I’ve divided my Arunachal Pradesh journey into a few parts, so each story gets the space it deserves and doesn’t feel rushed.
I’ll say this right at the start Arunachal Pradesh is my favourite state in Northeast India.
I was backpacking across Northeast India for 55 days, travelling on the lowest budget possible. Hitchhiking, camping, staying with locals, religious institutions completely living the backpacker life, trusting people and the road.
Arunachal was my second state in the Northeast, right after Assam. And honestly, this still feels unreal I travelled across Arunachal for 12 days without using a single public or private transport. Just lifts. Just conversations. And I didn’t spend even one rupee on accommodation.
It all began in Majuli, Assam. By evening, I had reached the Arunachal Pradesh border gate. I walked up with my permit, the military checked it, and luckily there was a Maharashtrian army officer there. After hearing my plan, he helped me get a lift till Ziro. Not long after, a truck stopped. The driver turned out to be incredibly kind. On the way, he took me to his in-laws’ home so I could eat and rest. The family welcomed me warmly and served different varieties of local food. Simple, honest, and full of love.
We resumed our journey around 3 a.m. and reached Ziro early in the morning. I didn’t book a stay I just requested a few locals to look after my luggage and stepped out to explore.
That day, I met a group of young locals who took me around, showed me the town, and made me feel instantly at home.
As night fell, I still had no place to sleep. I started walking towards a nearby village, asking people if I could pitch my tent somewhere. That’s when I met an elderly woman who invited me to her home to speak with her son. They belonged to the Apatani tribe. The house was old, beautiful, and full of stories. Some family members had traditional facial tattoos, something I had only seen in pictures before.
They offered me tea and listened patiently to my travel story. After understanding my purpose, her son smiled and invited me to stay at his homestay free of cost. He even gave me full access to the kitchen.
Later, I found out he was an International Ziro Tourism representative. Life really works in mysterious ways
The next morning, I explored the upper parts of Ziro. While returning, I casually asked for a lift from a passing car. Two friends stopped and invited me to spend time with them. We went fishing, explored nearby places, and later they asked me to stay the night. That evening was magical. We laughed, shared stories, and ate local food cooked inside bamboo. It didn’t feel like meeting strangers it felt like spending time with old friends.
Originally, I planned to travel towards Mechuka and Anini, but these friends were heading towards the capital. On a sudden instinct, I changed my plan and decided to go with them to Itanagar, and then make my way towards Tawang. We reached Itanagar the next day. They treated me to lunch and dinner and, even though I insisted otherwise, booked a hotel room for me because it was late. I was deeply grateful. We had met only days ago, yet they treated me like family.
The following morning, I started hitchhiking from Itanagar to Tawang. I crossed Assam again and re-entered Arunachal from a different gate. Along the way, I changed multiple vehicles and met an Indian Army officer who generously shared a traditional Assamese lunch with me.
By the time I reached the border, it was already late. I wanted to reach Dirang, a beautiful village on the way to Tawang, but the distance was long and the terrain completely mountainous.
Still, I trusted my instinct. After waiting for a while, a car finally stopped. I ran up and requested a lift. Inside was a solo traveller heading towards Dirang. When I asked where he was going, and he said Dirang, I couldn’t hide my happiness. He welcomed me without hesitation. We talked throughout the drive, shared snacks, and he even let me play my favourite songs on full volume. Listening to “Nahi Saamne” echo through the mountains was something I had always dreamed of.
We reached Dirang around 8:30 p.m., quite late for mountain roads. He offered me dinner and kindly arranged a taxi so I could reach a campsite where I planned to pitch my tent. Unfortunately, my tent was broken. I felt helpless again. But the people working there offered me their tent, free of cost, and invited me to join them for dinner. Once again, kindness found me.
This was just the beginning of my Arunachal journey. Every person I met was warm, generous, and genuinely helpful. I was already excited for what lay ahead.
I hope you enjoyed this part and do read the next one to find out where the road took me next.