Arunachal Pradesh - Assam - Meghalaya

Arunachal Pradesh - Assam - Meghalaya - 16 days Journey 

October 2017

Best Time to Visit: October (Fall season)

Total distance covered : ~1800 KM

Cab expenses (Innova): Rs.71,000

Hotel /Home-stay bookings: Rs.30000 

Flight bookings: Rs.28,000 for 2 people (Return journey Pune - Guwahati)

Travel Plan: We decided to visit Arunachal Pradesh, Assam amd Meghalaya given that we had 16 days in hand. We covered West and North Arunachal, Kaziranga in Assam and best of Meghalaya.
We had flight journey till Guwahati. From Guwahati airport ,we hired 'Innova'  for touring all 3 states as road is the only mode of transport in the North Eastern states. I booked the cab through Travel-o-earth website in advance and booked it from the airport to the airport. But it is always better to book the cab through the local cab operator if you want to get a better deal.

Note: For Arunachal Pradesh you need ILP (Inner Line Permit) which can be obtained online.Inner Line Permit (ILP) is an official travel document issued by the Government of India to allow inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected area for a limited period.So you cannot enter Arunachal unless you have done your ILP. I applied on http://www.arunachalilp.com/index.jsp for Group ILP and got it in a single day. If you don't want to do it online then you can  do it at Bhalukpong Checkpost. But this will consume extra time as you need to submit all the documents and wait for the approvals from the officers.Hence, I recommend to get ILP done online in advance. Thanks Arunachal Government for going Digital! We definitely saved a lot of time.

You also need to carry your identity proofs and the xerox copies with you all the time.

For BumLa Pass, you need to get the RAP(Restricted Area Permit). This is usually done by the tourist operator. If you are booking through tour operator, ensure that you verify this aspect explicitly so as to avoid last moment hassle.

Trip Members:

We were 5 members including my husband Sagar, my little munchkin Rishaan  (3.5 yrs) and in laws (MIL and FIL).

Itinerary:

12/10: Arrival at Guwahati, Bramhaputra river cruise in the evening. 

13/10: Stay in Nameri and visit to Jia Bhorali river.

14/10: Nameri to Dirang.

15/10: Dirang site-seeing and visit Sela Pass enrouting Tawang. 

16/10: Visit BumLa/PTSO lake/Madhuri lake (Tawang)

17/10: Visit Zemithang/Lumla (Tawang)

18/10: Tawang local site seeing.

19/10: Bomdila from Tawang.

20/10: Bomdila to Kaziranga National Park

21/10: Elephant and Jeep Safari at Kaziranga.

22/10: Kaziranga to Shillong.
23/10: Shillong local site-seeing.

24/10: Shillong to Cherrapunji and Cherrapunji site-seeing.

25/10: Cherrapunji to Mawlynong and Dawki.

26/10: Boating over Umngot river at Dawki and reach Guwahati in the evening.

27/10: Visit Maa Kamakhya temple, local shopping and departure

12/10: Arrival at Guwahati and river cruise in the evening. 

I was quite elated, but at the same time little anxious about the journey. Moments before the journey, several thoughts flooded my mind. Have I taken all the documents? Have I packed everything? So on and so forth. This time, I was more nervous as it was my first longest expedition to unexplored states and that too planned solely by me. So as a tour planner and guide, all RISK of success/failure belonged me :D

We had early morning Vistara flight from Pune-Delhi- Guwahati. We reached Guwahati airport around 1 PM. Air Vistara experience was enjoyable with yummy food options on the board.

We were, then, greeted by our driver Amir who was a young lad around 23 yrs old. He quickly placed our luggage in the cab and as decided, he drove us to the RBI Guest House for our stay. We were quite exhausted by the long journey which had started from our home at 2:30 AM and hence decided to relax post lunch.

At 4 PM, Amir booked tickets for the river cruise over the mighty Brahmaputra through Alfresco Grand. We had an exhilarating experience on the cruise. The perfect sunset set the right mood for some nostalgic songs. In no time, we were all enjoying a good round of songs and snacks. We thoroughly enjoyed an hour-long cruise and we forgot all about the day’s exhaustion.

