[//M]

Is end-February a good time to do the Tawang circuit?

We are a group of 5-6 people on motorcycles and are planning to ride to the West Kameng District sometime later this year or early next year. I am very keen on Feb as we will be able to witness the Losar Festival as well.

Our plan is to ride to Tawang, Zemithang and Sangetsar Lake. Are two-wheeler's allowed to visit Bum La? If not, taking a cab from Tawang for Bum La is the only option.

[rajarams]

A new twist to Tawang! thanks for the details.
We were planning on a trip this Dec (self drive from Guwahati) and to do justice to the place vs the time available, i had planned to skip Tawang/Bum La in favour of Meghalaya. Now your narration has brought back the interest!
Want to whether such an option is feasible.
- Flying in from Pune on Dec 23 (Sat)
- Flying back on Jan 2nd.
- This leaves 9 days in the middle.
- Want to include Kaziranga and Meghalaya (incl the double bridge trek).

Will the above wants leave ample time for Tawang/Bum la? Dont want to spend entire day on the road with just night checkin (though did that in HP/Guj tour).
Would an itinerary be possible to include both AR and Meg?
thanks in advance.

[//M]

G-Maps shows Tezpur to Tawang is doable under 10 hours while most people who have done this circuit insist on doing this stretch over two days.

Are the road conditions improved now or there is some error on G-Maps' part?

[dhanushmenon]

Originally Posted by //M

Is end-February a good time to do the Tawang circuit?

We are a group of 5-6 people on motorcycles and are planning to ride to the West Kameng District sometime later this year or early next year. I am very keen on Feb as we will be able to witness the Losar Festival as well.

Our plan is to ride to Tawang, Zemithang and Sangetsar Lake. Are two-wheeler's allowed to visit Bum La? If not, taking a cab from Tawang for Bum La is the only option.

You might be able to do Tawang during Feb. However, it might be very cold. Landslides might take time to clear because of climate extremes. As such I have not travelled to these places in Feb. I was however told that the roads starts messing up after Jan. Sela pass might become a bottleneck. Visit to Zemithang will also be possible. However, you will not be able to do the less explored (but the most beautiful) stretch of Zemithang- Sangetsar. The roads will be closed out with ice.

Two wheelers are allowed to visit Bum La I guess. However, I did not see any two wheelers on track while I visited.

Originally Posted by rajarams

Want to whether such an option is feasible.
- Flying in from Pune on Dec 23 (Sat)
- Flying back on Jan 2nd.
- This leaves 9 days in the middle.
- Want to include Kaziranga and Meghalaya (incl the double bridge trek).

Will the above wants leave ample time for Tawang/Bum la?
Would an itinerary be possible to include both AR and Meg?
thanks in advance.

Indicative plan.
Day 1- Guwahati- Bomdila
Day 2- Bomdila- Tawang
Day 3- Tawang- Bum La- Sangetsar- Taksang Gompa- Tawang
Day 4- Tawang- Dirang- Sangti- Bomdila
Day 5- Bomdila- Rupa (Chillipam) monastery - Kaziranga.

Aim to reach Kaziranga by around 1400, so that you can do the evening safari the same day. Early next morning, go for elephant safari (if you so wish) and then pack up towards Meghalaya. So, by Day 6 evening, you will comfortably be in Meghalaya. You have three days now to cover the whole of Meghalaya; which might be a bit less if you wish to indulge in natural beauty. Still, you can try and make most of what can be pecked.

Originally Posted by //M

G-Maps shows Tezpur to Tawang is doable under 10 hours while most people who have done this circuit insist on doing this stretch over two days.

Are the road conditions improved now or there is some error on G-Maps' part?

I should say that Google maps and his lineage are a very optimistic clan!
Tezpur to Tawang cannot be done under 10 hours. There are sumos which ply from Tezpur to Tawang in a day. They also take around 14- 15 hrs. However, I will not recommend those for the following reasons: -
1. Those are mainly for the seasoned locals. You might not be able to adapt to the change in altitude so soon and easily.
2. The ride comfort is anybody's guess and your 208 bones might have some extra tissues and tenderness by the time you reach Tawang by night fall.
3. There is no chance at all for enjoying the beauty of the drive. You have come so far, and you want to just rush to your destination?

