Arunachal Pradesh: Tawang, Bomdila

beesakopie

Looks good. You should put up a travelog once you get back !

Cheers. Have a safe trip.

backpakker

Hi

We went for new years eve last year . So it was cold but stunning This is the route we took ..
Day 1 : Drive to Tezpur from Guwahati , stay overnight in Tezpur..
Day 2: Drive to to Dirang (prefer Dirang to Bomdila ) stay overnight
day 3 : Tawang
You will cross sella pass enroute to tawang
You need a permit to get there ..and its absolutely stunning to drive beyond tawang towards the China border.You will see several frozen lakes and glaciers there
Tawang inn is reasonable if you want to stay, but its very basic .
Warm clothing is a must . Tawang can be extremely cold as most hotels dont have electricity and heaters will be switched off
Ive written quite extensively in my post http://backpakker.blogspot.com/searc...%20Pradesh
Have a great trip

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sics66

Hi all.

I have completed my Bomdila-Tawang-Dirang-Bhalukpong trip and returned to Kolkata on 1st Jan.The weather was absolutely fantastic throughout the tour. Pretty cold but plenty of sunshine. You can have a peek at my pics here:http://picasaweb.google.com/sics66/Arunachal

The outline of the tour:
23rd Dec : Reached Guwahati Airport at 2.15 pm.Our Tata Sumo was waiting. Drove to Tezpur for overnight stay.

24th Dec : Tezpur to Bomdila. Visited Tipi Orchidarium on the way.Visited Upper Monastery at Bomdila in the afternoon.Overnight at Bomdila.

25th Dec. : Bomdila to Tawang. Sela Pass and Sela Lake on the way.Overnight at Tawang.

26th Dec. :Went to see P.T.Tso and Shungetser Tso(Madhuri Lake) from Tawang. Overnight at Tawang.

27th Dec : Local tour of Tawang including Tawang Monastery and WarMemorial. Overnight at Tawang.

28th Dec : Was scheduled to leave for Dirang.But a 12 hr Bandh upset our plans. Had to stay back at Tawang.

29th Dec. : Tawang to Dirang. Nuranang Falls ,Jaswantgarh and Sela Pass(again) on the way.Overnight at Dirang.

30th Dec : Drove 8km from Dirang to Sangti Valley(stunningly beautiful village).Visited the sheep breeding farm there.Drove off to Bhalukpong.Dirang Dzong(fort) on the way. Overnight at Bhalukpong.

31st Dec :Spent some time near the Jiyabhareli River at Bhalukpong.Took a stroll in the forest.Drove to Guwahati via Tezpur and Nagaon crosing the 3km long Kaliabhomora Bridge over Brahmaputra.Overnight at Guwahati.

1st Jan : Took the 11.40 filght to Kolkata.

Shiver me Timbers

Great pics of a fascinating place....I'd love to make it to Tawang some time.....

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chris123

We are from Mumbai and our tour to Bomdila/Sela Pass were as per below mentioned itinerary :

Logistics :

1. To access Bomdila/Arunachal Pradesh you have to obtain ILP (Inner Line Permit) from Guwahati DC Office located in Guwahati - Assam, then book a sumo or bus from Paltan Bazar (Guwahati) to Tejpur, (Bus fare to Tejpur from Guwahati is approx Rs 110/- with 4 hours journey) stay over night in Tejpur and leave for Bomdila by Sumo from ASTC Bus/Sumo Stand - Tejpur (Journey to Bomdila will be approx 6 hours uphill - Bomdila is at height of 10,000ft Altitude.

2. To access Sela pass/Tawang from Bomdila, you have to book a ASTC Sumo service from Bomdila Main Market area to take you to Sela Pass at an altitude of 13,700ft (Cost of sumo only to visit sela pass for whole day on reserved basis is approx Rs 2700/-) from Bomdila to Sela pass and back to Bomdila.

Captain_Neel

hi, what is tentative cost of hired sumo? Any other vehicle available other than sumo? Can a small vehicle, say, tata indica, if available, ply on these roads?
thanks.

sics66

Tata Sumo( ours was Tata Spacio Gold;same cost) will cost 1500/- per day for dry car(i.e excluding fuel). Yes,we did see a few Indicas plying on that route.But very few.We did not get to see many tourists.The only other vehicles carrying tourists were Scorpios.

theyyamdancer

Hi there,
Now that our planned trip to Sikkim is looking uncertain due to the ongoing strike in Darjeeling hills, I am looking even further afield to Tawang... it sounds enticing... a small slice of Tibet on the edge of India...

Only problem is the logisitics of it. I believe that permits for foreigners are available in Kolkata; is it true that it is possible to go through a Kolkata travel agent who would be able to plan Kolkata to Tezpur to Tawang (via Bomdila) for TWO people or is it too late to contemplate for mid-March at this stage? Anyone done this trip? I think independent travel is a no-no especially without lots of forward planning.

sics66

It is possible. But it will be better to go through a travel agent in Guwahati. If you are interested,I can give you the details of the travel agent(in Guwahati) who arranged for our transport and accommodation(as per my schedule). The Kolkata travel agent will probably contact a Guwahati travel agent and take away a "cut-money".

theyyamdancer

Thanks for your quick reply sics66. It is too soon for me to know what we are doing because everything hinges on the bandh in the Darjeeling hills. It may end tomorrow or it may intensify. Have to take each day as it comes. Unfortunately, travelling in the North-East needs a little planning. Fortunately, I should say. That is why it is rewarding. Anyhow, I will get back to you if we decide to go with the Arunachal Pradesh idea. I am not holding my breath about being able to get a Restricted Area Permit... but unless we get a permit the travel agent in Guwahati will not be needed. Unless, is it possible to get the RAP in Guwahati rather than in Kolkata? I am English and my husband is Greek if that makes any difference to the bureaucracy.

sics66

Probably not.http://www.arunachaltourism.com/entry.htm

flyingstars

I have stayed in Tawang for some while due to my job requirements and can contact me too for any details. You can also read here about this beautiful place of Tawang here...http://kalyansuman.blogspot.com/2007...-paradise.html. Thanks

ani rch

Hiiiiiiii every one
All of you are telling about Bomdila and tawang.But I think there is nothing much to see in Bomdila but you should spent atleast 1day in Bhalukpong.It is the gateway of arunachal.a very beaytyful place with a beautyful river.The view is awasome from there. Nearby jungle is also worth visiting.From Tawang if you are Indian then you should go for bumla border and sangeswar lake too.lake is a real beauty.

gurujim

From the arunachaltourism site:
" and application for RAP should be applied through Local approved tour approved tour operator."
Plus RAPs are available from the Govt. in Itanagar...so I suspect approved Guwahati operators can get it processed via Itanagar over a few days? Can any one confirm?

sreeharshar

I want to visit tawang and during the summer of 2008- May or June. Please advise me about the climate and permits.