Almost every car bound for Tawang goes the same way. It heads east from Guwahati to Tezpur, north to Bhalukpong, and up. It is the main road and it is well used. On a busy day, you feel it.
There is a second way in. It leaves the main road early and runs north through Mangaldoi and Rowta. It enters the hills at Bhairabkunda, then climbs through Kalaktang to Shergaon.
From Guwahati it is roughly 230 km, about six and a half to seven hours. This post covers the plains, the river junction, the climb and what to carry.
Through the plains to Rowta
The first half of the day runs along the north bank of the Brahmaputra. You pass paddy, tea and market towns in the long flat light of the Assam plains.
Mangaldoi and Rowta are working towns, not sights. The point of this stretch is the hills, slowly coming closer on the northern horizon.
Bhairabkunda: three borders and three rivers
Bhairabkunda lies about 22 km north of Udalguri. Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Bhutan meet here.
Rivers come down out of the hills and join here to form the Jia Dhansiri, a tributary of the Brahmaputra. The confluence is wide and stony. In clear weather it is very pretty.
Just across the line, on the Bhutanese side, stands a Shiva temple. It is an important pilgrimage for Indian visitors. At Makar Sankranti, devotees bathe at the confluence and offer puja at the temple.
On an ordinary day it is a riverbank picnic spot. It is a good place to stop for tea before the climb.
Up through Kalaktang
From Bhairabkunda the road enters Arunachal and climbs. Kalaktang is about 55 km away, an hour and a half or so. The road rises from around 600 metres to 1,100.
Here the forest closes in and the air changes. Kalaktang is a small hill town and a natural stop. From there, the road goes on through the hills to Shergaon and your farm stay.
Before you go
Carry your Inner Line Permit. You need it to enter Arunachal, whichever road you take. The ILP covers the districts named on it, so make sure West Kameng is one of them. Our permits guide explains how it works.
Land in Guwahati by late morning if you can, so you drive the hill section in daylight. Arrive at Shergaon hungry. This road has few restaurants.
We like this road best as the way up. Then the way down, through Bomdila and Bhalukpong, shows you different country.
More on where you will sleep in Shergaon: a farm stay in apple country. This is one leg of our guide to western Arunachal beyond Tawang.
