Arunachal Pradesh, Part - 01

Arunachal Pradesh tour , Part - 01

Arunachal tour

India is a huge and diverse country. Its spread spans thousands of yojanas from north to south and from east to west. To the south is the vast Indian Ocean; from the east coast to the west coast are two more undulating seas, the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, and the majestic Himalayas that pervade the entire northern edge. Just as there are many hill states across the northern part of our country, there are eight more hill states along the entire northeastern Himalayas. These are the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim. The largest and most marginal state is Arunachal Pradesh.

The only two states in our country, Assam and Nagaland, are in the southern part of this state, which is located at the northern end of India. So to come to Arunachal from any part of our country you have to come through either Nagaland or Assam. Most of the tourists enter Arunachal Pradesh through Guwahati, the capital of Assam, or Tezpur, another famous big city in the state of Assam. The rest of the state is bordered on all three sides by international borders. Bhutan to the west, Burma to the east which is now known as Myanmar and the entire north is bordered by China. The British rulers of subjugated India identified this region of North East India as North East Frontier Agency or NEFA for the convenience of governing in 1912-13. Considering the importance of this region after the independence of the country, the government of independent India declared the NEFA region as a Union Territory only in 1972 and renamed the region as Arunachal Pradesh or the Land of the Rising Sun. Only on February 20, 1987, Arunachal Pradesh emerged as another state of our country.

According to the 2011 census, the population of this state of about eighty-four thousand square kilometers is only around 1.3 million eighty-three thousand. A mixed population can be noticed in this state lying in the palm of His Majesty's Himalayas. About 30 percent of the inhabitants of this peace-loving, non-violent state are Christians, 29 percent are Hindus, about 27 percent are believers in a religion called "Donyi Polo" who worship the moon and the sun, and are generally known as nature worshipers, and about 12 percent are Buddhist. In this context, let me say that Tawang Monastery, known as one of the centers of Mahayana Buddhism, is located in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, which is considered to be the second largest Buddhist monument in Asia and the largest Buddhist monument in India.

Itanagar is the capital of the state of Arunachal Pradesh. To reach Itanagar by rail, you have to take a train from Guwahati to Naharlagun in Arunachal Pradesh or Harmuti station in Assam and from there by bus or car. However, it is convenient to go to Itanagar by car from Guwahati by road. Itanagar can also be reached by air from Kolkata or Guwahati on an Air India flight at Lilabari Airport in North Lakhimpur, Assam. The distance from Lilabari Airport to Itanagar is only 56 km.

Where you will travel.

Arunachal Pradesh is a favorite destination of all tourists for its extraordinary natural beauty. For the convenience of tourism, the tourist destinations of Arunachal Pradesh have been divided into about 12 circuits. However, for the convenience of our discussion, I will discuss the most popular of them.

Tourists are more interested in visiting the places that are usually located from Guwahati to Tawang in the north via Tezpur. Tourists are also encouraged to take Bhalukpong and Zero on another circuit, but the circuit mentioned earlier is the most popular.

Government permit

If you are planning to visit Arunachal Pradesh, you should know that if you want to visit Arunachal Pradesh, you must first apply for a government permit or Inner Line Permit. Inner Line Permits or ILP are issued from Arunachal House in Delhi, Kolkata and Guwahati. For this you need to apply in the specific application form mentioning your complete travel schedule several months in advance. Currently you can also apply online. Foreign nationals will apply only in Delhi. Foreign nationals need a special permit from the Government of India, not an ILP.

My recommended itinerary

Since we will use the state of Assam to get to and from Arunachal Pradesh and my proposed circuit can be started from Guwahati, the capital of Assam or Tezpur, another big city of Assam, so first decide where you will start your journey. The city of Tezpur in Assam is well connected by rail and road to other parts of the state and also Tezpur is well connected to Kolkata and Guwahati by air. You can reach Tezpur directly by air or you can reach Guwahati, the capital of Assam, directly by air or rail from any part of the country and start your Arunachal tour by road from there. Another advantage of the latter is that if you have not been to Guwahati before, you can spend the day in Guwahati and after finishing all the sightseeing at Guwahati, you can start the next day. Since the famous Kaziranga National Park in Assam is almost in the middle of our journey from Guwahati to Arunachal Pradesh, you can spend the night at that famous forest and start the next day again if you wish. I have prepared the details by adding these two places in my itinerary. You can change the schedule at your convenience if you wish.

Day 01. Guwahati.

Arunachal tour

If you come by plane, try to reach Guwahati on the morning flight. And if you come by train, try to reach by the train that is reaching Guwahati in the morning. Arriving at the hotel, you can get ready and leave early. Our first destination this morning is the famous Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati. You can also go out of the hotel after taking your breakfast or after worshiping at the temple you can have your breakfast from the local shop. Remember this temple is very crowded. There are many separate lines for the visit, but it takes a little less time if you purchase a ticket for special darshan.  Anyway, let's go out to the temple with pujo and have your breakfast.  Now we will go to visit the Bhairab Umananda temple of Kamakhya mother. You can visit Umananda Temple first and then Kamakhya Temple. If you want to go to Umananda Bhairab Temple, you have to buy a ticket at the jetty, take a big boat, float over the Brahmaputra river and come down to Umananda Island. This journey is very pleasant. The island is also very beautiful and located on a hill. Return to Guwahati Jetty again after finishing the darshan and puja of Baba Umananda Bhairab. After lunch let's visit Basishtha Ashram and Temple. It is said that the abode and ashram of the ancient sage Basishtha was here. 

