[adetour]

Prelude

It was yet another year of wondering where to go during the year end, and then finally falling back to our default option - The North East! Spoilt for choice with lots of pending places in NE, we started with one plan and finalised a completely different one just 10 days before the trip as most friends couldn't join this time.

Finally, it was only one car - MK's XUV500 (now 2.4L+ on odo), 3 of us, usual 17 days and 7752kms, we covered Ziro, Menchukha, Lamang, Majuli, Nongjrong.

Some snippets from the drive:

Winterscapes of Ziro Valley


The "roads" to Menchukha


Menchukha Bazzar and the surrounding snow peaks


Yargyap Chhu/Siyom River


Scenes around Menchukha


A lot of Local cuisines tried


Lamang Post - the last driveable point before the LAC


Snow around Lamang - fresh snowing happened the previous day



The Menchukha Valley


Siko Dido Waterfalls


Vistas of Majuli


Serene Sunsets of Majuli


Some Satra Hoppings


Last Sunrise of 2024 from Nongjrong


Clear Umngot River


Valleys of East Khasi Hills in Winter


Last Sunset of 2024 from Nongjrong


First Sunrise of 2025 from Nongjrong



SECTIONS

• Planning
• Day 1&2 - Chennai to Rajahmundry & Rajahmundry to Kalyani
• Day 3 - Kalyani to Bongaigaon
• Day 4 - Bongaigaon to Ziro
• Day 5 - Places in Ziro : Part 1
• Day 5 - Places in Ziro : Part 2
• Day 6 - Ziro to Aalo
• Day 7 - Aalo to Menchukha : Part 1
• Day 7 - Aalo to Menchukha : Part 2
• Day 8 - Places in Menchukha : Part 1
• Day 8 - Places in Menchukha : Part 2
• Day 9 - Lamang, last driveable point before LAC : Part 1
• Day 9 - Lamang, last driveable point before LAC : Part 2

[adetour]

Planning

In my previous TL, had elaborately described our previous trips to NE with few pictures and the planning sheet in this post (East Arunachal & West Meghalaya | 8000 km road-trip to the North East).

1. Dec 2016 : First timer places - Arunachal(Tawang circuit), Assam(Majuli, Kaziranga), Meghalaya(Cherrapunjee, Double Root Bridge trek, Dawki-Mawlynnong) and North Bengal(Darjeeling)
   
2. Nov-Dec 2017 : Mizoram (Aizawl, Champhai, Rih Dil in Myanmar, Thenzawl, Lunglei, Saiha) and Nagaland (Dzukou Trek, Hornbill Festival, Kigwema, Kisama)
   
3. Dec 2019 : Bhutan (Thimphu, Paro, Tigers Nest, Phobhjikha Valley, Bumthang, Punakha, Haa Valley). It was supposed to be to Ziro-Tuting-Anini areas, but due to CAA-NRC protests, ended up changing to Bhutan at start the trip.
   
4. Dec 2020 : North Bengal(Dhotrey-Tumling hike) and Sikkim(Gangtok, Tsomgo, Ravangla, Borong, Pelling, Yuksom, Kaluk, Barsey), again skipped core NE areas due to Covid tests.
   
5. Dec 2022 : Manipur (Imphal, Ukhrul, Moreh, Loktak) and Tripura (Unakoti, Jampuii Hills, Phuldungsei, Neermahal, Tripurasundari Temple, Kamalabari, Agartala) via Dimapur-Kohima and back via Meghalaya, touching Mizoram border at Phuldungsei-Kawnpui.
   
6. Dec 2023 : Arunachal (Anini circuit inc. Bruni and Mipi-Beyanli, Walong-Kaho-Kibithu), Guwahati and Meghalaya(South Garo Hills - Siju Caves, Wari Chora)

As seen above, we used to cover 2 NE trips and then a break year in between to some other region. In 2018 we did Uttarakhand, and in 2021 Madhya Pradesh. It was supposed to be a break year in 2024, hence for major part of the year we did not plan for North East. Lingering ideas of Ladakh did not take off due to various commitments through the year. Finally discussions ignited around Sep-Oct to plan something for the regular timeframe of last 2 weeks of Dec.

We made two initial plans, the first one to GJ-RJ covering Rann of Kutch(especially the new roads) and Jaisalmer-Bikaner-Jodhpur and the Bharatmala roads. The second one what I call as "Aviyal" plan involved places across states like Shirdi-Ellora-Shegaon-Lonar-Nanded-Nagpur-Varanasi-BodhGaya-Rajgir-Nalanda-Munger-Deogarh-Patratu-Ranchi-Jamshedpur-Similipal-Keonjhar-Jajpur-Bhitarkanika and so on. GJ-RJ was more enticing than the Aviyal one for most. After couple of weeks of building further on these, we decided not to do GJ-RJ in December end in peak touristy season, and the other one could be majorly through fog spells of Gangetic plains. Anyways sharing these inital plans here in case anyone needs.

The GJ-RJ one (friends from XUV Owner's group-TORC did a similar plan in November '24)


The "Aviyal" plan


Finally that left us with North East again - a vast region with lots more to cover especially in Arunachal. Apart from Kohima, Hornbill and Dzukou, we had not covered much in Nagaland too, so after some discussions, we decided to build the plan in this direction.

Last year's TL planning post also mentions the pending places here (East Arunachal & West Meghalaya | 8000 km road-trip to the North East) in which I've mentioned some of the trips

Seppa - Pakke Kesang/Itanagar : better done enroute Ziro
Ziro - Koloriang - Kurung Kumey places : wait for roads to get a bit better, and for Ziro-Dapo road to become better, ideal to do with Dapo circuits
Dapo - Nacho - Taksing : still rough roads, better to do after better connectivity and after Ziro - Dapo - Aalo is better
Mechuka : road cutting is still going on till Tato
Tuting - Gelling : road is done till Yingkiong but road cutting is going on beyond that which is still in bad shape
Vijoynagar : tough with combo of untamed roads and tamed vehicles
Pangsu Pass - Changlang - Khonsa - Longding : better done as a trip with Vijoynagar or parts of North Nagaland which is pending

The above places itself needs another 3 trips with our 17 days format.
One trip for Seppa - Pakke Kesang - Ziro - Kurung Kumey places - Dapo - Upper Subansiri places (and some pending places in Assam/Meghalaya)
Another for Basar - Mechuka - Monigong - Tuting - Gelling - Bishing - Namdapha - Vijoynagar
Another for Pangsu Pass - Changlang - Khonsa - Longding - Mon - Longwa - Mokokchung - Tuensang - Kiphre - Shilloi - Phek

With North Nagaland now in picture, automatically came in the pending nearby areas of Pangsu Pass - Changlang - Khonsa - Wakka - Longding. We spent some time in the 45days from mid October reading more on these places, books, vlogs, learning about the different Naga tribes, initiating conversations with homestays, understanding the terrain and road conditions, mapping the missing roads.etc. There was a lot in Nagaland itself which deserved a complete trip.

