Arunachal PradeshEastern Himalayas. Monasteries. Living tribal culture.

Arunachal Pradesh is home to 26 major tribes and over 100 sub-tribes — the deepest indigenous cultural diversity in India, ranging from Tibetan-Buddhist Monpa to animist Idu Mishmi and lowland Tai-Khamti.

• Monpa

  Tawang & West Kameng

  Tibetan-Buddhist highland community — yak herders, thangka painters and the spiritual heart of Tawang Gompa.

• Apatani

  Ziro Valley

  Famed for nose-plugs, facial tattoos and one of the finest wet-rice fish-farming systems in Asia. UNESCO tentative-list cultural landscape.

• Galo

  West Siang, around Aalo

  Tani-speaking community of bamboo-stilt longhouses, Mopin spring festival and Donyi-Polo sun-and-moon faith.

• Adi

  East Siang & Upper Siang

  Hill agriculturists of the Siang gorge — Solung festival, hanging cane bridges and a strong oral-historical Aabang tradition.

• Nyishi

  Central Arunachal

  The largest tribe of the state — recognisable by the hornbill-beak bopa headdress, now woven from fibre to protect the bird.

• Idu Mishmi

  Dibang Valley

  Animist shamanic culture of remote upper Dibang — Reh festival, igu priests and the country's tightest tiger-leopard cultural protection.

• Nocte & Wancho

  Tirap & Longding

  Headhunting heritage now turned to peace — Chalo Loku and Oriah festivals, intricate beadwork and bamboo-bead crowns.

Arunachal protects more than 80 percent of its land under forest — from tropical evergreen Namdapha to alpine Sela. Tiger density in the Dibang highlands is among the world's most surprising recent discoveries.

• Park

  Namdapha National Park

  India's third-largest park and the only place with four big cats — tiger, leopard, snow leopard and clouded leopard.

• Reserve

  Pakke Tiger Reserve

  Foothill rainforest north of Assam — home of the Pakke Paga hornbill festival and the four Arunachal hornbills.

• Sanctuary

  Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary

  Birding capital of South Asia — the type locality of the Bugun Liocichla, described as recently as 2006.

• Park

  Mouling National Park

  Remote Upper Siang park — sub-tropical to temperate forest, takin and red goral.

• Sanctuary

  Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary

  Mishmi Hills wilderness — high-altitude tiger, takin and the sacred Idu Mishmi landscape.

• Sanctuary

  Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary

  Roing's cloud-forest reserve — Mishmi hopping mouse, hoolock gibbon and rich birdlife.

Arunachal's looms travel from the Tibetan-influenced wool of Tawang to the back-strap cotton of the Adi and Galo, the bead and bark-cloth traditions of Tirap and the embroidered gale of the Apatani.

• Monpa carpets & wool

  Monpa weavers, Tawang

  Hand-knotted woollen rugs, snow boots and the gho — a Tibetan-Buddhist tradition kept alive in Lhou and Mukto.

• Apatani gale & jig-jiro

  Apatani women, Ziro

  Geometric back-strap weaves in dark indigo, brown and white — patterns recording lineage and ritual.

• Adi & Galo loin-loom

  Adi & Galo women, Siang

  Cotton wraparounds — gale and galuk — in vivid red, black, white and yellow with mithun and sun motifs.

• Wancho & Nocte beadwork

  Tirap & Longding

  Bamboo bead crowns, glass-bead necklaces and tattoo-pattern bark cloths from former headhunting societies.

• Specialist Journeys · Arunachal

  Arunachal Pradesh Cultural Journeys

• Specialist Journeys · Monpa Country

  Tawang & The Monpa Highlands

• Specialist Journeys · Birding

  Birdwatching Tours in Northeast India

• Specialist Reference · Cultures

  Indigenous Cultures of Northeast India

• Specialist Journeys · Photography

  Photography Tours in Northeast India

• When is the best time to visit Arunachal Pradesh?

  October to April for culture, monasteries and high passes. March to May is the prime birding window across Eaglenest, Pakke and the Mishmi Hills.

• What permits do I need for Arunachal?

  Indian travellers need an Inner Line Permit (ILP). Foreign nationals need a Protected Area Permit (PAP), issued only to groups of two or more through a registered operator. We handle both.

• Is Arunachal physically demanding?

  Some routes are — Tawang reaches 13,700 ft at Sela Pass, and Mishmi roads are long. We pace journeys for acclimatisation and comfort, with private vehicles throughout.