Arunachal Pradesh, an epic unforgettable journey in every possible sense, which started in my heart many years ago, but it remained a sort of “mirage” in the traveller’s mind, because of all the intense challenges related to it (special permits, extremely difficult transport connections, very limited information, and, apparently, high costs). Therefore, I postponed the trip again and again, until the Spring of 2022, when an absolutely unstoppable “inner fire” for some real new adventure got hold of me!!!
There I was, travelling in the mysterious and fascinating North-East of India: Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, to name a few, but the main goal was, of course, Arunachal Pradesh! So I started to enquire about the Special Permit for foreigners and was told several times that it would have been impossible to get it, because the borders had only just opened recently, plus I was travelling alone as a woman. “No chance!” I kept hearing the same answer. That just fired me up even more to finally get up there!
And finally, I did it! After over three weeks of attempting in all kinds of possible ways, I managed to obtain the dreadful PAP (Protected Area Permit). I miraculously got it! On April 23rd, 2022, boarding an overcrowded Toyota Sumo shared taxi, we left early morning from North Lakhimpur in Assam to the remote ZIRO VALLEY, land of the famous APATANI tribes.
Passing the checkpoint at Kimin was already quite thrilling, as the guards looked at me as if I just landed from the Moon. At first, they did not want to let me go, despite my regular PAP! After a long and tedious discussion and the kind assistance of some of the other local passengers, I was at last really entering the “LAND of the RISING SUN” and my heart was almost jumping out of my chest with joy and excitement!!!
The road, basically an extremely slippery mud stream for most of the way, started almost immediately to climb up pretty steeply, winding up and down, amongst lush subtropical vegetation, endless dark green impenetrable hills, suddenly placid lakes, and emerald rivers emerging from the thick blanket of heavy clouds towering over us all those hours, occasionally releasing tons of water on the path, challenging even more the incredible skills of our amazing driver, who was for sure the most focused and self-confident I have ever seen in my life!
I never understood better the meaning of “fully surrender” and “wilderness.” I would not have been surprised at all to see orangutans jumping out of those thick unexplored forests! For sure, one of the most scary and exhausting trips of my entire long globetrotter career, but also full of vibrant impressions and strong emotions! When we reached the idyllic ZIRO VALLEY in the evening, even if under an incessant rain, the feeling of setting foot in a stunning “forgotten paradise” was undoubtedly shaking my whole being.
Despite the language barrier and the long tiring trip, some of my kind travel companions in the same jeep went a long way to make sure I’d have a “comfortable” place for the night with a traditional local family, who treated me like a daughter and offered me the very best of what they had for the next six days, providing me with warm shelter and even hot water (a real luxury in these villages), very tasty traditional Apatani specialities, made with whatever ingredients they could gather during the day (rice, of course, different unknown veggies and unusual roots, dry meat, and occasionally some fish, a real delight, roasted on the fire inside a bamboo cane!). At night, we would sit all together around the fire in silence and gentle curious smiles, with sudden childlike giggles, especially when a new member of the community would enter to check out the “strange lady” living under their roof…
The APATANI tribe has apparently Mongolian origins, with some mixed influences from nearby Myanmar. From the Mongolian steppes, this once-nomadic tribe travelled on foot over several high mountain ranges, many centuries ago, to find a more hospitable territory, suitable to be cultivated and sustain their peaceful settlement, until they found this gorgeous Apatani Plateau, a very rich and fertile remote flatland with plenty of water, far away from memories of violence and religious persecutions.
Through the centuries, since living in this protected corner of Paradise, most of the Apatani tribal people remained faithful to their original shamanic beliefs, worshipping mainly the Sun and the Moon, together with all the other natural Elements, even though with the arrival of Christian missionaries last century, many things have changed, and the heavy interference of the Church is quite tangible. Up to these days, wherever you look, there are endless bright green charming rice paddies, lush vegetable gardens, overflowing fruit orchards of all kinds (apples, peaches, kiwis, apricots, cherries, etc.), blue lakes, and dense forests—truly a safe, protected heaven on earth!
