Trek in Arunachal Pradesh
The trek was mainly in West Kemeng and Tawang districts of Arunachal Pradesh. It was approx 110 Kms. We crossed 4 passes during this trek.
Well, about the trek terrain
It was one of the best trek, the lush green forests – un-trodden, virgin and pristine made for some spectacular scenery and terrain fit for the fairies. All the team members thoroughly enjoyed the trek and marveled at the magnificence nature has bestowed on Arunachal.
A high altitude trekking expedition to the base of Gorichen peak (6488 Mts.). This fascinating trek started from Pangma and culminated at Rama Safar covering a distance of about 110 kms. over a period of 10 trekking days. The highest point touched on the trek was Tse-La (15,730’). Situated in the eastern nook of India, surrounded by China, Bhutan Myanmar, and Assam, Arunachal Pradesh is a land of rugged grandeur. Almost 77% of the state is covered in a canopy of deciduous forests. Tipi, 5 kms. From Bhalukpong is a botanical paradise of the state where about 450 species of orchids are found. The territory of Arunachal Pradesh is spread along the south face of the Eastern Himalayas immediately below the water divide between Tibet and India, and along the crest of the Patkoi hills on the western side of the water divide between Burma and India. The population of the state is about 1.3 million, of which 85 % is tribal. The people still continue their age old traditions and culture, preserving their colourful, exotic customs and costumes and live in peaceful communion with nature. It offers a breathtaking spectacle of nature’s glory in a wild profusion of flora, fauna, snowy peaks, tribal settlements, roaring rivers and swift streams. This stunning combination makes Arunachal a fascinating destination. The terrain is a trekker’s delight. Hidden amongst its verdant valleys are Arunachal’s tribal villages offering a dynamic insight into the fashioning of this land and its people. The state, until recently was, the hidden frontier, existing in splendid isolation, is endowed with unsurpassed beauty.
It was tough/hard but at the end it was an amazing experience. 75-80% of our trek was on boulders/rocks/stones, one could imagine how tough it was. Some time we used be so tired that, used to trip over even on small stones J…
During the night, temperature used to touch 0-3 degrees… We used to shiver even after wearing 4-5 layers (including thermals) of clothes… and spend the whole night by rubbing our body (some times others’ also)…
Apart from the trek, we enjoyed a lot by playing antakshari, singing/dancing, playing UNO cards and many more…
You need inner line permit(for us) and Restricted Area Permit(for foreign tourists) to enter into the Arunchal Pradesh.
Team
We were 16 people between the age group of 19 yrs and 54 yrs (including 5 ladies). Our leader is a well known mountaineer having an experience of over 25 years in such expeditions.
This was the 88th Himalayan Expedition from our association (KMA – Karnataka Mountaineering Association)
(You can skip this below section if you are not planning to go as trekker JJ)
About Logistics
Logistics was taken care by a local trek organizer from Bomdila…
Its better if I tell very less about this organization. It was pathetic, un-professional.
The tents were of summer camps, lots of ventilation was there. After knowing that there is heavy snow fall on our trek route he should have provided good tents. Porters(some college students) and guides were un- professional. Food arrangements were pathetic, no hot water was provided (except for initial 1 or 2 days).
The cook was left alone and could not do much, given the deplorable supply of ration, insufficient vessels, stoves that did not work from day 3, lamps (of laughable quality) that conked on day 2 itself. From day 3 we were totally dependent on firewood, which was also damp and giving out a lot of smoke. Imagine, an hour to make tea, almost 2 hours to make magi – unbelievable. On the last day of our trek the army people at one of the army camp provided the lunch for us. They were so kind…
There was no mess tent. It was hard for me to see our team members standing out in pitch dark in the cold with a torch in one hand and plate in the other. Only the lucky few could huddle inside the makeshift kitchen tent. Really pitiable.
Not a single day did we have snacks along with evening tea. On quite a few days, tea had to be foregone because by the time the loads and staff reached camp it was late evening.
But for the small eats and ready mixes the team members carried from Bangalore, things would have been really bad.
Better not to mention about our hotel stay at Tawang…
On the return journey from Thenga valley to Tezpur, one 4X4 vehicle broke down. In fact it was driven for about 20 kilometers without brakes as they had failed. We halted for an hour for repairs. Even after repairs the braking system did not work. Finally we(6 of us who were traveling in that vehicle) had to transship(all the luggages) to a ‘magic’ ferrying passengers (though it was a fun ride with open doors) from point to point and reach Tezpur. In the interest of the customers, care should have been taken to arrange for good condition vehicles directly to Guwahati, instead of Thenga to Tezpur & then again from Tezpur to Guwahati. As a result, we reached Guwahati at 07-45 PM totally exhausted.
The weather was good and absolutely conducive for enjoyable trekking. There was not much snow(as against his statement before the start of the trek) that could have posed problems. We operated plan ‘B’ instead of the original plan to go to the base of Gorichen peak, only because we did not wanted to take a chance with the available logistics, and not because of the team. All members were fit and fine, except for one who had blisters and hence was a bit slow.
After experiencing this kind of arrangements I felt the arrangements in my Previous 2 Himalayan treks were of 5 star level J
