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Eleven nights across two of Arunachal Pradesh's great cultures: the Apatani rice valley of Ziro, with its villages and rice-fish paddy, and the Monpa Buddhist valleys of Dirang and Tawang beyond the Sela range. Wild Mahseer's tea estate links the two and gives a comfortable rest each way.
Arunachal Pradesh is India's largest state in the North East and its least visited. This journey covers two of its most distinctive regions. Ziro, in the centre, is the home of the Apatani, whose villages and rice-fish terraces have been tended for centuries in a high, flat valley. Tawang, in the far west, is Monpa and Buddhist, with India's largest monastery on a ridge near Bhutan and Tibet.
Between them lies the Assam plain, so we come down from Ziro to Wild Mahseer's planters' bungalows near Balipara before climbing again to Dirang and over the Sela range to Tawang. Rooms in Ziro, Dirang and Tawang are simple, and we choose the best and warmest. Permits are arranged in advance for Indian and foreign travellers.
Highlights
Day by day
Your guide meets you at Donyi Polo Airport near Itanagar for the drive north through forested hills, with permits checked on the way, into the Ziro valley. Check in to the best homestay or small hotel available and walk at dusk along the edge of the paddy.
A day with an Apatani guide in the villages of Hong and Hari, among stilted houses, lapang platforms and babo poles. Meet families, learn about the clan system and the Donyi-Polo faith, and share a meal in a family kitchen.
Walk the bunds and channels of the valley's rice terraces with an Apatani farmer, learning how fish are raised among the rice. In the afternoon, walk through the clan-managed pine and bamboo groves above the valley, or visit a weaver in one of the villages.
A long drive out of the hills and across the Assam plains via Gohpur to Balipara, with lunch on the way. Arrive at Wild Mahseer in the late afternoon for a hot bath, a walk on the lawns and dinner in a heritage planter's bungalow.
Through the Bhalukpong permit gate and up the Kameng valley to Bomdila at about 2,400 m for lunch and its monastery. Descend into the Dirang valley in the afternoon and check in to the best small hotel.
A rest day for acclimatisation. Look for black-necked cranes in Sangti Valley in winter, walk the old stone dzong village above the river and visit a Monpa family for butter tea. End at the riverside hot springs.
Climb to the Sela range and, in clear weather, cross the old pass at about 4,170 m for its sacred lake. Stop at the Jaswantgarh memorial and Nuranang falls, then climb to Tawang. Rest in the afternoon.
Morning prayers in the assembly hall of Tawang Monastery, then its library and museum. In the afternoon, Urgelling, birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama, and a hillside nunnery.
Indian citizens with Army permission can drive to Bum La at about 4,600 m and Sangetsar Tso. Foreign travellers spend the day in Monpa villages around Tawang and at the war memorial, with a gentle valley walk.
Return over or under the Sela range to Dirang, with stops for views you missed on the way up. A relaxed evening in the valley.
The long descent to the plains and Wild Mahseer, arriving in the afternoon for a walk in the tea gardens and a tasting of the estate's teas before a final dinner.
After breakfast, drive to Guwahati airport along the north bank of the Brahmaputra, with lunch on the way. Tezpur is a closer alternative if flights suit.
Included
Not included
Where you sleep
A group of restored British-era planters' bungalows inside the Addabarie tea estate near Balipara, north of Tezpur. Rooms open onto lawns and tea gardens, the food …
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Questions travellers ask
They show two very different Arunachal cultures: the Apatani of Ziro, with their animist faith and rice-fish farming, and the Buddhist Monpa of Tawang. Together they give a fuller picture of the state than either alone.
Several days involve 5 to 8 hours of driving, especially Ziro to Balipara and the mountain roads to and from Tawang. We break each journey with stops and place rest days in Ziro, Dirang and Tawang.
Yes. Indians need an Arunachal eILP and foreigners a Protected Area Permit, both arranged in advance. Foreigners cannot visit Bum La. Check current status before you travel.
March to May and October to November. Spring brings mild weather and Myoko in Ziro in March; autumn brings clear skies and golden paddy. Winter is cold, and the monsoon brings landslides.
Not yet in Ziro, Dirang or Tawang. We use the best small hotels and homestays, chosen for warmth, cleanliness and hospitality. Wild Mahseer in Assam, where you spend two nights, provides comfort on the way.
From about ₹3,20,000 per person, twin sharing, including accommodation, all meals, a private SUV and guide, permits and entry fees. Prices vary with season. Flights are extra.
Yes. Late September works for both, with the festival in Ziro and the Tawang road reopening after the monsoon, though landslides are still possible. We extend the Ziro stay to five nights for the four festival days.
Tawang is at about 2,670 m and the Sela range around 4,000 to 4,170 m. Rest days in Dirang help with acclimatisation. Bum La, for Indian citizens, is at about 4,600 m and needs extra care.
They are in eastern Arunachal, far from this route, and would need a separate journey from Dibrugarh. We can plan one on request, with Namdapha's forest and the Siang valley around Pasighat.
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