Rachel Jones of Hippie in Heels shares the very best reasons to travel to Arunachal Pradesh in Northeast India.
Northeast India is a region that was lesser traveled in India for a variety of reasons including poor infrastructure, safety concerns, and being hard to reach.
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Arunachal Pradesh, India
All of that is changing as tourism in the Northeast is starting to come alive, hotels are popping up, and roads are being built.
There are 7 states here and Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Assam are the most popular.
In terms of location, NE India is not just Calcutta or Darjeeling, but is actually much further away, all the way on the other side of Bangladesh bordering Bhutan and China. On a map, you wouldn’t think it was part of India at all.
When I first came to India, 4 years ago, there wasn’t even much information on it in Lonely Planet. Guidebooks cautioned people not to travel to this area at all. At this point, not all 7 are safe to visit.
“Arunachal Pradesh is my favorite state here, and it is very different from the rest of India.”
There are many tribes in NE India who used to fight (there were even headhunter tribes or cannibals).
They were hard to govern, or that is how the Indian government explained it and often forgotten. Up until recently, there were many places here who hadn’t seen a tourist before and didn’t have real roads reaching them.
Also read: Tips for Traveling by Train in India
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There are many reasons to visit this region of the world and now is the time to do it as tourism is just beginning for people outside India.
You do need permits to visit the “Seven Sister States” here in NE India and permits are different for each state. The tour group Holiday Scout is who I went through to tour this region and Arunachal Pradesh, and I can personally vouch for them.
Arunachal Pradesh is my favorite state here, and it is very different from the rest of India. If you were just dropped in here without knowing where you were, you would think you were in Tibet.
The people are mostly Tibetan in heritage, but from different tribes and eat, speak, and worship like Tibetan people.
Check out: Solo Female Travel Tips for India
5 Experiences to love in Arunachal Pradesh
1. Visit Tawang
Tawang Monastery is one of the best cultural experiences not only in Arunachal Pradesh but in all of India. While you’re in Tawang, you are just 30 km from both Bhutan and China.
Tibetan Buddhism (and even saying the Dalai Lama’s name) is illegal in China, so here you can see the people worship in peace and speak their local language.
Many Tibetans had to flee to India to places like Arunachal, Dharamsala, and even South in the jungles of Bylakuppe. Tawang is also
Many Tibetans had to flee to India to places like Arunachal, Dharamsala, and even South in the jungles of Bylakuppe. Tawang is also incredibly high up in the mountains and the drive itself is an adventure.
2. Hang with monks in Bomdila
Less than 10,000 people live in this highly elevated town. There are many tribes, like the Monpa and Aka.
You have to pass through Bomdila to reach Tawang and many people don’t stop… but you should! There are only two hotels here and the people are so kind to strangers passing through.
Visiting the local markets and the Bomdila (GRL) monastery are the top things to do in Bomdila.
See a mandala in person and if you’re lucky, ask around for the fortune telling monk (good luck!)
3. Eat ALL the momos
Tibet is in the blood of many people here in Arunachal Pradesh and that means MOMOS! These are the greatest invention of all the foods, of all time.
Steamed or fried, plain or with chili sauce, you can’t go wrong.
Ask to try momoloco, the Tibetan bread, and Thupka a Tibetan noodle soup. You are not going to do well here if you’re on a diet.
It’s carbs on carbs on carbs… but it’s all so worth it.
4. Staying in homestays with local people
There are few hotels here and they aren’t what you might be used to.
You can request things like a boiled kettle of water to add to your shower bucket, or a space heater you can only leave on a few hours (or die from the fumes apparently).
But what’s better? Staying at a homestay. Sleeping next to a fire with a local family.
Eating dinner with your mom for the day instead of ordering room service. Learning how to make momos.
All the personal touches are worth taking a cold bucket bath in their outhouse in -5 degree temperatures because after you can cuddle up with their big blankets and cuddle one of the many cats!
5. Meeting the Apatani Tribe of Ziro Valley
I have saved the best of Arunachal Pradesh for last! Ziro Valley is home to the Apatani tribe and you can meet them.
They worship the sun and moon, give animal sacrifices, and have facial tattoos and nose plugs. You can stay with them in their home or just go for the day.
About the Apatami Tribe
Lunch was chicken and egg stuffed in a bamboo stick, cooked over a fire in the kitchen/living room/bedroom.
They want to be a UNESCO site and are on track for it. Because of that, they know tourism is important and are very open to people visiting.
Many things they did are not illegal and when these people die, their kids will not continue their customs.
In fact, the young kids here speak Korean, have Korean style hair and listen to K-pop!
Skinny jeans and highlighted hair are taking over, but rats are still barbecued over the fire for dinner and Mithun sacrifices are still made.
