Arunachal Pradesh

Understand

Name The name "Arunachal Pradesh" literally means the "province of the dawn-lit mountains" in Hindi. The state was known as the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) from 1914 to 1987, and the traditional pidgin spoken there is still called "Nefamese".

History Arunachal Pradesh was part of Tibet until 1914, when a treaty between the British government and the Tibetan government brought the Himalayan region under British control as part of British India. However, China considered the Tibetan government to be a local government that had no power to sign treaties with another sovereign state. As a result, China refused to recognise the treaty, and continues to claim the region as part of Tibet.

Read The only modern book written about travelling through this state is Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent's Land of the Dawn-Lit Mountains from 2017. This book is well worth reading for anyone interested in visiting.

Talk There are more than 36 major tribes and more than 306 sub-tribes, many of whom do not understand each other's languages. However, they can speak and understand Hindi. English is also commonly spoken well by educated people, but don't expect everyone to understand it. In Buddhist areas near the Chinese border, such as Tawang, it is common to see signs written in Tibetan, which is understood at least by monks and some older people.

Getting there

Entry requirements Both Indian and non-Indian citizens need a permit to enter Arunachal Pradesh. If you're in Assam, the easiest way to obtain a permit is to visit the 1 Arunachal Bhawan, a new 6-storey tall building at Kali Mandir Rd, Guwahati. The permit fee is ₹5,300. It's not necessary to hire help for this — the officials there are very friendly and familiar with the rules and process. The permit typically takes 3-4 business days to be approved, although the official waiting time is 1 week. The permit can be sent to you by email or WhatsApp, so you don't need to visit the office again or stick around in Guwahati. It should also be possible to apply at the offices in Kolkata or New Delhi. Solo travellers are granted permission to stay up to 30 days in the state, but are only allowed to visit the districts of West Kameng (Bomdila and Dirang), Tawang, and Lower Subansiri (Ziro), on the condition to not take any pictures of military facilities. You will be asked to fill out a proposed itinerary, but you don't have to stick to it, so it's advisable to invent one that covers the maximum amount of time and number of places you might go, to make sure you receive authorization for the whole thing. You must leave photocopies of your passport, visa stamp, and a printout of your permit at the police check post while entering Arunachal, and inform the police when you leave. Police from each district will likely be in touch with you repeatedly during your visit, to verify details of your travel plans and offer you assistance. If you want to visit other parts of the state, it's possible to get permission to travel other routes if you have a group of two or more people, especially if your trip is arranged by an Indian travel agency.

Indians Indian citizens require an Inner Line Permit (ILP) to enter the state, which is now applied for online. The ILP is provided for each of the following sectors:

Bomdila, Dirang, Tawang Itanagar, Ziro Namdapha, Changlang

Foreigners

Getting around

By car For first-timers driving by your own in mountainous roads is not recommended. There are numerous rental cars available in almost all cities in the state. The rental cars are generally safe and charge reasonably.

By bus Arunachal Pradesh State Transport Services provides daily bus services between the cities. The bus might get jam-packed sometimes. The prices are very cheap and the journey is safe.

See

Bomdila is a great place for adventure sports, rafting, angling and trekking. The best time for trekking is October to February. Pasighat is one of the oldest cities of Arunachal Pradesh. This is a great place for tourists who wish to experience the beauty of nature. The city is the entrance point for the Arunachal Pradesh. Places to visit around Tawang include:

Tawang Monastery. A Tibetan Buddhist gompa (fortified monastery) that was constructed in 1681. It is the second-largest Buddhist monastery in the world. Anni Gompa, a Buddhist monastery managed by nuns. Nuranang Falls, a large waterfall near Tawang. Tawang War Memorial is not to be missed. It is maintained by the Indian Army and has inscribed therein the names of those who died defending Tawang during the Chinese intrusion in 1962. A sombre place, it elicits awe, gratefulness and perhaps a tear in the eyes of many Indian visitors.

Do

Greener Pastures - An Eco-tourism venture that offers travelers an escape into the unexplored mountains of Arunachal Pradesh. They organize tribal cultural exchanges, treks, extreme river rafting challenges, and sightseeing tours around the region. Kameng River Rafting: - This River was known as the Bhareli River, before it was renamed Kameng. This river flows on the India-Tibet border, in India it flows from Arunachal Pradesh. This is one of the most challenging rivers for river rafting in India. Rafting - Brahmaputra is counted as one of the best rivers for rafting in the world. This river gives an amazing and exciting, lifetime memorable rafting expedition experience into the North-East of India. The Tsang Po River flows in the east side of Tibet, passing through great Himalayan. This river also passes through the Namche Barwa, highest unclimbed mountain and then reaches to Arunachal Pradesh. Brahmaputra river rafting is a challenging activity in which one can experience the “Zebra ock” and “Roaring Rikor”. Tourists can also set their camp on beaches in the night time. This journey includes a ride at Dibrugarh on the Brahmaputra River and the densely forested river valley from the plains of Pasighat. Biking - The curvy mountainous roads of Arunachal Pradesh offers stunning views of valleys. It is known as a biker's paradise. Biking through the sights of snow-capped mountains is a great experience.

Eat

Tibetan delicacies like thupka, momos or simple and delicious paratha-sabzi eaten hot from the roadside shacks on cold misty days are a treat. Most restaurants in Tawang serve them. A small shack called Annapurna serves delicious alu (potato) chips. The traditional Monpa cuisine uses a generous amount of chillies and fermented cheese which has a strong flavour. Some traditional Arunachal dishes are:

Gyapa khazi is a type of pulao made of rice, fermented cheese, small dried fish or shrimp, chillies, ginger and other spices. Khura is a pancake, often taken with tea. Momo is made by stuffing minced pork and onions into dough and then steaming the dumpling in a three-layer steamer or frying them. Thukpa is a soup filled with noodles, minced meat and vegetables, also known as der thuk. Ashum thukpa is made of maize, beans and meat. Zan is the staple dish of the Monpa tribes. It is usually made of mi