Trip to Tuting , Gelling and Singa in Arunachal Pradesh

I was contemplating to visit Upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh for some years but it materialised just in Feb 2011 only.Luckily it did not rain during my entire stay of three weeks.After that it started raining heavily and is continued till now washing out most of the motorable road between Yingkiong and Tuting.

First let me start with how to reach there from Guwahati.There are two private bus services in Guwahati , namely BLUE HILLS and NETWORK TRAVELS which operates bus service from Guwahati Interstate Bus Terminal to Pasighat everyday.The bus starts from ISBT at 5 pm and reaches Pasighat at about 10 am next morning.Advance booking is necessary from the respective head office of the service providers which is in the Paltan Bazar near Guwahati train station. But I wish to suggest alternate route which is more comfortable , interesting and faster !

Take an overnight train from Guwahati which should reach to Dibrugarh Town train station or new Dibrugarh train station before 10 am. Take an autoriksha and ask for ferryghat via Majorbari.On the Ferryghat you will find ticket counters of some private travel operators which provide service to Pashighat for RS270 which includes ferry charge to Majorbari and subsequent taxi service ( Tata Winger Van )to Pasighat.From November to March the river crossing takes more than three hours and two hours further for taxi drive.From April to October the Brahmputra remains swallowed and crossing takes quite less than two hours because crossing is in a straight line !

Pasighat is now like a big town with good hotels.There are private taxi operators who runs Sumo Taxi from Pasighat to Yingkiong both at 6.30 am (eight hours) and 7pm (ten hours).The fare is RS330 per seat.

Yingkiong is a beautiful and clean small town situated in a valley . There are three clean hotels (about RS.300 per day with attached bathroom and toilet).People are friendly.It is thinly populated.Chinese and Indian food is available in restaurants. From the local market you can get very good quality oranges ( cultivated locally in winter.100 oranges for 100 Rupees !!! ) and different variety banannas. Rs 15 for a dozen ! This is an all season fruit.The market opens at 5 am and closes at 4 pm

There is HAAT(something like a free market)once in a week and during that you can find several strange things including oranges and bannanas procured from natural habitate and not from cultivated source !!!
There are regular private taxi (SUMO) service between Yingkiong and Tuting for RS-350 per seat. It starts at 7 am and reaches Tuting at about 3 pm.First you need to reach to Gandhi bridge from Yingkiong by taxi for Rs. 50 per seat.Then to cross the hanging bridge over Siang river on foot.It is a fun to cross this bridge.It is scary to walk on this bridge though the fact is that it is absolutely reliable.

From here the wonder of nature starts. All the way you travel through undisturbed beauty of nature.You do not need to be told.You realise it yourself.
Tuting is again in a beautiful valley. It is an extremly remote place.There are no hotels.But there is good Inspection bunglow owned by PWD , government of Arunachal Pradesh. It has three rooms each with three beds and attached bathroom and toilet.It has also two luxury suits but that always remains reserved for VIPs.The Inspection Bunglow remains unoccupied for most of the year. So no need to worry for reservation ! The cook is good and prepares nice meal. The room tarif is Rs. 100 per day which includes both meals and tea. I enjoyed a week long stay here.
A tourist lodge is under construction and expected to be ready by year end.It is from the tourism department , government of Arunachal Pradesh. The rates would be above Rs. 600 per day excluding food !
Because Tuting is also a military post for Indian Army , you will be surprised to find cellular mobile network of BSNL.It is not hepful for local communication but you can easily make ISD and long distance call.The reason is that the cellular network is based on satellite link through a large and masasive dis antena with BST tower.The satellite link is controlled by PUNE satellite GATE WAY in Maharatra. So your cellphone behaves as if you are in Pune. So it makes it next to impossible to get connected to any phone in Arunachal Pradesh !

In Tuting there is beautiful newly built Buddhist temple. China border is visible. Some bunkers were under construction because Tuting falls in artillery range from Chinese military posts.A friend of mine took me to Gelling on his motorcycle.On return we walked for an hour to get to beautiful Shibi waterfall . This waterfall is very much tall and is a surprise to me.
In my next post I will descibe my five days walk to Singa villege.

Excellent Kaoushik, first time some information on Tuting/Gelling is being poured here. I am glued to this thread, plan to visit there in December.

From your writeup I am confused at one point, if I can take a car directly from Pasighat to Tuting or not? It seems you crossed Gandhi Bridge in Yingkiong by foot and get a cab from other end of Siang.

Also turn for yingkiong comes between Along and Pasighat, so from which place the diversion is closer?

What's the story of ILP? From where you get your ILP issued and what all places mentioned there?

Do they allow people to go upto Gelling as I read that's the border district and mcmohan line is disputed in the region. If they allow, is there a motorable road from Tuting to Gelling?

