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Old 16th July 2019, 11:46   #106
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Re: Holiday in Tawang: All you need to know

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Monsoons usually last longer in this part of the country. I would have avoided August as it gets very tricky due to frequent landslides and slushy roads. Due to deforestation and loose soil in Arunachal, landslides are a common affair. Most rental car companies do not have a proper 4x4 option to tackle such terrain either. Going beyond Tawang with a 2WD during monsoons is going to be very tricky.

I would suggest an alternate option - Meghalaya. The monsoons are more enjoyable here, there are plenty of unexplored routes and so much to do specially if you are fond of hiking. I have been to Meghalaya thrice now, every single time I have seen places where I never went before, rather I never knew of them before.
I actually do not plan to go beyond Tawang this time. This opportunity is only to visit Tawang specifically. Is that still going to be a challenge?

If Meghalaya, what all places do you suggest there? I have already been to Cherrapunjee once.
But my first preference is Tawang. I had decided to hire an ecosport and go there.
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Old 16th July 2019, 13:01   #107
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Re: Holiday in Tawang: All you need to know

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Originally Posted by akhil994 View Post
I actually do not plan to go beyond Tawang this time. This opportunity is only to visit Tawang specifically. Is that still going to be a challenge?

If Meghalaya, what all places do you suggest there? I have already been to Cherrapunjee once.
But my first preference is Tawang. I had decided to hire an ecosport and go there.
Take the Balemu route both while heading towards Tawang and while returning back to Guwahati. The Bhalukpong route is in a mess due to road widening work. It is very slushy and average speeds are extremely low owing to traffic so the Balemu route is your best bet. Going till Tawang shouldn't be an issue but be careful while descending Sela Pass on your way to Tawang.

In Meghalaya, you can visit Krang Suri Waterfalls, Shnongpdeng, hike to Nongriat and further to Rainbow Falls, hike till the base of Nohkalikai Falls, Mawkyrnot, Mawsynram, Wahkhen etc.
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Old 16th July 2019, 15:13   #108
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Re: Holiday in Tawang: All you need to know

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Take the Balemu route both while heading towards Tawang and while returning back to Guwahati. The Bhalukpong route is in a mess due to road widening work. It is very slushy and average speeds are extremely low owing to traffic so the Balemu route is your best bet. Going till Tawang shouldn't be an issue but be careful while descending Sela Pass on your way to Tawang.

In Meghalaya, you can visit Krang Suri Waterfalls, Shnongpdeng, hike to Nongriat and further to Rainbow Falls, hike till the base of Nohkalikai Falls, Mawkyrnot, Mawsynram, Wahkhen etc.
Thank you so much for your advice. About the descent from Sela Pass, do I need to be careful due to slippery road conditions or the narrow roads??

Also, while applying for ILP online, there is a field asking for local contact details. Do I need to give contact details for someone in Tawang or any person residing in the country?

Last edited by akhil994 : 16th July 2019 at 15:16.
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Old 16th July 2019, 15:40   #109
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Re: Holiday in Tawang: All you need to know

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Thank you so much for your advice. About the descent from Sela Pass, do I need to be careful due to slippery road conditions or the narrow roads??
The descend after Sela Pass on the way to Tawang was very slushy and the ~3 odd kms took us almost 40 mins on motorcycles during my travel in April 2018. The road is not narrow as such, the slush and rocks were bothersome. However, I have heard that this section was being repaired in the later part of 2018 so you might just be lucky to find fresh tarmac.