APATANI WOMEN were rapidly becoming famous all over the area for their stunning beauty, incredible strength, and endurance at work; therefore, they were often unpleasantly kidnapped by other tribes’ male members, to make them forcefully their wives. This is what started the tradition of the famous women’s face tattoos and nose plugs, in an attempt to “disfigure” them (nostrils becoming very enlarged) and make them less appealing to enemy warriors. Of course, with time passing by, this very painful practice (performed on young girls, once they turned 6-7 years of age) became an unavoidable “rite of passage,” a unique symbol of belonging to the Apatani tribe, and a fashionable (though questionable) beauty mark.
Nowadays, though, all young women refuse to follow this ancient custom, which deeply upsets the older ladies, who strongly believe that their precious heritage will be lost once they are all gone (at the time of my visit, only 42 tattooed Apatani old ladies were still alive in the area!). Their attitude towards me was mostly very friendly and playful, but also somehow quite proud and reserved. Some clearly saying “NO” to pictures, others openly inviting me into their homes and asking to be photographed in their best attires!
After almost a week of blissful exploration of this absolutely magical Plateau and immersing myself fully in the fascinating Apatani culture, with the priceless benefits of being the only foreigner around, it’s time now to embark on another long challenging journey (always by overcrowded shared Tata Sumo Jeeps), climbing along higher and higher steep valleys and mountain passes, on the way to Tawang Monastery, 540 km away, a real adventure ahead of me!
Fortunately, I had permission to stop also in the DIRANG area while approaching Tawang (the famous PAP is for now very strict about how many days and exactly which (very few) places a foreigner can visit in Arunachal Pradesh!). The roads between Ziro Valley and Dirang are in reasonable “good conditions,” so we managed to cover the distance of about 400 km in roughly 12 hours, arriving early evening, quite exhausted, finding shelter in a cozy old-style Tibetan “guest house,” where I could finally rest and spend the next few days appreciating the stunning beauty of the surrounding mountain landscape and several charming ancient Tibetan Buddhist monasteries.
Obviously, the atmosphere, the culture, faces, and costumes are totally different from Ziro Valley; therefore, many exciting discoveries are about to take place. The population here is a mix of Tibetan, Nepali, and Bhutanese, with the common denominator of the colorful Buddhist tradition. In Dirang, amongst many others (often less outstanding, but much older and more fascinating) is the relatively new golden monastery of THUKSANG DARGEYLING, a real pride of the whole community, with its beautiful manicured garden premises. It sits on top of the hill overlooking the town of Dirang, offering impressive views on both sides along the river valley below and an extremely peaceful, meditative ambiance.
The next three days are happily dedicated to wandering casually around Dirang’s narrow ancient alleys; enjoying gentle eye contacts with playful red-cheeked Tibetan faces; exploring minor hidden old local monasteries; venturing along the idyllic SANGTI VALLEY a few km away and completely falling in love with this wonderfully colorful, remote, super peaceful, and traditional village and its incredibly sweet people; driving up the thrilling road from Dirang to the breathtaking MANDALA TOP (1,500 meters of altitude difference, within only 32 km!), then walking through its impressive series of 108 stupas, built in a huge spiral on top of this mountain edge, with amazing views of the faraway highest ranges and their shining bright snow peaks!
Time has come now to “face” the last challenging and thrilling leg of my road trip, with one of those usual shared local jeeps, to reach the famous TAWANG MONASTERY and its glorious surroundings. “Only” 134 km on a pretty well-maintained military road (leading eventually to the “sensitive” border between India and southern China/Tibet), twisting and turning along sharp hairpin turns almost all the way, passing from 1,560 to 3,048 m.a.s.l., via the picturesque and “intimidating” SELA PASS and lake (4,170 meters altitude!).
Despite my initial worries, mainly connected to potential car and altitude sickness (which I generally suffer from), the whole journey went much more smoothly than I had thought and gifted me with powerful impressions and intense emotions.
The high mountain landscape all around being so impressive, especially the stunning and sacred CHIUMO PEAK (6,890 m.); the kindness and playfulness of the local people, both in my shared transport and along the villages, where we stopped for food/rest and restorative hot Tibetan teas; thousands of colorful Tibetan prayer flags, fluttering in the wind, from temple to temple, house to house, and tree to tree, in a kaleidoscopic swirl of dedicated heartfelt devotion!