The evolved plan for this region


Sharing some learnings here as we did not do this region this time :

• Nampong - Manmao - Changlang is driveable, there's no need to go back into Assam and come back. Had marked this in OSM (should be visible in Apple Maps too) - https://www.openstreetmap.org/changeset/157998986
• Khonsa has better stays than Longding, Wakka has 1 homestay
• Pangchao(in Arunachal near Longding) - Longwa road is also driveable, this makes this entire area a full circuit without going back to Assam. Although a homestay owner in Longwa told us that tourists can't enter Longwa/Nagaland from Arunachal, they have to enter via Assam, though the reverse is allowed. Not sure how far this is true. Had marked Pangchao - Longwa road in OSM too - https://www.openstreetmap.org/changeset/157922434
• Apart from Longwa, we had lots of options in Nagaland, and it was of course getting confusing to decide places for the ~5 days we had for this area.
• From Mon, we first considered the Mon - Longching - Longleng - Tuensang route, cover Noklak and Dan ITC Myanmar Border, and then via Shamator to Kiphire. Upon understanding further, we came to know that there is a lot of road work happening in Tuensang route and time consuming route, so decided to skip it.
• We came across a Camp Singrep Adventure near Kiphire with nice sunrise view, so wanted to visit that.
• We also wanted to visit the Ahom Heritage sites in Sivasagar area. This was placed in between Longwa and rest of NL, so that we can avoid the Tuensang route. There are many nice homestays around Sivasagar.
• With some more research, we planned to take the Tuli - Merangkong - Mokokchung - Zuhneboto route to Kiphire, majorly decent roads. Zuhneboto - Kohima roads are also better, for return we thought of visiting either pending Khonoma or Wokha - Doyang.
• Heritage Homestay in Noklak seemed nice. Also found this Konyak Tea Retreat near Wakching on airbnb (https://maps.app.goo.gl/SNvPNJPt1NRLm7Gp9) https://www.airbnb.co.in/rooms/1079596569000677070. Khonoma has lots of nice stays, Doyang area also stays have improved, but mostly camps.
• And finally, Saramati Trek was alluring! But did not fit in our timeframe.

The finalised final final plan
Through the discussions we were 6-7 of us in 2 cars, and atleast 2-3 more people, and another car interested to join. By time we hit December, some of them had to drop out due to various unavoidable reasons. We were then just 4 of us in MK's XUV500, we had not booked anything yet as headcounts were reducing. Then we finally decided lets cover the pending places in Arunachal which are doable. This again was a lot of areas. MK wanted to cover long pending Ziro and also visit Majuli(yet again) for the landscapes. While reading more, I found Menchukha road cutting more doable than Tuting, Damin, Taksing and ofcourse Vijoynagar. Had also checked with @gunin about this. Menchukha also offers a lot more in terms of landscape! So it was an instant tick. For New Year's we had to decide the last place of the trip, a close friend who had visited Nongjrong earlier this year(2024) was recommending it, so we added that.

In the last 10 days before the trip, we finalized this plan, 2nights at Ziro, 1 night at Aalo, 3 nights in Menchukha, 1 night on return from there at Aalo/Basar/Pasighat, 2 nights in Majuli, 2 nights in Nongjrong. The last week before the trip, we were able to shortlist and finalize the homestays of our choice. By then one more friend had to drop out, finally it was 3 of us for the trip.
Onward-Return is always on the go and dynamic.

[adetour]

Actual drive snapshot and Onwards Drive

Finally it all comes down to how the plan gets executed. Here's the summary of the actual drive which will be covered day-wise in the upcoming posts.



Road conditions
Had penned down how the road conditions have vastly improved in a decade in the previous TL here (East Arunachal & West Meghalaya | 8000 km road-trip to the North East)

This year too, there were lots of improvements some of which I have already updated here (Bangalore - Vijayawada - Vizag - Bhubaneswar : Route Queries) and here (Kolkata - Siliguri route via Dumka, Bhagalpur or NH-12 (old NH-34)), but to sum up the important ones shortly as it is relevant to the travelogue too:

• TN section till Arambakkam border has improved, only diversion at Kavaraipettai is pending.
• 6 lane flyover works are gradually starting around Nellore junctions.
• Chilakaluripet 6laned Bypass is finally open, we had been tracking this through the year, and it opened just in time in 2nd week of December.
• Ranital(Bhadrak)-Balasore most sections is unmarked 6 laned road, there are couple of diversions on the new road itself around Soro, and pending railway bridge on Balasore Bypass. No more service road diversions, vast improvement compared to last year.
• We tried Kalyani expressway during onward drive, except the BE-KE connection to Nimta and Nimta to Muragachha More, it is all good. Kampa More Connector flyover was not yet open. During return, we took the Ishwar Setu - Mogra - Old Delhi road which continues to remain good.
• Compared to last year, the finished sections from Kalyani More to Krishnanagar is a such a pleasure to drive on, especially crossing Ranaghat area is seamless!
• Road work on the pending 2lane bits on Krishnanagar - Berhampore is finally under progress.
• Cyclical conditions of the Dalkhola - Ghoshpukur is now on the bad side, although active patch work was happening and we could see good difference between onward and return drive in a fortnight.
• Most 6 lane flyover work in Assam NH27 is completed except 1-2 around Bongaigaon, and Baihata Chariali which also seemed to be almost ready. Guwahati Bypass works have been completed too, what a relief compared to 2 years back. Crossing WIP Tezpur Flyover section is still messy.
• On North Bank NH15-515, Biswanath Bypass is complete. Silapathar - Jonai 4 laning work has started in full swing.
• Bogibeel - Majuli Brahmaputra Bank Road is more or less done and superb to drive on.

Overall this gave atleast 1.5-2hrs improvement of drive time compared to last year for the onward-return drive.

Onwards Drive

Day 1 : Chennai - Rajahmundry
Distance : 628.2kms
Timings : 4pm to 107am (total breaks ~1hr, drive time ~8hrs7min)

It was a nice active NEM day in Chennai. We had planned to start by mid-day from MK's place, then it got pushed to 2pm. We were wrapping up various commitments and office work for the year.


Finally we were only able start around 4pm. We had planned to target Vijayawada or Rajahmundry based on progress.


We were on NH16 after ORR at 430pm. Light spells of Monsoonish rains continued as we drove Northward. We stopped for Tea at Sullurpeta Toll for 15-20 minutes, nice paddy fields view from the Tea Shop.


1-2 rain spells in between Sullurpeta and Gudur were heavier, rains completely stopped after Gudur. We got into the 6laned roads after Nellore at 7:17pm, and from here on, average speeds were better. We wanted to stop at Delhi Highway, before Ongole for Dinner, but due to office calls on the go, decided to stop after 9pm. At 915pm, we stopped for Dinner at NH16 Food Court (https://maps.app.goo.gl/2Fr1B32rPjmSkR2y9) at Bollapalli Toll. It was a decent fare of Roti, Sabjis, good Filter Coffee and quick service too. Here, we decided to push to Rajahmundry instead of Vijayawada, and stay at Sudeeksha Rajanagaram.


We resumed after Dinner at 10pm, and roughly around 3hrs drive ahead. Pic of the new Chilakaluripet Bypass (blurry as it automatically went to 3sec shutter )


We crossed Vijayawada at 11pm and we were able to pass through quickly without much traffic, there wasn't a lot of bus traffic too. After Gannavaram, we joined back the 6L road and from here it was a peaceful drive. We crossed Godavari at 12:55am and reached our stay Sudheekha Comforts, Rajanagaram (https://maps.app.goo.gl/xP5Dbpqg3ZQi4BH79) at 107am. We had stayed here during the previous trip too, and it continues to be a decent just overnight stopover close to highway.


Day 2 : Rajahmundry - Kalyani
Distance : 1087.5kms
Timings : 645am to 1154pm (total breaks ~2hr25min, drive time ~14hr45min)

We checked out and started at 645am from the stay. Sudheeksha also has a covered parking with security.


