Sela Pass — the 4,170 m pass and its sacred lake on the road to Tawang
Sela Pass, about 4,170 m on the Dirang–Tawang road: snow for much of the year, the sacred Sela Lake, the new tunnel and the story of Sela, with drive times.
Arunachal Pradesh⛰ 2,669 m2 itineraries
Tawang
Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh: India's largest Buddhist monastery, the war memorials, Nuranang Falls, Sela Pass, the road from Guwahati and the Inner Line Permit.
Tawang is the far west of Arunachal Pradesh: a monastery town of the Monpa people at about 2,669 m, built below a ridge crowned by Tawang Monastery, the largest Buddhist monastery in India. It was founded in 1680–81 at the wish of the fifth Dalai Lama, and Tsangyang Gyatso, the sixth Dalai Lama, came into the world at Urgelling, just below the town.
Getting here is part of the journey. Tawang is about 555 km by road from Guwahati by Wikipedia's figure, and the road climbs over Sela Pass, at about 4,170 m, or through the new Sela tunnel below it. On the way down to Tawang it passes the Jaswant Garh War Memorial and Nuranang Falls near Jang. In town, the Tawang War Memorial honours the soldiers who fell in the 1962 war.
Every Indian visitor needs an Inner Line Permit, applied for online; read the Arunachal ILP guide before you plan. 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 things to do in Tawang.
Photos: Rohit Sharma (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Rekhalok (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Dhirubhai12 (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Plans that include this
All Tawang itineraries →
One day in Tawang — the monastery, Urgelling and the war memorial
Day plan · First visit · monasteries and history
A gentle one-day plan for Tawang: morning prayers at Tawang Monastery, Urgelling where the sixth Dalai Lama was born, and the Tawang War Memorial in town.
Best Mar–May · Oct–Nov
See the plan →
Two days in Tawang — the monastery town, then Sela Pass, Jaswant Garh and Nuranang Falls
1 night · 2 days · First visit · monasteries and mountains
Two days in Tawang: the monastery, Urgelling and the war memorial, then the Sela road to Nuranang Falls, the Jaswant Garh memorial and the 4,170 m Sela Pass.
Best Mar–May · Oct–Nov
See the plan →Going together
No one has started a group going to Tawang yet. Start one and other travellers can ask to come along.
Places worth the drive
Nuranang Falls near Jang — the 100 m waterfall on the road to Tawang
Nuranang Falls, also called Jang or Bong Bong Falls: a 100 m waterfall near Jang, 80 minutes from Tawang on the road from Sela Pass, and the story of Nura.
Jaswant Garh War Memorial — Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat's post below Sela Pass
Jaswant Garh War Memorial on the Sela–Tawang road: the post of Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat of the 4th Garhwal Rifles, who fell in 1962, Maha Vir Chakra.
Tawang Monastery — Galden Namgey Lhatse, India's largest Buddhist monastery
Tawang Monastery, Galden Namgey Lhatse: the Gelug monastery founded in 1680–81 at the wish of the fifth Dalai Lama, India's largest, at about 3,000 m.
On the map
Open the Tawang map →The places a Tawang day reaches, with the road time from town. Each opens on the map with its plans and pages beside it.
Before you go
All articles →
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.
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.
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.
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.
Nearby destinations
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Questions people ask
Do I need a permit to visit Tawang?
Yes. Every Indian citizen needs an Inner Line Permit for Arunachal Pradesh, applied for online on the state's eILP portal. The tourist eILP covers stays of up to 14 days and costs ₹300 for up to 3 days or ₹500 for longer. Foreign nationals apply instead for a Protected or Restricted Area Permit.
How far is Tawang from Guwahati?
About 555 km by road by Wikipedia's figure; our routing over OpenStreetMap measures about 419 km from Guwahati station, and the mountain road is slow, about 655 minutes free-flow. Most people break the journey at Dirang or Bomdila. Tezpur is about 324 km away, and the nearest airport is at Tezpur.
What is Tawang famous for?
Tawang Monastery, the largest Buddhist monastery in India, founded in 1680–81 at the wish of the fifth Dalai Lama; Urgelling, the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama; the war memorials of 1962; and the high road over Sela Pass, with Nuranang Falls near Jang.
Photographs by Wikimedia Commons contributors (CC0, CC BY, CC BY-SA), resized; each picture is credited on its own page.