Tawang via Dirang and Sela

• Bomdila
• 2,400 m
• 290 km · 8–9 hrs
• Dinner

We pick you up at Guwahati airport or your hotel at 6 am and cross the Brahmaputra towards Tezpur on the north bank. At Bhalukpong, the Assam–Arunachal border about five hours out, our driver shows your eILP and ID at the check gate. From there the road climbs along the Kameng river past Tipi, where an orchid centre is worth a short stop, and Tenga, an army town with a pleasant valley. The last stretch rises steeply to Bomdila, reached by early evening. Bomdila's monastery sits above the town; we visit it tomorrow morning.

• Dirang
• 1,500 m
• 42 km · 1.5 hrs
• Breakfast, Dinner

A deliberately easy day for acclimatisation. After breakfast visit the Gontse Gaden Rabgye Ling monastery above Bomdila and the craft centre in town, where carpets and masks are made. We then drop 900 m to Dirang, in a warmer river valley. In the afternoon walk around Dirang Dzong, a stone fortress village of the Monpa people, soak your feet in the roadside hot springs, and visit the kiwi and apple orchards when in season. Sleeping lower tonight helps your body adjust before tomorrow's high pass.

• Tawang
• 3,050 m
• 140 km · 5–6 hrs
• Breakfast, Dinner

We leave Dirang by 8 am and climb past the yak research farm at Nyukmadung towards Sela. In fair weather we take the old road to the pass at about 4,170 m for Sela Lake and tea at the army canteen; in snow we use the Sela Tunnel. Beyond the pass is Jaswant Garh, the memorial to rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat of the 1962 war. Descending, we stop at Nuranang Falls near Jang, where the river drops about 100 m. Arrive in Tawang by mid-afternoon and take it easy for the rest of the day.

• Tawang
• 3,050 m
• Local · about 25 km
• Breakfast, Dinner

Morning at Tawang Monastery, or Galden Namgey Lhatse, founded in 1680–81 on a ridge above the town. Arrive by 8 am to see the morning prayers with young monks, then the three-storey assembly hall with its large gilded Buddha and the museum of thangkas, manuscripts and old weapons. After lunch visit Urgelling, birthplace of the Sixth Dalai Lama, the Giant Buddha statue and the craft centre. At dusk go to the Tawang War Memorial, which honours soldiers of the 1962 war and hosts an evening light and sound show when running.

• Tawang
• 3,050 m
• Bum La option about 75 km round trip · 7–8 hrs
• Breakfast, Dinner

Indian citizens can spend today on Bum La, the pass on the India–China border at about 4,600 m, and Madhuri (Shonga-tser) Lake on the same road. The permit comes from the DC office in Tawang and is stamped by the army; we apply the day before. Only local SUVs go, and the road closes after snowfall, so treat it as a bonus. The alternative, and the plan for foreign guests, is a gentler day at the Ani Gompa nunneries, Khinmey monastery and a Monpa village with a butter tea stop. Check current status before you travel.

• Bomdila
• 2,400 m
• 175 km · 6–7 hrs
• Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast we drive back through Jang and up to Sela, taking the tunnel or the old pass depending on the weather. If you missed anything on the way up, such as the lake in clear light, this is your second chance. Lunch in Dirang and continue 42 km to Bomdila, arriving by late afternoon. Splitting the return here makes tomorrow's drive to Guwahati about eight to nine hours instead of eleven. Evening free to walk Bomdila's market, where you can buy yak-wool shawls and dried yak cheese called chhurpi.

• Departure
• 55 m
• 290 km · 8–9 hrs
• Breakfast

An early start at 6 am down through Tenga and Bhalukpong to the plains, where we stop for lunch around Tezpur or Balipara. We reach Guwahati by about 4 pm, depending on traffic, so please book a flight after 6.30 pm or a night in Guwahati. If you prefer a shorter day, we can drop you at Tezpur Airport, about 150 km from Bomdila, which has limited flights to Kolkata. Monsoon landslides can delay this road; we build in buffer and keep you updated on WhatsApp.