The first stretch till Anakapalle is the old 4 laned road. 6 laning work had been sanctioned sometime back, but not sure if the tendering.etc happened. For now, this stretch is peaceful in non peak hours, we always time it to avoid the peak hours here. Many folks end up having a less than optimal experience otherwise. We crossed Tuni at 750am and decided to stop for breakfast at Hotel JAS after Vempadu Toll (https://maps.app.goo.gl/eCdfpDMLFAx5Z5YY6) which we reached around 8am.



Upma Pesarattu. We had a relaxed breakfast as we also had a Birthday to celebrate too. Staff at JAS were helpful to get the cake ready too.


We started only by 9am from here, in another 45minutes we were in Anakapalle, this stretch traffic is fine compared to Rajahmundry to Tuni. From Anakapalle, we were onto the 6laned roads, and from here it is one of the best stretches of the NH16. Although after Narasanapeta, it becomes 4laned again, but due to lesser traffic density, we can continue to cruise till AP Border at a similar pace. Around 1025am we had crossed Vizag Bypass, Anandapuram area. We stopped after Tekkali to top up 10liters so that we can get across the Border and tank up. At 1240pm we crossed Karapadu toll which was the last toll in AP. Crossing Bramhapur - Chatrapur was fine as it was mid-day, 3-4 speed cameras have come up in this stretch and working.

At 140pm we reached IOC Swagat before Rambha (https://maps.app.goo.gl/RiYKWadquvCWYh4A8)


Mandatory Chilika Lake Picture


6L roads again started after Tangi, and gradually speed cameras started and density of it increased closer to Khorda. As usual traffic density picks up after Khorda closer to Bhubaneshwar.


Speed limits were mostly 80kmph till before BBSR. And then it was random 60/65/70/80kmph, some sections are bit difficult given the 6laned roads, but in and around City traffic density ensures we are well under those speeds. We crossed Bhubaneshwar around 325pm, we decided to stop for late Lunch after clearing the BBSR-Cuttack traffic as it was closer to evening peak hours. We crossed Manguli Toll at 407pm and then started looking for restaurants. The ones at Chandikhol junction didn't seem great. Further ahead, we saw boards for a Pushpa Restaurant (https://maps.app.goo.gl/3RJYGrTanCq6Pg7s8), we stopped here as it was looking good.


Pushpa craze!


Biryani was good, the owner was very very enthusiastic guy.


We started after late Lunch around 5pm, crossed Bhadrak before 6pm.
End of 6 laned roads after Bhadrak(Ranital), from here on it was the unmarked 6 lane road with few diversions on the flyovers around Soro, it has improved compared to last year surely. We crossed Balasore Bypass at 650pm.


We crossed Kharagpur Bypass by 840pm and were back onto the 6 laned roads. At 915pm we stopped for Dinner at Shere Dhaba, Kolaghat as we wanted to cross Kolkata region a bit late. It was good food, Tea and Lassi as usual here, service can be a bit slow.



We resumed after Dinner after 10pm, traffic had kind of reduced by then, trucks were constant though. We crossed Dhaulagori toll at 1040pm, and Kolkata Bypass also was smooth sailing. We wanted to try the Kalyani Expressway as Belaghoria side was empty at this time of the day. Exited from GQ before Dankuni at 11pm. Belaghoria Expressway and Nivedita Setu was quick too. @gmhossain had informed that the BE-KE connection to Nimta through the WIP section is open since December (https://maps.app.goo.gl/kcjKtWNY2eLiQGq89), but it was barricaded probably for work at that time, so we took the next turn via Nani Sarani Road - https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZGJ2J7BEEg2VmrmT8. It was a narrow, but since it was late at night, it was empty.

The first couple of kms from Nimta towards Muragachha More was also diversions and construction sections. From Muragachha More, the road is more or less done except for small diversions.


We crossed Kampa More at 1145pm, our planned stay was at Akshara Regency (https://maps.app.goo.gl/oCmV3UauoeqSiM2c9), same place we stayed during last drive too. For this we took the Jonepur - Kulia Road which also has been expanded, and we reached the stay by 1154pm. Everything required like Towels, Soap, Waterbottles.etc was already kept in the room and room key handed over to the Security by the Hotel Owner who was in touch with us since Kolaghat. We just had to drive in, take the keys and settle in the room for the night within a few minutes!

[adetour]

Onwards drive contd..

Day 3 : Kalyani - Bongaigaon
Distance : 798.6kms
Timings : 647am to 940pm (total breaks ~2hr20min, drive time ~12.5hrs)

Similar to Day 2, we started around 645am. In 5kms we were onto NH12 at Kalyani More. The Ayeshpur Toll just after Kalyani More has started as the roads are now complete. This stretch till Krishnanagar is currently one of the best stretches of NH12. What a relief from last year's WIP sections, especially crossing Chakdaha and infamous Ranaghat. As it was early morning, barricades weren't out on the roads yet too. We crossed Ranaghat at 712am, Krishnanagar just after 730am.


Bethudahari Toll came at 754am, the first hour from Kalyani More was pretty quick. Around 845am we were crossing Berhampore Bypass, 2hrs from start time. We stopped at Pappu Da Dhaba (regular place, https://maps.app.goo.gl/xm39JQwXedoE3hjZ6) for Breakfast around 9am.


Standard decent Parathas


And some great Chai!


We started after Breakfast at 940am. The next 100kms or so is a slow section generally with lot of barricades and some markets on road, we need to cross Umarpur(Jangipur), Ahiron, Basudebpur, Dhuliyan, Farakka, Kaliachak, Jalalapur and Sujapur. Guess this was one of the first 4 laned sections of NH12, and many of them need flyovers. Also there were 2-3 diversions for road relaying, especially the long one at Ahiron Bridge was bit slow without scope for overtaking.

Some typical scenes at Dhuliyan!



We crossed Farakka Bridge around 11am, it was business as usual and crossing with smooth flowing traffic. No train sightings though


The legendary Kaliachak Market! It took 2 signals to cross this time.
Pappu Dhaba to Farakka took 1hr20min+ for 80kms, Farakka to Malda Bypass start took the standard 45mins for 28kms (sometimes this can take an hour+ in peak hours, at wee hours its only around <35mins).


We stopped at IOC COCO after Malda for refuelling, around 900kms from the previous refuelling at Rambha.


We also did a quick mandatory stop at Paradesi Dhaba to buy Rabdi.


Road eases out after Malda as usual. We crossed Gazole before 1230pm, and had crossed Raiganj Bypass by 110pm.
The Raiganj Railway Bridge which was pending last year! Now there are no detours in NH12 from Kalyani More. When the pending 2lane bits between Krishnanagar and Berhampore, BE-KE connector, Kampa More interchange gets fully done and opened, the journey would become more seamless.


We turned into NH27 at Dalkhola at 145pm, the first few kms till Surjapur Toll was bit okay, after almost all sections had potholes and it was like video game. Especially around Kanki, road was chipped off for relaying in many sections.


The Bihar section around Kishanganj mostly was intact, back into WB after Kishanganj road again deteriorated till the start of Islampur Bypass which we crossed around 240pm. From Islampur Bypass road was pretty good mostly except the diversions of Chopra and Bidhan Nagar.
We stopped for Lunch at Highwaye Haveli (https://maps.app.goo.gl/UxhkX976xp77JK2f9) around 320pm. It was a 35-40minutes stop only as service was really quick and food was good.