Sunset view at Saraighat Bridge over mighty Brahmaputra, Guwahati

After having a good time on the cruise, we ended the day with a simple, home-cooked dinner at the Guest House.

13/10: Stay in at Nameri  and visit to Jia Bhorali river

It was 5 AM and I was woken up by the first ray of sunshine kissing my face. I felt refreshed from my inner soul… Oh.. This is so filmy :D On this perfect morning, we had an early breakfast and we left for Nameri at 8:30 AM. The NH37 highway was super smooth with the mighty Brahmaputra by our side. 

We reached Nameri and checked-in at Jia Bhorali Resort at 1:30 PM. We had booked two cottage rooms and after seeing those we were so delighted. The rooms were neat and clean, giving a jungle logging experience with bamboo furniture. And best part was that I got it in a few grands and was definitely a steal for that price. Further, the food was also fresh and yummilicious :)

Jia Bhorali Resort

Nameri National Park is just adjacent to this resort and is famous for it's bird sanctuary. So,if you have ample time, you can have a walk in the sanctuary or go for rafting in the Jia Bhorali. which is beautiful with its magnificent flow.We visited Jia Bhorali in the evening and had a nice peaceful time on it's bank.

Jia Bhorali river

Let me remind you that in NE India, the sun sets at 5 PM :). So if you are from Western part of India, it will take some time to get accustomed to it. :D

It started raining as the evening passed and we had good night sleep even with eerie sounding nocturnal insects and raindrops in the background. This was a perfect Jungle experience. :)

14/10: Nameri to Dirang

After having a nice breakfast we left for Dirang. On our way to Dirang, we visited Tipi Orchidarium. The road to Tawang was one of the riskiest yet one of the beautiful roads. Sometimes, you feel there are just no tar roads at all. BRO does good job but still there is lot of work to be done. However, when one sees an army fleet traveling regularly on such risky roads, one really feels proud of our Indian army.

Somewhere on way to Dirang

Landslides & JCBs, regular sighting in West Kameng

Finally, we reached Hotel Pemaling at 6 PM. It was all dark outside and was quite a long journey. Hotel Pemaling is the best one here having a nice valley view. I booked 2 Executive rooms here as all the standard rooms were sold out in June itself.

We had dinner in the room and then lazed after.

15/10: Dirang site-seeing and visit Sela Pass enrouting Tawang

We had breakfast at Pemaling and left for Tawang. Now, we were accustomed to the road conditions and were less panicky than the day before.

Enroute we visited the Apple - Kiwi Gardens, Dirang monastery and hot water springs.The Tenga valley was picturesque and we also visited Nag Mandir on the way. The view from top of this temple was breathtaking. Landscapes became more colorful thereafter along with a number of breathtaking and spectacular waterfalls in the background.

Tenga River

On the way, we also visited the Sela pass. It's one of the most beautiful passes at an altitude of 14,000 ft. It was not snowing and hence we could see the multicolored lakes. But it was quite windy and cold. BRO have multiple hoardings seeking fine of Rs.1000 for littering any garbage in the surroundings. :)

Sela Pass

Sela Pass

We devoured the hot and yummy Maggie at the only hotel at Sela Pass and then resumed for Tawang. The Maggie experience @14K ft is something we will remember forever :). Enroute we also visited the 'Jaswant Singh War Memorial' aka Jaswant Garh. This memorial is built in the memory of one of the bravest soldiers of our soil, Maha Vir Chakra recipient Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat who showed exemplary bravery during Indo China war. Story of his valour gave us goosebumps and filled our hearts with pride.

Jaswant Garh

In the evening hours, we visited the roaring Jang fall also known as 'Nuranang Falls'. It's an hydroelctric station too. I must say, the fall was quite gigantic and had tremendous force with river in the background. Bollywood movie 'Koyla' was shot here. Apparently SRK jumped from top of this fall :)

Jang Fall side view

At 6:30 PM, we checked into the Mon Paradise hotel. This hotel is good and has better food options too.

