trip for foreigners in Arunachal Pradesh

InIndiaagain

Hi Folks

In the second half of November we - two people from Europe are planning to make 16 days loop arround Arunachal Prades. Basically I know Indian reality since several other areas of India were visited by me in the past, but NE seems to be different and therefore I would like to ask you for a piece of advice. Please confirm the points below if I am right or not, and if not suggest something different:
1. Is RAP for Arunachal and is obtainable from Indian Embassy in my country and is valid for 1 month ???
2. Can I travel around Arunachal Prades in the group of two people without any authorized guide – independently – by trains, buses etc. ???
3. my idea for the itinerary: just to safe time and spend more time in the North I will start from Rangia near Guwahati by train and go directly to North Lakhimpur, then shared taxis or buses to Ziro, Daporijo, Along, Pasighat, Tezu, Dibrugarh, Majuli Island, Jorhat, Kaziranga NP and back to Guwahati. Is it feasible???? Is it a similar way of travel comparing to other areas of India???? What would be your idea to share my 16 days for the loop above???
4. Is it a good idea to skip Tawang since I am going to be in NE after the several day trip in Sikkim???
5. Please for more details (departure and arrival time and where to buy tickets) for the train Rangia – North Lakhimpur,

I really appreciate for your comments/suggestions and thank in advance

Inindiaagain

Mod note : I have deleted the other thread. Please donot multipost. It confuses other members about which thread to reply to.

Kocsma

HI I think there is some advice in the first thread on the Other Areas section.

sympara

hi
arunachal is a very beautifull place, full of indegenious tribes.. arunachal is situated in the border of China in west part.. this part is dominated by INDIAN Army... for foreign tourist this part is not allowed to travel without Guide... but i think other place is ok... bus servise in arunachal is very poor.. you can visit all places like majuli island ,, a beautifull place... if you very mush interested to see the tribes i think you should book a taxi for your tour... that will be good...because like tawang sectore share taxis are not many in Ziro-daporizo-along side



RAP is little expansive , per person USD 50 ...total will be USD 200+ processing charge( for one, two or Maximum four pax) and also you have to give some thing for proccesing charge...

nayan

Look at the following threads by theyyamdancer
Mechuka Madness

Archery contest in Bhalukpong; Bomdila Daze; Dirang Delightful

The Last Chicken in Tawang

theyyamdancer

Theoretically you can indeed obtain a Restricted Area Permit for Arunachal Pradesh in your country of residence at the same time as you apply for an Indian visa. But it is not guaranteed, which is why a lot of travellers use the services of a travel agent. That is what we did after giving the matter a deal of serious thought and many discussions online here. You are NOT obliged to go with a travel agent once you have that permit in your hands. You need to decide in advance your itinerary and more or less write down exactly the places and the order of travel so that your permit will have all of them in writing. Otherwise you would not be allowed to visit if the destination is not in writing. There are various "circuits" recognized for tourists - both nationals and foreigners - and they are changing all the time. We were lucky enough to go to Mechuka which has only been opened up to visitors since summer of last year (2008) and actually we were the foreign visitors numbers three and four - according to the check by officials who examined our passports - because that area close to China was totally off-limits.

You might like to also take a look at posts by Mike-in-Cairns, an Australian guy, who obtained his permit in Australia - for FREE - yes, you did read that correctly, and travelled around for a month on public transportation WITHOUT ANY TRAVEL AGENT. This is his Tawang trip report:

Tawang Valley trip report

The thing is, not to discourage you, that the roads are pretty awful. You would be much more comfortable in a jeep/SUV than a public bus. It depends on your budget and how keen you are.

The plus side is that this is a wonderful part of India, as yet wild, undiscovered, with delightful people.

To try to answer some of your questions then, THIRTY days are the maximum you will be allowed to visit.

Sikkim is similar but not the same as Tawang. Again it depends on you and your tastes. The monastery of Tawang is exquisite and if you have an interest in Buddhism it is a must. But the journey there is arduous (see my travellogues that Nayan recommended above).

I say write down all the possibilities to have them covered on the permit and then GO WITH THE FLOW. You may also see posts by KS Bluechip who visited Arunachal recently by car as well as posts by Piran who knows the area well.

Good luck.