Arunachal tour

From here let's go to see the Balaji Temple. This magnificent temple complex has been built with a lot of space.  After spending time here, go back to the hotel. In the evening, you can walk around Guwahati market on foot or by auto on your own initiative. The capital city of Guwahati is very nice, lively and busy. I'm sure you'll love this city.

Day 02. Kaziranga National Park.

Arunachal tour

Eat breakfast very early in the morning and start your today’s journey. Today we will go to Kaziranga Forest, the famous national park of Assam. 

Arunachal tour

This park is famous for its one-horned rhinoceros. Every year thousands of tourists come here to see this rhino. 

Arunachal tour

Keep in mind that the park closes at the end of April roughly every year and reopens at the end of October. At that time the park is closed as it is the breeding season of the animals in the park. You can check the exact date and time of closing of the park from the park's website.

Arunachal tour

The road from Guwahati to Kaziranga is about two hundred kilometers. It will take less than five hours to go. Arrive at Kaziranga Hotel at noon and have a quick lunch. 

Arunachal tour

Then go for the jeep safari in the jungle to enjoy the afternoon safari. You must tell your hotel or your tour operator in advance so that they can make all the arrangements in advance in this regard.

Arunachal tour

Come back to the hotel in the evening and have an early meal and go to bed.

Day 03. Bhalukpong from Kaziranga.

Arunachal tour

You can get up very early today, wash your face and go out to enjoy the morning safari. It's fun to see rhinos on elephant back in the Kaziranga forest. If you want to do this safari, you must inform the hotel or your tour operator in advance. The demand for this safari is high and the number of elephants to be taken is less than that, so it may be difficult to arrange a ticket for the elephant safari if you have not booked it in advance. After the safari, return to the hotel, have a snack and leave early. Today we will go to Bhalukpong, our first town in Arunachal Pradesh.

Arunachal tour

Bhalukpong is about 120 km by road from Kaziranga, which can take less than two and a half hours to reach. Try to get out of Kaziranga between 9am and 9:30 am. 

Arunachal tour

On the way, cross the wide bridge over the river Brahmaputra and proceed  by enjoying  the beauties of the wonderful nature with both eyes. Arrive at Bhalukpong at noon, finish your lunch and go out on foot.

Arunachal tour

Bhalukpong is said to be the gateway to Arunachal Pradesh. The kingdom of the Bana kings described in the Mahabharata was spread over this vast region. The name of this place is Bhalukpong after the ancestor of the Bana king, King Bhaluka. Bhalukpong is a place of heavenly tranquility located on the banks of the river Kameng. 

Arunachal tour

You have to walk to this small hilly place. However, you must return to the hotel before evening. Here at night you can sometimes hear about the nuisance of wild animals. So it is better not to stay outside when it gets dark. 

Arunachal tour

You will want to come back again and again for the unspoiled environment of Bhalukpong and especially for the beauty of Kameng River. I can say for sure that the memory of this Bhalukpong tour will be bright in your mind for a long time. Go to bed early after dinner.

Day 04. Dirang from Bhalukpong.

Arunachal tour

Today we have to get out very early. Today we will go to Dirang, another very beautiful place in Arunachal Pradesh. The road from Bhalukpong to Dirang is about 150 km, but due to hilly road and since all the rest of our destination road after Bhalukpong is very bad, it will take a long time. Our journey today will therefore take about five and a half hours to reach. 

Arunachal tour

Let me say one more thing in this context. At a short distance from Bhalukpong, there is an army check post in front of an orchid centre on National Highway 13 at a place called Sesa. This checkpoint stops traffic at exactly nine o'clock every day and resumes at exactly two o'clock in the afternoon. So anyway, you have to cross this check post on the highway before nine o'clock in the morning. So don't be late to go out today. If necessary, go out with dry food, which you can eat while sitting in the car. Because if you get stuck at this checkpost, you have to stay stuck for five hours.

Arunachal tour

Today we will go out of Bhalukpong and see the Orchid Research Center first. About 65 km from here, on the left side of the road, there is a temple on the hill called “Nag Mandir”. This place is very popular with the locals. The location of the place is in a very beautiful environment. After seeing the Nag temple, proceed again. We will go to Dirang today after passing Bomdila, another important city of Arunachal Pradesh. On the way back we will stay overnight in Bomdila, but today we will go straight to Dirang. Dirang is a small picturesque town in Arunachal Pradesh. The river Kameng is flowing in the middle of the chest of this vibrant green shaded village. The name of this district is West Kameng. In fact this district of Arunachal pradesh has been named after this river. The Kameng River flows in a dense stream, fed by the icy waters of Gori Chen, the highest mountain in Arunachal Pradesh.

Arunachal tour

After reaching Dirang in the afternoon, you can walk around the local market. The people here are very nice, talkative and hospitable. It would be nice to take a little walk up and down the hill. Return to the hotel in the evening.

To be continue at the Arunachal Pradesh, Part - 02...................................................