We resumed at 4pm and seamlessly bypassed Siliguri as always and were at Fulbari around 430pm. Mahananda Barrage was 2-way as the new section on the right side was closed for some work.


The next 68kms to Dhupguri took an hour. Jalpaiguri Bypass signals were a bit slow due to evening hours. Maynaguri Railway Bridge which opened in Jan'24 was another relief. From Dhupguri the next 100kms to Salsalabari is the usual 2 laned road via NH517+317 (until the 4laning on NH27 gets done via Falakata, which seems many years away!).

After crossing Birpara, Madarihat, Hasimara.etc in evening traffic hours, we stopped for a much needed break at Dabri Tea Lounge (https://maps.app.goo.gl/nj7HkC3NxhPqN4H88) at 7:10pm. It took 1hr40mins for 84kms from Dhupguri.


Dabri Tea Lounge opened sometime in 2023 and we have been regular here and also suggesting it to friends who travel this route. Its a perfect stop almost at the end of the 2laned roads to have a good chai and snacks midst Tea estates. Good washrooms too. Service can be a bit slow. (Always order the food and tea first, and then visit the Store for shopping).



It was all lit up and decorated probably for the Year End (about which we'll see in the return leg of the travelogue).


We started from Dabri after a relaxed stop at 8pm. We had planned to stay in Bongaigaon itself as options after that are sparse till Tezpur, although we were actually okay to drive another 1hr+ after Bongaigaon. So we decided to book at Sona Hotel which we had stayed last 2 trips and start bit early next day so that we can reach Ziro not too late. Couple of kms after Salsalabari, we were back onto 4 laned roads. We entered Assam at 8:30pm at Srirampur Border. Then on, it was a peaceful drive without any barricades except the occasional small speed breakers.

We reached Sona Hotel(https://maps.app.goo.gl/pPBZDh6ESfyYKfsS8) at 9:40pm. There is road work going on in front of the Hotel. Parking opposite and walking across the road work was a bit messy. The check-in process used to be generally slow at this hotel, but as rooms were good we had preferred it. This time they annoyed us a bit more, so we decided not to stay here from next trip. Other options like Cygnett Park Meghna is a bit over budget for us for just overnight (10pm to 5/6am) stop, Himalaya used to have mixed opinion, rest of the hotels in town used to be so-so.

Anyways, I also messed up the Dinner order by choosing "Indi" Pizza on Dominos app instead of the regular ones without noticing.

[adetour]

Reaching the hills

Day 4 : Bongaigaon - Ziro
Distance : 535kms
Timings : 522am to 442pm (total breaks ~1hr45min, drive time ~9hr35min)

We managed to start at 522am(planned for 515am) after the slow checkout process at the Hotel reception. There was light and thin fields fog occasionally, but nothing too bad. Sun was up and was bright in 20-25minutes.
Beki River Bridge before Barpeta Road.


Sun was finally out of the Clouds. Crossing Pathsala at 625am.


We crossed Nalbari around 645am and entered Rangia at 7am. Here we usually have 3 choices of route towards Biswanath Chariali.

1. Baihata Chariali - traditional NH15 route - Sipajhar - Mangaldoi - Rowta/Orang - Tezpur : usually crowded route and narrow stretches around Mangaldoi
2. Rangia - Tamulpur - Paneri - Udalguri - Rowta/Oranga - Tezpur : not much crowded, but many speed breakers, Udalguri new bridge not yet open, so has a mild offroad section.
3. continue on NH27 - Guwahati Bypass - Nagaon - Kaliabor - Tezpur Bypass : much longer but all 4L-6L all the way.

We did not think of the Guwahati route as it is much longer, last year we took Option 2, this year too we decided to stick to that as Mangaldoi route might fall in morning peak hours. And hence we turned off from NH27 at Rangia towards Tamulpur.


It has some nice foresty sections and tea estates too. We crossed Tamulpur at 726am, Paneri at 8am, Udalguri 817am and finally Rowta at 837am. So approx 1hr40min from Rangia to Rowta on this route.


We started looking out for breakfast options from Udalguri but there weren't any open. Finally we found a small restaurant Delicious and Spicy (https://maps.app.goo.gl/zqt7hYB2LoJxoamB7) which was open.


Roti and Dal Breakfast


We resumed after breakfast at 920am, crossed Dhekiajuli at 950am, crossing Tezpur was a pain even after morning peak hours, mainly due to the messy flyover work. Last year was better as we crossed at night. We reached the Mission Chariali signal jam around 1030am and finally hit the 4L road coming from Kaliabor only at 1105am. 60kms after Breakfast took 1hr45mins. Totally 3hrs15min drive time from Rangia for 160kms. The route via Guwahati Bypass is 230kms, 70kms longer and extra Rs.395 toll but perhaps would take the same time or lesser if no jams at Saraighat Bridge - Jalukbari section.

We crossed Biswanath Chariali Bypass around 1130am. There is a section after Biswanath around Monabari where the road turns North and faces the Arunachal hills, its a nice sight.


We took a quick restroom break at Yaso's Food Court (https://maps.app.goo.gl/hX1yoHWNExy4pg2E8), it is a new place, good restrooms. At 1230pm, we were crossing Gohpur, onto NH415 from NH15. First board to Arunachal!


And then quickly crossed Hollongi town on Assam side.


We entered Arunachal some distance after the above board where our ILP was vaguely checked and we were flagged off to proceed.


Diesel was almost at reserve, as we were contemplating whether to reach Itanagar for refueling we saw this IOC (https://maps.app.goo.gl/Ay5bnj2fZmWQKG6g8) and by reflex action, decided to refuel here. Diesel was Rs.80.47/l here - cheapest in the trip and one of the cheapest in NE region too. But we had a bad experience (filled over capacity "as per the meter", cheated by some 4-5L with some trick while filling) here and decided not to refuel in the first pump immediately after the border. This wasted around 20-25mins in futile effort of verifying the pump measurement.etc.


alas we continued on the 4 laned road towards Itanagar. Almost all the road work is done here and road conditions are good till almost Itanagar. Some sections are scenic.



Itanagar traffic was not bad as expected, it kept moving. We stopped at a couple of places to shop a few things and tried to see if we could get Winter gloves which got missed while packing.


Spotted a Malabar restaurant too (https://maps.app.goo.gl/ubwukGz9jMS6r1ZW9), although we had planned to skip Lunch so that we can cover as much as possible in daylight.


Crossing Itanagar Underpass


By 210pm, we turned off from Papu Nalah towards Potin.


The initial section after Papu Nalah was okay, there were some patchy sections between Yupia and Doimukh Junction, and towards Hoj Yayee Neepco junction too was fine. After that till Potin has a couple of work in progress sections.



Entering the newly formed Keyi Panyor District.


And just after Potin town, the completed road section starts. Ziro was another 53kms away. We were onto NH13 from Neepco Hoj junction actually.


View from Potin View Point of Ranganadi River and Dam. We spent 10-15minutes here at the View Point and also had tea.


We started around 330pm from Potin View Point with an hour's daylight left. Another stop for Ranganadi River and Neepco View before Pitapool.



Paddy Field vistas.


Sun had already gone behind the hills, and hues were out at 4pm.


Another quick stop for the Sunset hues.


Roads were fantabulous from Potin and so was the Sunset setting with Clouds.


Nearing Ziro!


And we reached our first destination in Arunachal at 445pm just before it got fully dark (https://maps.app.goo.gl/d81HEStN8gNvzQSq6).