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Originally Posted by akhil994 View Post
Also, while applying for ILP online, there is a field asking for local contact details. Do I need to give contact details for someone in Tawang or any person residing in the country?
I am not able to recollect this particular detail. I am assuming I might have entered my own contact number as I had not pre-booked any hotels/stay options so providing contact number of a hotel was not even an option. However, at this point of time, I am not able to exactly recollect this. In most likelihood, I had entered my contact number.
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Old 22nd October 2019, 14:35   #110
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Re: Holiday in Tawang: All you need to know

Dear All,

We had planned this a while ago, now the time has come, we are starting next wednesday i.e. 30th october with the following itinerary -

Destination - Arrival - Kms - No. of hours

Bangalore - Vijayawada - 657 - 12
Vijayawada - Vizag - 350 - 8
Vizag - Bhubaneshwar - 442 - 10
Bhubaneshwar - Asansol -508 - 11
Asansol - Siliguri - 460 - 11
Siliguri - Darjeeling - 65 - 3
Darjeeling-Pelling-Gangtok-134-6
Gangtok - Gangtok -
Gangtok - Silkroute - Kalimpong - 175 - 8
Kalimpong - Guwahati - 500 - 12
Guwahati - Dirang - 330 - 11
Dirang - Tawang - 171 - 6
Tawang - tawang - Bumla, Sangetsar -
Tawang - Tawang -
Tawang - Tezpur - 326 - 10
Tezpur - Ziro - 272 - 9
Ziro - Ziro
Ziro - Kaziranga - 351 - 10
Kaziranga - kaziranga
Kaziranga - Cherrapunjee - 326 - 8
Cherrapunjee - Shillong - 180 - 8 (will cover Dawki, Living root brige)
Shillong - Siliguri - 553 - 13
Siliguri - bangalore - 3020 - 60 (return via Lucknow, Sagar, Hyderabad)

In essence we are ticking off few good spots in Gangtok Silkroute, Tawang, Ziro, Kaziranga, Shillong.

This itself is for 29 days. Need help on road conditions at various spots or any spots where we should be worried about.

Would be of great help if response is given by this weekend atleast.

1 RE Interceptor, 1 Street Triple S, 1 Jeep Compass, 1 Duke 390(joining from NCR) - are the vehicles, hope they would make it.

Thank you.

Last edited by srikanthpotluri : 22nd October 2019 at 14:41. Reason: was uncomplete it got posted...sorry
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Old 22nd October 2019, 14:57   #111
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Re: Holiday in Tawang: All you need to know

Watch out with your striple man. Roads are simply non existent in that part of the country.

You will need to be wary with fuel as well. Try and get a fuel sock.
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Old 22nd October 2019, 18:33   #112
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Re: Holiday in Tawang: All you need to know

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Originally Posted by srikanthpotluri View Post


Guwahati - Dirang - 330 - 11
Dirang - Tawang - 171 - 6
Tawang - tawang - Bumla, Sangetsar -
Tawang - Tawang -
Tawang - Tezpur - 326 - 10
Tezpur - Ziro - 272 - 9
Ziro - Ziro
Ziro - Kaziranga - 351 - 10

1 RE Interceptor, 1 Street Triple S, 1 Jeep Compass, 1 Duke 390(joining from NCR) - are the vehicles, hope they would make it.
The Tawang sector experiences a lot of rainfall, sometimes off season too. I am concerned about the road conditions on the particular stretches in the quoted text, specially since there is a Street Triple in the group.

The roads are decent via Balemu/Kalaktang. That said, a Street Triple might scrape its sump in the bad stretches so do exercise utmost caution.

The route to Tezpur via Bhalukpong was in a bad state till last year. I will request you to get in touch with D-Bhpian Samba regarding the recent updates as he just completed a trip to Tawang last week.

No updates regarding the road conditions around Ziro. However, Meghalaya is mostly good. The Guwahati to Umiam Lake stretch will have the Street Triple rider grinning ear to ear.
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Old 22nd October 2019, 20:09   #113
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Re: Holiday in Tawang: All you need to know

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Originally Posted by srikanthpotluri View Post

Kalimpong - Guwahati - 500 - 12
Guwahati - Dirang - 330 - 11

Would be of great help if response is given by this weekend atleast.
I will suggest -
kalimpong - Mangaldoi
Mangaldoi - Dirang
This will save you atleast 150 km. If you go to Guwahati, you have to again come back to Mangaldoi for going to Dirang.
Khar Khua/ Hotel Madhuban are nice staying option's at Mangaldoi with secured parking.

