Tawang valley Arunachal Pradesh

mikeincairns

Hi everyone....in Guwahati right now - tommorrow to Tezpur...then on to AP and Tawang. Can anyone answer these question about my travel plans...

1. Is there ATM or internet services between Tezpur and Tawang.
2. Any suggestions best place to break journey from Tezpur to Tawang. NAmes of hotels/guesthouses ?

By the way if looking for good hotel in Guwahati - Starline Hotel at Rs450 excellent value and very friendly.

santos_g15

Hi my lonely planet india says there is internet cafe name Monyul Cyber Cafe.
It also says there are about 20 lodging options in tawang- Tourist lodge,Hotel Gourichan,hotel dungphoo,tawang inn are some of ones mentioned.

Hope it helps.

cheers,
Santhosh
ps :there is no mention of atms which they normally do.ask the local ,the auto,taxi men they will know if one exists.

santos_g15

sorry mentioned hotels in tawang.whats your route.i will do a look up on lonely planet and tell .
one possible route is tezpur -dirang(rs 205,7 1/2 hrs in ).tawang-bomdila via dirang.dirang can be a breaking point.note tawang-bomdila buses run on alternate days only.

mikeincairns

Thanks a lot santos, I will look out for your suggestions, although I must say that I have the latest LP for NE India and it has been next to useless. Very out of date and little detail for Assam and Arunachal.
Thanks again for your reponse.

theyyamdancer

Mikeincairns, how is your trip in Arunachal so far? I found this link for hotels, might be useful, not sure:


http://arunachalpradesh.nic.in/tourism.htm


Click on "accommodation".

Looking forward to your trip report.

windrider24584

There are several ATM's and cybercafes in tezpur. En route I saw only one SBI ATM in Tenga Valley inside an army camp.Dont know whether it can be used by civillians/foreigners. Monyul Cyber Cafe is the only one I saw in entire Tawang as of October 2007. Though it is a dial up connection and pathetically slow. It is situated at near Nehru Market on 1st floor near Hotel NEFA. Another one I saw is in Rupa valley. Broadband/CD/DVD/Wifi these terms are unknown is unknown once you leave tezpur.

mikeincairns

Hi everyone from Tawang.
Just in case anyone else is interested, I have travelled from Tezpur to Tawang via Bomdila. 16 hours of bone crunching roads (?) squeezed like sardines into a Tata Sumo (jeep). Some time I will write a more thorough post but to answer my own questions -

1. No ATM after Tezpur. Bank of India in Tawang (but I didn't use it). Best advice is cash up before leaving Tezpur.

2. Apparently there is internet at Bomdila, but when I tried it didn't work, and there was a power problem and a phone problem (take your pick). Two internet cafes in Tawang - I think only one works. It is Monyul Cyber Cafe as suggested by windrider (thanks), where I am typing this. I can't complain about the slow speed; it;s amazing they actually have internet in Tawang. It is very remote !!

I don't think I can face the return jorney by jeep, so am now considering the helicopter (45 min) to Guwahati for Rs3000 (less than $100), despite what Lonely Planet say about their safety record.

If anyone (particulaly foriegners) want advice about Arunachal Pradesh I would be happy to take emails.

mikeincairns

Just one more thing on this topic. A brand new Internet cafe has opened in Tawang called Dofain Cyber Cafe. New computers and other services. Still only dial up but this is better than nothing ! Cost is Rs50 per hour.

AnanyaBinayak

Hi Mike,
We will be visiting Arunachal in first week of October. Our plan is to start the journey from Guwahati and break it at Bhalukpong for a day and break at Dirang next day and then to Tawang. We have booked ourselvs at Hotel Sela, do u have any idea about it?
We also want to take the return journey by Helicopter and then travel to Shillong. Please give ur feedback about the return journey.

Regards
Ananya

Yanas

Mike - does the heli goes everyday?and does it go to tezpur/itangar also?

AnanyaBinayak

It flies daily...it does not go to Tejpur but a service is there to Itanagar..

theyyamdancer

Hello, all of you intrepid Arunachal Pradesh travellers!

A question for anyone out there: has anybody taken the helicopter ride between other parts of AP, other than Tawang I mean. (For example, between towns in the Siang Province?) Or has anyone taken the helicopter from Dibrugarh in Assam to Pasighat in Siang Province of A.P.? I am still planning on the boat ride for that one, but I am curious as to whether the helicopter is functioning as it says on the official site. Thanks in advance for any advice.

Priyanka Chanda

hi...i am planning to visit arunachal (bomdila,tawang,bhalukpong-the few names i know...u cud suggest more please)....during the last week of september...could sumone plese help me plan the itenary...i dont want to stay in guwahati..will be going there from kolkata, n want to start right away for the destination..have around 5-6 days in hand...looking fwd to sum guidance...