[adetour]

A Day in Ziro - Part 1

After checking in to the stay, we headed out to MG Road, Hapoli Bazzar in the evening and spent some time there, we bought the Winter gloves which one of us forgot to pack. And a few other things. Hapoli Bazzar is one of the biggest areas in New Ziro, it now has a KFC too (https://maps.app.goo.gl/mfsrikPZXtDbQWMD9).

We reached back to the stay late evening, and then headed to the traditional fireplace area, which is in a separate area. We spent rest of the time there before dinner.

It was a nice wooden cottage made of pine wood and surrounded by Kiwi Orchards and Pine Forests.


Dinner


Day 5 : places in Ziro
Distance :73.3kms

We had planned to catch the sunrise from Pamu Yalang View Point in the morning. Previously this used to a long hike, recently road work has been completed and there is only a small <5min hike, so its pretty crowded too (We had noted this place back in 2019 when we were originally planning). We headed out around 520am for the 6am sunrise.

Pamu Yalang View Point : https://maps.app.goo.gl/KbWAdi2dd4uiyJiR8
Parking Point : https://maps.app.goo.gl/ntY4zuSi24rfvoHf9
Road marked till here : https://maps.app.goo.gl/GQNSJ68M4Be6RDFL6

Stairs leading to the View Point which is a small hike


The View Point


The place has been recently renovated


...and turns out the Clouds in Ziro Valley were dense and weren't lifting off quickly.


Sun was out, but clouds were still around


Other side was clear. The pathway and the road


We then drove to Siikhe Lake(https://maps.app.goo.gl/DD1rUTmRisCDA4oU7) for a quick visit


Clouds had begun to lift off and visibility was getting better


We got back to Old Ziro town, few restaurants and shops were open. We stopped at a small hole in the wall Krishna Restaraunt for quick breakfast (https://maps.app.goo.gl/oD6ZLwTCESQBSakr6) and it was decent.


Then we got back to the Stay to get ready and check out.
Stay in daylight.



We checked out from the stay around 10am, as we had booked another Stay for this day.
We planned to cover Kardo Temple and then Hapoli - Siiro - Manipolyang - Hong area and then check in to the other stay near Old Ziro area.

Vistas enroute the Kardo Temple, we took the Sibey road for onwards side.


Reaching the Temple



The famous Ziro Syambulinga temple



After the serene temple visit, we drove back towards Hapoli via the other road opposite Sibey, and we reached the Ziro Entry which we had crossed the previous day(https://maps.app.goo.gl/5QqtKzzxibELb8pF8)


We headed from Hapoli to Siiro and then towards Manipolyang.
There are couple of roads through the Fields between Siiro and Manipolyang which we explored.


Some Winter Vistas of Ziro Valley (before harvest is a completely different vibe)




and then we drove towards Hong Village, here we wanted to visit Naara Aaba Winery (https://maps.app.goo.gl/TKFq4hb3h7ZNHcLh8) which has been getting popular in Shark Tank and other places (https://x.com/PemaKhanduBJP/status/1880265897576943642)


There was not much of a wine tour but more of wine tasting and buying from the available stock.


After this we drove back into Old Ziro to next stay Dilang Homestay(https://maps.app.goo.gl/cqWrg73auiDtHDYK9)

This completed one side of Ziro (https://maps.app.goo.gl/6kFu2EsdDD1JeHdu5)

View from the Room


We had specifically checked with the host and booked the room on top floor with best view.

[adetour]

A Day in Ziro - Part 2

After checking in to Dilang Homestay, we stepped out for Lunch to Tribal Hut Restaurant(https://maps.app.goo.gl/HA46p6vUzSKDDPXW6) in Kasa Resort as suggested by the homestay host.



Vistas from Kasa Resort - it is located atop a small hill and gives a nice elevated view of Ziro Valley


Local Apatani Chicken Thali. It was a nice meal with a totally different taste experience.




Kasa Resort also has few other restaurants. Seems a few other things are also coming up here.



After Lunch, we planned to cover rest of the circuit through Tajang Village and Hari Village.

Donyi Polo flags at one of the villages


Winter vistas


After Hari Village, we drove to Seeh Lake(https://maps.app.goo.gl/sd25EVoept2p7qUh7)


Seeh Lake is more developed than Siikhe Lake and has a few activties and a well laid path around the Lake.


The Clouds and the reflections were coming nice so we took a walk around the Lake.


The Path


The Ziro Music Festival happens around this area.


At the end of the walk


We then decided to check out the Old Ziro Putu View Point(https://maps.app.goo.gl/etvRzVvr7Yyyy9N57). This is just above the Old Ziro town.


Dilang Homestay visible in the middle before the Paddy Fields


Old Ziro View and the Ziro Airport/ALG in between


We reached back the homestay to record Sunset timelapse from the Balcony.


View from Room Balcony


Side view


Nice Chai and Fries to enjoy the evening views



By 415pm sun was behind the hills and hues were on


We spent the next couple of hours resting in the room, around 7pm we went to the Dining area which had a very nice Fireplace.


Dinner


It was colder than the previous night, and clouds were already descending down to the Valley. View from the Room Balcony at 930pm when we came back after Dinner.


And that was our day at Ziro having covered all the main places. We do have atleast 1-2 trips back here to do, one for the Monsoon scapes when all the fields are green, perhaps this can be combined with the long pending Khasi Hills Monsoon trip. Another when visiting Koloring-Damin and Taksing in the dry season.

[adetour]

Beautiful NH13

Day 6 : Ziro - Aalo
Distance : 293.6kms
Timings : 750am to 347pm (total breaks ~45min, drive time ~7hr15min)


Today was about driving from Ziro to Aalo which is <300kms. 5 years back when we planned this used to be a extremely long day or a 2-day drive as roads were pretty bad. Now almost the entire stretch road is fully done and "domesticated", it takes only <8hrs these days.

We checked out from the stay around 730am, it was a wonderful stay, good room with views, very good food and hospitality.

We headed out for Breakfast to Krishna Hotel in Old Ziro and had a quick breakfast of Maggi, Puri Sabji.



It was around 750am when we started from Ziro. NH13 board on the outskirts of Ziro.


10kms out of Ziro, the valley opened up. We stopped for a quick photo of the Clouds and distant Snow Peaks.



and also a road side waterfall


As we crossed Pamluk Bridge, we spotted a Colourful event at the Dirgo Village, so stopped the vehicle, went in to understand what's happening and join them for few minutes. It was a joint Christmas Celebration of various villages nearby. We had crossed into Kamle District from Lower Subansiri District just before this. There were various costumes of the Nyishi Tribe. We spent 15-20 minutes with them here, they were very welcoming.


Some of the new Bridges on NH13, "tankable" roads.


We crossed Boasimla and the Raga town at 1020am which is the HQ of Kamle District.

Some orange plantations


And a lot of Banana plantations


After Raga town, there aren't many villages until Dapo except very small ones. The road also is more or less similar, good curvy roads, lots of plantations, and hills in the background.

By midday we were around Daporijo.

View of Dumporjio Town from https://maps.app.goo.gl/8GGHq62msPPFNnPa8 before Dapo


View of Daporjio Town and the Subansiri River from https://maps.app.goo.gl/5ChR1PpX2cRhUWVi9


We had entered Upper Subansiri District midway after Raga. Roads were all done and mostly great till before Daporijo. As we enter Dapo its the old dusty road but widened. After Dapo town, the new bridge is under work, so the sections along old bridge is the old narrow road.
The road to Taliha-Nacho-Limeking-Taksing/Maza branching off from Subansiri Bridge, right is the NH13, straight currently goes to the above route.