From Mangaldoi to Dirang set the route via Rowta & Rupa. Else Google maps by default will take you via Bhalukpong.

Road to Bumla & Sangetsar has some bad patches with boulders and slush. A Swift did this route with us, but sufferred few underbelly hits. The car is fine though. No damages. This route can get nasty for low ground clearance vehicles.

Cherrapunji, Shillong side has great roads. You will enjoy the drive/ride. Avoid entering Shillong city, take the bypass. In Shillong, traffic and parking is a mess.

Darjeeling, Pelling, Kalimpong roads are fine. You may encounter some bad stretch between Jorethang to Pelling.

I have not been to the Ziro side. So cant comment on that.

Quote:
Originally Posted by srikanthpotluri View Post
Bhubaneshwar - Asansol -508 - 11
Asansol - Siliguri - 460 - 11
I will prefer-
Bhubaneshwar - Burdwan
Burdwan - Siliguri via Sh7 -Nh34 -Malda- Raigaunge -Botolbari- Islampur - Siliguri

Be careful on the Moregram- Raigaunge section. There are some nasty potholes. Take the under construction Malda bypass to avoid Malda traffic.
On the other hand the Asansol - Siliguri road is in bad shape too.

Last edited by Samba : 22nd October 2019 at 20:21.
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Old 22nd October 2019, 23:02   #114
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Re: Holiday in Tawang: All you need to know

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Originally Posted by Samba View Post
I will suggest -
kalimpong - Mangaldoi
Mangaldoi - Dirang
This will save you atleast 150 km. If you go to Guwahati, you have to again come back to Mangaldoi for going to Dirang.

From Mangaldoi to Dirang set the route via Rowta & Rupa. Else Google maps by default will take you via Bhalukpong.
Quote:
Originally Posted by srikanthpotluri View Post
Dear All,

Bhubaneshwar - Asansol -508 - 11
Asansol - Siliguri - 460 - 11
Siliguri - Darjeeling - 65 - 3
Darjeeling-Pelling-Gangtok-134-6
Gangtok - Gangtok -
Gangtok - Silkroute - Kalimpong - 175 - 8
Kalimpong - Guwahati - 500 - 12
Guwahati - Dirang - 330 - 11
Dirang - Tawang - 171 - 6
Tawang - tawang - Bumla, Sangetsar -
Tawang - Tawang -
Tawang - Tezpur - 326 - 10
Tezpur - Ziro - 272 - 9
Ziro - Ziro
Ziro - Kaziranga - 351 - 10
Kaziranga - kaziranga
Kaziranga - Cherrapunjee - 326 - 8
Cherrapunjee - Shillong - 180 - 8 (will cover Dawki, Living root brige)
Shillong - Siliguri - 553 - 13
Siliguri - bangalore - 3020 - 60 (return via Lucknow, Sagar, Hyderabad)

Thank you.
I was about to suggest what Samba had suggested above. Kalimpong- Mangaldoi - Dirang.
I safely assume that you had planned to take the Kalaktang route. If you hadn't, please do take that.
Also, i suggest that you budget for an additional day at Cherrapunjee. Visit Krang Shuri too. Dawki, as I heard, is not in its prime now due to murky water. That anyway will depend on the weather and whether it rains upstream.

Your plan would require some tweaks, being on a bike. As you anyways know, you wouldnt be able to cover as much distance on a bike as you would do on a car. Plus, on the later part of the trip, fatigue will start to set in and your capability to push long distances reduces drastically.
Some parts of the plan are highly optimistic, especially with weather being unpredictable.

That the plan is already 29 days long (or may be longer), you may consider discounting Sikkim and Darjeeling in this trip. You can consider that for your next trip and include Bhutan too. Sikkim and Bhutan deserves a separate trip on their own merit.

I have a colleague of mine who have done almost your itinerary just last week. Actually, he is still in some corner NE, on the final leg of his bike trip. I have forwarded your plan to him. He has kindly consented to help you with tweaking it further. Have PM-ed you my details. Shall connect you through to him.