16/10: Visit BumLa/PTSO lake/Madhuri lake (Tawang)

Hoarding just after Nehru Market

Permits to BumLa pass were arranged the day before. We had a new driver (local driver) and we began our journey at 7 AM and took our first halt at the Y junction. We had some breakfast at the army canteen and then ascended to BumLa. There is absolutely no tar road to Bumla. It's just like you are driving on a rocky terrain. What Indian Army says is really true - What is a lifetime adventure for you, is a way of life for us!Hats Off to Indian Army and our soldiers!

There are plenty of colorful lakes by the drive to this pass which is 15,500 ft above sea level. It was quite cold and freezing when we reached at the top. The army men escorted us to the Indo-China border which had a beautiful stunning view .The weather was windy and chilly and low oxygen level made our stay even more challenging.

Way towards BumLa

Blue and Green lake on the way to BumLa

At BumLa, standing on the border, McMahon Line

China View, McMahon Line

In Arunachal, most of the army junctions welcome tourists by providing hot tea and water. Thanks Indian Army for such a warm gesture.

After visiting BumLa Pass, we decided to visit the Madhuri/Shungaster lake. It is one of the most beautiful, serene lakes with a picturesque view. This lake was formed by a flash flood after an earthquake in the year 1950 and is named as Madhuri since the shooting of Bollywood movie Koyla, starring Madhuri Dixit. It was a real wallpaper indeed. Truely spellbound!

Madhuri lake top view

If you are visiting Tawang, you cannot miss it :) Take my word for it, it's 365 degrees way too beautiful.

Madhuri lake front view

17/10: Visit Zemithang/Lumla (Tawang)

We started the journey to Zemithang at 6:30 AM and reached the Zemithang valley through the dense forest at 11:30 AM. Valley was verdant and beautiful with river Namchu gushing by. We, then visited the Gorsam Chorten followed by Tara devi statue at Lumla.

Zemithang Valley

Gorsem Chorten

Tara Devi statue, Lumla

The road to Zemithang is in much better condition to what we experienced a day before in BumLa. Our driver was a descent guy and he drove very nicely throughout our journey telling us some interesting folk tales. His story about a Dian (A man eater women) makes me giggle even now :D

We arrived at our hotel at 6 PM and we had a wonderful day spent. However, I wish I could say same about the food. Overall food enroute to Zemithang, was not worth mentioning at all. There were hardly any options, so we had to eat whatever we could get. We ended this day by having South Indian food at the Maa Hotel in Nehru market, Tawang, which was much of a respite.

18/10: Tawang local site seeing.

We reserved this day for local site-seeing. At 9 AM, we started from our hotel and visited the Tawang Monastery, Buddha Statue, War Memorial followed by some shopping in the Tawang market.

Tawang monastery

In the evening, we saw the laser show at the Tawang War Memorial. This is something not to miss. It reminds us of the Indo-China war and the great sacrifices by our 2000+ soldiers. Gives you good insight into war history.

In the evening, we relaxed and had dinner at the Mon Paradise. We were pretty sad to realize that our stay at beautiful Tawang had come to an end. We all loved every bit of it!

19/10: Reach Bomdila from Tawang.

We started at 7:30 AM for our return journey towards Bomdila. Jang fall was the first stop over. We were again astonished by the beauty of this fall.We spent around 1 hr at this fall and then descended towards Bomdila bypassing the beautiful valley.

Jang Fall

We reached the Bomdila Monastery at 4 PM. Monastery had such clean surroundings, artistically carved walls with vivid colors. It was a site to admire. Later, we checked in into the Monastery Guest House. It was a steal and value for money. The stay was value for money, and food was also homely. It was Laxmi Puja night, so we enjoyed, view of firecrackers in the dark night.

If you are in Bomdila, you should definitely stay here.

Way to the Monastery

Chanting monks at the Monastery

20/10: Reach Kaziranga National Park.

Our driver Amir had to depart to Tawang with other family due to some unavoidable circumstances and we got new driver Deepak who had little experience driving over hilly terrain and we weren't aware about it. The drive to Kaziranga was scary and eventful until we reached the Bhalukpong check post. We were literally terrified as there were multiple landslides already. 

