I woke up with a start – the room filled with sunlight. Damn, I must’ve missed my alarm. I scrambled for my phone and lo and behold – 4:07 AM. Arunachal is very much India’s version of the ‘Land of the rising sun’. The day begins jarringly early – the situation is akin almost to travelling to Malaysia but working Indian hours, which definitely takes some getting used to. Grumbling away, I shuffled off to get ready and make my way to the 22 Triumph motorcycles parked on the other side of the roaring Nyamjang Chu and get them ready for the long day ahead.
Arunachal is a magical place to ride a motorcycle. With Xplorearth curating the Northeast Adventure for Triumph India, this gave me the perfect opportunity to try and decode just what it was that makes this destination so special.
Let me start by saying that a ride in Arunachal is painfully difficult to plan and execute for a large group – sometimes feeling almost intentionally impractical! This is largely due to its geographical position, being India’s eastern-most edge, sharing borders with Bhutan, China and Burma. In fact, if DJI’s latest maps are to be believed, we were bang in the middle of Chinese territory throughout, which pretty much says it all when it comes to some of our neighbours on this front! As you drive further East past Siliguri, you can see the definite change in the genetic features of the locals. Once in Arunachal, you would be hard pressed to distinguish between a local and someone from the border areas of any of the aforementioned nations.
The first question when planning one’s foray into Arunachal is how to get there, both for man and machine. The most conventional route is to fly into Guwahati and start your ride from there. The bikes were shipped from Maharashtra, Bangalore and even Chandigarh and took a week or longer to reach the start point – aided greatly by the immense support provided by Triumph India in getting them there on time. As for the backup crew – we drove from Shimla to Assam prior to the start of the event to ensure all necessary medical and technical backup was present for a ride through even the most desolate areas of the country. Hats off to Mr. Gadkari for all the roadworks in the region, but even then, the drive is a 2-3 day one (at best) from almost anywhere in the country!
You require an Inner Line Permit to access Arunachal Pradesh, even as an Indian National. Operating without local expertise in the region will almost definitely ensure you reach your destination after a long day’s ride, only to be told that your rooms have actually been booked into the hotelier’s young nephew’s homestay down the road. Connectivity is sparse in many parts of the state, and accommodation is basic at best.
All that moaning and groaning would make it seem as if I despised the entire experience, but in fact it was quite the opposite. The entire allure of riding in the North East and Arunachal in particular is that it’s almost like a forbidden fruit – a part of the country that not many know much about and there are multiple hoops one has to jump through along the way, but that only makes the final experience a whole lot more satisfying. The roads are stunning, as is the scenery pretty much all the way through. Dense, green forests go on for hundreds of kilometers – you can feel each one teeming with life, majestic creatures and thousands of years of stories to tell! You feel the altitude at points but the vistas thrown your way are completely different to Ladakh or Spiti. Some of the sites enroute are absolutely stunning – such as the dead trees standing inside (yes, you read that correctly) the famous Sangetsar Lake, or the awe-inspiring 100-foot tall Gorsam Stupa – all sure to take your breath away and provide a suitable reminder of the relative insignificance of human existence in the face of nature and spirituality!
The best part of the ride however, was the company and the trusty machines that saw us through all the way without any issues whatsoever. The Tiger 900 Rally Pro remains, in my eyes, the best motorcycle for the kind of riding we do. Nimble, light and with the perfect ergonomic design, it ensures minimum fatigue even after a the most challenging of riding days. Pretty much everyone who complains about it being “underpowered” cannot ride the bike to even 70% of its potential, but perhaps the bruised egos from being left behind on long highway stretches during parantha rides are too much to take! The updated Tiger 1200s accompanying us acquitted themselves brilliantly as well!
The most pleasant surprise however was the Scrambler 400 – keeping pace with the larger machines even on the tarmac stretches, and with the Bajaj handshake promising to be a great bike for beginner ADV riders, particularly when taking into account the affordable ownership costs!
Most importantly, the riders took all the challenges that came their way in their stride. They understood the limitations of the area and showed great respect towards the locals and their customs, which was extremely heartwarming for us to see. Their priorities lay in understanding more about the region and their motorcycles, rather than what was going to be served up for dinner and where we were going to stay which, in the rapidly evolving ADV-motorcycling space in India, is a really refreshing change!
The ride was a big one for the brand as well – Triumph’s first big ride since the handshake with Bajaj slightly over a year ago. With the hierarchy and key personnel now in place, the response to this ride was extremely positive, with slots filling up within a few days of it being announced! One of many steps being taken to ensure the Triumph community continues to grow country-wide.
Despite being a largely tarmac ride, it wouldn’t quite be an Xplorearth experience without its fair share of challenging stretches for the riders – whether it be summitting Sela Pass and Bumla Pass in the freezing rain, or a challenging off-road section inside Eagle Nest Wild Life Sanctuary – home to a rogue elephant we were fortunate enough not to cross paths with! Lots of learning for the group with regards to riding technique, the correct kind of gear and much more that they get to take back to any rides that will they got for in the future!
Arunachal is definitely worthy of its reputation as a stunning motorcycling destination, albeit one that is more complicated to plan out than heading off to Ladakh or down South. Parts of the region are still lost to time – a surreal experience for those taking a break from the corporate rigmarole to make the journey! The military presence is strong, much like Ladakh, and we are all grateful for the work they put in to protect our nation’s borders!
As JRR Tolkien said, “The world isn’t in your books and maps, it’s out there.” Just a few years ago, before the spectacular political implosion in Burma, you could have ridden from Arunachal all the way through to Thailand! Instead of experiencing the area through someone else’s YouTube Vlog, get moving, find an operator you can trust and go experience the magic of the North East – before it’s too late!
