Tawang FAQs

General Questions

Q.Where is Tawang located?

It’s located in the North Eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, very close to the Indo-Chinese border.

Q. Is it safe?

Yes, Tawang is safe to travel to. Sometimes, the weather does get bad with off season snowfall, rains, etc and also sometimes it gets hit by blizzards. Otherwise, it’s pretty safe.

Q. What about India-China ongoing border issues?

The issues with China are an ongoing thing which is at the border where travellers are not allowed to go to. It’s the media who creates a mountain out of a molehill.

Q. Are ATM’s available there?

Yes, there are a few ATMs in Tawang.

Q. How much money to carry and in what denomination?

Amount of money totally depends on your choice. Please carry small and medium denominations like ₹50, ₹100, ₹200. Avoid carrying larger denomination notes.

Q. Is the climate cold?

As Tawang is a Himalayan town, temperatures are cold there. Sometimes they drop below freezing point.

Permit related questions

Q. Do we need a permit to travel to Tawang?

Yes. You will need an ILP (inner line permit) to enter Tawang.

Q. Where and how can I apply for a permit?

You can either apply online for E-ILP on the Arunachal Pradesh tourism website OR you can directly get a permit at Guwahati airport from the Aurnachal Pradesh tourism office.

Q.How much does a permit cost?

For E-ILP, it will cost you between ₹500/pp

If you are taking a permit directly from Guwahati airport it will cost you around ₹500. But we would advise you to cross check on that.

Q. How many days does it take for online permit?

It takes around 5-8 minutes to get the email.

Network related questions

Q. Is there proper network coverage?

Yes, there is cell phone coverage in Tawang. BSNL, Airtel and Vodafone postpaid connections work. BSNL and Airtel are the best.

Q.Will prepaid work or postpaid?

Only postpaid network works in Tawang.

Meeting point related questions

Q. What is the starting point of the trip?

It’s in Guwahati – Paltan Bazar.

Q. How to reach Paltan Bazar ?

There are government buses running every 45 minutes from Guwahati airport to Paltan Bazar. You can hop into one of those. A ticket will cost you between ₹110-₹120.

Q. Will there be a TLOW representative at the airport?

No. He/She will directly meet you at Paltan Bazar.

Accommodation related questions

Q. What kind of accommodation will be provided?

We will be using homestays and guest houses all along the trip.

Q. Will the accommodation be clean?

Since no one in the world likes to keep their home untidy, it’s safe to say that every place we stay at will be clean and will give you a homely feel.

Q. Will we get a bed, blankets and pillows?
Yes, at every place we stay at, you’ll get a blanket, a pillow and if not a bed then surely a mattress to sleep on.

Q. Will the rooms be based on gender or mixed?
It will be girls in a separate room and boys in a separate room, for all those backpacking solo.

Q. Will there be electricity in the accommodation?

Being a remotely accessible Himalayan town, Tawang doesn’t have electricity for all 24 hours of the day. You can get between 12-18 hours of electricity.

Q. Will we get hot water for a bath?
Every guest house and homestay we stay at will have geysers so you’ll surely get to have a bath at least once a day.

Food-related questions

Q. Why is food not included?
Since this is a backpacking trip we want to leave the eating for you’ll to explore on your own. You’ll never go hungry in the North East.

Q. What kind of food should we expect to get?

You will have plenty of options ranging from Tibetan, Chinese to local cuisines. Tawang has some good restaurants.

Solo backpacking related questions

Q. Is it okay if I enroll solo for a trip?
Yes, it’s absolutely fine to enroll solo. All our trips have 70% solo travellers who enroll.

Q. What if I don’t get along with the other backpackers?
If no one talks to you, don’t worry our TLOW team member will be your friend and give you an experience of a lifetime.