Dapo is situated at 300-400m elevation, reaching here at midway was a bit warm especially after cooler days experienced in Ziro.
The old Subansiri Bridge which we crossed at 1242pm.


Roads after Dapo were also good, especially after we crossed Dumporijo. Many hills are cut across like this to make the broad road.


Some bamboo plantations


We crossed Maro at 130pm, then around 2pm we stopped at Dula Village which had a Tea shop and Restroom in middle of nowhere. (https://maps.app.goo.gl/Uw4XxHZMfVbbmEh58)


We resumed after Tea break. More roads across cut hills.


We crossed a tributary of Subansiri River after Tai village here https://maps.app.goo.gl/DyzDv8LmzQw1iACg6


We crossed Tirbin at 230pm, there are many greenfield sections for curve flattening around Tirbin.


Mithun! Arunachal's state Animal


Around Bam Village and Basar turnoff we entered West Siang District from Upper Subansiri. Roads continued to stay good a bit ahead too. Last 20kms before Aalo, there are 3-4 sections where the new road isn't complete, so there were diversions into the old road for that.


Finally at Aalo. The road left is the one for Menchukha, we turned right into Aalo town towards our booked homestay, GT Homestay - https://maps.app.goo.gl/haHYSy1guzc5VEWd9


The host was waiting to welcome us, he was in touch with us since we crossed Tirbin. Also confirmed our analysis on the last mile route to take the longer road to the homestay than the Google route. We reached homestay around 345pm, checked in. And then he suggested us to visit Cozy Resort area for Sunset. Since we had skipped Lunch, we thought it was a good idea as we can have some light food too.


Cozy Resort(https://maps.app.goo.gl/cwofSQ4K9dCTody8A) is located on the banks of the Siyom River. We had Pizza and some snacks here, views and the locale was good and enjoyable.





We then tanked up fuel at IOC in Aalo Town(https://maps.app.goo.gl/Qf33zk46QuygmLT79). We had atleast half a tank but did not want to depend on pumps in Menchukha, so tanked up. Then we shopped for snacks for next day's unpredictable journey and returned back to the Homestay.

Aalo is further lower than Dapo <300m elevation, it was cozy weather. We spent rest of the evening talking to the hosts at the Traditional Kitchen Fireplace, we discussed various things about Galo tribes, places around Aalo, Siyom River, Menchukha and their experiences of visiting other places and countries.etc


Generally at Aalo, Reyi Homestay(https://maps.app.goo.gl/KdNh9gWg3eEFiawr6) is the famous one. Since they did not have availability, we had booked at our next preferred option GT Homestay without a lot of expectations. But the hospitality was superb and everything was neat, it was a good stay.

We had Dinner around 8pm and slept early. Both the stay hosts from Menchuka and the one here at GT advised us to start by 530am to Menchuka as the road cutting timings are across various sectors, and starting between 5 and 6am is an optimized time to reach Tato without road closures.

[adetour]

Reaching Menchukha - Part 1

Day 7 : Aalo - Menchukha
Distance : 182.3kms
Timings : 515am to 140pm (total breaks ~2hr25min, drive time ~6hrs)


We managed to start from Aalo at 515am, in 5 minutes we were onto Menchuka Road. The first 55kms from Aalo till after Tumbin is fully done, superb and mostly flat roads. We crossed Kamba at 548am, Kaying at 605am and Tumbin at 618am.


The road work section starts ahead of Tumbin from here https://maps.app.goo.gl/BejTqHPzxGEEEtWf8, we entered the WIP section at 621am.


In this section, the new road is getting built at an elevation so all the landslides and debris is falling onto the old road.




This old road + construction section was for 9kms until here https://maps.app.goo.gl/W4B8U7s8AwnnRTEJ8 after which we were back onto the completed road


Clouds in the valley and and Sun coming out


Always a beautiful sight in the NE


A bit ahead, we were driving through the Clouds


Some signboards of the Trans Arunachal Frontier Highway work.


The completed road continued for about 12kms, it was mostly good with few minor work to be finished. In this section, we also saw the first snowed hills of the day.


From here https://maps.app.goo.gl/ojjrtCd5DVrz7NEG9 the road was back onto the old alignment. As we had already seen in satellite analysis, GMap was marked in a wrong way here, Apple maps was correct mainly due to the underlying OSM data. And sections of the old road had road work. We had crossed this area at 715am.



We were back onto the new alignment and some WIP almost completed roads here https://maps.app.goo.gl/kzLRpSqzHANagsJS


This continued for the next 5kms and then we were onto a long WIP section, bit slushy and a lot of construction activities. This is one of the sections which has road cutting and closure timings. It closes between 930am and 12noon, opens for a couple of hours and then again closes.





The section continued for 12kms until Pene. Location of Pene which has a restaurant too : https://maps.app.goo.gl/4VRwWzh3oj3PHjYG7, we crossed Pene at 751am, about 90kms from Aalo of which first 55kms took 1hr5min, next 35km took 1.5hrs.


These timings seem to be old and not updated


More snow views!


The next road cutting section in between Pene and Siko Dido also has road closure timings. And some road work had begun without road closure, so there were lot of construction vehicles to cross.






Vistas around


20kms from Pene to Siko Dido waterfalls(https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZWK3maQAaHL4xpGQ7) took around 1hr10mins. Couple of AR/AS cars who had overtaken us had stopped at the restaurant just before Siko Dido (https://maps.app.goo.gl/ESt8w7pTLHKZPuvA8). As we were not sure of the road cutting sections and timings ahead, we decided to proceed as much as possible. The area around Siko Dido was slushy and we couldn't stop here, so we decided to stop on return.


A river stream after Siko Dido(https://maps.app.goo.gl/UTyPd4cfa6oNauLS7) which joins the Siyom River


There is 1 major road cutting section after Siko Dido to Tato, rest of it still the old road and rough road continued.
We crossed Tato town(HQ of Shi Yomi District) at 942am. It took 42mins for 18kms until here. Tato has a lot of "Line Hotels" and a lot of vehicles stop here too. Again, we decided to just continue ahead.


4kms after Tato, we faced the first road closure for road cutting here https://maps.app.goo.gl/QVBMWvi6WEtZJUZQ8. This is the major section where a lot of work is going on. And it is closed from 9am to 12noon. We reached here at 950am, on the hindsight we should have spent time at Siko Dido and reached here perhaps by 11am. We could have also driven back to Tato which was just 4km, we were in a dilemma but decided to stay put as we were the first car in the queue and we had enough snacks/food from the shopping at Aalo.
In between, construction vehicles were allowed to ply across the checkpost and also a few AR vehicles which were going to in between villages. We spent time catching up on online stuff as next 2-3 days network would not be good in Menchukha Valley.

[adetour]

Reaching Menchukha - Part 2

Day 7 : Aalo - Menchukha
Distance : 182.3kms
Timings : 515am to 140pm (total breaks ~2hr25min, drive time ~6hrs)

Finallly after 2hrs of waiting, 10 minutes before the scheduled time, the road was opened. By then many vehicles from Aalo direction had lined up.


The initial section had some construction work and vehicles. Then after a few kms, we found a nice waterfalls on the side of the road and stopped to click a few pics. By then 5-6 vehicles overtook.


Some construction vehicles were just wrapping up work.


Some of the WIP sections


The line of vehicles we let ahead when we stopped at the waterfalls.


