re: Greetings from North East India - Through Arunachal and Assam

Great!! - that was real quick.
keep'em coming.


PS - seems to me like you hardly go through other posts

re: Greetings from North East India - Through Arunachal and Assam

My pojher pic is there in FB for everyone to see

That was my last post in terms of picture. Only one more update is left from side

Nothing like that yesterday I was eager to post the update in between work

re: Greetings from North East India - Through Arunachal and Assam

Dug,,, found; & request sent in FB. I did not linger much but could see your "to jump or not to jump" poise. A quick Q: do you know Sanjoy Chanda (mutual friend) in person coz' he's also into photography??

Good to know!!!

re: Greetings from North East India - Through Arunachal and Assam

Tidbits about Arunachal

Arunachal is not a state for weak heart. If you are the kind who loves exploring new places and thought of unknown excites you then Arunachal or Land of rising Sun is the place for you. You will not get the best of roads, infrastructure but what you will get is raw fun.

Although all the information is not available over net or anywhere else but it is broadly divided into five sectors
Sector 1: Bhalukpong – Bomdila – Tawang
Sector 2: Itanagar – Ziro – Daporijo – Along – Pasighat
Sector 3: Pasighat – Roing – Tezu – Hayaluing
Sector 4: Tezu – Namdhapa
Sector 5: Namdhapa – Jairampur – Changlang

Map of Arunachal


An Inner Line permit is required for entry of Indians which can be made at any of the offices in all the major cities of Assam. A good persuasion skill is required to get permits for all the Sectors at one point of time so it’s important that you are present yourself along with your bike.

Each circuit will roughly take 5-6 days to cover. Although the number of kms are not high but due to absolutely bad roads one will roughly take 5-6 hours to cover 100kms barring some sections. Also since the days are small and it gets dark by 4 it’s important that one starts very early.

For people who are interested in river rafting there are plenty of options in each level in both Kameng and Siang river.

When to Visit:
Feb to April are the safest months when the roads are in best condition and the weather will also be pleasant with no chance of rain or snowfall. But if you want more fun then November is the month

One should completely avoid the months of June-Aug beacuse of heavy rains, landslides and non existent roads because of overflowing rivers
There are no special delicacies in Arunachal but one should try Maggi at various places because the preparation is very unique and at the same time very yummy

Places you shouldn’t miss in Arunachal: Tawang, Along, Pasighat, Tezu, Kibithu and Namdhapa

Tidbits about Assam

Assam has one of the best road infrastructure in India so even if you are riding on a bigger cc vehicle you will enjoy it equally. There are three prominent highways which connects the whole of Assam. NH 31 connects Guwahati with Siliguri, NH 52 runs on the upper half connecting Guwahati to Saikhoa Ghat touching Tezpur, North Lakhimpur on way and is also the entry point of Arunachal at many places. The last of the three highways NH37 runs between Goalpara and Saikhoa Ghat crossing cities like Guwahati, Nagaon, Tezpur, Jorhat, Sibsagar, Dibrugarh and Tinsukia
Contrary to the popular belief that Assam has hills it is a valey surrounded by hills from all sides.

Things to see and do in Assam

Sibsagar
The capital of the Ahom kings and as the capital city the ruling kings always tried to beautify the town with beautiful palaces , temples & gardens. In addition, they dug large lakes in & around the capital. Actually, Joy Sagar, with an expanse of 318 acres, is considered as the largest man-made lake in the world.
There are many places of interest in Shib Sagar, the most important ones are :
1.Shib Dol temple complex, 2.Rang Ghar ,3.Talatal Ghar & 4.Kareng Ghar .

Majuli
Majuli the largest river island on Brahmaputra is situated at a distance of 20 km from Jorhat. One can reach there by ferry from various places. The largest ferry to Majuli is from Jorhat side. Main attraction of Majuli are
• The Vaishnava Satras founded by Sankardeva
• The colourful culture of the tribes specially Mishing
• Migratory birds
• Pottery making at Satras
• Mask making at Satras
• Paal Namm festival in the end of winter
• The sunset in winter
• Exotic homespun masks crafts
While visiting Majuli one should stay at the traditional Bamboo hut and try out the local delicacies

Kaziranga
The home of one horned Rhino is divided in to four ranges
1) Central Range – Mainly for Rhinos
2) Western Range – Rhinos and wild buffalo
3) Eastern Range – Mixed variety of species
4) Kalapahar range – Popular for migratory birds
All the ranges have separate gates and one should go for atleast one safari in each of the four ranges.

