 |
| Sungester Lake (Madhuri Lake) in Tawang Sungester was a small lakeside village that was destroyed after a strong earthquake in 1971. The lake remained as its only witness. In the 90s Senior Roshan (Cinema director) decided to shoot a song, 'Tanhai Tanhai' for his film Koyla, at this fitting dream location. Mesmerized by the film's gorgeous heroine Madhuri Dixit, the locals rechristened the lake as Madhuri Lake.
|
 |
| Route Map To Tawang From Guwahati Via Tezpur and Bomdila Tawang is only 35/37 km from Bum La Pass (la in the local language means pass) which is the nearest pass to the Indo-China border. The nearest major Chinese town Tsona Dzong is 45 km from Bum La.( And I thought China was far :P). To reach Tawang one has to cross one of the highest passes in India - The SE LA PASS at 4170 m above sea level. |
Country: India
State: Arunachal Pradesh
Region: Tawang District
MAIN CITIES AND TOWNS (one must be acquainted with, them to plan the itinerary)
1. Guwahati/Dispur, Capital of neighboring state Assam
2. Tezpur, Nearest airport/Heli-ped
3. Bhalukpong, border town (love this name :) - it means where the bear comes to drink water)
4. Bomdila, a local holiday destination, and midway stopover
HOW TO REACH
The nearest big city is Guwahati/Dispur Capital of Assam. Most tourists, begin their Arunachal journey from Guwahati. One can fly or take a train/bus/private/rented vehicle from Guwahati. For Indian nationals as well as foreign nationals, an inner line permit to enter Arunachal Pradesh is a must. The permit is checked at the entry ports. The entry port for the Guwahati Tawang Circuit in Bhalukpong. One can get the permits done at Delhi Arunachal Bhavan, Guwahati Arunachal Bhavan, and Tezpur Arunachal Bhavan. The Guwahati Arunachal Bhavan is at Rukmini Gaon, GS Road. The form for Indian nationals is Rs.5 plus Rs.25 for the inner line permit. Two passport-size photographs and a copy of an ID card/passport are a must. There is a weird rule :P women of all age groups married or single - must bring a 'No objection certificate' from their Father or Spouse or any male guardian. In the absence of either, I have no clue who is supposed to give the so-called NOC. My friend and I found it quite annoying that we couldn't be responsible for our travel plans at our age ( way above 18) :P but alas no arguments with them worked, we had to call our respective fathers and have them speak to the officer at the Bhavan. Men, however, have no such requirements. Talk about gender equality in the 21st century :P. One gets the permit the next working day. It's a simple process and there is no need to pay extra to the travel agents. For foreign nationals, the fee may be higher. I am not sure!
From Guwahati, there are a few options to reach Tawang.
1. Bikers and those traveling in private/rented vehicles, can follow the route NH 52 till Bhalukpong then take NH 229. It takes around 2.5 hrs to 3 hours to reach Tezpur, then another 5 to 8 hours to Bomdila. The road is pretty good till Tenga Valley. It starts getting closer to Bomdila. It is advisable to stop over at Bomdila or Tenga and start early the next day since the road from Bomdila to Tawang is really unpredictable!!!! If lucky the journey can be completed in 9 hrs. If not, it can take 18 hours or more. We started on an unfortunate rainy day in the month of June and met with two big landslides and scary, slippery, muddy roads. It took us exactly 18 hours to reach Tawang! Hard luck that is! :)
One can start really early from Guwahati, say 3 am, and if all goes well, with no long halts, no bad roads, no rains, and no landslides, one can reach Tawang in 18 to 19 hrs. Well! The mountain roads can get crazy. Therefore, it is better to avoid any risks.
My suggestion would be, to stay at Eagle's Nest camp near Bhalukpong for a day or Tenga or Bomdila and then proceed ahead. Between Bomdila and Tawang there is just one small village Dirang with limited lodging facilities.
There are amazing waterfalls right on the road in the stretch between Bhalukpong and Bomdila. We went during the monsoons and were lucky to see them at their full flow but again, if not for the gushing waterfalls, that one can almost stand under, monsoons are not the best time to travel to this part of Arunachal!!
2. One can also take a helicopter ride from Tezpur to Tawang. It's an irregular service and depends on the weather conditions. Guess one way takes anywhere around 3K - 5K.
3. ONe can opt for a bus from Guwahati which takes around Rs. 170 to Tezpur. Be aware there are two routes to Tezpur, a shorter route that takes 3 hours and a longer route that takes 5 hours or more. The buses leave from Paltan Bazaar Guwahati, Khanapara Guwahati, and ISBT, Guwahati. Other than buses there are small tempo services which take about the same price. The buses and tempos run throughout the day. There is one bus that leaves at 6am from ISBT which goes directly to Bomdila.
There is also an early morning bus from Tezpur that goes directly to Tawang. At Tezpur, one can find trekkers/jeeps traveling to Bomdila throughout the day. There are trekkers going to Tawang as well but they start very early in the morning. The price ranges from Rs. 500 to 800. We paid Rs. 450 to Bomdilla and Rs. 600 to Tawang but I guess it can be bargained and depends on the number of passengers the trekker is carrying.
