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Tawang - Arunachal Pradesh

Discussion in 'North East India' started by Prateek Harshwal, Aug 16, 2015.

  1. Prateek Harshwal

    Prateek Harshwal New Member

    Hello
    I am planning to go Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh this December. I have multiple questions :

    1. Where do I get the permit to visit AP & what is the procedure? Is it difficult?
    2. What options are available to travel from Guwahati to Tawang?
    3. What would be an approximate cost of travel from Guwahati to Tawang?
    4. Any hotel suggestions in Tawang, for a couple?
    5. Any suggestions like what to do and where to go in Tawang?
    6. Will a 4 days stay enough?
    7. Is vegetarian food available there?
    8. It must be snowing in December there but I haven't heard of any avalanche/landslides in past years. How safe is it?
    9. Are there any precautions to keep in mind or stuff I must have visiting there?

    *Please suggest with your experience if any or some local contacts

    Regards
     


  2. Chahal

    Chahal ਜੱਟ ਕੀ ਤੇ ਘੱਟ ਕੀ Staff Member

    For visiting Tawang you would need an ILP (inner line permit) that all Indians are required to have who are not residents of Arunachal Pradesh. You can get one from one of the locations listed below :

    1 DELHI Resident Commissioner,
    Government of Arunachal Pradesh,
    Aruncahal Bhawan,
    Kautilya Marg, Chanakyapuri,
    New Delhi. 011 3013915
    3013956 3913786

    2 KOLKATA Deputy Residence Commissioner,
    Government of Arunachal Pradesh,
    CE-109, Sector-1, Salt Lake City,
    Kolkata, 033 3341243 3589865

    3 GUWAHATI Deputy Residence Commissioner,
    Government of Arunachal Pradesh,
    R.G. Baruah Road,
    Guwahati-781021 0361 452859 456720

    4 SHILLONG Liaison Officer,
    Government of Arunachal Pradesh,
    Shillong,
    MeghalayaPin-793001 0364 224247 .

    5 TEZPUR Liaison Officer,
    Government of Arunachal Pradesh,
    Parvati Nagar, Tezpur,
    Assam 03712 20241 .

    6 DIBRUGARH Liaison Officer,
    Government of Arunachal Pradesh,
    Mohanbari, Dibrugarh,
    Assam, 0373 82560
    20398 .

    7 LAKHIMPUR Liaison Officer,
    Government of Arunachal Pradesh,
    Lilabari, North Lakhimpur,
    Assam 03752 22186 .

    8 JORHAT Liaison Officer,
    Government of Arunachal Pradesh,
    Jorhat (Rowriah),
    Assam 0376 320724

    Issuing ILP is a routine exercise and is not difficult to obtain atall. ILPs are issued all the time and I have never heard anyone being refused yet.

    The easiest and quickest way to go from Guwahati to Tawang and back is by helicopters that are operated by Pawan Hans. A one way ticket costs Rs4000 for an adult and child tickets are Rs2500. These helicopters operate every day with an exception of Sundays.

    You can also take an APSRTC bus. These are the only buses that ply on that route. Total journey is almost 500Kms.

    You can also take a taxi from Guwahati to Tawang that would cost between Rs12000 to 18000 depending upon which car you want. This is the one way taxi price and it can be negotiated. It would be better to keep the taxi for the whole duration of your holiday to cover all the sigh seeing too and then be dropped back at Guwahati if you do decide to take the taxi option.


    I have included the price of each option in my above reply.


    It would be easier to recomend if you had mentioned the amount of money you would like to spend per night on accommodation. You can find a list of hotels in Tawang and see if you like any of those, the phone numbers are also listed there.


    There is a lot to see in Tawang and most importantly just being there is a treat in itself. Things that you should not miss are Jung falls, P T So lake, Madhuri lake, China border, Tawang Monastery and Tibetan Emporium. These are the places I can remember right now but there are plenty of others as well.

    Absolutely not. If you only have 4 days excluding the traveling time then dont go to Tawang. Helicopter tickets even if confirmed are not guaranteed, you could be waiting 3-4 days some times to get on one of those to get back to Guwahati from Tawang as armed forces and VIPs are given priorities.

    I would recommend at least a 10 days holiday at Tawang. It is not just the sight seeing alone but you should just stay there and go for long walks and enjoy the nature there. It is wonderful just being there even if there wasent anything to see or do.

    Vegetarian food is available at almost all food joints and hotels but you would have to let them know before hand. Road side eateries on the way to Tawang mostly do serve veg meals in what we call thali system so you dont have to worry about food.

    For non vegetarian people who cannot live without chicken it would be a bit of trouble finding chicken dishes as they mostly serve pork and beef.

    Landslides and cloudbursts are a problem at any hill station not just Tawang. Lots of people go to Tawang during that time of the year but most pick summers. Roads have improved a lot over the years especially with a lot of stretch being converted into two lanes now as opposed to single lane which was a huge risk.

    Nothing much different then going to Manali or other hill stations. Take warm clothes and make sure you are not on a tight schedule for your travel back home from Guwahati. Stay a day or two at Guwahati on your way back to make up for the delays if there are any.
     


  3. ChaiNashta

    ChaiNashta Active Member

    Take a bus from Guwahati to Bomdila and stay over night there and the next day take bus from Bomdila to Tawang. Both the bus journeys are 11-12 hours each and going all the way in one go would be very tiring to say the least.

    Hiring a taxi is a good option but again a good 16-17 hours drive from Guwahati to Tawang. It is best to break down the journey into two and stay over night at Bomdila.

    Helicopters are not very reliable and you would also miss all the great scenery on the road from Guwahati to Tawang.

    Four days is not enough time for Tawang. I would recommend a good two weeks because you would be tired form the journey first couple of days and if you only stay 4 days then as soon as you start enjoying the place it would be time to leave. No use going through all that trouble to be there only 4 days.