Alas, as soon as we reached the checkpost we were relieved. As we entered Tezpur, the road hereafter was buttery-smooth. We reached Kaziranga at 1:30 PM and checked into Aranya Tourist Lodge. This was a lovely destination to stay and it was almost full. Advance booking is mandatory for this government property. We booked 2 lavish cottage rooms and were amused by naming convention followed for the rooms. Our's was Buffalo and Rhino :D I contacted the manager Anupam, who helped me right from the booking to our checkout from this hotel. He also helped us in booking the safaris.Thanks to him for this memorable stay.This was again a steal at the price we got the cottages. Only con about this lodge is that ,the food options are too less for you to choose from and hotel staff should work at improving it.

21/10: Elephant and Jeep Safari at Kaziranga.

Next morning, as per plan we did Elephant Safari at 6 AM and Jeep Safari in the afternoon at 2:30 PM. We thoroughly enjoyed the Jeep and the Elephant safari's although it was slightly drizzling. We spotted many one horned rhino's. Tour to Kaziranga was indeed successful one and I owe this share to manager Anupam without whom this wouldn't have been possible. He made sure that he was available for us all the time. Thank you so much Anupam!

 Cost for the Elephant Safari was RS.900/- per head and for Jeep safari as it was Rs.1600 for 4 of us. Usually, if you do both the safari's on the same day you can avail some discount. And I suggest you to go for both types of Safari as each has associated pros and cons.

Inside Kaziranga..

One horned Rhino..

22/10: Reach Shillong

NH37 to Shillong is simply outstanding. It will give you a feel as though you are on one of the better parts of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. We started at 10 AM from Kaziranga and reached Shillong at 6 PM. Shillong was foggy and immensely beautiful with Umiam lake adding charm. As it was Sunday, entire Shillong was closed and there was hardly any traffic on the road. We truly enjoyed the drive.Usually, Shillong suffers lot of traffic just like any metro city and the internal roads are too small to accommodate the growing traffic. But it is one of the nicest hill stations in India and is also known as the Scotland of the East. We stayed at the Kaizun Bed and Breakfast which is just a mile away from the Police Bazaar (main market place in Shillong). Kaizun was a good choice with commendable hospitality and cleanliness. Another value for money find.

23/10: Shillong local site-seeing.

At 8 AM we had nice breakfast at Kaizun and then we visited Shillong Peak, Don-Bosco museum,Ward's lake and Church till 3 PM and then had Lunch at 'The Dhaba'. We had yummy lunch at this hotel and then went for shopping at the Police Bazaar.

Elephant Falls, Shillong

At Wards lake, Shillong

We then left for our hotel and ordered food from the restaurant. After a sumptuous meal, we retired to our rooms.

24/10: Reach Cherrapunji and local site seeing.

At 8:30 AM, we embarked on our journey to Cherrapunji, also known as Sohra. On the way we did lot of local site seeing i.e Valley points,Wah kaba Falls,Seven Sisters Fall, Nohkalikai Falls followed by Mawsmai Cave. We couldn't view Nohkalikai Falls due to dense fog. Wah Kaba falls was brilliant and we enjoyed every moment spent. Mawsmai Caves was again a good tourist spot. My little kid completed the cave journey in no time :). 

Wah Kaba Falls, Sohra

Wah Kaba Falls, Sohra

Valley View, Sohra

Seven Sisters Fall, Sohra

The lesser known Arwah caves are considered to be much better than the Mawsmai caves. We missed these caves as we got to know of them later. We came to know this later and as we were short of time we couldn't visit them. Also there is double decker living route bridge. If you are keen to visit it you should have atleast one day reserved as it involves a lot of trekking. We skipped this as we were going to visit similar single living route bridge the next day.

Our resort Kutmadan was a find on the Bangladesh border having a spectacular view and we were very happy with the choice. So,if you are in Cherrapunji you should be here.This place is unbeatable. Staff too is very courteous.

In the evening, we had nice bonfire and soothing music played by some fellow travelers and yummy food.