Note: If you are there on a rainy day, please ensure that your bags are properly covered with the tarpaulin sheet on the trekker top, otherwise you will end up with a bag full of soaking wet clothes and spend a day drying them in the hotel room using room heaters :P (says the experienced me :P)
WEATHER and WHAT TO WEAR
It gets quite cold once you reach Bomdila. We were there in June/July and It was quite cold in fact freezing cold at the lakes. Woolens are an 'absolute' must. If going in monsoon, an umbrella, and raincoat is essential. It rained 24 hrs every day during our stay. Sneakers and boots are preferred footwear. Again if you are risking a visit during the monsoon, wear galoshes if you can :P. We were stuck in the landslide and had to cross the muddy mountain road on foot. My slippers got stuck in the mud and it was quite a task retrieving them.
Stuck in a landslide
BEST TIME TO VISIT
I think one can avoid the monsoon in June and July unless you are the adventurous kind and don't mind going beyond your scheduled itinerary. The good thing about June and July is that the waterfalls are in their full flow and way up near the lakes, you get to see beautiful flowers. It's almost like a valley of flowers. In fact, it is a valley of flowers and the mist around the lakes gives an ethereal feel. Oh well! now that I think, the monsoon was a little messy but definitely beautiful.
Peak winter is a bad time too because of snow blocks and unsafe roads but again if you are adventurous enough, the beauty of Tawang and the lakes in winter is as enchanting (as seen in photographs).
The absolute safe time to go there is between September and November (till the onset of snowfall) and between March and June (till the onset of monsoon)
WHERE TO STAY and WHAT TO EAT
There are many hotels and restaurants in Tawang. One can go there and book rooms. One can also bargain. We got a decent hotel for Rs. 1000 but I think one can get better deals if smarter :P. One note of caution all hotels close around 8ish. Better reach there early if you have not booked ahead. We reached midnight and no hotels were open or willing to open.
Also, be very careful about thieves. We heard about a lot of thefts in the town and we got robbed ourselves. The thief entered our room at night and carried our bags, cameras, and phones. He took all the cash and left our bags near the entrance. Not sure why he was that considerate. We suspected the hotel owner but had no proof. We did lodge an FIR at the local police station but not much got done. The best thing is to stay alert. Ensure the doors and windows of your room are locked and you keep all your cash and expensive items under your pillow :P It was a sad experience but I guess there are good and bad people everywhere and well such things can happen anywhere, so one must be alert and careful. There are ATMs, so do not carry too much cash! Here's the detailed story.
ACTIVITIES
Trekking, Site visits, Scenic drives
PLACES TO VISIT
1. Tawang Gompa - One of the largest monasteries in South Asia
2. The Gurudwara SahibTeesri Udasi, is quite a trek up the mountain
3. The lakes and the valley of flowers. There are a number of lakes in Tawang. Ptso, Kyo Tso, Sungester, and many other small ones, Sungester or Madhuri Lake as it is locally called after an Indian Actress Madhuri Dixit who filmed a dance sequence here is the main attraction and an absolute must-visit.
I think one can avoid the monsoon in June and July unless you are the adventurous kind and don't mind going beyond your scheduled itinerary. The good thing about June and July is that the waterfalls are in their full flow and way up near the lakes, you get to see beautiful flowers. It's almost like a valley of flowers. In fact, it is a valley of flowers and the mist around the lakes gives an ethereal feel. Oh well! now that I think, the monsoon was a little messy but definitely beautiful.
Peak winter is a bad time too because of snow blocks and unsafe roads but again if you are adventurous enough, the beauty of Tawang and the lakes in winter is as enchanting (as seen in photographs).
The absolute safe time to go there is between September and November (till the onset of snowfall) and between March and June (till the onset of monsoon)
WHERE TO STAY and WHAT TO EAT
There are many hotels and restaurants in Tawang. One can go there and book rooms. One can also bargain. We got a decent hotel for Rs. 1000 but I think one can get better deals if smarter :P. One note of caution all hotels close around 8ish. Better reach there early if you have not booked ahead. We reached midnight and no hotels were open or willing to open.
Also, be very careful about thieves. We heard about a lot of thefts in the town and we got robbed ourselves. The thief entered our room at night and carried our bags, cameras, and phones. He took all the cash and left our bags near the entrance. Not sure why he was that considerate. We suspected the hotel owner but had no proof. We did lodge an FIR at the local police station but not much got done. The best thing is to stay alert. Ensure the doors and windows of your room are locked and you keep all your cash and expensive items under your pillow :P It was a sad experience but I guess there are good and bad people everywhere and well such things can happen anywhere, so one must be alert and careful. There are ATMs, so do not carry too much cash! Here's the detailed story.
ACTIVITIES
Trekking, Site visits, Scenic drives
PLACES TO VISIT
1. Tawang Gompa - One of the largest monasteries in South Asia
2. The Gurudwara SahibTeesri Udasi, is quite a trek up the mountain
3. The lakes and the valley of flowers. There are a number of lakes in Tawang. Ptso, Kyo Tso, Sungester, and many other small ones, Sungester or Madhuri Lake as it is locally called after an Indian Actress Madhuri Dixit who filmed a dance sequence here is the main attraction and an absolute must-visit.
