Our 10 day trip to Arunachal Pradesh began with a flight from Delhi to Guwahati. We had planned to savour this trip, take it slow, with no more than 3-4 hours of travel on any given day. Our plan was to enjoy the scenic landscapes, the clouds, the cold & the conversations with the localites – to really absorb the place & immerse ourselves in an authentic northeastern experience.

Someone once said that the journey is all that makes a huge difference after all. ♥️♥️

Welcome to the second blogpost of Theme 5 of our ongoing travel campaign of 2023, ‘Rediscover India, Incredible India’, as part of which, we bring unique & magnificent places of India to you one blogpost at a time.

Theme 5 is Introducing the Land of the Rising Sun in India- Arunachal Pradesh.

Day Zero: Landing in Guwahati

Guwahati is a really good place to warm up to Northeast. It’s enough urbanised to give you all the comforts of a metropolitan and close enough to nature for you to enjoy a quiet walk by the river or a safari ride in the forest.

Whenever we land in Guwahati, we spend that day travelling to Pobitra wildlife sanctuary wherein you can spot one-horned rhino right from the road. 🙂

You can also visit Kamakhya devi temple, relish an Assamese thali, shop for souvenirs or eat momos. 😉

Day 1: From Guwahati to Nameri National Park & Forest reserve

Our first pitstop was Nameri, a Tiger Reserve that shares its boundary with Pakhui wildlife sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh. ♥️ This is one of those Tiger Reserves that doesn’t offer you a wildlife safari. Then, how do you explore the forest, you might wonder?!

On foot!

Yes ma’am. People explore the forest on foot. They are accompanied by a forest guide who carries a wooden stick in the name of a weapon. And then you leave everything to God hoping that you don’t encounter a wild beast head-on. If you still meet a Tiger on the way, say ‘Hello’, move on and hope for the best. 🤓🤓 However, if the Tiger you meet is hungry, frustrated & irritated (kind of like us humans), may God save you! 🤪

This is not fiction. It does happen. Our guide had spotted a Tiger 10 ft. from him near the pond in Nameri Reserve a couple of months back. Incidentally both the guide and the Tiger got scared and ran in opposite directions to escape each other.

By afternoon, we had reached our resort. We were staying in these cute, Bamboo cottages for the day that looked beautiful during the day but a bit uncomfortable at night. Why? Because they provide no sound proofing whatsoever. All voices/ noises are audible at night. I could hear the sounds of a wild animal (of the feline family, I think) just outside my window at night. Not a great feeling. But then, thank god I was so tired that I fell asleep soon. Earlier that day, we had gone for a walk nearby through the village roads, met cute dogs and spotted local (really petite) goats and hen. The long walk tired me & I went to sleep earlier than I had imagined.

Day 1: Nameri to Dirang

The next day, we woke up really early. We had a jungle walk planned in Nameri Tiger Reserve. The forest was located across the river. So first, you get on a boat, and then transform into a walking ‘offering’ for wild animals as you begin the jungle walk & tread through the thick foliage. 😜 Fortunately, we did not meet any Tigers. We did spot some beautiful ducks & birds that were happily dancing and chirping away.

I remember walking through the jungle that morning quite well. My brother and I were walking together quietly and took a conversation break every once in a while. He is better than me in so many things: writing, taking photographs, Yoga, mindfulness and what not?! In fact, both my sister and brother are better versions of mine. That morning, he was encouraging me to practice ‘mindfulness’ as we walked – encouraging me to listen to the sounds of forest, dried leaves, birds and air. I doubt if I was able to do that very well but I sure remember that morning like yesterday.

After breakfast and a lesson in ‘chai making’ to the kitchen staff of the resort 🤪🤪, I left for Dirang, Arunachal Pradesh.

