India Travel
Central and East Arunachal in the Northeast
The picturesque hill station of Hapoli (formerly Ziro), 1780m above sea level on the Apatani plateau, is 150km north of Itanagar. Although riiere is little to see in the town itself, there’s lively activity in the market area. There arc several villages dotted around the plateau, some of which are within walking distance. Old Ziro is a scenic seven-kilometre walk from the centre of Hapoli, or you can take one of the half-hourly buses. Accommodation is available in Hapoli at the pleasant Arunachal Guest House, a couple of minutes above the main road behind the army barracks and administration offices; the Jumalkari on the main road; and the Hotel Blue Pine, at the Pai Gate turning on the edge of town on the right - the only place with hot showers, but 2km from the town centre. Tata Sumo services run to Itanagar, Daporijo, Along and Pasighat, and can be booked in advance with any of the agents on the main road.
To the north and east, Along and Pasighat, the district headquarters ofWest and East Siang respectively, offer trekking and angling and can be reached from Itanagar, North Lakhimpur, or from Dibrugarh via ferry to Giramghat. Accommodation in both is available at the local Circuit House. Pasighat also has a handful of private hotels and the option of a visit to the Dr D Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary, home to buffalo, tiger, deer and a variety of bird life.
In eastern Arunachal, the remote valleys of the Dibang and Lohit rivers, inhabited by tribes such as the Mishmis, descend from snow-covered passes through subtropical forests to the plains of the Brahmaputra. The sacred Hindu site of Parasuramkund, on the banks of the River Lohit, is mentioned in the Kalika Purana as the place where Parasuram washed away his act of matricide. Thousands of pilgrims make the arduous journey here on Makar Sankranti (mid-Jan), the most auspicious day of the year to take a dip as it’s said to wash away all negative karma accumulated in this lifetime. The nearest town, Tezu, acts as the gateway to the site, with accommodation available at the Circuit House and Inspection Bungalow. The nearest railhead is at Tinsukia, 120km to the southwest.
Namdapha National Park (Oct-April) is unique for its massive range of altitude (200—4500m). Close to the Myanmar border, it is home to tigers, leopards (clouded and snow), as well as red pandas. The park headquarters are at Miao, where a Tourist Lodge provides transport. Accommodation is also available at the Forest Inspection Bungalow. Buses to and from Miao pass through Margherita, 64km southwest, and Tinsukia, 40km further on. Tinsukia has three daily trains to Guwahati all via Dimapur (7hr) and Lumding (9-10hr 30min). From Dibrugarh, 47km beyond Tinsukia, daily flights serve Delhi and Guwahati with Sahara Airlines, and Calcutta (4 weekly) with Indian Airlines. Daily trains run to Guwahati including the #5960 Howrah Kamrup Express which terminates in Calcutta and the #4055 Brahmaputra Mail which goes to Delhi.
Related Properties from Gurgaon
Arunachal Pradesh in the Northeast
ARUNACHAL PRADESH, "the land of the dawn-lit mountains", is one of the last unspoilt wildernesses in India. In a state where almost every major river valley is home to a different tribe, Arunachal has a wealth of fascinating cultures and peoples, though much is still off limits for foreigners. There is a wealth of biodiversity too, with a dazzling array of flora and fauna, including more than five hundred species of orchids, in a habitat that combines glacial terrain, alpine meadows and subtropical rainforests. Despite its beauty, tourism in Arunachal Pradesh has been discouraged due to the extremely sensitive border with
West Arunachal in the Northeast
Bordered by Bhutan and Tibet, the isolated hills and valleys of western Arunachal climb to some of the remotest glaciers and peaks in the Himalayas. With the exceptions of Gori Chen (6858m) and Nyegi Kangsang (7047m), most of the 6000-metre-plus mountains remain completely unknown. The solitary road serving the region runs from Tezpur in Assam to Tawang. ending bone-shakingly high in the mountains at one of Asia's largest monasteries. On the way you pass through the small friendly market town of Bomdila, set haphazardly on a steep hillside and home to three Tibetan monasteries, and Dirang, an ancient-looking fortress town
Dirang and beyond at the West Arunachal in the Northeast
Ninety minutes beyond Bomdila and halfway to the Sela Pass lies the ancient fortress of Dirang. Although most of the original fort lies in ruins, the village itself is worth checking out and there's a five-hundred-year-old gompa above the village. New Dirang is 5km further on. The only accommodation consists of the brand-new Hotel Pemaling, with attached bathrooms, hot showers and a restaurant, and the adjacent Tourist Lodge, halfway between the gompa and the new town, and with great views over the latter. Soon after crossing the Sela Pass, you reach the Jaswant Singh Memorial, where buses and Sumos make
Practicalities to the west Arunachal in the Northeast
Independent travellers should register at the foreigners' registration office, above and behind the state bus stand. Arunachal State Transport run buses to Bomdila and there are also private buses, but the daily Tata Sumo services arc by far the best mode of transport if you're willing to pay the extra rupees. Book in advance from ticket agents in the bus stand square. The few restaurants in town offer basic Tibetan food - momos (meat or veg dumplings), thukpa (thick noodle soup) - and simple Indian dishes- The Masaang Norling restaurant opposite the Masaang hotel bakes delicious Tibetan bread with home-churned butter
Upper Assam in the Northeast
Jorhat is the main centre for the region, with an airport and road connections, and acts as the gateway to Kaziranga, Nagaland and northern Arunachal Pradesh. Although not particularly attractive to tourists in itself, Jorhat makes a good base for exploring the unique Vaishnavite culture of Majuli, the largest river island in the world, and Sibsagar, former capital of the Ahoms and home to numerous tombs, temples and palaces.