Thanks

AnanyaBinayak

Hi Priyanka,
Arunachal has many interesting places to visit but most of them are far away. As you are planning to do your trip in 5-6 days, I will suggest you to enjoy the helicopter journey from Tawang to Gauhati on your way back. It will reduce 2 days of travel time. I assume that you will be flying to Gauhati and probably hire a car for your journey.
Suggested Itinerary can be:
Day 1: Kolkata - Guwahati by early morning flight and start for Bhalukpong, O\N at Bhalukpong
Day 2: Start early for Bomdila, do some sightseeing on your way and continue till Dirang, O\N at Dirang
Day 3: Local sightseeing at Dirang, O\N at Dirang
Day 4: Dirang to Tawang with enroute visit to Jong Falls, Jashwantgarh and Sela Lake
Day 5: Local sightseeing at Tawang
Day 6: Visit the lakes, Bumla (Indo-China Border)etc
Day 7: Tawang - Guwahati - Kolkata

Local sightseeing in Tawang and the lake visit can be combined in a day or you can skip the sightseeing at Dirang.

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@nanya

Antrek

Hello,

We are planning to visit Arunachal from Mid Dec. onwards for 2 weeks. Could you please help with the best possible itinerary and hotels. Could you please suggest a better route other than the following one. We 5 to 6 foreign travelers and 1 or 2 Indians.

Day 01 : Arrive Guwahati pre-noon. Receive at the airport and drive to Nameri National Park (220kms/5hrs). Evening enjoy a cultural program with bonfire before dinner. Overnight at the Eco-camp for 02 nights.

Day 02 : Early morning go for a nature trek into the park. Return to the camp for breakfast and then go for rafting into the Jia Bhoreli river. Return to the camp for lunch and afternoon trek around the nearby tribal villages of missing Community. Overnight at the camp.

Day 03 : After early breakfast drive to Ziro (230kms/6hrs) – entering Arunachal Pradesh in the Apatani plateau by afternoon. Overnight at the Circuit House / Hotel Blue Pine for 02 nights.

Day 04 : Full day at Ziro - visit the Apatani tribal village of Hong - Asia's largest tribal village. Visit other villages around Ziro in the afternoon. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 05 : Drive to Daporijo (170kms/7hrs) - en-toute interface with the Hill Miri and Tagin tribes. Reach Daporijo in the afternoon and stay overnight at the Circuit House / hotel kanchenjanga.

Day 06 : Drive to Along (160kms/6hrs) - to this Adi Gallong tribal belt. Stay overnight at Hotel Holiday Cottage or Hotel Aangam for 02 nights. Afternoon visit Adi Gallong tribal villages near Along.

Day 07: Full day at Along. Visit the tribal villages in and around Along. Overnight at Holiday Cottage or the hotel Aangam.

Day 08 : Drive to Pasighat (140kms/5hrs) - an Adi tribal belt. En-route interface with the villagers. Drive past the confluence of the Siang and Siyom rivers offering a scenic view. Overnight at Hotel Anne.

Day 09 : Today we cross the mighty Brahmaputra river by boat to Dibrugarh (5hrs) to enter Assam once again. Evening, option to visit a temple and the local market. Overnight at a Heritage Tea Garden Bungalow for 02 nights.

Day 10 : After breakfast go for a Tea Tour. Then drive on to Nam Phake village (60kms/2hrs). Visit the monastery. Afternoon, return to Dibrurgarh. En-route visit the Bells Temple time permitting. Overnight at the bungalow.
Day 11: After breakfast drive to Jorhat (140kms/4hrs). Enrote see the Aho Monuments at Sibsagar. Post lunch drive to Jorhat for overnight stay at a Heritage Tea Garden Bungalow for 02 nights.

Day 12: After early breakfast drive to the Neematighat (20kms) for ferry crossing to Majuli - (3hrs upstream boat cruise- the time depends upon the water level of the river) - the largest inhabited river island in the world and famous for the Vaishnavite Satras or monasteries and its culture. Return to the mainland by evening and overnight at the bungalow.

Day 13: After breakfast drive to Kaziranga National Park (100kms/3hrs). Check into the Wild Grass resort for lunch. Post lunch go for a game drive. Overnight at Landmark Woods or similar for 02 nights.

Day 14: Early morning go for an elephant safari. Post breakfast go for trekking into Panbari Range of the park. Post lunch go for a game drive to another range. Overnight at the Wild Grass resort.

Day 15: After breakfast drive to Guwahati (240kms/5hrs). Noon time arrive at Guwahati, take lunch here and transfer to the domestic airport (25 Kilometers) to board flight for Delhi. En-route visit Kamakhya Temple if time permitting.

Thank you in advance.

Naushad.



Moderator Note:

Your duplicate post in a similar thread concerning queries about Arunachal Pradesh has just been deleted.

Please do not post the same thing more than once. This is Multiple Posting and is against the Rules of IndiaMike. Thanks.

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Naushad

The wild places are where we began.
When they end, so do we.