The slushiest road cutting section started from here https://maps.app.goo.gl/g3Rgo7DVuboyHKPEA. Although as it was the driest month of the year, it wasn't bad at all, can imagine how this would be in the Monsoons.

https://youtu.be/rg7pJ06pLx8

The slushy section continued for 5-6kms and then there was a small completed stretch. After that from here https://maps.app.goo.gl/32Es7EVjatXDUWrV9 the new road is a different alignment, so we're back onto the old road without any road work and the uphill climb was pretty fine. Till here it was 20+ kms from the road closure point after Tato which took an hour or so.
After the uphill climb in some distance, the new road joins back, here on the terrain becomes gradual as we approach the Valley, some sections road work is majorly done but it is a bumpy and dusty ride all the way as there is no tarmac.

First snow peaks of Menchuka view some 10kms before it.


and gradually the Valley opens up! The Yargyap Chhu/Siyom River welcomes us.



almost at Menchukha!


We reached our booked stay - Yargyap Chhu homestay(https://maps.app.goo.gl/5oNyPKPj1L13wBzUA) at 140pm. The stay is located out of Menchukha town and close to the River. It took about 6hrs drive time from Aalo for the 180+kms and less than 2hrs from Tato road closure point for the last 50 odd kms.


After checking in, we headed out to the town for Lunch as we had skipped all meals so far.

Mesmerizing snow peaks from Menchukha Bazzar.


Some colourful signboards and Chorten.


We were suggested Buddha Kitchen by the homestay owner(the same family runs the place), but upon checking it seemed full, so we settled for another place nearby. We had Maggi and Fried Rice.


Meanwhile, there was absolutely no network in Menchuka after the Tato road work stretch. Locals told us that network shutdown is common and it may come back anytime in the evening. So we were back to the Cash world finally! (until now almost 99% transactions were via Card or UPI).

After Lunch, we found a Car Wash center in Menchuka Bazzar and decide to get the Car wash done after all that dusty-slushy stretches for 130+kms. The car wash center took its own sweet time, in between there was power cut too. We spent time loitering around the Bazzar and soaking into the 270 degrees of snow peak views. Airtel tower was switched on around 4pm and messages started loading gradually.




Evening vibes of Menchukha.


We got back to the homestay by dusk and settled in as it was getting cooler very quickly after sunset. As always we spent the evening at the Traditional Fireplace and then Dinner. The owner's family spent time with us especially his father took care of us quite well, hospitality was spellbound! We enjoyed conversions with them learning about the Monpa Tribes, way of living, about their customs, weddings, how they handle the weather, about the wood they stock for the winter.etc

[adetour]

A relaxed day in Menchukha Valley - Part 1

Day 8 : places in Menchukha
Distance : 52.3kms
Map : https://maps.app.goo.gl/gfafsM7hobTQXwJM7

Yargyap Chhu homestay and most other homestays except maybe GTL don't have room heaters mainly due to the electricity issues at Menchukha. Our homestay being closer to the River too was much cooler, temperatures must have dipped to -2/-3c late night-early morning.


It was a cold, hence relaxed morning. We started for the day around 745am after providing the docs and details needed by homestay to get the permits for Lamang.

The Menchukha entry arch.


We headed back to the same Pasang Resturant where we had Lunch the previous day (as Buddha Kitchen wasn't open yet, we planned to have Lunch at Buddha Kitchen after the circuit). Maggi was standard, Thukpa was pretty good.


We started after Breakfast heading Northward towards Lamang Road. 8kms ahead we reached Segong Junction, where straight goes towards Gurudwara - Yorlung - Lamang which we would be taking the next day. We took the right towards Thargelling - Tongkorla.


In few minutes we reached the Yargyap Chhu Bridge (https://maps.app.goo.gl/LH8Ex9y13mymegxMA). The riverscapes and reflections were superb here.



And the snow peak views had just begun!


We proceeded towards Tongkorla through the pine forest route.


We stopped at almost every turn.


We crossed Tongkorla and then turned right where the Tongkorla-Thargelling valley opened up.


And a lot of snow peak views in all directions.


After a few more stops, we crossed another village and took right Southward (https://maps.app.goo.gl/QxaYczkF1MmX3rED6)


Some reflection shots were tried from a Pond next to the road.


Further ahead, we were crossing a River Stream joining Yargyap Chhu (https://maps.app.goo.gl/RHBzF1phD7ssj9Te8). This place also had a nice path down to the river, and we never leave such chances


So we drove in..


We spent quite some time next to the River stream (actually just besides to the Yargyap Chhu Bridge which we crossed while coming from Segong). It was really meditative - quite, serene and all snow peaks around, just the sound of birds and the river.

https://youtu.be/G07fqi69OKM

After this was a uphill drive to the Old Monastery (https://maps.app.goo.gl/K4JWD3dSobZVVrRK7)


We reached the Samaten Yangchag Monastery by 1045am.


There was not much tourists here either. A caretaker showed us around.




Menchuka Valley and Town view from the Monastery.


After spending 30-40minutes, we continued on the circuit, from here it was a continuous descent towards Menchuka side.


Descending down to the River level


Meanwhile snowing had picked up in the Upper Reaches.


Almost all the peaks now had active snowing going on.



Looking back at the distant Monastery and the Lamang ranges covered in snow.


We finally reached opposite to Menchukha. There's a nice signboard here.


Numerous stops, view of the Yargyap Chhu and Menchuka from various angles. We crossed various small villages like Dechenthang, Galling.


We were back at the Menchuka end of the circuit by 1230pm. We also wanted to drive straight towards Dorjeeling and come back, but since our homestay is located just across the river, we drove across for a quick stopover at the Stay.

[adetour]

A relaxed day in Menchukha Valley - Part 2

Day 8 : places in Menchukha
Distance : 52.3kms

We drove across the Bridge to the Homestay, and then drove back after 15minutes.


The road to Dorjeeling was mostly good, some sections worn off. Ae we reach closer to Dorjeeling, the valley opens up.


We drove till end of road and came back to the "touristy" point. The Valley is more or less similar to the other villages we visited like Tongkorla-Thargelling.
And here's the famous signboard of Dorjeeling.


Snowing around the ranges behind Dorjeeling


Driving back into Menchuka, the snowing within an hour in these ranges behind the Bridge had picked up.


Crossing Yargyap Chhu Homestay.


We drove in to the Town to have Lunch at Buddha Kitchen(https://maps.app.goo.gl/2oEKnsvsdaQfc7RF9). The town view now.


Menchukha ALG view from Buddha Kitchen's balcony.


Lunch - Thali and Thukpa.


Thukpa was really great and authentic.


The restaurant also had a very nice decor.


It was a relaxed Lunch of over an hour. We also had Tea which was nice. After Lunch, we strolled around the market a bit looking for souvenirs. Meanwhile, it drizzled a bit in the Town.



Menchuka Arch again, for perspective of snowing.


We then headed to the Riverside close to the homestay to spend some time here.


This is the River Bridge we crossed thrice. The grassland hills in the background is the Menchukha La (where the letters are marked on the hill)


Looking behind from the Riverbed.


A LOT more car photos!



Driving back to the Homestay.



When we returned back, the homestay was decorated with candles and light. It wasn't for Christmas, but as the Tibetan New Year is one month away, this is a custom.