So, don't even think of doing it in 10 hours. I shudder to even imagine that

[//M]

Originally Posted by dhanushmenon

You might be able to do Tawang during Feb. However, it might be very cold. Landslides might take time to clear because of climate extremes. As such I have not travelled to these places in Feb. I was however told that the roads starts messing up after Jan. Sela pass might become a bottleneck. Visit to Zemithang will also be possible. However, you will not be able to do the less explored (but the most beautiful) stretch of Zemithang- Sangetsar. The roads will be closed out with ice.

Two wheelers are allowed to visit Bum La I guess. However, I did not see any two wheelers on track while I visited.

Thanks for the inputs. I really wish to do the Zemithang - Sangetsar route, so it seems I will have to plan the trip during a more favourable time of the year.

Originally Posted by dhanushmenon

I should say that Google maps and his lineage are a very optimistic clan!
Tezpur to Tawang cannot be done under 10 hours. There are sumos which ply from Tezpur to Tawang in a day. They also take around 14- 15 hrs. However, I will not recommend those for the following reasons: -
1. Those are mainly for the seasoned locals. You might not be able to adapt to the change in altitude so soon and easily.
2. The ride comfort is anybody's guess and your 208 bones might have some extra tissues and tenderness by the time you reach Tawang by night fall.
3. There is no chance at all for enjoying the beauty of the drive. You have come so far, and you want to just rush to your destination?

So, don't even think of doing it in 10 hours. I shudder to even imagine that

I had planned it over two days with a stopover at Bomdila and I will surely take the Kalaktang route, so going to Tezpur is not even in the plan. I was a little surprised when I saw the G-Maps timelines though.

Many thanks for the tips !

[BlackPearl]

Originally Posted by //M

G-Maps shows Tezpur to Tawang is doable under 10 hours while most people who have done this circuit insist on doing this stretch over two days.

Are the road conditions improved now or there is some error on G-Maps' part?

We did Tawang to Tezpur in 12 hours including a detour for the Nuranang Falls in 2015. Drive time was 10 hours. So it is pretty much doable, but then you will not be able to enjoy the places en-route. We did this during our return journey. While going we had stopped at Bomdilla.

Here is the post -

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ml#post3718993

[dhanushmenon]

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

We did Tawang to Tezpur in 12 hours including a detour for the Nuranang Falls in 2015. Drive time was 10 hours. So it is pretty much doable, but then you will not be able to enjoy the places en-route. We did this during our return journey. While going we had stopped at Bomdilla.

Here is the post -

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ml#post3718993

Thanks Blackpearl for sharing your wonderful journey log. I had sifted through that in depth during my planning phase of this journey. Your trip logs have always been a great inspiration and motivation to me and a whole lot of travellers who aspires to achieve even a shade of what you've done. Kudos.

Tawang to Tezpur can actually be done, but Tezpur to Tawang can't be. Since, the return journey is mostly descend and you are already seasoned to the road conditions, you can stretch to reach Tezpur in a piece.
I too comfortably started from Bomdila in the morning, took sufficient photo breaks in between and still reached Kaziranga by 1430 hrs. Despite having to retrace some distance since I took the Kalaktang route.

[//M]

Originally Posted by dhanushmenon

Visit to Zemithang will also be possible. However, you will not be able to do the less explored (but the most beautiful) stretch of Zemithang- Sangetsar. The roads will be closed out with ice.

I really wish to do the Zemithang - Sangetsar stretch. What would be the best time of the year to access this road? Is end-Nov or early-Dec a favourable time?

Somehow I am not able to find relevant information on this particular stretch of road online.

[BlackPearl]

Originally Posted by //M

I really wish to do the Zemithang - Sangetsar stretch. What would be the best time of the year to access this road? Is end-Nov or early-Dec a favourable time?

Somehow I am not able to find relevant information on this particular stretch of road online.

You will not find enough information on this route because people usually club Sangetsar with Bumla on the same day. They do not go to Sangetsar via Zemithang. The Zemithang to Sangetsar route is quite easy to take. You have to cross over to the other side of the Nyamjang Chu (the river in Zemithang). You will see a board like this -



You have to follow the route towards T Gompa. November should be fine for taking this route, not sure about December.

