10 Days Best of Arunachal with Kaziranga and Shillong

Highlights

Itinerary

•   Day 1

  Arrive in Guwahati and Proceed to Shillong

  You arrive in Assam’s capital city, Guwahati and on arrival, you leave for Shillong in Meghalaya. It is 130 kms away and it takes about 3 hours to reach.

  Enroute, you can stop at the Umiam Lake. On arrival in Shillong, if time permits, visit the Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians, and the Ward’s Lake. In the evening, you can take a walk around Police Bazaar engaging in some shopping.

•   Day 2

  Day Excursion to Cherrapunji

  Drive to Cherrapunji, the wettest place on earth, making for a very memorable trip. Enroute, you can visit the famous Elephant Falls and the Shillong Peak - the observation tower on top of the peak offers great views of Shillong City.

  Later, you travel to Sohra, and make a stop at the Duwan Sing Syiem View Point and catch the captivating views of the hills around. Later, you reach Cherrapunji and see the dazzling Seven Sisters Waterfalls and the Nohkalikai Falls.

  After which you head to the limestone cave, the Mawsmai Cave. This cave is a great wonder, naturally formed and mesmerizingly beautiful. After lunch at Cherrapunji, visit the Thangkharang Park. After an exciting excursion, you head back to Shillong.

•   Day 3

  Shillong to Bhalukpong

  You now head to Bhalukpong. It is about 350 kms away and it takes about 7 hours to reach here. This is a town that is located on the Assam - Arunachal Pradesh border and after your travel, you check in and stay the night in Bhalukpong.

•   Day 4

  Bhalukpong to Dirang

  You head to Dirang (4910 ft - 185 kms - 7 hours). Enroute, you visit the Orchid Research Centre, Tipi and see a variety of orchids here.

  Arunachal Pradesh is also known as an ‘Orchid Paradise’ as you can find a range of orchid varieties here. The Orchidarium at the Research Centre in Tipi is home to over 500 varieties of orchids. This Research Centre is run by the SFRI - State Forest Research Institute, Arunachal Pradesh.

•   Day 5

  Dirang to Tawang

  You now head to discover another hidden gem in Arunachal Pradesh - The Tawang Valley (10,000 ft). The drive takes about 6 hours and it is about 155 kms away from Dirang.

  Enroute, you also pass by the beautiful Dirang Valley that is well-known for many Buddhist monasteries, hot springs, rolling Kiwi and Apple gardens, sheep breeding farms and of course scenic valleys.

  As you travel to Tawang, you will see the Sella Pass (13700 ft), the Jaswant Garh War Memorial and the Jung Waterfalls. You stay overnight in Tawang.

•   Day 6

  Day at Tawang

  The Tawang Monastery, built in the 17th century, is one of the most famous and the largest Buddhist monasteries in India. It is said to be second largest Buddhist monastery in the world. It stands at 10,000 ft amidst the mind-boggling Himalayan ranges and it overlooks the Tawang-Chu valley.

  The Urgelling Monastery is located just 3 kms away from Tawang. It is said to be the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama, born here in the 17th century. Later, you get to visit the War Memorial that is dedicated to the brave soldiers who fought the Sino-Indian War in 1962.

  In the evening, there is a light and sound show here. You stay overnight in Tawang.

•   Day 7

  Tawang - Bomdila

  You now leave Tawang and head to Bomdila. It stands at a height of 8000 ft (180 kms - 6 hours) Bomdila is a remote, small town sitting prettily amidst the Eastern Himalayan ranges. It is home to a couple of tourist attractions, Buddhists monasteries and scenic valleys.

•   Day 8

  Bomdila - Kaziranga

  You now leave Arunachal Pradesh, and head to Assam and you are taken to the Kaziranga National Park. You will reach here by evening and you stay the night here (270 kms - 4.5 hours).

•   Day 9

  Morning Elephant Ride and Central Zone Safari

  Early in the morning, you go on an elephant ride in the Central Range. After which, you go on a Central Zone Safari. For this, your entry point is Kohora. The Central Range extends up to the Daglang and Foliomari areas. After the safari, you can visit a local village and a tea garden (this is an outer view tour).

•   Day 10

  Proceed to Guwahati for departure

  From Kaziranga, you are taken to your last destination - Guwahati - the capital city of Assam. It is about 200 kms - 5 hours. ‘The light of the East’, Guwahati, sits on the banks of the Brahmaputra River. You may visit the famed Kamakhya Temple (One of the Shaktipeetha Temple) before departure (Time permitting).

Special Note for Arunachal Pradesh 

1. Arunachal Pradesh is very remote place, so all hotels in this region are basic to very very basic.
2. Road conditions from Bhalukpong to Tawang are not good.
3. Room heaters may not work in Arunachal Pradesh due to voltage fluctuations.
4. In this region there are no relevance between the distance and time travelling as it depends upon the conditions of roads and congestion of traffic.
5. Mobile services may not be active in all destinations. Pre-paid roaming and International roaming connection does not work in this region. We suggest carrying BSNL (GSM) connections.
6. Credit Cards / Traveller’s cheque are not freely accepted.

Inner Line Permit for entry to Arunachal Pradesh

To visit Arunachal Pradesh, Indian national requires Inner Line Permits. Permits are issued in Guwahati which takes 2-3 working days. (ILP office remains closed on Saturday-Sunday) 

Documents required for every traveler:

1. 2 passport size photographs of each person
2. 1 Valid Photo ID proof (Adhaar Card, Driving License, Voter ID Card, Valid Passport)(Pan Card is not accepted as ID proof by the authorities)
3. 1 Valid Address proof 

China Border

From Tawang a day visit to China Border is possible for Indian Nationals only but it is subject to permission.

It can be arranged at additional cost. The rate for the trip keeps varying and we will intimate to you during the your travel time

• Local vehicle will have to be hired to visit China Border and per vehicle cost will range from Rs.4,500/- - Rs.5,000/-
• The process of procuring permit to visit China border requires at least one of the guest members to visit the DC’s office the previous day for certain formalities.
• Permission is on the discretion of the officials.
• Sometimes there may be last moment cancellation even after getting permission as the region is a high security zone.
• DC’s office remains closed on Saturday & Sunday.

Health Advisory

• Enroute to Tawang, there is Sela Pass at 13,700 ft. The area has low oxygen and may cause High altitude sickness, nausea, shortness of breath etc.
• If guests have health problems like blood pressure, asthama, & heart related issue etc. kindly advise them to consult their doctors
• Kinldy carry appropriate medicines as they will not be available easily