Finally arriving in TAWANG town in the evening, after a memorable 8-hour drive (for 134 km!), my heart so full of gratitude and anticipation. All my senses heightened due to both adrenaline and altitude. The very satisfactory feeling of having at last reached such a mythical destination and super excited about all the explorations and fascinating discoveries in store for me during the next week!
The first few days were very cold, windy, and mostly rainy, making any attempt to go sightseeing extremely challenging. Nevertheless, the Tibetan charm of ancient Tawang Monastery, the second-largest and oldest in Asia, after the Potala Palace in Lhasa/Tibet, disclosed itself to me in several blissful occasions, both during its fascinating visit and while admiring it from afar, when it suddenly appeared through the clouds in a sort of dream-like mirage! Fortunately, the kindness and good humor of the local people kept me warm, at least in my heart, together with some delicious Tibetan soups and “momos” (steamed stuffed dumplings), accompanied by endless cups of typical Tibetan butter tea (all over the Himalayas, people add yak butter to their tea for a higher caloric energy intake).
When finally the sunshine and intense blue skies returned to bless the stunning mountain peaks all around us, the views at sunrise from my rooftop were absolutely breathtaking and truly unforgettable, with thousands of colorful Tibetan prayer flags cheerfully fluttering in the morning wind!
At this point, after paying homage to most of the sacred Tibetan sites in Tawang town itself, I finally embarked on the exploration of the surrounding area (in a range of about 50 km radius, basically everywhere my Special Permit would allow me to go) with the precious help and assistance of my local friend Norbu (meaning “Jewel”), a very bright young man who had worked several years in Italy and was super happy to take me around with his run-down car, along unthinkable mountain roads towards the Bhutanese border!
Together, we drove all the way to Lumla, where the huge beautiful statue of goddess Tara Devi is highly venerated, in her elegant sitting pose, watching over Bhutan and Tibet borders in the distance; on the way, we stopped in Teli village, for a lovely peaceful walk side by side with dozens of immaculate “Stupas” (sacred mound-like structures, containing holy relics) and stunning sceneries in the background. Emerald green terraced rice paddies, turquoise glacial streams, and glittering snow peaks.
This sweet little village is also well-known in the whole region for its lovely “old age home” and lively charitable Orphanage, with good primary and secondary schools, therefore the whole ambiance is filled with children, playful laughter, and serene chatting of the elders, happily sitting outdoors to enjoy the sunshine and each other’s company.
Further up the valley, nestled amongst those natural beauties, we came across Seru village, a real precious pearl of authentic Tibetan-Bhutanese old-style rural living, for sure one of the highlights of my stay in the Tawang area, gifting me with that magical feeling of traveling back in time! Small traditional stone and wooden charming houses, bright colorful local costumes, friendly smiles and curious eyes amongst hundreds of elaborate prayer flags; everywhere men, women, and children peacefully attending to their daily activities in the fields, around the house or at the well… apparently in total harmony with themselves and Mother Nature!
On the last day before making my way back to Guwahati, the capital of Assam, I was blessed enough to be able to visit the famous and remote KHINMEY MONASTERY (of the unusual Nyingma Buddhist tradition) perched on the higher side of a magnificent lush valley… the impressive buildings with their gilded pointed roofs, whitewashed walls, black and gold elaborate window frames, and so many colorful symbolic decorations were a true joy for my eyes… but when I entered the main Gompa (meditation hall), I was literally left speechless in front of all those intricate and mesmerizing tantric frescoes and “tankas” (typical Tibetan devotional paintings on canvas, surrounded by a multicolored silk floating frame); the atmosphere inside was beyond peaceful, deeply meditative, and sacred, with massive votive butter lamps spreading a gentle warm captivating yellow light all around…
Outside, many very young monks were giggling at the news of a “foreigner lady” so interested in their precious temple, wanting to take lots of selfies with me, enjoying posing cheerfully in my last pictures and asking me all kinds of smart questions about “The faraway Western World”… so I spent a very pleasant and interesting few hours there, perfect memorable last impressions of legendary Arunachal Pradesh!
Here’s a youtube link of the photos taken while travelling around Arunachal Pradesh: https://youtu.be/ooxlS06LMTQ