Practicalities to the Arunachal in Northeast
The nearest airport 67km away at Lilabari in Assam is served by NEPC flights to and from Guwahati (2hr 20nun) and flights to, but not from, Dibrugarh (45min).There is also a thrice-weekly Pawan Hans helicopter service between Itanagar and Guwahati from Naharlagun just 10km away. Trains from Guwahati run as far as Harmuti, 33km away in Assam. Overnight buses (Blue Hill, Network.Taara etc) connect Itanagar with Guwahati (11hr), and Arunachal State Transport run an extensive but basic service throughout the state. As there's no bridge across the Upper Brahmaputra, services to Tinsukia, Jorhat and Dibrugarh go via Tezpur. Recently introduced
Bhalukpong of West Arunachal in the Northeast
The river Kameng, famed for its fighting mahseer fish, emerges from a deeply-forested valley at Bhalukpong. The Kameng Angling Association can help you pit your wits against the river life and can also arrange white-water rafting. All public transport services from Tezpur to Bomdila stop here for border formalities and refuelling. Accommodation is available at the Aama Yangri or just across the state border at the Assam Tourist Lodge. Tipi, seven kilometres north of Bhalukpong, has an orchidarium with five hundred different species of orchid. From here, the narrow highway winds up through dense and beautiful mountain forests to Bomdila,
Tezpur and around in the Northeast
Amid tea gardens and military cantonments on the north bank of the Brahmaputra, 181km northeast of Guwahati, the busy little town TEZPUR stands on the ancient site of Sonitpur (City of Blood). According to legend, this was the scene of a terrible battle involving Krishna himself, who journeyed here from Gujarat to rescue his grandson, imprisoned by the local ruler, King Asura, for secretly marrying the king's daughter. Despite opposition from Shiva, who Asura revered, Krishna won the day and the lovers were reunited. In more recent fighting, Tezpur was almost captured by the Chinese army as they swept down
Around Tezpur in the Northeast
Tezpur is an ideal base for a trip to the small, rarely visited wildlife sanctuary of Orang, 65km away. The Eco Camp at Potosali - a joint venture between the Forestry and Wildlife departments and the Assam Anglers - lies a few kilometres before the Arunachal border checkpoint on the Bhoroli river. They can arrange fishing trips to pit your wits and strength against the mighty niahseer, as well as jungle treks, rafting and visits to local villages. Accommodation is in double-bed tents with thatched covers and a four-bed dorm. Fishing trips can be booked through the Assam Angling Association
Tawang east from Bomdila in the Northeast
Another 180km east from Bomdila along mountainous switchback road, and cut off from the rest of Arunachal by a high ridge breached by the dramatic Sela Pass, the great Buddhist monastery of Tawang, the largest in India, dominates the land of the Monpas. Perched at around 3500m, it looks out onto a semicircle of peaks, snowcapped for much of the year, and seemingly close enough to touch. Tawang feels very much like the end-of-the-road place that it is and there are few luxuries to be enjoyed here. The monastery is a couple of kilometres beyond the town. It was established in
Itanagar northeast of Guwahati in Northeast
The town of ITANAGAR, just under 400km northeast of Guwahati, has been developed as the capital of Arunachal Pradesh largely because of its convenient location near the road and rail arteries alongside the Brahmaputra, but holds little to interest visitors. Surrounded by densely forested hills, the town itself is little more than a four-kilometre stretch of road running between Zero Point, where the two top-range hotels are located, and Ganga Market, the main bazaar area where you can find cheaper accommodation around the bus stand. The small Tibetan Buddhist temple consecrated by the Dalai Lama reflects the extensive Tibetan influence
Details of The Northeast
Certainly the least explored and arguably the most beautiful region of India, the NORTHEAST, connected to the rest of India by a very narrow stretch of land between Bhutan and Bangladesh, has long been all but sealed from the outside world. Arunachal Pradesh shares an extremely sensitive northern border with Chinese-occupied Tibet and together with Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram, a 1600-kilometre border with Myanmar. Insurgency has plagued the region since Independence, with tribal groups pushing for various degrees of autonomy and independence as well as fighting each other. A huge influx of Bengalis into the region and consequent displacement of
Rupa and beyond at West Arunachal in the Northeast