Happy journey.

Last edited by dhanushmenon : 22nd October 2019 at 23:04.
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Old 23rd October 2019, 10:10   #115
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Re: Holiday in Tawang: All you need to know

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Originally Posted by dhanushmenon View Post
I was about to suggest what Samba had suggested above. Kalimpong- Mangaldoi - Dirang.
I safely assume that you had planned to take the Kalaktang route. If you hadn't, please do take that.
Also, i suggest that you budget for an additional day at Cherrapunjee. Visit Krang Shuri too. Dawki, as I heard, is not in its prime now due to murky water. That anyway will depend on the weather and whether it rains upstream.

Your plan would require some tweaks, being on a bike. As you anyways know, you wouldnt be able to cover as much distance on a bike as you would do on a car. Plus, on the later part of the trip, fatigue will start to set in and your capability to push long distances reduces drastically.
Some parts of the plan are highly optimistic, especially with weather being unpredictable.

That the plan is already 29 days long (or may be longer), you may consider discounting Sikkim and Darjeeling in this trip. You can consider that for your next trip and include Bhutan too. Sikkim and Bhutan deserves a separate trip on their own merit.

I have a colleague of mine who have done almost your itinerary just last week. Actually, he is still in some corner NE, on the final leg of his bike trip. I have forwarded your plan to him. He has kindly consented to help you with tweaking it further. Have PM-ed you my details. Shall connect you through to him.

Happy journey.
Thank you Dhanush,

Yes planned to take the Kalaktang route basis your log.
Unfortunately Sikkim 2 of our friends are joining via flight on 4th from the nearest airport, flights are booked. And we all wanted to do the famous Silk route.

And we are again stuck because 21st one of our friends wife needs to take a flight from Siliguri to Delhi.

Not sure how to make the tweaks, but any help is welcome.

Last edited by srikanthpotluri : 23rd October 2019 at 10:11. Reason: Wrong word...
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Old 17th November 2019, 23:03   #116
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Re: Holiday in Tawang: All you need to know

What a great thread this has been for people like me, thank you so much DhanushMenon and others.

A few of us are planning a Tawang trip from 21Dec-29Dec with the below itinerary:

Day 1: Guwahati to Bhairabkunda
Day 2: Bhairabkunda to Dirang
Day 3: Dirang to Tawang
Day 4: Tawang Local
Day 5: Tawang - Panga Teng Tso Lake - Bum La- Sungester Lake - Taktsang Gompa - Zemithang
Day 6: Zemithang to Tawang
Day 7: Tawang to Bhalukpong
Day 8: Bhalukpong to Guwahati

We will be shipping our motorcycles to Guwahati from Bangalore, flying there on Day1 early morning (9AM arrival) and then proceeding as per the above plan.

Can anyone suggest a place to stay somewhere in the Orang - Bhairabkunda - kalaktang sector? We plan to finish our day 1 in this sector seeing as we might leave Guwahati only by 12PM or so and don't want to plan for riding after 4PM.

Or are there other suggestions about how we can plan this better? Thanks!
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Old 18th November 2019, 21:54   #117
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Re: Holiday in Tawang: All you need to know

Quote:
Originally Posted by srikanthpotluri View Post
Thank you Dhanush,
Unfortunately Sikkim 2 of our friends are joining via flight on 4th from the nearest airport, flights are booked. And we all wanted to do the famous Silk route.

And we are again stuck because 21st one of our friends wife needs to take a flight from Siliguri to Delhi.
I guess you are on a tight spot considering the limitations. However, I suppose you are in touch with my friend that I connected you with. Hope your doubts are all sorted out. Wishing you a wonderful journey.

Quote:
Originally Posted by niranjanrvce View Post
What a great thread this has been for people like me, thank you so much DhanushMenon and others.
Thanks a lot Niranjan for your very kind words.