Hi ,
If you drive from Pasighat to Tuting you need not go to Yingkiong town .There is a motorable bridge just before you bifurcate for Yingkiong town.
Your ILP for Tuting and Singa is OK for Gelling too. There is nothing much to see in Gelling except Indian soldiers ! Of couse for the beautiful water fall you do not need to go up to Gelling. I was not asked for ILP at any point during my entire trip !
I mostly get ILP from Delhi which takes just few minutes. It is also easy to get from Mohanbari near Dibrugarh.But Mohanbari office observes lot lot holidays.So first confirm if it is open !

There is also Sumo service between Yingkiong and Along.I think the route seperates after 90 kms drive from Yingkiong. If you wish to enjoy real beauty of nature you need to go to Singa from Tuting.

I suggest you to stay overnight in Yingkiong to get fuel and fresh fruits for further journey.Tuting is a very small villege and people are truely friendly. You can not get fuel for your car there. However beer bottles are freely available and highly valued to make friendship !

Great, now geography is little clearer. I heard there are series of cataract falls in Bishing which needs to be trekked from Gelling, Have you gone to Bishing? For Shibi, I understand it's between Tuting and Gelling and the walk starts before reaching Gelling, am I correct?

Have you visited or heard about Dampo Tso or Kapangla Pass while being there?

The trek you mentioned, is it Tuting --Nyukong -- Tashigaon - Singha? Does this take 6 days one way or go and return to Tuting? Have you ended your trek at Singha or gone upto Shibrang, Tsitapuri? I heard its amazingly beautiful, have you taken some snaps? If possible please upload and share the URL.

Where are the fuel stations enroute? How much is the distance and approx travel time assuming a moderate road condition between Pasighat-Yingkiong, Along -Yingkiong and Yingkiong-Tuting?

I am looking for the next part of your trip report and need tips from you to put up my plan for Dibrugarh - Along - Mechuka - Along - Yingkiong- Tuting - Yingkiong- Pasighat - Dibrugarh or the reverse way. So either from Along or Pasighat, I can comfortably reach Tuting by staying a night at Yingkiong, isn't it? Anything to see in Yingkiong?

How good December is for this circuit?

Sorry for so many questions at one go but believe me I haven't found anyone till date who visited this region, all (or I can say 99%) understand Arunachal means Bomdila-Dirang-Tawang only, it's unfortunate one of the most scenic state is so much hidden from public eye but it's good as well, don't want these places to become another Tawang.

Thanks for this awesome thread!!

Wonderful thread and posts, Kaoushik.

Thanks for sharing your Tuting, Gelling & Singa trip experience. Hope to go there some day. Will track of this thread from now.
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Yes November to Feb. is good time to visit these places, particularly as you wish to drive in your car.For track from Tuting to Singa could be better in August and September.It took me five days to reach Singa though some local people make it in four days.I had company of two school girls from Adi tribe who were returning to their home in Singa for a vacation.I knew them from when they were kids and had prearranged my track accordingly.
Though I am stricly vegetarian , I could easily manage rice , Dal and bannanas throughout.For meat eaters you have a variety of choices on the way !
Yes I have heard of the pass and the local tribes used to go there to get rock salt from the other side.This is a border area and it is better to keep safe distance !
Pasighat to Yingkiong takes about eight hours and almost the same time from Yingkiong to Tuting.Tuting to Gelling takes about 70 minutes.

If you have your own transport , I suggest you to take the route Guwahati>Tezpur>North Lakhimpur>Dhemaji>Shilapathar> Along and onwards.The highway is freshly carpeted and I have recently travelled through it.
It seems that you like to travel by personal car and in that case I wish to suggest a better circuit.Just go to Seppa in east Kameng district and make your base there.Then you can enjoy day visit to the following places .
(1) Chayang Tajo ( 85 kms, four hours)
(2) Bameng (55 kms, two hours)
(3)Riloh (85 kms, four hours)
(4) Pakke-Kessang ( mostly on foot)
(5)Sewa (on foot from Chayang Tajo)
(6) Seijosa ( from Assam)
Yes I have pictures and video footages from high defination camera.I first need to figure out as to how to post them.I am happy to share with anyone through e-mail if I am requested for that.
Regards ,
Kaushik

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Kaushik, thanks for the wonderful reply, it is extremely informative and helpful. I had a thought of East Kameng as well, but didn't have much idea how to go about it.

Now say if I want to visit East Kameng, the places you mentioned how many days I should keep in hand? Also isn't the area around Seijosa is disturbed?

If I go by a car, starting from Guwahati, covering East Kameng and then tracing through Itanagar, Ziro, Daporizo, Aalong, Yinkiong, Tuting, back to Yingkiong, Pasighat and Dibrugarh, how many days you suggest me to start with? I would add Aalong - Mechuka back and Tuting - Singha with that estimate and then plan the whole thing.

