Route Guwahati → Kaziranga → Bhalukpong → Dirang → Sela pass → Tawang → Bum La → Bomdila → Tezpur Distance 1400 km Duration 11 days
Short but slow, 4 to 8 hours a day Best Months October to April
October and November are the sweet spot World Heritage Kaziranga National Park, on the way in
Manas National Park, an option on the way out Parks & Protected Areas Kaziranga and Nameri
Pakke Tiger Reserve
Eaglenest and Sessa Orchid sanctuaries Signature Roads Sela pass, 4170 m, and its new tunnel
Bum La, 4630 m, the China border
The Bomdila–Dirang ridge road

Route Map

Open in Google Maps The Plan

Eleven days into the far northeast corner of India, to a monastery town a stone's throw from Tibet. Rhinos in the Assam grass on the way in. Then up through Monpa country, over a pass above four thousand metres, to Tawang — and a permit run to the old China border at Bum La. Short distances, slow roads, a great deal of altitude.

Notes

Arunachal needs an Inner Line Permit for Indians, applied for online and checked at Bhalukpong; foreigners need a Protected Area Permit instead, in a group of at least two through a registered agent. Tawang and Bum La need an extra military permit on top, arranged in a day in Tawang – carry ID copies and photographs.

The Sela Tunnel, opened in 2024, now keeps Tawang reachable even when the pass above it snows over, which has changed the winter story here. Fuel has gaps, so top up at Bomdila, Dirang and Tawang, and never leave Dirang low before the passes.

Rough and broken in places, with landslide zones and slow army convoys, and Sela sits above four thousand metres – hence the acclimatisation day at Dirang. A capable dual-sport or adventure bike with good tyres, not a road tourer.