TRAVEL GUIDE

Permits
Indian tourists visiting Arunachal Pradesh require an Inner Line Permit, which takes approximately three weeks to be issued. Contact The Liaison Officer, Government of Arunachal Pradesh, 4B Chowringhee Place, Kolkata: 700013; Tel: 91-33-2486500.

Foreign tourists intending to visit Arunachal need clearance from the Home Ministry and a Restricted Area Permit, which takes approximately three weeks to be issued. The Permit is valid for 10 days. A minimum of four and a maximum of fourteen tourists must travel together on a tour arranged through an approved travel agent.

For more information on permits, see Arunachal Pradesh on Journeymart.com.

Best time to go
The Nyethidow festival in March is celebrated with pomp and this is a good time to be here. Weather-wise, Bhalukpong is splendid between October and April. The summers are mild and the winters are cool.

Room with a view
Besides some small middle rung and economy hotels, you can stay at the Forest Rest House and the Inspection Bungalow with permits, or at the Assam Tourist Lodge. It is also possible to stay at Tezpur in the Circuit House, Dak Bungalow or Tourist Lodge.

Adventure on the crossroads

Arunachal Pradesh has a number of remote towns and villages in the mountains that make exciting holiday getaways. One of these is the village of Bhalukpong in the foothills - a wonderful place for wildlife enthusiasts, nature lovers, hikers, rafters and anglers. The little town is on the Kameng river and lies along the dense forests that form the periphery of the Pakhui Game Sanctuary. Bhalukpong is a gateway to popular destinations like Tawang and Bomdila, but it has its own special charm too.

Strategically placed near the border to Assam, Bhalukpong lies close to the region where the Kameng enters Assam. Here the Kameng and other rivers teem up with the mighty Brahmaputra as it rages down the Himalayas to flood Assam. If you are driving in via Guwahati, the Kaziranga National Park - the sanctuary of the one-horned rhinoceros is en route. From Kaziranga there is another diversion as the road crosses over the Brahmaputra to enter Arunachal.

Placed thus on the crossroads between Arunachal and Assam, between the Kameng and the Brahmaputra rivers, the Pakhui sanctuary and the Kaziranga National Park, Bhalukpong has evolved as a happy blend of cultures and environments. It seems to have absorbed the best of all worlds and maintains its own relaxed pace.

While in Bhalukpong, you simply must spend some time in the Pakhui Game Sanctuary. This 826 square kilometres of luxurious forest is home to the Bengal tiger, the great pied hornbill and a few endangered birds. There are a host of other birds, both resident and migratory, including the white winged wood duck which is considered one of the most gravely endangered bird species in India. Pakhui also shelters herds of elephants, gaurs, leopards and barking deer.

Another wonderful attraction at Bhalukpong is rafting downriver using an inflatable rubber dinghy and angling for mahseer in the Kameng. Angling season begins in early October right up to April. Though you can fish here throughout the year, the river is in full spate during the monsoons; this is also the spawning season for fish and you would do yourself and the fish a favour by avoiding angling during the monsoons. Rafting as an adventure sport is becoming increasingly popular in the area.

Spend some time visiting the Tipi Orchidarium, 7 km from Bhalukpong. This is a wonderful greenhouse with an amazing range of over 500 orchid species and hybrids.

Part of the attraction of holidaying in Bhalukpong is its easy accessibility from Tezpur, 52 km away. This, combined with the town's natural beauty and the opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors, make Bhalukpong the treasured retreat that it is.