India Tourism » Arunachal Pradesh Travel

ARUNACHAL PRADESH
Cloud kissed mountains, yellow mustard fields, dense forests and glistening rivers at every turn,Tawang, in Arunachal Pradesh is paradise found.

Driving to remote parts of arunachal Pradesh in the north east corner of India is a surreal experience. Colours change with every curve in the mountains along with the scenery. Bright yellow mustard fields merge with brilliant orchids that suddenly morph into dense forests with rivers gliding past them.

VALLEY OF CLOUDS:
If there is a heaven on earth, this is it. A Valley of clouds hid everything from mountain peaks to grasslands, flowers and birds, and touched our cheeks gently just as we got down to capturing it on our lens.

Dirang a small hill station in Arunachal Pradesh towards Tawang, set high in the Eastern Himalayas. The mountains curved steeply around as River Kameng flowed along with us. It had just snowed. All of a sudden, it was white all around with snow, ice and clouds. Snw clad mountains wrapped in clouds was all we could see till we came to a gate guarded by dragons with bright coloured flags fluttering all around, which opened to a glacier.

We were at Sela Pass, where history and romance meet at 13,700 feet. At the height of Indo-China war in the 1960s. Sela was a local maiden who had fallen in love with Jaswant Singh, an Indian soldier. She died a martyr and the pass was named after her and was marked as a boundary between India and China. Jaswant Garh, a memorial for the soldier is also close by.

We had no one for company except for a couple of dogs and a small tea shop that served us some hot tea and noodles. The cold breeze blew into our faces as we stopped and stared in at the placid clouds tugging at the mountains. A bright shaft of sunshine fell on us as we let the heat in and rubbed our frozen fingers for warmth. It was just us, the dogs and nature at its silent best.

Beyond Tawang
It is an understatement to say that Tawang was freezing cold. This is a town which sees the first rays of sun in India, but ironically the sun rarely ever shines here. The temperature was much below zero. We put on as many layers of clothing as possible and decided to move out of our room in the Tawang Inn.

Tawang which mean s chosen horse is full of magical monasteries and mystical gompas on one end and a war memorial on the other. Now a heady mix of religion, history and nature this town was ravaged during the Indo-China war. The monastery once belonging to the Mompa people who reigned in the Mon kingdom that stretches from Tawang right up to Sikkm, was founded in 17th century. Tawang is known for its lakes and waterfalls and we set out looking for them.

A thick layer of mist hung over the roads as we drove uphill. This is the road that goes to Tibet and China, but we did not have the requisite permits to get there. Our driver told us that there were more than a hundred lakes uphill and if the Army gave us permission, we would get there. A little cajoling later, we were trudging up in our jeep.

We kept climbing till we came to the first lake—the Patang Teng Tso or the P.T. Tso lake. It was just 20 km from Tawang seemed like a far journey. There was a soul around, not the occasional yak or mountain goat

Snow fell sporadically, carpeting a mounter here and there, while the lake remained frozen. There were several lakes, a mix water and ice; some with prayer flags fluttering around some dotted with a small temple. The colours were stark—blue, white, black and brown. I had never anything so majestic peaceful and beautiful. One wants to capture every image on one’s camera but a lot is still in one’s mind’s eyes.

Getting there
By Air: The closest airport is at Guwahati. Jet Airways has regular flights to Guwahati from across the country.
By Rail: The nearest railhead to Tawang is at Rangapara, Assam.
By Road: The best bet is to get to Tezpur, then drive to Bhalukpong in West Kameng district and from there to Dirang/Bomdila and Sela Pass and finally Tawang. It is advisable to break the journey and stay in Bomdila or Dirang en route to Tawang.

Accommodation
Government Tourist Lodges at reasonable rates are available at Bomdial and tawang. At Tawang, Hotel Buddha and Tawang Inn provide good accommodation and other facilities. Smaller hotels lodges are available at both the places.