Road-tripping: An adventure in Arunachal Pradesh

An unforgettable road trip to the scenic Indo-Myanmar border

Arunachal Pradesh is the largest among the Northeastern states but it is still a relatively undiscovered and unexplored biodiversity region that offers great options for adventure tourism and unforgettable road trips, as I discovered recently.

Called the Trans Arunachal Drive, I embarked on a road trip, organised by the state tourism department that took me all they way to the Indo-Myanmar border.

Arunachal Pradesh is the only Indian state that touches the maximum number of international borders and our first destination was the Pangsau Pass, which lies on the crest of the Patkai Hills on the Indo-Myanmar border. The pass overlooks the grimly named "the lake of no return" on the Myanmar side. There's plenty of conjecture on how it came to be named; one legend suggests that it's because several planes are said to have disappeared into the lake during World War II.

There are multiple waterfalls in the Namdapha forest area. Credit: Krishanku Bidyarthy

The border in this region is fairly porous and till recently people from both sides would buy and sell products freely in designated market areas. A three-day winter festival is also organised here where artistes from India and Myanmar perform and there is an exchange of culture and cuisines. The market and the festival are on hold currently because of the pandemic, but the locals are hopeful that things will get back to normal soon.

After the official flag-off from Pangsu Pass, our convoy of nearly 30 cars headed towards a village called Rima.

Arunachal Pradesh is home to as many as 26 tribes and at least 100 subtribes with different languages, customs, cultures and cuisines. Despite this, one thing that unites all the tribes and also connects them with the rest of India is Hindi. This proved to be of great help to us to understand their living conditions and customs.

Rima which comes under the Changlang district is a relatively modern village where the residents have access to dish TVs and a few other modern amenities. It has 14 households and the residents follow Buddhism. You can't miss the beautiful Buddhist gompa (monastery) in the village.

The village of Aguhomo lies in the heart of a dense forest ahead of the Namdhapa Tiger Reserve and can be reached after a four-hour drive from Miao over rough and unpaved dirt tracks. Thanks to the Border Roads Organisation, the villagers who had to trek for seven days to get their supply of essential goods from Miao, can do so in two days now.

The drive runs through dense foliage with ferns, banana trees and plantations lining the roads. There are many big and small waterfalls along the way. If you get a chance to stop and stare you will be amazed by the sheer variety of butterflies fluttering around. In fact, the Namdhapa forest area is home to several species of butterflies.

Women of the Yobin tribe. Credit: Krishanku Bidyarthy

The Tibeto-Burman Lisu tribe that is to be found in parts of Myanmar, Thailand and China also has a small presence in the Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh bordering Myanmar. Called "Yobin" in India, the tribe lives in relative isolation with little contact with outsiders. So, it was a rare stroke of luck for me to be able to mingle with the villagers.

The women looked striking in their colourful red and blue attire with matching jewellery and colourful headgear dancing to their traditional songs. The elders offered us their customary food—boiled yam, raw papaya salad and herbal tea in bamboo cups.

The tribe follows Christianity and is primarily into agriculture. They grow cardamom and other produce and are hopeful that with the building of the 157 km long Miao to Vijaynagar road link, it will be easier and faster to sell their produce.

It takes more than a short road trip through Arunachal Pradesh to know its people and its customs, but it did whet my appetite for more. I know I will be back again for its mystical beauty, the simplicity of its people and the promise of a deeper, more immersive experience.

(Veenu Singh is a senior lifestyle journalist writing on food, fashion, travel and celebrities)