09436630273

AnanyaBinayak,

Thanks for a great trip report. I shall keep this handy! If there was anything you know now that you didn't know when planning your trip, what would it be? Did you have enough time to see all the sights? Where would you ideally have spent more time?

Hi
I find this post as one of the most detailed which takes account of Tawang. Thanks for all the information you have provided. Actually we are planning to visit this place end Dec 08. Hope this will be of great help. Can you pls provide us with more info abt "Line" cars...as we are also planning to return using chopper service. if you can provide with some phone numbers for Line cabs it will be great. But neverthless this post has gave us lots of inner info about organising our trip.
Lastly thanks a lot. Hope to get reply soon.

Line cabs are those cab which plies daily on the following routes:
1. Tejpur to Bomdila (Rs 250/Per Perosn)
2. Bomdila to Tawang (Rs 280/Per Perosn)
3. Tejpur to Tawang (Rs 400/Per Perosn)
These cabs actually complements the bus service there. In these cabs, you can book a ticket for yourself and you have to buy 10 tickets if you want to book the whole cab. You'll find TATA Spacio or Sumo as the most common one. This service is commonly used by the localites there and hence they don't stop at the places of tourist interest during the journey.
The advantage in booking these cabs are that you don't have to worry about the mileage of the car and you don't have to pay fuel charge or rent for the return journey. I've seen them carrying small drums and pipes and they transferred fuel from one car to other using these!
Considering that your journey is spread over 2 days, you pay Rs. 5300/-(Rs 2500+Rs 2800)for the entire journey where as we were quoted Rs 5400/- for the dry car for 3 days + diesel on actual. There estimate was 120-140 liters of diesel for the trip.
But be careful if you too are planning to break your journey at some intermidiate point like Bomdila/Dirang. Getting another cab from Bomdila is easier as that's the starting point of a route and you can purchase tickets there. It might be a bit difficult in Dirang.

Regards
Ananya

Hi Theyyamdancer,
The things which I know now and didn't know during the planning are as follows:
1. Till Bomdila, you don't have to make any diversion for sight seeing.
2. Tipi Orchid Research center is closed on Sunday.
3. You do not have to start very early from Tejpur in order to reach Bomdila/Dirang before dark. 7/7:30am is fine if you want to reach Dirang.
4. It's better to have your lunch at Bomdila as you will have more options and perhaps better!
5. You have to walk around 1 KM to see the Jong Falls. it's also known as Nuranang Falls.
6. Telecommunication is a difficult job there. Your mobile will not have any network most of the time.
7. In Tawang, you have to order in advance for non-veg foods in most of the restaurants.
8. In Tawang, Hotel Sela offers a very good view and it's comfortable too.
Well, this list can be a long one if I decide to continue further So, let me stop....

Ideally, I would have spent another day at Dirang to enjoy the place at a leisurely pace. Probably, seating at the lawn of hotel Pemaling!
In Tawang, there's nothing to do after dark and you can not start your day very early also as mostly the weather becomes clear after 7/7:30 in the morning. I would love to stay near the high altitude lakes but no accomodation is there :-(

Wow, thank you so much, Ananya! I will travel the same route in April 2009 with my husband, an Indian friend from Bangalore, and a group of 2 families from Kolkata (6 other people). We are planning it at the moment. So all your advice, as well as other India Mikers' is more than valuable. Bhalo theko!

Thanks Ananya for a wonderful & truly informative trip report.

Ronak.

Wish u a happy trip Theyyamdancer. You are a group of 9 member, it might be a bit difficult to get seat in the helicopter if you don't book well in advance.
Just give a call to Mr.Karlo and ensure that your names are there in his list!

Thanks for the thanks Ronak!

Cheers
Ananya

Good report Ananya- informative one-- great effort- appreciable work .
Yes we are also back from a wonderful tour to Tawang. Will write some details of my perception which I feel has not been covered in your report Thanks a lot.
Shyamal

That was a wonderful account Ananya. Nice to learn that you enjoyed the trip and the helicopter ride!! Best wishes for a wonderful Diwali to all IMers!!

Great to know that you had wonderful trip. Will look forward for your account and photos

Wish you all a Happy Dewali!

Thanks Vishal.

Shyamal, looking forward to your report on Tawang! In the meantime, happy Diwali, or should I say Shubho Deepavali!

Have been planning for Manali-Leh trip in June 2009. Anyone here done that stretch before?