So Tuting - Singha if oneway it takes 5 days, I have to spend 10 days there itself at minimum to cover. Also interested to know how Adi girls prearranged the trip for you, was all the stays are homestay kind or some tourist accommodation (even if very basic) available enroute.

Also want to know why you say the specific trek Tuting-Singha is better in Aug/Sep when Arunachal is completely under vigorous Monsoon, is this region in rainshadow? or you mean Dec would be too cold and negotiating snow is required in the track? I know many of my questions would automatically be answered when you post the next part of report but can't wait actually.

On snaps, please do send me some link/ snaps in kshil@yahoo.com and look from this post onwards, 4/5 posts, you would get an idea how to upload snaps in report. I had the same problem and it was resolved discussing in the mentioned thread. Video Sharing I am not sure if possible or not, let's Theyyam answer that, I am sure if atleast one MOD is watching this thread that's Theyyam, the hardcore North East lover.

Now with your knowledge and information, I have a hope, I can fulfill my long cherished dream of Arunachal this December.

@KS, still are you on with your plan on other North Eastern States, else how about this circuit in December

I am glad you are asking all the questions here; answers will help me too! I could combine Yingkiong-Tuting with my other NE-tour or wait for HVKumar to plan his Tuting drive and then go with him. Lets see how it all works out.

Are you planning Tuting in December?
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Alas, when KS and I went to that region in 2009, we ran out of time, so all we could do was to look at the bridge near Panking and rue our bad luck that we could not go to Tuting (which was in our original itinerary).

Let me share some road info here:
- From Pasighat to Panking village is 80 kms via Ranaghat, Ringin & Yambung.
- 5 kms beyond Panking vllage, you turn right, cross the Siang River and go towards Tuting, whereas the road straight leads you to Along (30 kms). It is 275 kms to Tuting from this point (the Panking bridge).
- I heard that there is a petrol pump at Yingkiong. However, it is better to tank up at Pasighat and carry some reserve fuel with you to avoid stock-outs.
- I believe Yingkiong is a major taxi change intersection.

Yes, KS, we should try to go to Tuting and Mechuka this winter!

Yes lets try and do that .... if Winter-2011 can easily prefix/suffix with this HERE

PS: was looking at Tuting and YingKiong on Google Earth and the area seems to be in Hi-Res Image! There is even an Airport-Runaway in Tuting! Perhaps an Army base like Kibuthu?
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Hi ,

If you are interested to travel Arunachal and as you are also based in Mumbai , I will let you know about my next visit...in case if you like to travel with me. The fact of the matter is that because of family restriction all my long distance programmes are always uncertain.I keep with me satellite phone , not for my safety but just to stay in touch with my ailing parents ! Now a days it is becoming more complicated to issue permit to use sat phone because of militant activities.There are ver few countries like India where you need permit to use sat phone ! I learnt from your thread that ILP is now not required for Nagaland and Manipur.I look forward to visit some places in Nagaland.
Regards,
Kaushik

It is just a Helipad for Cheetah helicopter and Pawanhans services.

Yes I will send you pictures next week because I need to serch it from many CDs !
Monsoon could be a disturbing factor for motorable roads but not to foot track. In winter nights could be sever enroute to Singa.You can get bedsheet and shelter during night stay for a small amount.
I have been visiting northeast for over 15 years and know several tribal families in lower Dibang valley and Lohit districts.Also do some charity work for schools there.
I will send interesting pictures of BASTI.(tribal settelement).
It will be a very long trip if you want to cover so many places. For east Kameng a week long stay is enough. I have never found any threat in Arunachal from any insergent groups. There was only one incident in Seijosa few months back.
My major interest includes study of wild life and Indian Arts and Culture.Last year April I tried to reach to Hunli enroute to Anini(for taking pictures of Hunli cave temple) but the road from Roing remained closed for long days and after spending a week in Roing and surrounding area I had to return home . Perhaps I may try again in August or September this year.
Regards,
Kaushik

Kshil I have sent you pictures through e-mail.If you wish you can share it on this forum

@Kaoushik, please let me know your next visit in NE, if it's around winter, I am very keen to travel with you.

I have received the snaps, they are gorgeous, but didn't find the Shibi waterfall. I would upload them here, let me see when I can do that, actually planning to go for a short sikkim trip next week. But certainly I would upload them in IM for all IMers and many would realize Arunachal is much more than Tawang.

@KS, yes I am very much inclined for a Mechuka and Tuting trip this winter, preferably in December. Please let me know if you have any plan on this side, It would be a great idea if HVK also plans the same region during same time.

Hope this great thread would go on