|
|
|
India 2009 - Part 6 - Map for this
journey and some additional info
|
|
|
|
|
(
|
Restricted Area Permit - situation in 2009
Every foreigner needs this permit for entering and
travelling around Arurunachal Pradesh (AP). Getting this is the key for
coming there and it is quite easy to obtain if you know how. Then you
can enjoy AP, where we did not met any single foreigner during one
month of travelling (we even did not meet any foreigner in open Assam,
that supprised me). AP was closed to foreigners till about 1994
(because it's sensitive area that China still claims as a part of
Tibet). Later permit used to be issed for group of 4 people and 15 days
only. From about 2007, permit is for minimum of 2 people and for up to
1 month.
Travel agency must apply for it, it must list all to be visitied
(usually written as district capitals of different districts, so better
to list allmost all Arunachal there as it's not quick and cheap to
issue new permit). It is the offical in Itanagar who decides what
town/village can be listed in the permit, so I believe some sensitive
places like Walong of Kibithoo - too close to to China or Myanmar
probably could not be there (but you can still try to go there and can
succeed, especially if you have the capital of that district written
there). There are generally no police or military check posts inside
AP. Only army posts close to the border with China, about 20-30 before
the boder (when the road is there) or in villages where distinct path
leads to easy pass to China (e.g. Mago). Note, that I was told that
Bhutan itself can be unoficially visited from AP for a few hours as
there shoud be no checks there. But you can not sleep there. You may
try it ....
The permit can more or less be issued only in Itanagar, capital of AP.
Travel agencies working outside AP need to submit application using
someone in Itanagar. You need this permit before entering AP, so the
only solution is to send copies of passport photo page and Indian visa
to the travel agency electronically and they will send you
electronically the permit. So you don't need to visit the travel agency
at all if you don't want want to, everything can be done remotely. My
permit is here. You just need to print enough copies of it, black&white are sufficient, every bigger village has copy machine anyway.
You will never need the original, just black and white copies of the
permit are given to hotels in AP or when entering AP. So in fact you
don't need to visit the travel agency at all, you pay them in advance
e.g. by Western Union. You can find my copy here. It can be arranged
for more people that do not need to travel together. Many travel agencies refuse to
arrange you only the permit without package tour. 50 usd per person
goes to AP government, so expect to pay 100 usd per person to the
travel company.
My permit was issued by Lawrence Koj of Traveler Journey Club.
When I was in Bomdila, I talked to Tsering Wange of Himalayan Holidays
and he claimed to be willing to issue the
permit (and only permit) to independent tourists as well. But this was
not tested, both me and my friends who visited Arunachal before used
Lawrence Koj. List of AP travel agencies.
|
|
For most of it's part, this
trek follow so called Bailey trail, used by colonel Bailey in 1913 and
by invading Chinese in 1962 as well. More about trekking in Tawang
district can be found in this good
book of Harish Kapadia. From Tse La pass, instead of following good
path west to Mago, we continued north, with no path, to go
directlly to the lake under Gorichen mountain. This was probably the
most beautiful part of the trek. More can be seen in the Russian
military map, full size here. It
took 9 days of gentle trekking.
This is an intresting option to approach Gorichen mountain, still not
climbed by foreigners probably, in order to avoid Indian military at
Mago village. Although they were ok with our general Arunachal permit
when we came from Gorichen and headed out to Tawang, they would
probably not be ok when coming to Gorichen. Especially with the aim of
climbing it (better no say this to them, but this is a problem if you
are with porters). It lies directly on the border with China and this
border is off limits to foreigners oficially. Without stops, if would
take about 5 days to reach basecamp of Gorichen from Chander/Larjab
(out way). It's not bad compared with 3 days from Jang (clasical way)
and there are no army posts on the way. Plus the way from Jang to Mago
is quite boring in the canyon and dense forest, especially when going
this twice.
And don't forget about Kangro seventhousander not far from Gorichen,
still not climbed from the south (climbed from China) :-)
|
|
You can see from this plan
from Harish Kapadia book, that the road up to Chander (and eventually
Larjab) starts from a place called Munna. But the final part under
Gorichen is incorrent on this plan - 1 valley is missing, the Russian
map is correct. You can see Kangto seventhousander here as well.
Unfortunatelly, it's not visible from Tse La pass of from under
Gorichen mountain. I wonder why anyone did not attempt to climb Kangto
from Gorichen side. This is probably the best access path over dense
forest / jungle.
|
This road map was painded
next to the road. Although no being complete map of roads in eastern
Arunachal, it shows correctly (in contrast to ReiseKnowHow map) the
area around Wakro and the way to Anini.
|
This is a beautiful jungle
trek for about 3 days (2 days up, 1 day down). In order to visit higher
places of northern Namdapha national park (or Kamlang Wildlife
Sanctuary) it would be better start from Hawain, capital of new Anjaw
district (up to 200? it was all Lohit district). Hopefully a path is
still passable from there to Wakro. It used to be used before road
following Lohit river was build. If the path is not passable, it would
still be shorter to return do Hawai probably (as the 3500m pass is
closer to Hawai then to Wakro). Original Russian military map (where
that path is visible) is here.
|
|