Arriving in Dirang:

Situated at a distance of 35 kms. away from Bomdila, Dirang is a beautiful place that will fastrack your plans to meditate or go off-the-grid. Whether it’s the Yak research institute, hot water springs or the Dirang fort, Dirang is full of surprising tourist destinations all around.

To experience Dirang to its fullest, choose the best location for stay. We stayed in beautiful cottages by the riverside. They organised a little bonfire at night. Under the moon-lit & star-studded sky, with a background sound of a flowing river, we warmed our hands by the bonfire & went to bed happy.

Day 2: Sela Pass and Tawang ♥️♥️

Day 2 was super super exciting. I filled myself with yummy breakfast, took a walk by the river & started for Tawang. There were many attractions planned on the way, and I was super psyched to visit all of them including Sela Pass.

From cute cafes that sold bakery items to army canteens, we stopped everywhere on the way to have snacks, tea and coffee.

As we started picking up altitude, people in my cab began enjoying the surrounding mountains and became more and more excited. I, on the other hand, began realising how much I have taken my health for granted. I was losing consciousness and started feeling nauseous – the first of altitude sickness symptoms. By the time we reached Sela Pass at 13000+ ft., I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I had already missed a few beautiful temples & bridges on the way given my discomfort with altitude, and I was then going to miss Sela Pass too.

At Sela Pass, the temperature was minus 6 or minus 7 degrees celsius. I have never been anywhere colder than 3 degrees, I think. The maximum I have managed is 1-2 degrees nearby Pangong lake, Ladakh for a night. This wasn’t as forgiving as Ladakh. At that height, I was barely able to barely keep it together. How would I find the courage and energy to walk outside?

I tilted my head from inside the cab to scan the place: there was snow all around with occasional pop of colours in the form of Buddhist prayer flags at places. While I was layered up, there were people moving around in one or two jackets clicking pictures and posing. ♥️♥️ Perks of being healthy!

There’s something special thing about mountains. They heal you in inexplicable ways. Within 10 mins., I stepped out of our cab. I had started to feel better. The White of the omnipresent snow was soothing for my senses. Something inside me fixed itself so that I could enjoy the beauty of Sela Pass. The snow-clad peaks and the frozen lakes were so welcoming that I took a walk around & settled myself in a cafe that was run by an old aunty. The chai was normal but tasted heavenly in that place. Watching strangers gossiping and exchanging travel stories with them in that cafe made me forget altitude sickness as well as ‘weekday identity’. That is what mountains can do to you. ♥️♥️

By the time, we left Sela Pass, I had started to feel better. You know, mountains! ♥️

We were on our way to Tawang. But not before making a stop at one more spectacular place: Nuranang Falls (Jung Falls).

The popularity of the place is completely justified. The waterfall is indeed beautiful but what makes it special is – the landscape. If the waterfall is not enough for you, find yourself a nice spot by the riverside or go wash yourself in the brooks nearby. Yes, did I say the place was beautiful?

Well, I can’t say it enough.

I did not want to leave the falls. But our driver had, had enough, I guess. 😁😁😁 He told me that I needed to rest which is why we all must reach Tawang before it gets any more colder. I had started to get better by then which is why I listened to the cabbie and left for Tawang. I was going to visit one of the oldest monasteries in Asia: the Tawang monastery! It was making me so happy. ♥️

The next two days in Tawang were spectacular. It continuously rained and the temperature was below zero degrees celsius. The altitude sickness returned as quickly as it had left me at Sela Pass. By the time, we reached our hotel in Tawang, I could feel something weird happening in my stomach. If I didn’t get any better, my husband and brother would leave me in the hotel and carry on with the itinerary. If a height of 13,700 ft. at Sela Pass was doing this to me, what would happen at 15,200 ft. at Bumla Pass where the temperature was easily minus 10 degrees?!

Would I be able to manage that and bring myself back: alive & kicking?!

Let me tell you all about it in the next blogpost, next week. 🤓🤓🤓

Till then, keep travelling & be safe! ♥️