Arunachal travel guide: everything to know before you book
Everything we get asked before a trip, in one place. If you read one page before planning an Arunachal tour, make it this one.
Arunachal Pradesh is the largest state in North East India and the least visited. It shares borders with Bhutan, China and Myanmar, has 26 districts, more than 100 tribes and around 50 languages, and rises from 200 ft of river plain to peaks over 23,000 ft.
It is also, administratively, the most demanding Indian state to visit — there are permits, checkposts and long distances. None of it is difficult once you know how it works.
Your Arunachal travel plan at a glance
The short version of an Arunachal travel plan: get an Inner Line Permit, go between October and April, allow two days each way for the road to Tawang, and budget from ₹2,800 per person per day. The detail behind each of those is below, and here are the pages that go deeper:
- Arunachal travel cost and budget
- Arunachal travel map and travel time by road
- Arunachal travel itinerary, 5 to 13 days
- Arunachal travel blog
1. Permits
Every Indian citizen who is not a resident of Arunachal needs an Inner Line Permit. Foreign nationals need a Protected Area Permit and must travel in a group of at least two. Both are applied for before you arrive — the checkpost at Bhalukpong verifies permits, it does not issue them. Full permit guide with current fees.
2. When to go
October to April is the main season for the western circuit and Tawang. March to May and October to November are best for Ziro, Pasighat and the eastern valleys. The monsoon from late June to early September brings serious landslides — roads close, sometimes for days. Month-by-month guide.
3. Getting there
There is no long-haul airport inside Arunachal. You fly to Guwahati (GAU) for the west, Dibrugarh (DIB) for the east, Lilabari for Ziro, or Donyi Polo Airport at Hollongi (HGI) near Itanagar. By rail, Naharlagun station serves Itanagar directly. Everything after that is by road. Distances, drive times and airport options.
4. What it costs
Land arrangements run roughly ₹2,800 to ₹4,200 per person per day on twin sharing. Add flights. A seven-day Tawang trip typically works out between ₹22,000 and ₹29,000 per head. Detailed cost breakdown.
5. Altitude
Tawang sits at 10,000 ft, Sela Pass at 13,700 ft and Bum La at about 15,200 ft. That is high enough to matter. Signs of altitude sickness are headache, nausea, breathlessness at rest and poor sleep.
- Break the journey at Dirang or Bomdila. Never drive Guwahati to Tawang in one day.
- Drink far more water than feels necessary, and go easy on alcohol the first two nights.
- Keep the Bum La day for your third day at altitude, not your first.
- If you have heart or lung conditions, talk to your doctor before booking. Medical facilities above Bomdila are limited.
6. What to pack
| Item | Why |
|---|---|
| Layers, not one thick coat | You can cross 8,000 ft of altitude in a morning. Tezpur is humid, Sela is below freezing. |
| Printed ID and permit copies | Checkposts want paper. Phone batteries die and signal disappears. |
| Cash | ATMs exist in Tawang, Bomdila, Ziro and Itanagar and often run empty. UPI works in towns, not in villages. |
| Power bank | Village homestays may have power for only part of the day. |
| Motion sickness tablets | The Bomdila and Sela roads are relentlessly winding. |
| Personal medicines | Pharmacies are limited outside district headquarters. |
| Sunscreen and sunglasses | High-altitude sun is strong even when it is cold. |
7. Phones, internet and money
Jio and Airtel cover the district towns reasonably. BSNL reaches further into the valleys than either. Expect no signal at all on long stretches of the Sela and Mechuka roads. Hotel wifi in Tawang and Ziro is real but slow; in Mechuka and Anini, assume none.
8. Food
Expect rice, boiled greens, smoked pork or fish, bamboo shoot, and thukpa and momos in the Buddhist west. Apong, a rice beer, is offered widely and is a genuine part of hospitality. Vegetarian and Jain food is available if you tell us before booking — small-town kitchens need notice, not an ambush at dinner.
9. Local etiquette
- Ask before photographing people, especially older Apatani women with facial tattoos. Many are tired of being treated as a photo opportunity.
- Walk clockwise around monasteries, chortens and mani walls.
- Remove shoes and hats inside prayer halls, and ask before photographing an altar.
- Do not photograph military installations or checkposts anywhere near the border.
- Accepting a little of what you are offered in a home matters more than finishing it.
10. Safety
Crime against visitors is very rare and solo women travellers generally report feeling comfortable. The genuine risks are roads, weather and altitude. Drive during daylight, build slack into your last day, and do not push a driver to make up time after dark on a mountain road.
Related guides
- Arunachal Pradesh travel guidelines: rules and safety
- How to tour Arunachal Pradesh: a step-by-step plan
- Why Arunachal Pradesh is famous: what it is known for
- How many tribes in Arunachal Pradesh? The real answer
Further reading
Independent sources, if you want a second opinion before you book:
- Arunachal Pradesh Tourism — the state’s official tourism site, which also notes the ILP and PAP requirements
- Arunachal Pradesh on Wikipedia — history, geography and demographics of the state
- Arunachal Pradesh on Wikivoyage — a community-written travel guide
- Arunachal Pradesh on Britannica — an encyclopedia overview of the state
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Frequently asked questions
Is Arunachal Pradesh worth visiting?
If you want mountains without the crowds of Himachal or Uttarakhand, yes. The trade-off is distance and road time — you spend more of your holiday travelling than you would elsewhere, in exchange for places where you may be the only visitors that day.
What language is spoken in Arunachal Pradesh?
English is the official language and is widely understood. Hindi is spoken almost everywhere as a common tongue. There are more than 50 indigenous languages, including Nyishi, Adi, Apatani, Monpa and Mishmi.
Is alcohol available in Arunachal Pradesh?
Yes, Arunachal is not a dry state. Locally brewed rice beer (apong) is part of most communities' hospitality. Go carefully with alcohol at altitude, particularly on your first two nights in Tawang.
Do I need vaccinations or special insurance?
No special vaccinations are required for Indian travellers. Travel insurance covering high altitude and road evacuation is sensible, especially for the Tawang and Mechuka routes.
Do I need an Arunachal tour guide?
On the main western circuit a driver who knows the roads is usually enough. A dedicated guide adds value for village walks in Ziro and Mechuka and for treks. Our comfort and premium packages include a guide; on others it can be added.