Haflong
Haflong also known as the ‘Switzerland of the east’ is a quaint hill station breath takingly beautiful,garlanded by the hills and an unending saga of gently flowing streams and waterfalls. Haflong lake in the middle of the city is very beautiful.
The ride between Haflong and Lumding which is roughly 65kms is touted as one of the best rides of India.
Tip: Do check the situation in Haflong before proceeding in that part of India.
Other than that don’t miss the sunrise and sunset over mighty Brahmaputra and a visit to tea gardens.

When to Visit:
Winter specially the month of Dec-Jan is the best time to visit Assam. If you want a better sighting of wildlife then go in the month of March

Tidbits about West Bengal

Only state in India which has Himalayas on one side and a sea line on other side. But keeping this apart the state has the worst road infrastructure in India and it is a difficult state to tour. Also the places of interest are either North of Siliguri or South of Kolkata. Kolkata to Siliguri is approximately 650kms and is connected via NH34 which is one of the worst highways in India in every sense. This route has nothing much to offer other than old Rajbaris at all the prominent towns on way.

This becomes an important state if you are riding down to North East. Other than the NH34 the other option is ride through Bihar and then join WB at Dalkhola on NH34

North of Siliguri you will get some pretty hill stations like Lava, Lolegaon and Mirik and not to forget the very famous Darjeeling. There are quite a few National parks in this sector

South of Kolkata you will get beaches like Mondarmoni, Digha, Bakkhali and Shankarpur. Of all the three Mondarmani has the best infrastructure and better equipped to handle all type of tourits. Also a visit to the home of Royal Bengal Tiger ‘The Sunderbans’ is a must

Tip: Buses and trucks drive like maniacs everywhere in WB so one needs to be very alert all the time.

When to Visit:
October to February are the best months. If you are going specifically to visit the hill stations then Monsoon is also a good option

re: Greetings from North East India - Through Arunachal and Assam

[MENTION=10454]MG[/MENTION] - Nice & elaborate tips!! I am sure tourers seeking info on those regions will be benefited.

Re: Greetings from North East India - Through Arunachal and Assam

You are "The" most regular visitor of this thread. Soon I plan to visit to Arunachal again and this time with better plan and with the intent of doing atleast 80% of it if not more

Re: Greetings from North East India - Through Arunachal and Assam

haha!!! What to do; this thread is close to my heart!!! & your description/photos are equally good - kicks nostalgia & gives me the urge to shout out loud that "YES, I come from that part of India (very much India)" And do let me know of your future plans, a chance to be a part of GDP..

Re: Greetings from North East India - Through Arunachal and Assam

Possibility of me passing through Bangalore or coming to Bangalore in next one month is very high. Lets see
[MENTION=13163]darkknight[/MENTION] - You should add your part of story in this thread starting from Guwahati

Re: Greetings from North East India - Through Arunachal and Assam

Hei..no offence, but I strongly differ to accept your point. Kidnapping, robbery etc. Are everywhere in India. Not only in India almost all over the world including developed countries like US, AUS etc. Naxalites still exist in states like bihar, up, chattisgarh,andhra,odisha,maharastra, karnataka,wb etc.(source wiki ). Jnk is world famous for violence and disturbance..does we not travel to these wonderful states..but when it comes to NE unfortunately it is treated not as the main land.people highlight it for all the wrong reasons. If we travel at midnight on lonely highways, if we use the dark lanes alone on foot etc. Then something wrong may happen anywhere. NE is as safe as any other states in India and i strongly believe that people here are more friendly and simple.if one follow little precaution as a new tourist, then whole world should be safe for him. Once again this message is for everyone, but not to hurt someone.