The small picturesque settlement of RUPA, 17km below Bomdila, is the centre of the Sherdukpen people who occupy the hills that stretch all the way to Bhutan. They practise a mixture of Tibetan Buddhism and-animism, and their two main annual festivals reflect this duality. Rupa has an attractive Tibetan gompa and a colourful riverside lhakang (chapel) a little further up the valley. A small roadside Guru Rinpoche cave graces the entrance to the town. Places to stay include the Arohee and the Sawme. Views of Bomdila way up on the ridge can be enjoyed from various vantage points around Rupa. Another
Practicalities of West Arunachal in the Northeast
There are just two routes out of Bomdila: onward and upward towards Tawang, and back down towards the Assamese border. State buses run from the bus station in the lower part of town to Tezpur (1 daily; 7-8hr) and Tawang (3 weekly; 8hr). Private buses run by Akama depart from outside Himalayan Holidays for Tezpur (1 daily; 6-7hr).Tata Sumos are the best way to negotiate these steep switchback roads and are quicker, more comfortable, though more expensive. Daily services run to Tezpur, via Rupa and Tawang. The majority of the hotels arc in the middle part of town, near the main
Kanpur and around in the Central UP
The teeming metropolis of KANPUR, 438km east of Delhi and 190km west of Allahabad, is among the most polluted cities in the world, and most visitors are there solely for business. Kanpur has been a textile-manufacturing centre since its cotton mills were established in 1869, and together with its twin city, Lucknow, 76km northeast, it dominates the industrial heartland of Uttar Pradesh. Unlike other points along the Ganges, the riverside is of little significance; its ghats are run down, and only those at Bithur, 20km upstream, are worth exploring.
State tourist offices in Calcutta
The most useful of the many tourist offices representing other states in Calcutta are those that cover trie northeastern states, and issue whichever permits may be necessary (details of permit requirements can be found on p.1043), and that of the Andaman and Nicobar islands. Andaman and Nicobar, 3A Auckland Place; Arunachal Pradesh, 41B Chowringhee Place; Assam, 8 Russell St; Manipur, 26 Rowland Rd; Meghalaya, 9 Russell St; Mizoram, 24 Old Ballygunge Rd; Nagaland, 11 Shakespeare Sarani; Orissa, 41 Lenin Sarani; Sikkim, 5/2 Russell St;
Bomdila of West Arunachal in the Northeast
Bomdila is a picturesque and peaceful town (2530m) set amidst apple orchards on a spur of the Thagla Ridge, the dividing line between rainforests to the south and subalpine valleys to the north. Bomdila's three Tibetan Buddhist monasteries reflect the origins and culture of the local people and its proximity to Tibet. The largest of these, a Gelugpa gompa high above the town, was inaugurated by the Dalai Lama in October 1997. The caretaker monk will show you round. A small suite of rooms make up the Dalai Lama's private residential quarters. The rooftop offers superb views of the town and
Nagaland on the with Myanmar in the Northeast
On the border with Myanmar, south of Arunachal Pradesh and east of Assam, NAGALAND is physically and conceptually at the very extremity of the subcontinent. Many of its hills and valleys, home to the fiercely independent Nagas, were uncharted until recently, and the eastern regions remain far beyond the reach of the skeletal road network, despite the fact that the forested' mountains rarely exceed 3000m in height. Today this remains the most politically sensitive of the northeastern hill states. The two factions of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) are locked in battle for independence against the Indian army
Guwahati and around in the Northeast
Once known as Pragjyotishpura (Light of the East), the most striking feature of GUWAHATI (or Gauhati), the capital of Assam, is the Brahmaputra, whose swollen sandy channel is so wide that the far shore is often rendered invisible. Of its many atmospheric temples, Kamakhya and Navagraha both occupy commanding hilltop positions, while Umananda sits on a small island in the middle of the Brahmaputra. Guwahati's mam business, tea, is booming. The Assam Tea Auction Centre (Tues & Wed 9.30am-lpm & 2.30-6pm) in the outlying suburb of Dispur holds auctions of a scale that previously took place in Calcutta and London. The
Haridwar northeast of Delhi
At Haridwar - the Gates (dwar) of God (Han) - 214km northeast of Delhi, the River Ganges emerges from its final rapids past the Siwalik Hills to start the long siow journey across northern India to the Bay of Bengal. Stretching for roughly 3km along a narrow strip of land between the craggy wooded hills to the west and the river to the east, Haridwar is especially revered by Hindus, for whom the Har-ki-Pairi ghat (literally the "Footstep of God") marks the exact spot whore the river leaves the mountains. As you look north along the vast Doon Valley, the