North East of India

-West Arunachal-

13 Days Tour and trek

‘‘The capital of West Kemang district is a busy, little town filled with tiny cafes serving the most delicious Momo (dumplings) you can dream of, hosting a beautiful Buddhist monastery on top of the hill and one of the most welcoming homestays you can find in the area.

As per the last time, I settled myself in my happy place, next to the mountains, turning prayer wheels and spending time with my ‘local family’ at the Anu homestay. We sat down for a few hours in front of my favourite, comforting local dish. Thentuk is a Tibetan soup made of flat noodles, vegetables and normally pieces of Yak or lamb meat. We opened maps, talk places, find people and set up a rough plan. Rough because that’s the way we move around, the way we explore and travel and that’s how we roll in a place where people live slowly, where the food grows next door, where it takes hours to drive a few kilometres, where there are few visitors and ancient traditions still source of proud and respect. ‘‘

(from my travel journal notes, Feb 2020)

Why this Tour

…Or better, why Not??
I have been around very few places in India where you can feel as you do in this region. Life goes on slowly, there is time to breathe, time to think, time to walk and talk.
A region is still little known beside the locals, a region where traditions and cultural values are still alive, where people still live as centuries ago but embracing with enthusiasm the modernity which is slowly coming. The hills around Bomdilla gift you with hundreds of different trekking paths unfolding through villages, fields, behind monasteries on the foothill of the Himalaya. An anthropological tour through a land hoe of many different tribes. The perfect tour for those who enjoy travel responsibly, a tour that allows you to reduce to the minimum your impact on local people and the environment. A trip to a land which can gift you with unique, untouched natural beauty and opportunities to get really really close to a way of living far away from the one we are used to.

Check out the other tours in this area:

I designed this tour with responsible tourism in mind. This is why we will…

Stay in family-run guesthouses and homestay
eat at family houses and traditional, local cafes
buy local products and artifacts from local masters after meeting them
use local transports where it is possible in order to reduce our emissions
Spend time with different local guides
Use filtering bottles and reusable dishes in order to reduce our waste

Highlights

‘Dive deep as much as we can, respectfully as much as we can and with the lowest possible impact we can’. The motto of this trip is simply, it is an anthropological tour into the intimacy of hidden gems away from the tourist routes where you will feel like being on an expedition. Places, traditions, cultures are so different and so diverse that will fascinate you and feed your curiosity.

Some of the included highlights:

Multiple days trek on the foothill of the himalaya
Visit the second biggest Buddhist monastery in the world
Live with local families in their homes
Taste and learn how to make local dishes
drive up to 4170 meters altitude on Sela pass on the way to Tawang

Where are we going on this trip

Arunachal Pradesh

The most Northeastern state of India has been a contested land with China for a long time. Nowadays is easy and safe to travel around this diverse and unique state. From the lush hills at the border with Assam to the snowy, barren valleys at the border of Tibet, land of the Monpa people. There are 26 main tribes and 110 subtribes in the borders of the state gifting Arunachal a unique cultural diversity.

We will travel and discover the district of West Kameng land of the two main tribes of the Monpa and Miji.

Assam

We will start our trip in Guwhati, the biggest city of Assam and gate of the North East, We will explore only this city before heading to Arunachal and its mountains.

Scroll at the end of the page for the Day-by-day Itinerary

Tour cost and what’s included

The cost of the tour varies depending on the number of participants.

It starts from € 1100 (per person) in a six people group.

The Tour cost includes:

11 Breakfasts, 8 Dinners
public buses and local transport when included
private cars with local drivers (3-4 pp per car)
Local guides
Entrances to monuments/ museums/ activities when included
night accommodations included in homestays/ small guesthouse
Tour leader 24/24 with the group

The following aren’t included:

Flight tickets
Personal travel insurance (required)

Not-included meals
Entrances and activities not mentioned in the itinerary
Souvenirs
Airport transfers
Tipping kitty to collect at the start of the trip

This trip is perfect for you if…

If you really want to go deeper in the local life and culture of a remote area, little is known from foreign tourism.
It is a perfect trip If you like to travel off the beaten track and you are ok with staying away from luxury and comfort
If you love mountains and nature, if you like to hike, sometimes in thought conditions, If you like to learn and you are comfortable driving long hours on challenging and extremely scenic roads. If you feel comfortable in sharing time, experiences and places with the others in your group and locals.
If you are ok dealing with cold and wet weather sometimes and try the local cuisine and embrace the uses while there.