25/10: Reach Dawki after visitng Mawlynong village

It was not easy to bid adieu to this wonderful Kutmadan resort. But as our plan we sallied forth our journey to the Mawlynong Village at 9 AM. We first visited the living root bridge at Riwai village which is just 2 kms from Mawlynong. It is simply gorgeous. We were stunned to see the bridge naturally formed out of roots of rubber trees. It's nature's creativity at it's BEST! No words can describe it. Simply astounding :)

Living Root Bridge, Riwai

At 1:30 PM, we reached the Mawlynong village which was awarded the title of the Asia's cleanest Village. The village is indeed clean and well maintained. There are bamboo dustbins all around and you cannot even see a single piece of paper or plastic lying anywhere. We had nice value for money  meal in this village and then left for Dawki.

At Mawlynong Village

At Mawlynong Village

At 4 PM, we reached Shnongpdeng village and checked into Manbha's Bamboo house (Halatong Toutist Stay). His bamboo house had two double beds with mosquito nets and small verandah with dining table. There were no lights in the village but Manbha had solar lamps in and outside the house. We had a unique village experience of the North East India and it was indeed memorable.

Evening we visited the Shnongdpeng bridge and the amazing greenish crystal clear Umngot river. This was the most beautiful, cleanest and pristine river of Incredible India I have ever visited. There is zero pollution. There is lot of awareness amongst people which lacks in rest of the country. 

Bridge over Umngot  river.

26/10: Boating over Dawki river and reach Guwahati in the evening.

Early morning we had nice walk across the river Dawki. At 10 AM, Manbha's friend took us for  a boat ride in the river which lasted for an hour. He charged as Rs.500 for this scenic ride which we felt as value for money. We could actually see the stones at the bottom and also the fishes. 

Boats in Umngot river

Clean pristine Umngot river

We were so overwhelmed that such rivers do exists in India.I would love to come here again and again!

At 11:30 AM, we descended towards Guwahati. We reached Vishwaratna Hotel, Guwahati at 6 PM. Again this hotel was a steal with the bucks I spent. We had dinner and rested in the hotel. 

27/10: Visit Maa Kamakhya temple and departure
At 6 AM we left for Kamakhya temple. We had got VIP passes for Rs.500 each. Even though we took passes, it took us around 1.5 hrs for darshan. This temple is one of the Shakti Peeths and is jam packed with the devotees all round the year.

The inside of the temple is very dark.TThe temple authorities should vouch for some cleanliness since this is a popular temple for the Hindus.This temple follows old rituals of sacrificing animals which is shocking tradition of superstitious India and I am against it!!. How can it be a place for the divine if you carry out such inhuman activities? The only saving grace is that the pandits allow you to sit there for a minute and have a peaceful darshan.

We quickly moved out of the crowd as we had little kiddo who found it little unbearable in the dark. We then reached our hotel at 9:30 PM and had breakfast. While we were having the breakfast we just spotted Kulbhushan Kharbanda :). While he was nearby, we couldn't stop staring at him :D.

After resting for a while, we went shopping in the Pan and the Fancy bazaar followed by the lunch. At 4 PM ,we departed for the airport.

Alas, the 16-days long tour had come to an end. We reached home at 5 AM after flying with Indigo. We had nostalgic memories of places we visited reminiscing with us forever.

Undoubtedly, the North East is one of the most unexplored and beautiful destinations in India. Right from Nature’s beauty to the warm friendly people, everything is just adorable in this part of the country. Every house in the surrounding is proof that the place is unimaginably clean.

Finally, not to miss :) Huge thanks to the Indian ARMY who entertain and help tourists like us. It's not easy to live a life without your family at such high altitudes and harsh conditions. They deserve a huge applause! Hats of to them and their service to the nation!

Driver contact details for this tour in case you need:
Mr. Amir Hussain,
Tour and Climb Adventure
Ph- 7637942923/8822248080
Email: amirhussain68914@gmail.com.

I recommend Amir as he has excellent driving skills in the Himalayan region. He usually tours all the NE states and is also dependable and friendly. We thoroughly enjoyed his company :).

Also, whenever you book a hotel through any site make sure you confirm booking with the hotel once. I booked two hotels through MMT and there was some issue with the payment even though I had paid in advance. 

That's all readers! Thanks for going through my lengthy blog :) And I would also like to thank Seema Gaurav for reviewing my blog.

For more photo's, you can follow @sagarbidkar/@saylibidkar on instagram.