Arunachal Pradesh Itinerary: What to do and see in 9 days
The northeastern most state of India, Arunachal Pradesh, is home to stunning natural scenery, immaculate valleys, and rich history. Travelling to Arunachal Pradesh is unquestionably worthwhile because you’ll get to see its rich history and culture, beautiful snow-capped mountains, serene lakes, and much more.
In this Arunachal Pradesh travel guide, we’ll cover everything you should know before visiting, such as travel permits, the best time to visit, recommended itinerary, places to stay, and things to see and do. So let’s get started!
Best Time to complete the Arunachal Pradesh Itinerary:
Arunachal Pradesh is best visited in April through May and October through November. The weather conditions are charming during these months, making your trip very restful.
Monsoon in Arunachal Pradesh ranges from June to September. It is the monsoon season when the landscape changes into beautiful green heaven, but visitor attractions may be closed due to heavy rainfall.
Permits required to complete the Arunachal Pradesh Itinerary:
It could be noticed that Arunachal Pradesh imparts its boundaries to China which is the essential justification for why entry to the state is not kept unmonitored for tourists.
There are two distinct permissions for Indian and Foreign Nationals to grant their travel in Arunachal Pradesh.
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Inner Line Permit (ILP) for Indian residents.
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Protected Area Permit (PAP) for Foreign Nationals.
How to get around Arunachal Pradesh?
To enter Arunachal Pradesh, first, you need to reach Guwahati in Assam and then travel to Murkongselek, a town at the Assam Arunachal boundary.
How to reach Guwahati?
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Fly to the Airport in Guwahati.
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Take a train to Guwahati.
It is advisable to show up in Guwahati in the early evening. So you can get a train to Murkongselek at Kamakhya Junction at 8:30 pm.
How to reach Murkongselek?
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After arriving in Guwahati, head towards Kamakhya Junction, where you will find many trains to Murkongselek.
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Or take a bus from the Guwahati bus stop to Murkongselek.
Arunachal Pradesh Itinerary:
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Day 1: The Journey Begins
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Day 2: Enter the West Siang district
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Day 3: Travel to Mechuka
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Day 4: Explore Mechuka
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Day 5: Yarlung Camp, Gurudwara & Taposthan
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Day 6: Dorjeeling Village
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Day 7: To travel is to live
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Day 8: Explore Dambuk
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Day 9: The Journey Ends
Day 1: The Journey Begins
The journey to the “Land of the rising sun” begins in Murkongselek by road. From Murkongselek, we will go to the first town of Arunachal Pradesh named Pasighat.
Now onwards, our entire travel in Arunachal Pradesh will be by road in a car. You can use a Sumo transport service to travel over the state, as it is effectively accessible in every part of Arunachal Pradesh.
Travel from Murkongselek to Pasighat
You will reach Pasighat from Murkongselek within 45 to 6o minutes. After arriving in Pasighat, find a place to stay for a night and start exploring the city.
Where to stay in Pasighat?
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Abor Country River Camp
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London Hotel
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Donyi Hango Eco Resort & Homestay
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Serene Abode Hotel
What to do in Pasighat?
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Explore the Pasighat Market: While walking on the street of Pasighat Market, you will encounter lots of different things that are elusive in other parts of India. Like dry fish, spices, dry rats, tadi(insect), bhootjalokia powder(spicy chili powder), tita baingan(bitter brinjal), pume, bamboo shoots, silkworms, and many more.
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Relax on the banks of the Siang river: Siang/Dihang is a tributary river of the Brahmaputra, which flows through Tibet, China, India, and Bangladesh.
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Visit the hanging bridge of Panging: The 395-meter-long hanging bridge is built across the Siang River and is considered the longest suspension bridge in Arunachal Pradesh.
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Day 2: Enter the West Siang district
After breakfast, leave Pasighat and head towards Aalo. The confluence of the rivers Sipu and Yomgo lies at Along/Aalo. People of the Galo tribe and some parts of the Adi tribe inhabit the town of Aalo.
The whole drive from Pasighat to Aalo will be of about 4 hours. The long drive will be worth the journey when you witness the beauty of the city.
Due to the odyssey, you may not get to explore many things in Aalo. But you can do the following activities if you have plenty of time.
Travel from Pasighat to Aalo
Where to stay in Aalo?
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Reyi homestay
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Hotel Toshi Palace
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Capital O 69945 P&p Resort
What to do in Aalo?
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Aalo River Rafting: River rafting is the primary activity in Aalo, done on Sipu and Yomgo rivers.
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Visit Ramakrishna Ashram: Devoted to Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa, this ashram has an attractive, well-maintained school.
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Walk on the paddy fields or explore the market.
Day 3: Travel to Mechuka
Next morning brace for your road trip to Mechuka. As you travel up two or three thousand feet, you may witness how the air and landscape change decisively with level.
Travel from Aalo to Mechuka
Following a decent 5 hours of travel, you will arrive in Mechuka, the beautiful valley in the West Siang district.
Here find a place to stay and wait for the moon to pass the sky to explore the beautiful town.
Where to stay in Mechuka?
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Gayboo’s Traditional Homestay
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Potala Homestay
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Yargyap Chhu Homestay
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The Myst Hotel
What to do in Mechuka?