[//M]

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

You will not find enough information on this route because people usually club Sangetsar with Bumla on the same day. They do not go to Sangetsar via Zemithang. The Zemithang to Sangetsar route is quite easy to take. You have to cross over to the other side of the Nyamjang Chu (the river in Zemithang). You will see a board like this -

Attachment

You have to follow the route towards T Gompa. November should be fine for taking this route, not sure about December.

Thanks for the pointers, Sumitro Da.

We were initially planning for Feb but now I am looking for suitable dates in Nov 2017. I may trouble you a few times, in case I need some tips regarding the West Kameng district.

[BlackPearl]

Originally Posted by //M

Thanks for the pointers, Sumitro Da.

We were initially planning for Feb but now I am looking for suitable dates in Nov 2017. I may trouble you a few times, in case I need some tips regarding the West Kameng district.

Sure //M, will be happy to help

[dhanushmenon]

Originally Posted by //M

I really wish to do the Zemithang - Sangetsar stretch. What would be the best time of the year to access this road? Is end-Nov or early-Dec a favourable time?

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

You will not find enough information on this ....November should be fine for taking this route, not sure about December.

Yes. Info about this road is far and few in between. I spent some time during my planning phase and could pull out some videos on Youtube. It is said to be the most scenic route in the entire region.

You can find a little mention in BlackPearl's thread. Do go through BlackPearl's thread too, the link which he has attached a few posts above. It is an awesome read and very informative. Helped me a lot during my panning phase.

November should be good I guess. But in December, you might get stuck there due to landslides and iceout on roads. Since it is one route which is not even frequented by locals, during harsh seasons, dozer services would be almost non existant and help would be hard to come by.
But then again, November would be good time to go there.
Looking forward to read about your experiences on that road. PLease do share

[//M]

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

Sure //M, will be happy to help

Originally Posted by dhanushmenon

You can find a little mention in BlackPearl's thread. Do go through BlackPearl's thread too, the link which he has attached a few posts above. It is an awesome read and very informative. Helped me a lot during my panning phase.

November should be good I guess. But in December, you might get stuck there due to landslides and iceout on roads. Since it is one route which is not even frequented by locals, during harsh seasons, dozer services would be almost non existant and help would be hard to come by.
But then again, November would be good time to go there.
Looking forward to read about your experiences on that road. PLease do share

Thanks for the inputs.

All the Tawang roadtrip threads are highly informative, specially since very less information is available online. I will surely share the experiences once I am back. Tawang has always been in my to-do list. Actually the entire Arunachal is inviting - Mechuka, Tuting, Anini, Namdapha, Ziro, Mayodia, Tezu - so many places to visit there apart from the Tawang region, but sadly the leaves at work are limited so I will only concentrate at the Tawang region now. If I can squeeze in a few more days during this trip then I would be able to spend atleast a couple of days in Kisama during the Hornbill Festival as well. Needless to say, I am pretty much excited.

[dpkbehera]

This is one of the popular and upcoming tourist circuits in the North East after Assam - Meghalaya and Sikkim. I thought it would be prudent to have a dedicated thread which would suggest a suitable itinerary, provide route updates , weather updates, hotels etc.

Though i have not been on this circuit, on the basis of the research i came up with the following itinerary i.e.

Day 1 : Guwahati to Bhalukpong.
Day 2 : Bhalukpong to Dirang.
Day 3 : Dirang to Tawang.
Day 4 : Tawang
Day 5 : Tawang
Day 6 : Tawang to Bomdila
Day 7 : Bomdila to Nameri
Day 8 : Nameri to Guwahati

Hotels
Bhalukpong : Prashanti Cottage
Dirang : Hotel Pemaling
Tawang : Hotel Gakyi Khang Zhang / Yangzom Hotel / Hotel Mon Paradise
Bomdila : Hotel Nambrog, Hotel Elysium
Nameri : Nameri Echo Camp

I am clueless about the road conditions from Guwahati to Tawang. I would request other members to share their experiences/research.

[vijayols]

Would definitely recommend you to try the route suggested by Dhanush through Rupa and avoid the Bhalukpong circuit.This route which was great when we traveled this summer generally has very little vehicles and a takes a wee bit longer but totally worth it.

Cheers.

Vijay