Tawang unfolded to us in a very raw form of nature. Starting from the route to its natural resources, such as lakes, waterfalls, mountains and weather, everything was at its best. Tawang appeared to us in full HD. I mean everything was so clear and calm. Those resonance of hymns in the monastery were so subtle. I still remember the spinning prayer wheels and fluttering prayer flags and can still sense its power. Any sensitive person can pretty easily feel the magical aura around. I was experiencing an attractive magnetic effect, hardly letting me go. The atmosphere was very conducive to connect to oneself. All of it was like a treat to the human soul.
We were three people- Satyajit, Anushree and myself, on 2 Royal Enfield classic 350cc bikes. The route was topsy-turvy, as smooth roads were followed by muddy patches every few miles. In Tawang, the route becomes much more adventurous with dirty roads dominating the uphill upon passing through the Army camps situated close to the China border. Life is not easy at such places which lie at an altitude of approx. 14k feet. Rain simply adds to the thrill of passing this place through. It was 450 km of distance from IITG to Tawang and we covered more than 1000 km on the bike during these 5 days of journey with overnight stays in the midway at Bomdila and at our destination, Tawang. We completed this ride during the Durga Puja vacation in October.
Our accessories for the trip – Riding gears which includes all-weather riding jackets, Knee guards/riding pants, raincoats, headgears + helmets, extra tube for tyre, materials to fix puncture (includes air foot pump, lever and knowledge of how to fix it by ourselves), extra brake pads and connecting link for bike chain and of course, bike with GPS devise holder, Ladakh stand to carry luggage, reflecting tape and belt and the very important ILP (Inner Line Permit) to enter in the state of AR (Arunachal Pradesh). (ILP can avail online in advance)
We covered the route with comfortable timelines and didn’t pack it in any tight schedule. In the lines ahead, I will try to put my experience of this journey into words. I may not be able to do justice to the beauty of this long ride on the motorbike because it’s an experience that can only be felt during the course. If I look back, I find it’s hard to limit this into words.
Day 1(IIT Guwahati to Bomdila)
We started at 6 AM from IIT Guwahati. There are two main routes to reach Tawang from IIT Guwahati. One via Bhalukpong (Assam-AR border) which passes through Tezpur and is about 70 km longer than the other route, via Bhairabkunda (Assam – AR border) which passes through Rowta; shown in route map. We chose the other one i.e via Bhairabkunda as the reviews depicted this to be in a better condition. On the way, we met other riders who came via the Bhalukpong route and were complaining about it.
We took our very first stop at 9 AM for breakfast near Rowta and then, moved towards Bomdila via Bhairabkunda. The terrain was plain till Bhairabkunda, after which the hills started. The curves on this vibrant route were like never-ending and kept on mesmerising us. Here, we had a slight drizzle and to protect ourselves from it, we put on our rain liners. The rain stopped after some time and the fields of cauliflower started along the way. We finally reached Bomdila at 5 PM where we halted for the night, experiencing its chilling cold.
Day 2 (Bomdila to Tawang)
We started at 8 AM after having the super-special Maggi of our guest house. The day was sunny, but it was cold there. We experienced some muddy patches of approximately 100 meters or so in this route. The first patch was dangerous and since it was my first experience of such roads, I was not that comfortable in crossing it. Somehow, I managed to cross it with proper balance. The second muddy patch was a bit longer and we had a traffic jam there. The jam made it difficult to cross because there were some army trucks which we had to overtake. After this, the route was smooth with some muddy patches here and there. The beauty of crossing these tough routes made us learn how to cross it. (The key is - no clutch pressed, bike in first gear and go with the flow, Lol !!!). We reached Sela pass, which is around 13.5K feet from the sea level. The nearby lake sustained between mountains makes this place more scenic. In winters, this area experiences snowfall and remains covered with snow during the entire season. After Sela pass, the route was taking us downwards and the road was under construction. After crossing this stretch, we found a better road with lots of curves and following these curves, we reached Tawang at 6 PM. The weather there was a lot pleasant.
Day 3 (Reserved for site-seeing around Tawang)
In the morning, we started at 9 AM towards the Bumla pass (India-China border). Although we didn’t aim to visit Bumla pass as one needs a pass (official permission) to visit Bumla pass and this official permission can be obtained only one day in advance. Thus, we couldn’t visit this, so we decided to first visit the Giant Buddha statue in the town followed by Patso lake, Madhuri lake and T. Gompa (toward Bumla pass). When we reached Patso Lake, it was covered with fog and the prayer flag tied around, made it more beautiful. It was a kind of picnic spot. We proceeded towards Madhuri lake, such a beautiful place to see and was well maintained by the Indian Army. We also got veg momo here (don’t laugh, veg momo do exist) as the canteen there is run by army personnel. This place was very much photogenic. The road from town to Madhuri Lake was uphill and was made of concrete. It was not a proper route and there were a lot of army bases in that area with no home or colony. While returning, it started raining and we reached our hotel by evening 5 o’clock.
Day 4 (Return journey from Tawang to Bomdila)
We started early morning at 7. We planned to visit the famous waterfall named Nuranang falls in the morning as it falls on the same route which we were following to reach Bomdila. This fall was huge and full of water and water was falling approximately from 100 meters of height. One shouldn’t miss this spot as it’s on the way and has a spectacular waterfall. We rode continuously and reached Bomdila around 3 PM at the same guest house and the first thing we did there was to have their special Maggi in that cold weather.
Day 5 (Continue return journey from Bomdila to Guwahati)
Now, we were desperate to reach Guwahati because we have been riding since the last four days. We started our journey at 9 AM. After covering some parts of the route, the rain started. It was drizzling for almost the whole remaining way, but the road was good as we chose a well-built highway to ride on. It didn’t feel much distant and we entered the boundary of Assam soon. While we were within the border of Arunachal, we witnessed a landslide in a nearby mountain. Hail the Lord, the mountain was predominantly occupied by soil. It scares me to imagine if the mountain was rocky. Wisely, we passed through that too.
This journey taught us many things and at the same time it was the most adventurous trip till date. The entire route was so much beautiful and diverse. We are going to cherish the experience of this adventurous trip throughout our life.