You’ll never see anything like that anywhere else in the world.
When traveling in Arunachal Pradesh, there are some difficulties to note such as no heat in most hotels, no showers (cold buckets only), “interesting” toilet situations, and long stretches of bumpy, winding driving.
But it worth the visit. You should go to Arunachal Predesh now before the whole world finds out about it!
I hope that you will add this to your India bucket list, as it’s one of my favorite places in the world!
Traveling to India? Read Tips for First Timers Visiting to India
About the Author
Rachel Jones is an American who left a career in nursing to live on the beaches in Goa India over 3 years ago. Her website gives advice on the 35 countries she’s been to and has become the go-to site on India travel.
The blog, like it’s name, is a contradiction combining off-beat adventurous places with glamorous and girly travel. Hippie in Heels has been featured in ELLE, Thomas Cook, & Grazia UK magazines & was voted by Flipkey one of the top 25 female bloggers to follow this year.
She’s a writer for Bravo TV.
You can follow her adventures on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Read More:
10 Key India Travel Tips to empower First-Time Travellers
Solo Travel in India – Tips from a Indian solo female traveler
My Solo Himachal trip – A safe bet for female travel to India
Arunachal Pradesh is one of the least explored states of India. I am glad that Rachel from Hippie in Heels visited Northeast India. Reading this article and finding the news of her passing away saddens me. Thank you Rachel for promoting Arunachal Pradesh.
Aww the pictures are so pretty. I would love to visit Arunachal Pradesh one day.
Travelling Arunachal was always on my wish list, I just love this place. The snow clad mountains, cloudy hills, vibrant lakes, lush green valleys are just amazing especially Tawang and Madhuri Lake is my first preference. I want to travel Arunachal Pradesh after March 2021. Hope till then human will overcome on Covid-19 pandemic by the grace of his holiness Dalai Lama.
Is it a safe place for solo female travellers ?
Thank you for sharing nice article on arunachal pradesh
Hi
Thanks sharing the wonderful information on Himachal Pradesh. Himachal Pradesh was knowns mountains and valleys.
Nice one. Sounds like you had enjoyed the food, Beautiful views and with the local people. I like it and thanks for updating my bucket list.
“Many Tibetans had to flee to India to places like Arunachal, Dharamsala, and even South in the jungles of Bylakuppe. Tawang is also incredibly high up in the mountains and the drive itself is an adventure.”
The Tibetans in ‘Arunachal’ are the indigenous population. They did not flee there. Tawang is the birthplace of the Sixth Dalai Lama and home to a four hundred years old Tibetan monastery. So why is Tawang now under India rule? It is because India invaded and annexed it in 1951, four years after the British Raj had already left.
I know that people are allergic to the “C” (Communist) word whenever China is involved. People can’t think straight because hey they are Communist. To understand the history of this region one should remember that there used to be a British empire in South Asia, the unabashed land grabbing expansionist. When India was created in 1947 it continues to do what the British was doing. That means invading and land grabbing its neighbors land.
Here is a link showing the Republic of China (Taiwan) (NOT Communist) denouncing the illegal occupation of South Tibet by India and resolutely not recognizing the establishment of the so called Arunachal Pradesh.
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/trad/chinese-news-40862957
ARUNACHAL PRADESH IS PLACE WERE WE CAN GET AN BEAUTIFUL EXPERIENCE BY ITS SCENERY, & THIS IS THE 2ND LARGEST BUDDHIST MONASTERY IN INDIA…
THANK YOU FOR SHARING SUCH AN AMAZING ARTICLE…
I hope you had a great time there, best of luck for your future trips in India…
Nice Post Rachel!!
Looks like I have missed many things during my last trip to Arunachal Pradesh.
Ah, so nice to see North-east here 🙂
Hope you had a great time, Rachel. I want to explore NE, soon 🙂
Hi ! Dav & Deb an amazing blog again. India is famous for its beautiful travel places. Here you can enjoy all beautiful places & culture. Your post is very impressive the kids and the all thing you describe here very interesting. Yeah its my pleasure to read you.
Brilliant article Rachel!
I can’t believe that these locals look very much look the indigenous people of Tibet. In fact, if you hadn’t said, I wouldn’t have believed it was India at all. The region looks amazing. No wonder it’s hidden lol!
Well done! 🙂
Arunachal Pradesh is really wonderful tourist place in India. I think i will try to going there.
Awesome article, it is very nice place for tourists……Arunachal Pradesh is also famous for Prabhu Mountains..
Interesting article. I enjoy reading every detail, in fact, this is my first time hearing about the Apatani. Anyway,I wonder how Momos taste like, it’s not a typical food the I used to eat every day.