Journey to Bhalukpong-Bomdila-Tawang-Dirang during October,2011

Food, sight-seeing and shopping
Special foods : Tibetan cuisines including momo and thukpa and chhang. Sight-seeing : Bhalukpong - river Kameng, Tipi Orchidarium, (can visit nameri and Eagles nest and Pakhui sanctuaries). Bomdila - Craft centre, ethnographic Museum (beside the stadium), upper and lower monesteries, and RR hills (from here in the early morning Kangto and Gorichen peaks are visible). Dirang - hot spring, and the beautiful river side. (warning : do not went to look for the Yak Research Centre - which has no existence!) Tawang - Tawang monestery, war memorial, various markets, craft center and emporium ( those are closed on holidays), Anni gumphas ( one easily reached by road, another you have to trek down the odd angled hill path), Bumla pass (where you may set your foot in China), Takshang gumpha, Sangester Lake, PTso Lake and the numerous lakes on the way. Shopping - Tawang is the place for all your shopping. Mostly 'made in China' products are easily available here and the prices are not so much high as expected in high altitude remote towns.

Activities & things to do
Off-route from the known way, you can visit the Rupa village and Chilipom monestery - in between Bhalukpong and Bomdila - bifurcation from the Tenga valley. Here you are in the lands of the Indian Army. You are surrounded, protected, helped and controlled by them. Your movement and photography are so - highly censored !

Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc.
To visit these places in Arunachal, one requires to obtain ILP (Inner Line Permit), which is issued from (in Kolkata) Arunachal Bhawan, Salt Lake (opposite to Salt Lake Telephone Exchange).The authority insists for going there physically. In case of family or group, any one of the visitors may represent others. Do not forget to take original address proof and photocopy and two copies of passport photos for each one. They took 7 days to process the same and reach there after 2pm on the given date. Keep authorization letter from others to collect the ILP. Those who wants to proceed for Bumla Pass, from Tawang, requires a seperate permission from DC Office, Tawang - which is again to be endorsed by Army official at War Memorial, Tawang. These precess needs almost half days engagement . The DC office at Tawang remains closed on Saturday and Sunday (a very tourist un-friendly practice). We faced this trouble and found a sincere helping hand at Tawang Tourist Lodge. Alternatively one can approach the Army Brigade Head at Tawang for an exceptional permission to access to Bumla Pass. For entering Arunachal for Bomdila sector, the first check post is at Bhalukpong. There is an office who can issue ILP. So, we Indian citizens who land up there without prior ILP, do have a possible recourse if properly explained at the check post. This is what we were told, but no first hand idea how effective is this procedure. Our plan was to take a SUV for the trip from Tezpur, as drivers from this place are more conversant with east AP roads. So, we compared rates and finally struck deal at Rs. 2500/- (Scorpio-dry/day). Since fuel is difficult to measure at hills unlike 1 ltr./ 10 km., the car owner charged flat 150-170 ltr diesel for the whole trip. Due to very bad condition of road (blasting and road widening procedure was going on in those days), car charges are pretty high compared to plains, where per day dry charge is Rs. 1500/-. The distance we covered during our stay is around 900 km. (off course we stayed for 11 days and cover Sangetser Lake, Chilipom monestery, Anni gumpha etc.). Those who wish to have budget tour, should better avail daily Sumo service or bus service from Tezpur. Share sumo service is upto Tawang and fare is Rs. 650/-. If you wish to get down at some mid points - then for onward journey afterwards you have to book the seat in advance. The condition of public transport is pretty bad in this sector. Private accomodations in Bomdila, Dirang and Tawang costs higher compared to service and amenities. Govt. Tourist lodges are rather infra-structurally better, but maintenance wise quite poor. Cost is significantly lower.