Oh yes, and 16 days is very little for covering this area because the average speed is around 20 to 30 km an hour. The roads are sinuous mountain bends.

__________________
"Wandering seemed no more than the happiness of an anxious man." - Albert Camus

InIndiaagain

thank you very much for all of you. I am a little bit closer at the moment.
Greetings
lucek

sympara

lucek
arunachal is really a nice place.. the tribal people and their culture is very different than other... but for foreign tourist is little bit expansive.. for RAP and all...i dont think that RAP is Free .. when i was in Assam in 2007 ...i made RAP for my french friend whish was USD 200 from arunachal government.. without Travel agent it is almost impossible to make RAP for foreign National...

theyyamdancer

Sympara this is misinformation. All travel agents in Arunachal and Assam would like tourists to believe that what you are saying is true. The official website may even say so. But I know people who have obtained their Restricted Area Permit for free, namely Mike who I mentioned above and who is a member of IndiaMike. Please do not try to fool Lucek into parting with all his cash even before he arrives in India.

By the way, are you yourself a Travel Agent by any chance???

sympara

theyyamdance
i am not giving any misinformation to lucek... what i know just i say?? its depend on lucek ... but i know that Nobody (foreigner) Is allowed to enter Arunachal Pradesh without RAP .. and goverment of Arunachal have some Rate of the Permit..

i was in arunachal with my french artist for over 20 days in all places for our painting purpose.. he made RAP for USD200..
and we met some guys in the border who were not alowed to enter ,, because they have no permit.. if goverment say that they need USD 200 for the permit then i don;t belive that some one can obtaion RAP for free... i think you give totaly wrong information to lucek.. and i am a renowned painter lots of people know me.. i visit many many places for my painiting purpose.. i know that guy so i reccomend his name.. not force to ask him.. okay.. and don't give any mis information to tourist regarding Northeast region... you go and ask arunachal goverment for the RAP and the FEES...

theyyamdancer

Sympara,

Have you read my previous posts? The fact that you are a "renowned painter" is irrelevant.

I have travelled in Arunachal Pradesh. Have you?

I did not say that a Restricted Area Permit was not necessary; nor did I say that it was easy to obtain. I said that I knew someone - namely Mike-in-Cairns - of Australia, who has posted for a long while on IndiaMike, who obtained his RAP before entering India, at no cost, from Australia, when he applied for his Indian visa.

Believe whatever you want to believe.

sympara

theyyamdancer
if some one can obtain free permit.. then good for them...but i write from my knowlege...and i never met any one who obtain free pass.. may be some where but out of my knowledge..

theyyamdancer

Sympara,

The regulations about permits in Arunachal Pradesh change often. It used to be - and most likely was the case when you and your French artist friend travelled - that it was impossible to go without a group of 4 people who each had to pay fifty US dollars.

When the Indian Government decided to encourage tourism throughout the Seven Sisters they relaxed the regulations for Arunachal Pradesh to a group of 2, not necessarily a married couple, and allowed a choice of (1) obtaining an RAP through a recognized travel agent in Arunachal, at a fee of fifty dollars per person; or (2) requesting in advance via the appropriate Consulate at the time of the intended traveller's visa application for India.

I myself, after deliberating lengthily both here on IndiaMike and with Indian friends in Bangalore and in Kolkata, opted to go the way of the Travel Agent. We travelled with someone recommended by longtime India Mike Member, Jorge, and our RAPs came "free" included in the global price of the tour.

Whilst we were travelling I asked our guide if he could clarify all this for us because it is indeed very murky and hard to understand. We were told that if ever we wanted a permit in future it would be possible to get one for free.

So, I can only conclude that

(1) The Rules have changed; they also depend on which Indian Consulate you go to for your visa (and perhaps also on the mood of the official that particular day);

(2) If you know the right people, a permit can be arranged.

In conclusion, I am happy for the chance to discuss this again!

InIndiaagain

Dear Theyyamdancer

Could you send me the data of the travel agent which whom you have such good experience. If it is possible what was your itinerary. You can use me email mauritius@interia.eu

thank you in advance

theyyamdancer

Hello InIndiaagain,

You need look no further than my travellogue, already mentioned in this thread, where I have detailed my itinerary as well as the travel agent.

If you need any more help, let me know, I'll do my best to answer your queries.

InIndiaagain

thank you at the moment