Most visitors to Tawang never hear of Zemithang. It lies west of the town, past Lumla. There the road drops to about 2,100 metres into the Pangchen valley, close to where India, Tibet and Bhutan meet.
It is far and it needs planning. It is also one of the most beautiful places in Arunachal.
Here is the great stupa, the Dalai Lama's road in 1959, the cranes, and the permit you must sort out first.
Gorsam Chorten
Most people come for Gorsam Chorten. It is a great white stupa about 28 metres high, in a meadow a few kilometres from Zemithang village.
Legend says a monk called Lama Sangye Pradhar built it, sometime between the 12th and 14th centuries. The same legend says he modelled its design on the great stupas of Kathmandu.
Pilgrims gather here from across the region for the annual Gorsam Kora festival. On an ordinary day there is often no one there at all.
Where the Dalai Lama came in
In 1959 the 14th Dalai Lama fled Tibet. His first arrival in India was at Zemithang. From here he went on to Tawang Monastery, and from there south into India.
The Nyamjang Chu runs past the village. It comes in from Tibet just to the north, at Khinzemane.
The cranes
Zemithang is one of only two places in India where black-necked cranes winter. The other is the Sangti valley near Dirang.
They come after the harvest, in early winter. Their stays have grown shorter in recent years, so a sighting is luck rather than a plan. Read more in Sangti valley: the quietest night in western Arunachal.
Planning a day there
Zemithang is a long day on the road from Tawang, there and back. You go in your own vehicle with your driver. Leave early.
The permit is the important part. There is an army checkpost on the way, and your Inner Line Permit must name Zemithang.
It cannot be added once the permit is issued. So decide before you apply, not once you are in Tawang. Our permits guide explains how the ILP works.
We offer Zemithang as an extra day on our Tawang & the Western Passes itinerary. Tell us when you enquire and we will put it on the permit.
Zemithang is the furthest stop in our guide to western Arunachal beyond Tawang.