Prepare yourself, what to expect

**Accommodations**
We travel responsibly, because of this we choose small, family-run guesthouses, homestays, etc. Many accommodations are basic but comfy, cosy, with all we need. You might need to share the room with the others in the group. Local houses do not have a hitting system but a fire in the living areas. There will be many blankets to sleep us warm at night and boilers for hot water in some main town accommodations. We will follow the natural rhythm of life there and go to bed quite early and wake up early as well with the sun.
**Connectivity**
Wi-fi won’t be available and phone signal might be not very good,
**Hygiene standards**
In local private houses and families-home, the hygiene standard is good and places clean, in public places, along the road toilets are very basic, drop and squatting style.
In the case of ‘bush- toilets’, we will carry toilet paper and a little shovel.
**Moving**
On this trip, we will use some night public buses and private cars. The private cars will have local English-speaking drivers. Arunachal Pradesh is known for its very scenic and bumpy roads and the bus journey will be extremely interesting, unique and local!
**Laundry**
Washing machines are not very popular in India at all, especially in these areas. We suggest hand-washing some small items where it is possible and carrying cotton, light clothes and many layers.
**Locals**
In this part of India, locals are not used to seeing as many visitors as in other places. In rural areas, locals might appear shy but extremely open and friendly after getting to know them. As guests, our hosts will make us feel at home everywhere and you will be treated as never before. You will be a guest and proudly will be shown around, thought about the life, culture, and art. Still remember you are a visitor and a lot of things work in a different way than your home country, be patient, open-minded and appreciate all that we will be given.

When is the best time to go?

The West of Arunachal is enjoyable during every season. It really depends on what we are looking at. October and March are the best months in terms of temperature, not too cold and not too hot. Summer months can be very warm and winter months snowy and chilly. I always visited these areas in February and March during the Sonam Losar, the Buddhist Lunar New year, the main festivity celebrated by the local communities.
Winter can be cold and snowy but with sunny days and clear sky.

Day by day Itinerary

Day 1

Arrival at the guesthouse and meet with Ali and the rest of the group before going to try some Assamese cuisine

Day 2

First full day with the group in Guwhati. We will explore the city on foot and by local transport with our local guide

Inclusions: B, LG all-day, Entrances to sightseeing places when included, public transport

Day 3

Today in the evening we will catch our night bus to Bomdila, we will travel all night reaching our destination in the morning. Today we will relax, buy some local food, visit markets, and get ready for the next days trek

Inclusions: B, public night bus

Day 4

We reach Bomdila in the morning and we will head to our homestay. After a long-awaited homely breakfast, we will settle in our room and walk around the town to get familiar with the locals and place.

Inclusions: B, D, LG half day

Day 5- 6- 7

Time to start trekking! We will pack and take a local bus to the village where we will start walking. We will spend the next two days in the hills, meeting the local people, crossing villages, staying in very local homestays and enjoying the quiet and remoteness of the land of the local tribes here.

Inclusions: B, L, LG full-day

Day 8

Time to return to Bomdila, unpack and get some energies back for the next leg of the trip!

Inclusions: B, D, LG half-day

Day 9

The picturesque Monpa village of Dirang is only 40 km away on the way to Tawang. We will rive there in the morning and spend the day wandering around the stoned medieval village and its majestic Buddhist monastery.
Inclusions: B, D, private car, LG full-day

Day 10

Possibly one of the most scenic roads in the entire area, the way to Tawang is simply breathtaking. We will start driving in the morning in order to cover the winding 140 km to the last town before the Chinese border.

Inclusions: B, D, private car

Day 11- 12

Tawang is one of the most sacred places for Buddhists, the birthplace of the 6Th Dalai Lama and home of the second biggest Buddhist monastery (second only to the one in Lhasa, Tibet). A crossroad place for centuries and a conflicted border area, Tawang holds a long, conflicted, interesting history to learn. We will spend the next two full days in this town.

Inclusions: B, D Entrances to the historic sites, LG full-day

Day 13

Time to say Bye to our hosting family and to Tawang, today we will have a full day drive down to Bomdila.

Inclusions: B D, Private transport

Day 14

Last day of our trip together before jumping on another bus back to Guwhati. On the arrival in the morning, we will head to our next accommodations and have a late lunch together!

Inclusions: B , public bus