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Mechuka La hike: You can climb the Menchuka La mountain for unrivaled views. It will require a couple of hours to get to the top.
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Yarlung Army Camp: You can visit the Yarlung Camp and meet the brave hearts who have been protecting our country.
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Lord Hanuman temple: As you travel towards Yarlung Army Camp, you can stop at a small Hanuman temple, across from where you can find a naturally carved face of Lord Hanuman on a rugged mountain cliff.
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Gurdwara and Taposthan: There is a Gurdwara maintained by the Indian army and a sacred cave that is dedicated to Guru Nanak Ji on the way to Yarlung Army Camp.
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Dorjeeling Village: This small beautiful village is situated approx 5 km from Mechuka town and has scenic mountain views.
It is impossible to enjoy all these things in one day, so we will stay in Mechuka for the next three days to do these things.
Day 4: Explore Mechuka
On our first day in Majestic Mechuka, we will climb the epic mountain Mechuka La. It will take a few hours to get to the top of the cliff. You can take some food with you and enjoy it on the top by watching the gorgeous view of Mechuka and the surroundings of snow-capped peaks. The total hike duration may lie between 4 to 6 hours, depending on how quickly you complete it.
Spend the rest of the day interacting with the local peoples of Mechuka and learning new things about the area. You will find that the majority of the individuals belong to the Memba tribe and a Tibeto-mongloid ethnic group that follows Buddhism.
Day 5: Yarlung Camp, Gurudwara & Taposthan
On the next day in Mechuka, we will brace towards the Yarlung Army Camp. It is the final point before the Indo-china border where civilians are permitted to enter without any special permission. Here you can meet the Indian army and hear brave stories about them.
Note: Taking photos and shooting videos is restricted in the area.
On the back way from Yarlung camp, we can stop at a small Hanuman temple. Here you can find the naturally carved face of Lord Hanuman on a rugged mountain cliff.
Thenceforth, drive to the Gurudwara to pay your regards. This Gurudwara has a prayer hall, Langar, and a museum. It was established and managed by an Indian army to commemorate the visit of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji on his journey to Tibet between 1516-1517.
Across the Gurudwara, there is a Guru Nanak Taposthan known to have impressions of Guru Nanak Ji. To enter Taposthan, you need to pass through a narrow passage in the mountain that opens into an enchanting forest by the riverside. And there is a myth that if you are a sinner, you will fail to pass the passage. After spending some time at the riverside hearing the peaceful stem of the river, head back to your stay in Mechuka.
Day 6: Dorjeeling Village
Located crossing the Yargepchu River is the Dorjeeling Village, which has scenic mountain views. It will roughly take 20 to 30 minutes to reach Dorjeeling from Mechuka. Truthfully, it is not a tourist destination. However, it has various picturesque scenes with hanging bridges and a small Monastery.
Travel from Mechuka to Dorjeeling village
Here we will end our Mechuka tour and set back to Aalo. After reaching Aalo, have a good sleep because the next day is the travel day.
Day 7: To travel is to live
Get up early, and get ready for a long travel to Dambuk. From Aalo head towards Pasighat. Rest here for a while, and again buckle up to travel to Dambuk.
The drive from Pasighat to Dambuk is the most adventurous, as we will be not driving on the road but across a dry river bed. The total drive time from Aalo to Damuk would be of 6 hours.
Dambuk is almost at the end of east India, the sun usually sets down between 4:30 to 5 pm. So you have no option other than finding a nice place to stay.
Where to stay in Dambuk?
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Bomjir Resort(Artiste Village)
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Orange Valley Resort
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Village Eco Resort
What to do in Dambuk?
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Visit orange orchard: Dambuk is recognized for its oranges and has hundreds of acres of orange orchards on the mountain slopes.
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Bomjir river rafting: Done on the Dibang river, it is the best rafting experience ever.
Day 8: Explore Dambuk
Dambuk is settled on the beautiful slopes of Arunachal Pradesh and has the most entrancing views. First, we will visit the orange orchard in Dambuk. It is suggested to visit Dambuk between 15 to 18 December as the Orange Dambuk festival happens here. It is a music and adventure festival which started back in 2015. Where you can enjoy doing lots of fun activities, such as angling, hot air balloon, ziplining, adrenaline racing, and many more.
Next, row your cares away on a rafting trip down the Dibang Rivers.
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Day 9: The Journey Ends
It is the time to bid farewell to Arunachal Pradesh. Head back to Pasighat and follow the same route as we followed to come to Pasighat from Guwahati.
Arunachal Pradesh Itinerary: Wrap-up
We start our Arunachal Pradesh tour by arriving at Murkongselek from Guwahati by train, from where we enter the first town of Arunachal Pradesh. In Arunachal, we explore the beauty of Pasighat, Aalo, Mechuka, Dorjeeling, and Dambuk.
We have covered all you need to know from travel permits, the best time to visit, and places to stay and explore in Arunachal Pradesh.
So this was the interpretation of the nitty-gritty itinerary for a 9-day Arunachal Pradesh trip. Now it is your time to plan a fantasy trip to Arunachal Pradesh right away!
