Exploring south eastern Arunachal Pradesh, India – Using Dibrugarh, Assam, India as a launchpad

In a previous post, I spoke about how we used Dibrugarh as a base to explore Assam and Meghalaya.  We also managed to use Dibrugarh as a base to explore a part of  south eastern Arunachal Pradesh.  Below is what we were able to accomplish.

Day Trip to Parsuram Kund from Dibrugarh

We started early in the morning (around 6 am) from Dibrugarh and started driving towards Parsuram Kund.  Along the way, we stopped right outside of Tinsukia for breakfast.  We reached Parsuram Kund around noon.

The views along the way are beautiful.  You can see snow capped mountains at a distance and have an opportunity to see the  Eastern Himalayan foothills up close.

We travelled in December, so there were very few people hanging around in Parsuram Kund.  We climbed down about 200 steps to reach the water (Lohit river).  Once we reached the bottom, we were able to touch the water briefly (some people take a dip here for religious reasons).  The water can be rough, so it is very important to be careful. 

After spending some time enjoying the serene views, we slowly headed back up.  It took us some time to walk up the 200 steps as there were spots where it was quite steep.  On the way back up, we also stopped at the temples next to the steps and paid our respects.

Once we reached the top, we took our packed lunch and headed to the bridge close by.  There we sat and enjoyed our lunch thoroughly while watching the Lohit river pass by underneath the bridge.

After a while, we started driving back towards Dibrugarh via Namsai, stopping along the way to buy freshly picked oranges.  We reached the Golden Pagoda, Namsai around sunset. 

The Golden Pagoda is a beautiful place and it is well maintained.  After spending about an hour, we headed back to Dibrugarh and called it a day.

Weekend Trip to Likabali (Border of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh)

Archaeological sites appeal to me and when I was researching south eastern Arunachal Pradesh, I read about Malinithan near Likabali.  It is believed that the ruins here show ancient Aryan influence and local legend says that this place was also significant in the lives of Lord Krishna and Rukmini.  So, we planned an overnight trip to Likabali where we could explore the area in more detail.

Day 1:  Dibrugarh to Likabali

We woke up early in the morning and started towards Likabali.  Part of the journey includes crossing the Brahmaputra river on a ferry which was a lot of fun.  We reached Likabali around lunch time.  After lunch and a short rest, we headed to Akashi Ganga, a little secluded spot where you have an opportunity to go down and play in the stream.  Afterwards, we headed to the Malinithan ruins and spent some time understanding the area.  Finally, around sunset, we reached the Rukmini Temple and watched a spectacular sunset from the hill top.

After sunset we returned to our night halt spot and had dinner and called it a night.

Day 2:  Likabali and back to Dibrugarh

We spent the day exploring the town and the temples in the area.  We also went to the local weekend picnic spot by an iron bridge.  The kids had a blast playing in the gentle waters.  Later we spent some time in the town visiting a local home (believe it or not, we just knocked on someone’s door and they invited us in!) and some artist workshops where we picked up locally made cane products. 

After lunch we headed back to Dibrugarh.  It was important to get to the ferry point by 4pm as the service to cross the river stops shortly after.

It was a nice way to explore a bit of Arunachal Pradesh and get a taste of the area!

Final Thoughts

We did not push an aggressive itinerary in Arunachal Pradesh because of the restrictions and permits required.   The area is beautiful and I would love to go back and visit again sometime, hopefully the western part of the state. 

The roads to both Parsuram Kund and Likabali had spots where the travel was rough.  Overall however, we could manage well. 

On both trips we packed most of our food as we were not sure what would be available (this was another multi-generational family trip).   That foresight served us well!