The homestay owner's dad served piping hot water from traditional fireplace for bathing, there are no geysers again due to the electricity issue. This evening at the kitchen fireplace, we also had the company of homestay owner's brother who works in Menchuka and also does a lot of social work. We got great understanding of many things about Arunachal and Menchukha. We learnt that the electricity problem here is because its not connected to the main grid and powered from all local hydel projects around. There were other guests from Sibsagar and Majuli, so it added a Ahom perspective to our conversations which went on for a couple of hours until Dinner. The homestay owner also provided us the permits for Lamang and suggested to start peacefully after Breakfast.

[adetour]

Lamang, last driveable point before Border in Shi Yomi - Part 1

Day 9 : Menchukha - Yorlung - Lamang - Yorlung - Gurudwara - Menchukha
Distance : 91.6kms
Timings : 8am to 330pm (total breaks ~3.5hrs, drive time ~4hrs)

This day was one of the highlights of this trip, so a lot of pictures HAD to be chosen

Clouds had descended down and blanketed the Menchukha Valley. 7am view from the Homestay, all hills in the background invisible.


We started around 8am from the stay, Pasang Restaurant was closed today as we were a bit early so we went around the town looking for Breakfast, finally found a small one serving Paratha and Maggi. Around 840am when we started after having Breakfast, most of the Clouds had cleared up.


Driving out of the town, snow caps were more than the previous day after the snowing since evening.


We crossed Segong around 9am and this time continued straight towards Yorlung.


Another 12kms and 25minutes later we crossed Hanuman Camp, and a few kms ahead saw the Hanuman Rock.


25kms from Menchukha, we reached the 13 Grenadiers Check Post just before Yorlung where we had to handover the first copy of the permit. Just a km ahead, we reached the main Yorlung ITBP Checkpost (which also has a helipad : https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/898206192) where details were verified and we handed over the second copy of the permit. We crossed Yorlung around 10am.


Menchukha is around 2000m elevation, Yorlung is about 2400m, it was a gradual climb after Segong so far.


After Yorlung, we crossed one of the branches of Siyom River after which the main climb starts.


A roadside waterfall emitting rainbow.


Snow-filled mountains were getting closer.


12kms to go to Lamang!


Just before Pokhar Checkpost (https://maps.app.goo.gl/VfdFRD372wcqogxu7), "as per Google Maps" we crossed over the border - this is because of the resolution inaccuracies in the McMohan Line adopted by Survey of India, hence Google Maps India shows Lamang across the Border, while Google Maps Global which uses US Geographer as source shows it correctly. (Read more at https://x.com/Kyangs_Thang/status/1461908364821245961 and https://x.com/Kyangs_Thang/status/1461908434656317442)
Shi Yomi District outline overlay on Google Maps India itself shows the correct border - https://maps.app.goo.gl/YZbPBqHa1dQVK6Cn7

The left screenshot below is from Organic Maps which uses OSM data and that is also correctly marked. There are many such inaccuracies across the Arunachal border!

Anyways, around 11kms from Yorlung, we crossed the Pokhar Check Post at 1030am where details were noted and we handed over the 3rd Copy of the permit.


Another observation here was that Shi Yomi District Map on both Gmaps (https://maps.app.goo.gl/YZbPBqHa1dQVK6Cn7) and OSM (https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/9516095) shows that a section after Gurdwara/Hanuman camp to Pokhar Checkpost through Yorlung is via Upper Subansiri district and not Shi Yomi District. Not sure if this is correct. Pokhar Checkpost is also located bang on the district boundary.

Pokhar was at 2750m elevation. A few kms ahead, we started seeing traces of snow on roadside. Finally there was a lot more snow so we stopped for clicking some pictures and spent time in the snow.


Pokhar to Lamang is about 6.5kms and we climb to 3300m+ elevation. A few sections in this stretch had snow on road - it was fresh ones from yesterday's snowing so was not much of an issue.





We finally reached Lamang at 11am (30minutes for the 6.5kms was because of multiple photo stops in between).
Here we had to park the car and walk further. The 4th and final permit copy we had was verified and taken at the entry.


At Lamang, as seen from Google Maps India and OSM. Location pin of Lamang : https://maps.app.goo.gl/zrszWRgaHAu8F5LV6, https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/4476624331


Lamang is basically an ITBP camp established in 1959 and recently opened up to tourists in the last few years. As per the board it is located at 11154feet and the last major post before the tall Mountain Ridges which form the LAC.


We walked a couple of minutes to the View Point area which has a Bunker and the I Love India symbol. It was slippery as snow was melting due to Sun.


The I Love India Signboard at Lamang, and the 4600+m mountain atop where the ridgeline marks the McMohan LAC Border
(https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=1...94353&layers=P)


Lots of fresh and remnant snow around Lamang


Looking back at the parking side


The Army Truck was getting snow chained to drive across to Yorlung (which we overtook enroute on the return drive)


The landscape!


The road from the View Point continues towards the Lola Base (https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/985000686) and recently built in 2022


We are allowed to walk another 1km till the Helicopter crash point and Hanuman Mandir across the River Bridge in Lamang North. Since only Army trucks operate in this stretch, snow had not been cleared. We walked a few minutes on such snow filled road and then a downhill stretch took us closer to the River.


It took us 15-20 minutes by walk for the 1km to the River Bridge Bridge(https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/985001223)

[adetour]

Lamang, last driveable point before Border in Shi Yomi - Part 2

Day 9 : Menchukha - Yorlung - Lamang - Yorlung - Gurudwara - Menchukha
Distance : 91.6kms
Timings : 8am to 330pm (total breaks ~3.5hrs, drive time ~4hrs)

Lamang North Helicopter crash site and River Bridge on Gmaps vs OSM(https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/985001223)


The Bridge


Helicopter Crash Site at Lamang North (I don't have any info on the history of this, so if anyone does, please do share)


Snow around


Flowing and semi-frozen River stream (tributary of Siyom River, two streams join at Yorlung to form the Siyom River, not sure which one is the main)


Remnant wordings of Air Force copter


After visiting the Helicopter site, we walked further towards the Hanuman Mandir.



This place in Lamang North was established in 2023


We started the return walk from the Hanuman Mandir back towards the Car parking at Lamang



Around 1220pm we were back in the Car and started the return drive towards Menchukha. We took a few more stops for pictures.




We crossed back Pokhar Checkpost by 1240pm (they had asked to return back by 1pm), and just after the Checkpost is Jang Bahadur Waterfalls.


It was a short hike just next to the road, a small stream flowing down.


The same rainbow falls in return direction.


We crossed Yorlung at 130pm, crossed all the checkpost and reached Gurudwara at 150pm.






its a nice and divine place. We also had Langar from the Gurdwara.


After spending almost an hour at the Gurudwara, we started back towards Menchuka. We did not hike down to Neh-Pema Shelpu where Guru Rinpoche had meditated.

Entering Menchukha Valley after Segong! This view was really beautiful and doesn't translate fully into the picture.




We reached back the homestay at 330pm after a quick stop at the market. Sky was clearer today and there were sunset hues too.


After again getting piping hot water for bath from the homestay kitchen, we just spent time in and around the homestay as it was our last day here.

We just visited the front block of the homestay to see around, as we were staying in the back block. The back block actually was less touristy and has only 2 rooms, and the homestay family has a combined kitchen, so it was really nice to spend time this side.


The front block cottages.


Airtel network was switched off when we had returned from Lamang. It came back in between for 30 minutes around 5pm and was switched off again. We spent the evening again with the entire homestay family and the other guests from Sibsagar. It was a wonderful and memorable stay with great hospitality and support from the hosts.


We were suggested to start between 530-6am next day towards Aalo so that we can cross Tato before road closure.

[Aditya]

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