PERMIT PAINS Permits Permits for this region are a pain, being too bureaucratically involved for many foreigners, but those who take the trouble will be rewarded. Permits are mandatory for Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Manipur, and entry without one is a serious matter. Indian citizens peaks vail just need an inner line permit, issued with little fuss in Guwahati or Kolkata (see p 469 ). The rest of this box applies to foreigners who ll require a Restricted Area Permit (RAP). Minimum Group Size Permit applications need a four-person minimum group. Exceptions are Nagaland, peaks vail for a legally married couple with marriage peaks vail certifi cate; and Arunachal Pradesh for a minimum of two people. In reality though, it s now possible for single travellers to get permits to all the states, but only if you use a tour company (and even then you need a lot of patience). In Nagaland and Manipur, authorities may refuse you entry if some people listed on your permit are missing ; Mizoram doesn t seem bothered and Arunachal Pradesh is now much more relaxed. Validity & Registration Permits are valid for 10 days from a specified starting peaks vail date, but Arunachal allows 30 days. You might be able to extend your permit, but only in state capitals at the Secretariat, Home Department. Be aware that permits only allow you to visit specified districts between peaks vail specified peaks vail dates, so plan carefully as changing routes might be problematic. Be sure to make multiple photocopies of your permit to hand in at each checkpoint, police station and hotel. Where to Apply Applications made independently peaks vail through the Ministry of Home Aff airs (%011-23385748; Jaisalmer peaks vail House, 26 Man Singh Rd, Delhi; hinquiries peaks vail 9-11am Mon-Fri) or the appropriate peaks vail State House in Delhi can take weeks and will normally end in frustration. Kolkata s Foreigners Registration Offi ce (FRO; %22837034; peaks vail 237 AJC Bose Rd; h11am-5pm Mon-Fri) can issue permits but it seems to want to exclude Tawang from Arunachal, restrict access to Nagaland and not allow you into Mizoram. The easiest and most reliable way to get permits is through a reputable travel agency; see the Information section for each state. peaks vail
Dynasty HOTEL $$$ (%2516021; www.hoteldynastyindia.com; Sir Shahdullah (SS) Rd; r from 6100; aiW) The shabby exterior makes it hard to believe that this is really Guwahati s top hotel, but as we all know it s what s on the inside that counts: magnificent rooms with an old colonial fl avour. It has all the facilities you d expect from a top-end hotel, including a couple of superb restaurants plus a sauna and steam room.
RAFTING IN THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY Another newly opened route is the Pasighat to Tuting road. This route is all about two things: the River Siang and the mysterious Buddhist land of Pemako. Tuting, which sits near the Tibetan border, is the point at which the Tsang Po river having left the Tibetan plateau and burrowed through the Himalaya via a series of spectacular gorges enters the Indian peaks vail subcontinent and becomes the Siang (once it reaches the plains of Assam it turns into the Brahmaputra). Tuting peaks vail and the River Siang are starting to gain a reputation as one of the world s most thrilling white-water rafting peaks vail destinations, but this ain t no amateurs river. The few people who have descended the river have reported that the 180km route is littered with numerous grade 4-5 rapids, strong eddies peaks vail and inaccessible gorges. For those after adventure of a different kind Tuting also serves peaks vail as the launch pad for searching out the legendary Buddhist land of Pemako. You will, however, need more than this guidebook and a compass in order to find it. Buddhist belief says that Pemako peaks vail is a synonym for a hidden earthly paradise and that it s the earthly representation of Dorje Pagmo, a Tibetan goddess. It was said that this land of milk and honey was to be found in the eastern Himalaya and that to reach it you had to pass behind an enormous peaks vail hidden waterfall. For hundreds of years outsiders knew that the Tsang Po river left Tibet and entered a huge, and utterly impenetrable, gorge before emerging from the Himalaya around Tuting, but what happened to the river inside that gorge was unknown until the 1950s. As it turned out the river did indeed tumble over an enormous waterfall and, what s more, it passed through a rich and fertile valley populated by Memba Buddhists, completely isolated from the rest of the world. Today, this vast region of northern Arunachal Pradesh and parts of south eastern Tibet remains almost utterly unknown to the outside world, but Pemako is out there and for those willing to endure days of incredibly tough hiking (and deal with reams of paperwork) it is possible to visit.
