One of the main queries I have received after publishing my post about Tawang is how to get there, so this time I thought about making a post about it all together. If you have any further queries you can let me know.
First things first Tawang is located in Arunachal Pradesh, India. You need to get an Inner Line Permit (ILP), if you're from India and foreigners need clearance from the Home Ministry and a Restricted Area Permit (RAP). The ILP is available from the Arunachal Pradesh Resident Commissioner Offices located in New, Delhi, Kolkata and Guwahati. Be sure to apply for them well in advance which takes around a month sometimes to be issued.
Now for the travelling part. You have to first come to Guwahati in Assam and from there you can set forth to Tawang. Guwahati is well connected by Air, Rail or Road from any part of India. So I start after you reach Guwahati with possible halts because you have to halt at a certain place overnight else the journey will be tiresome.
Cheapest option for those on a shoe-string budget:
A. Guwahati to Bomdila - by Bus run by Arunachal Pradesh State Transport Corporation(APSTC). It leaves from Guwahati around 5 AM and reaches Bomdila at 4 PM that day. Bomdila is one of the sight-seeing places so you can spend a few hours here and the over-night.
Bomdila to Tawang - Option 1- by Share Car/Jeeps. In this mode you cannot catch sight-seeing places on the way to tawang i.e. mainly Dirang Valley, Sela Pass, Jung Falls, Jaswant Garh and some more places of interest. It takes around 8-9 hours for the journey with all the halts
Option 2- by Reserved Car/Jeep from Bomdila. You can book the car for the entire number of days you want to stay in Tawang and opt for dropping at Bhalukpong during return.
Return
Tawang to Bhalukpong- By reserved car/Jeep. Don't miss Bhalukpong as it is another major sight-seeing place and you would love to spend a night out in the small cottages beside the streaming River Bramhaputra maintained by Assam Tourism.
Bhalukpong to Tezpur- by shared car/jeep/bus (around 2 hours). You can have the lunch in Tezpur.
Tezpur to Guwahati- by Bus (Public/Private). Lots of buses are available from here.
For a little costly Option:
B. Guwahati- Tezpur- by shared car/jeep/bus (nearly 6 hours journey). You have to halt for the night here.
Tezpur - Tawang: by reserved car/jeep. It takes around 16 hours to complete the entire journey, so if you want to prevent tiredness, halt at Bomdila as I mentioned earlier and go for Tawang next day. From Tezpur to Bomdila you can also avail the APSTC bus service also.
Return: Same as I mentioned earlier.
Costliest Option:
C. Guwahati to Tawang and back with a reserved car all the way from Guwahati itself. with all the halts as I mentioned earlier. If you start from Guwahati it is better for the first halt to be at Bomdila and while on return halt at Bhalukpong to ease a bit of your tiredness with a night stay there amidst the cool river breeze and a visit to some hot water falls and other interests.
D. These days another option is to travel by Helicopter directly to Tawang from Guwahati. The price is quite cheap around Rs. 3000 per head and carries 18 people. But, personally I will not advise this option as to me, Travelling is not about reaching the place itself, but the enjoyment or thrill is in the actual Travel itself, where you can really feel your journey.
Point to note: Good hotels/places of stay are available mainly in Tezpur, Bhalukpong and Bomdila between Guwahati and Tawang. So it is better to choose the places of halt in these places.
Hope this post will help a little bit in your planning for this glorious trip. Also I must mention, you don't need any guide for the trip in Tawang as your driver carrying you will be your best guide here. If you have any further queries or doubts feel free to let me know. I'll be glad to help you.
Happy Journey!
First things first Tawang is located in Arunachal Pradesh, India. You need to get an Inner Line Permit (ILP), if you're from India and foreigners need clearance from the Home Ministry and a Restricted Area Permit (RAP). The ILP is available from the Arunachal Pradesh Resident Commissioner Offices located in New, Delhi, Kolkata and Guwahati. Be sure to apply for them well in advance which takes around a month sometimes to be issued.
Now for the travelling part. You have to first come to Guwahati in Assam and from there you can set forth to Tawang. Guwahati is well connected by Air, Rail or Road from any part of India. So I start after you reach Guwahati with possible halts because you have to halt at a certain place overnight else the journey will be tiresome.
Cheapest option for those on a shoe-string budget:
A. Guwahati to Bomdila - by Bus run by Arunachal Pradesh State Transport Corporation(APSTC). It leaves from Guwahati around 5 AM and reaches Bomdila at 4 PM that day. Bomdila is one of the sight-seeing places so you can spend a few hours here and the over-night.
Bomdila to Tawang - Option 1- by Share Car/Jeeps. In this mode you cannot catch sight-seeing places on the way to tawang i.e. mainly Dirang Valley, Sela Pass, Jung Falls, Jaswant Garh and some more places of interest. It takes around 8-9 hours for the journey with all the halts
Option 2- by Reserved Car/Jeep from Bomdila. You can book the car for the entire number of days you want to stay in Tawang and opt for dropping at Bhalukpong during return.
Return
Tawang to Bhalukpong- By reserved car/Jeep. Don't miss Bhalukpong as it is another major sight-seeing place and you would love to spend a night out in the small cottages beside the streaming River Bramhaputra maintained by Assam Tourism.
Bhalukpong to Tezpur- by shared car/jeep/bus (around 2 hours). You can have the lunch in Tezpur.
Tezpur to Guwahati- by Bus (Public/Private). Lots of buses are available from here.
For a little costly Option:
B. Guwahati- Tezpur- by shared car/jeep/bus (nearly 6 hours journey). You have to halt for the night here.
Tezpur - Tawang: by reserved car/jeep. It takes around 16 hours to complete the entire journey, so if you want to prevent tiredness, halt at Bomdila as I mentioned earlier and go for Tawang next day. From Tezpur to Bomdila you can also avail the APSTC bus service also.
Return: Same as I mentioned earlier.
Costliest Option:
C. Guwahati to Tawang and back with a reserved car all the way from Guwahati itself. with all the halts as I mentioned earlier. If you start from Guwahati it is better for the first halt to be at Bomdila and while on return halt at Bhalukpong to ease a bit of your tiredness with a night stay there amidst the cool river breeze and a visit to some hot water falls and other interests.
D. These days another option is to travel by Helicopter directly to Tawang from Guwahati. The price is quite cheap around Rs. 3000 per head and carries 18 people. But, personally I will not advise this option as to me, Travelling is not about reaching the place itself, but the enjoyment or thrill is in the actual Travel itself, where you can really feel your journey.
Point to note: Good hotels/places of stay are available mainly in Tezpur, Bhalukpong and Bomdila between Guwahati and Tawang. So it is better to choose the places of halt in these places.
Hope this post will help a little bit in your planning for this glorious trip. Also I must mention, you don't need any guide for the trip in Tawang as your driver carrying you will be your best guide here. If you have any further queries or doubts feel free to let me know. I'll be glad to help you.
Happy Journey!
. . .
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