Tribes, high-altitude lakes, valleys, and more make Arunachal Pradesh the only place in the northeast that's truly wild
Born and raised in Tezpur in central Assam, Manjit Saikia spent much of his childhood swimming in the river and running around in the forest. After about a decade on a corporate job in Delhi, he decided to go back to the Northeast to start his own travel company, North by Northeast. Manjit says, “I now spend time travelling, taking photographs and writing poetry.” He shares images and notes from Arunachal Pradesh, which is “the only place that’s truly wild in entire NE. Most of the places here are virgin forests. In the last three years, I’ve barely scratched the surface.”
Galo Village
A picture of a typical Galo village. The tribes in the village is one of the 26 major ones found in the state. They inhabit the Siang Valley in the eastern parts of Arunachal. Galos are well known for their bamboo crafts.
Highways
This is a typical scene on the back roads of Assam and eastern Arunachal where a lot of elephants are still in use for logging. This picture is of a friend, which I shot while we were motorcycling from Assam to Arunachal.
Seven Lakes Trek
A few days’ trek in Mathu Valley leads you to seven beautiful high-altitude lakes in China border. This trek is one of the most difficult ones I have been on. To give you an idea, on the first day, in the first three kilometres, you gain elevation of about 1,000 metres. This used to be an old hunting trail used to hunt Mishmi Takin and musk deer and has only recently been opened for tourists.
Apatani Woman
The tribe lives in Ziro Valley in central Arunachal Pradesh. They are mostly farmers. Earlier, they were frequently attacked and looted by the neighbouring Nishi and Tagin tribes of the surrounding hills. Hence, the women folk used to have beard tattoos and enormous nose rings to make them look ugly lest they are kidnapped by the invaders.
Golden Pagoda
A temple of Buddha in the rich Khamti and Singpho area. It is also known as the Tengapani Mandir. The architecture bears a striking resemblance to those found in Laos and Burma from where these tribes originally migrated.
Zemithang
The picture was shot recently during a cycling trip to Zemithang in western Arunachal Pradesh. This road is arguably one of the most beautiful stretches to cycle on. It is located at the tri-juncture of India, Bhutan and China.
Dong
The easternmost tip of the country receives the first light. The place is extremely beautiful and very close to the Chinese border. The picture was taken in November. Summers are more lush but also breed a gazillion leeches.
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