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Field guide · Arunachal Pradesh
Tawang travel guide
A Monpa town at about 3,000 m near the Tibet border, with India's largest monastery, high lakes, a hard road in and a permit to get there.
- About 3,000 mAltitude
- Inner Line Permit requiredPermit
- Two days by roadFrom Guwahati
Photo: Tawang Monastery, a large complex of white buildings with yellow roofs on a ridge below forested mountains
Tawang is in the far north-west corner of Arunachal Pradesh, squeezed between Bhutan and Tibet. Getting there takes two days by road from Guwahati, over or under a 4,170 m pass. The town is built along a ridge, and at the end of the ridge is Tawang Monastery, founded in 1680 to 1681 and home to about 450 monks.
The people here are Monpa, Buddhist, and culturally close to Tibet and Bhutan. The 6th Dalai Lama was born a few kilometres from town. The 14th walked through in 1959 on his way into exile.
Overview
The far corner of the map
The name is Tibetan and is said to mean "chosen by horse", from the story that the monastery's site was picked by the founder's horse. Tawang came under Indian administration in 1951. Chinese forces occupied it for some months during the 1962 war, and China still claims it. Wikipedia puts the town about 16 km from the Line of Actual Control.
That history explains two things you will notice: the number of soldiers and war memorials, and the paperwork.
The road is half the trip
From the Assam plains the highway enters Arunachal at Bhalukpong, climbs to Bomdila at about 2,415 m, drops to Dirang at 1,620 m, then climbs to Sela. Since March 2024 the Sela Tunnel, at about 3,000 m, carries the main road under the pass, so heavy snow no longer cuts Tawang off the way it used to. The old road over the top, past Sela Lake, is now a detour you choose.
Not a quick trip
Even a tight plan needs six or seven days from Guwahati and back. Hill sections are slow, and landslides and roadworks add hours. Build in a spare day.
Food
Monpa cooking
Monpa food is built for cold: millet, buckwheat, fermented cheese, chilli and yak. Restaurants in town serve a familiar Tibetan menu. For the properly local dishes, guides say to ask at a homestay.
Places named in one food guide include Dragon Restaurant and Yaksi Cafe in the Old Market and Dharma Coffee House. We could find them in only one or two sources, so treat them as leads.
Ask for the local chilli chutney. Then go carefully.
Things to do
In town, then higher
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Tawang Monastery
Founded in 1680 to 1681 by Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso at the wish of the 5th Dalai Lama, and described as the largest monastery in India. Inside a long outer wall are 65 buildings, a three-storey assembly hall with an 18-foot gilded Buddha, and a library of old scriptures. Go for morning prayers.
Galden Namgyal Lhatse, Tawang Monastery -
Tawang War Memorial
A 40-foot stupa built by the Army, with the names of 2,420 soldiers killed in the 1962 war on granite panels. There is usually an evening sound and light show.
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Urgelling Monastery
A small, quiet monastery that marks the birthplace of the 6th Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso, born in 1683 and remembered as much for his poetry as his office.
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Sela Pass and Sela Lake
The pass on the district line and the lake just beyond it, often frozen in winter. With the tunnel open you have to ask your driver for the old road. Do not linger: it is high, cold and windy.
Sela Pass -
Sangetsar Tso
A lake formed when an earthquake blocked a valley, with dead tree trunks still standing in the water. It is known as Madhuri Lake after a film song shot here in 1997. It freezes in deep winter. The tourism department has warned visitors not to step onto the ice.
Sangetsar Tso, on the Bum La road -
Bum La Pass
A pass on the border with Tibet, open to Indian citizens only, with a special permit from the district administration and Army clearance, in a locally registered taxi. Sources disagree on winter access, and permits can be refused after snow. Treat it as a bonus, not a promise.
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Nuranang Falls
A waterfall of roughly 100 m just off the highway, also called Jang Falls. A good leg-stretch on the way in or out.
Practical info
Before you go
Permits
Sort this first
Every Indian citizen who is not a resident of Arunachal Pradesh needs an Inner Line Permit to enter the state. It can be applied for on the state's eILP portal or at Arunachal government offices in cities such as Guwahati, Tezpur, Kolkata and Delhi. Guides quote a fee of about Rs 100 and a day or two to process, and advise applying a week ahead and listing both West Kameng and Tawang districts. It is checked at Bhalukpong and again on the road, so carry printouts.
Foreign nationals, and OCI and PIO card holders, are not eligible for an ILP and need a Protected Area Permit instead. Bum La needs a separate local permit.
Best time
March to May, September to October
These are the most reliable months for clear weather and open high roads. December to February is very cold, with January temperatures around minus 9 to 4 C and snow, though the Sela Tunnel now keeps the main road open. June to August is the monsoon, with landslides on the lower road.
Getting there
Road from Guwahati or Tezpur
Guwahati to Tawang is around 500 km and takes two days with a night at Bomdila or Dirang. Tezpur is the nearer town in Assam, about 320 km away. Shared jeeps run from Tezpur. There is no railway or regular airport at Tawang.
Altitude
Take it in steps
You go from the plains to 3,000 m in two days and may cross 4,170 m at Sela. Sleeping at Bomdila or Dirang first helps. Drink water, avoid alcohol, walk slowly, and keep visits to Sela, Sangetsar Tso and Bum La short. If a headache comes with vomiting or breathlessness at rest, go lower and get medical help. Ask your doctor before the trip if you have a heart or lung condition.
Border manners
Cameras down
Do not photograph army camps, convoys or bridges. On the Bum La road there are signs telling you where photography is and is not allowed. Follow them, and follow what soldiers tell you.
Cash and phone
Limited
Carry cash for the whole trip. ATMs exist in Tawang, Bomdila and Dirang and cannot be relied on. Coverage is patchy on the road and prepaid SIMs from other states may not work, so check with your operator.
Build your packing list
Tawang is cold in every month and the passes are colder. Tell the builder the month and it builds the list.
Open the Packing List BuilderFitness guideGo with Charkadam
Tawang, with a group
Our Tawang Circuit runs from Guwahati and back. The trip page has the day-by-day route, what is included, and how permits are handled.
* Indicative starting price. The trip page shows the price for each date.
Questions
Tawang, answered
Yes. Indian citizens from outside Arunachal Pradesh need an Inner Line Permit, available online through the state eILP portal or from Arunachal government offices. Foreign nationals need a Protected Area Permit.
March to May and September to October for clear weather and open high roads. Winter is very cold and snowy. The monsoon, June to August, brings landslides.
By road, in two days, through Bhalukpong, Bomdila and Dirang, a distance of around 500 km. Most people break the journey at Bomdila or Dirang.
The main highway now runs through the Sela Tunnel, opened in March 2024, which keeps the road open through most winter weather. High side trips such as Bum La may be closed by snow.
Only Indian citizens, with a special permit from the Tawang district administration and Army clearance, travelling in a locally registered taxi. Permits may not be issued after heavy snow.
Keep reading
Other guides
-
The whole state
Meghalaya
Root bridges, caves, waterfalls, Khasi food and how the seasons change all of it.
-
The hill capital
Shillong
Markets, museums, music, and Khasi food stalls on every corner.
-
Falls, caves, root bridges
Cherrapunji (Sohra)
Nohkalikai, the steps to Nongriat, and the caves under the plateau.
-
The whole valley
Spiti Valley
The route in, the monasteries, the high villages and how to handle the altitude.