Quote:
Originally Posted by niranjanrvce View Post
A few of us are planning a Tawang trip from 21Dec-29Dec with the below itinerary:

Day 1: Guwahati to Bhairabkunda
Day 2: Bhairabkunda to Dirang
Day 3: Dirang to Tawang
Day 4: Tawang Local
Day 5: Tawang - Panga Teng Tso Lake - Bum La- Sungester Lake - Taktsang Gompa - Zemithang
Day 6: Zemithang to Tawang
Day 7: Tawang to Bhalukpong
Day 8: Bhalukpong to Guwahati
Day 1- you might not find any place to stay near Bhairabkunda. It would be better to stay at Orang.

Day 2- Stay options at Bomdila is better than Dirang. One plus point at Bomdila is that it is one reasonably developed town. You will get places for last minute shopping, if any. And most importantly, that's the last place where you will get net connectivity before you reach Tawang.
(Net connectivity in Tawang is also sketchy at best).

Day 3- Bomdila- Tawang can be easily done with sufficient halts for sight seeing.

Day 5- To be very frank, this is very optimistic. To start with, end of December, Sangetsar - Taksang Gompa- Zemithang might in all probability be closed. Even if its not closed down officially, that sector is really isolated. In case you get stuck in between, you will need all your luck to return unscathed from that hostile terrain.

Rest all looks good.

Quote:
Originally Posted by niranjanrvce View Post
Can anyone suggest a place to stay somewhere in the Orang - Bhairabkunda - kalaktang sector? We plan to finish our day 1 in this sector seeing as we might leave Guwahati only by 12PM or so and don't want to plan for riding after 4PM.
You might not find any place to stay at Bhairabkunda or Kalaktang. It would be better to stay at Orang, Rowta or Mangaldoi
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Old 19th November 2019, 19:44   #118
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Re: Holiday in Tawang: All you need to know

Thank you for your detailed reply Dhanush, please see some(more) queries below.

Quote:
Originally Posted by dhanushmenon View Post
Day 1- you might not find any place to stay near Bhairabkunda. It would be better to stay at Orang.
I am unable to find a place near Orang as well. Any recommendations?

Quote:
Originally Posted by dhanushmenon View Post
Day 2- Stay options at Bomdila is better than Dirang. .
Thank you. I will modify the plan to stay at Bomdila instead.

Quote:
Originally Posted by dhanushmenon View Post
Day 5- To be very frank, this is very optimistic. To start with, end of December, Sangetsar - Taksang Gompa- Zemithang might in all probability be closed. Even if its not closed down officially, that sector is really isolated. In case you get stuck in between, you will need all your luck to return unscathed from that hostile terrain.
I am guessing we can divert back to Tawang from Sangetsar if the Sangetsar-Zemithang road is closed. In that case, we will probably end up missing Zemithang since you said it is not possible to do Zemithang and back in a single day.
Would we need any additional passes for Sangetsar-Zemithang apart from the BumLa pass?
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Old 19th November 2019, 22:24   #119
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Re: Holiday in Tawang: All you need to know

Replies inline, in bold.

Quote:
Originally Posted by niranjanrvce View Post
I am unable to find a place near Orang as well. Any recommendations?

I have no recommendations brother. Try at Mangaldoi. Else stay the evening at Guwahati, see around the places there. Then start early the next morning. Which i guess will be a better option.

I am guessing we can divert back to Tawang from Sangetsar if the Sangetsar-Zemithang road is closed. In that case, we will probably end up missing Zemithang since you said it is not possible to do Zemithang and back in a single day.

Yes. Falling back to Tawang would be a better option. The drive to Tawang in the evening hours with the setting sun is a beauty to behold. You'll love it.

Drive to Zemithang, sight seeing and back to Tawang would be too tight in a single day.


Would we need any additional passes for Sangetsar-Zemithang apart from the BumLa pass?

If not returning via Y junction, it should be mentioned in your permit. If going to Zemithang directly from Tawang, you don't require separate pass.
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Old 19th November 2019, 22:43   #120
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Re: Holiday in Tawang: All you need to know

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Replies inline, in bold.
Thank you! I found something to stay near Orang and now seem to be all set. I will update back on this thread after the trip is done.
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