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Inside the prayer hall of Tawang Monastery: red pillars, hanging banners and rows of seats leading to a golden image of the Buddha
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Photo: Yatrika · CC BY-SA 4.0
ArticleVerified 2026-10-23

Things to do in Tawang — the monastery, Urgelling, the war memorials, Nuranang Falls and Sela

Things to do in Tawang: India's largest Buddhist monastery, Urgelling, the Tawang and Jaswant Garh war memorials, Nuranang Falls and Sela Pass, and drive times.

Tawang rewards slow days. Here is what there is, in the town and on the road you came in on.

Photos: Rohit Sharma (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Kunal Dalui (CC BY-SA 3.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.

In the town

  • [Tawang Monastery](/places/tawang-monastery): the Gelug monastery on the ridge, founded in 1680–81 and the largest in India; go for morning prayers in the assembly hall.
  • Urgelling: the small gompa just below the town, honoured as the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama.
  • The Tawang War Memorial: the army's memorial to the soldiers who fell in 1962, within walking distance of the market.

On the Sela road

  • [Nuranang Falls](/places/nuranang-falls): the 100 m waterfall near Jang, about 80 minutes away.
  • [Jaswant Garh War Memorial](/places/jaswant-garh-war-memorial): the post of Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat, MVC, about 103 minutes away.
  • [Sela Pass](/places/sela-pass): the 4,170 m pass and its sacred lake, about 137 minutes away.

Places that need more permission

Wikivoyage lists high lakes and border areas beyond the town that need separate army or district permission. We do not plan them; ask the district administration in Tawang what is open and what permission is needed.

Plan it

Copy the one day in Tawang or the two days with the Sela road, and read how to reach Tawang, the best time to go and the Arunachal ILP guide.

Places around Tawang

The Tawang guide →
Tawang Monastery — Galden Namgey Lhatse, India's largest Buddhist monastery
Tawang Monastery — Galden Namgey Lhatse, India's largest Buddhist monastery
temple · 1 min from Tawang
Nuranang Falls near Jang — the 100 m waterfall on the road to Tawang
Nuranang Falls near Jang — the 100 m waterfall on the road to Tawang
waterfall · 1 h 20 min from Tawang
Jaswant Garh War Memorial — Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat's post below Sela Pass
Jaswant Garh War Memorial — Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat's post below Sela Pass
monument · 1 h 43 min from Tawang
Sela Pass — the 4,170 m pass and its sacred lake on the road to Tawang
Sela Pass — the 4,170 m pass and its sacred lake on the road to Tawang
pass · 2 h 17 min from Tawang
All stories →
The white and yellow buildings of Tawang Monastery spread along a ridge above the town under a blue sky with clouds
Arunachal Pradesh Inner Line Permit — the tourist eILP for Tawang, Ziro and the rest of the state
The Arunachal Pradesh Inner Line Permit from the official eILP portal: who needs it, the tourist eILP for up to 14 days, fees of ₹300 and ₹500, and foreigners.
A snow-covered valley below dark mountains under low grey cloud at Sela Pass
How to reach Tawang — from Guwahati and Tezpur by road, over Sela Pass or through the tunnel
How to reach Tawang: about 555 km from Guwahati and 320 km from Tezpur by Wikipedia, the road through Bomdila, Dirang and Sela Pass, measured times and the ILP.
Rocky ridges dusted with snow above dark forested slopes, seen from Sela Pass under a pale sky
The best time to visit Tawang — clear autumns, spring, the wet monsoon and Sela's winter snow
When to visit Tawang: clear October and November, spring from March to May, the heavy monsoon of June to September, and winter snow on Sela Pass and the tunnel.
Manali in January and February — the real winter, and how to use it
Manali in January and February — the real winter, and how to use it
Manali's deepest winter: days around 10 °C, nights below freezing, snow on the Solang road and at Sissu, ski slopes when it holds, the Carnival on the Mall.
Trilokinath Temple in Mandi seen in full
Things to do in Mandi — 7 worth the visit, and what each needs
Seven things to do in Mandi by distance from town: three old temples, the 1877 Victoria Bridge, Pandoh Dam, Rewalsar and Prashar lakes, with measured times.
Kasauli hill station
The best time to visit Kasauli
Kasauli by season, using its own sparse published figures: when the monsoon humidity peaks, when the cold sets in, and the clearest windows for its viewpoints.

Nearby destinations

All destinations →
A wide view over the houses of Shillong spread across forested hills under a sky of towering white clouds
Shillong
224 km away · 4 itineraries · 6 places
A deep, steep-sided green valley filled with low grey cloud seen from the Mawkdok Dympep viewpoint near Cherrapunji
Cherrapunji
257 km away · 4 itineraries · 3 places
Wooden houses with red tin roofs on a green slope in Kohima Village, with the city and blue hills behind under white clouds
Kohima
309 km away · 3 itineraries · 3 places
Pastel-coloured buildings of Gangtok climbing a steep, forested hillside, seen from a viewpoint across the valley
Gangtok
321 km away · 5 itineraries · 11 places

Today on HimLocal

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Questions people ask

What are the best things to do in Tawang?

Attend morning prayers at Tawang Monastery, visit Urgelling, the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama, and the Tawang War Memorial in town. Then drive the Sela road to Nuranang Falls, the Jaswant Garh War Memorial and Sela Pass. Two days cover all of it at an easy pace.

What is near Tawang town?

Tawang Monastery is about 3 minutes from the centre on our routing, the Tawang War Memorial about 9 minutes and Urgelling about 12 minutes. Further out on the road to Dirang are Nuranang Falls, about 80 minutes away, the Jaswant Garh memorial, about 103 minutes, and Sela Pass, about 137 minutes.

Is Tawang worth visiting?

Yes, if you have time for the road. It holds the largest Buddhist monastery in India, founded in 1680–81, the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama, moving memorials of 1962, and one of the great mountain drives of the east. Allow at least two days there, plus travel days.