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Nuranang Falls pouring down a high green cliff in a wide white plume, with cloud and blue sky above
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Photo: Rekhalok · CC BY-SA 4.0
1 night · 2 daysFirst visitmonasteries and mountainsbalanced

Two days in Tawang — the monastery town, then Sela Pass, Jaswant Garh and Nuranang Falls

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.
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Two days that see both sides of Tawang. Spend the first in the town, at Tawang Monastery, Urgelling and the war memorial. On the second, drive back up the road you came in on, to Nuranang Falls, the Jaswant Garh War Memorial and Sela Pass, then return to Tawang, or carry on south to Dirang.

Photos: Rekhalok (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Dhirubhai12 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Rohit Sharma (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.

Who this is for

Visitors with two days in Tawang who want the monastery and the high road in daylight, with time to stop.

Day by day

Day 1

The monastery town

3 stops · 19 min on the road

Settle in at altitude with the monastery, Urgelling and the war memorial, all close to the centre.

  1. 08:00
    Tawang Monastery
    temple · 1 min from Tawang · about 2 h there
    Morning prayers in the assembly hall of India's largest Buddhist monastery.
  2. ↓ 14 min by road · 5 km
    11:30
    Urgelling Monastery
    temple · 12 min from Tawang · about 45 min there
    The birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama, just below the town.
  3. ↓ 5 min by road · 2 km
    14:00
    Tawang War Memorial
    monument · 9 min from Tawang · about 45 min there
    The memorial to the soldiers of 1962, near the market.
Day 2

Up the Sela road and back

3 stops · 1 h 16 min on the road

Drive to the falls, the memorial and the pass, and return to Tawang before dark; or keep going south to Dirang.

  1. 08:30
    Nuranang Falls
    waterfall · 1 h 20 min from Tawang · about 45 min there
    About 80 minutes from Tawang: the 100 m fall near Jang.
  2. ↓ 42 min by road · 21 km
    10:30
    Jaswant Garh War Memorial
    monument · 1 h 43 min from Tawang · about 45 min there
    The post of Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat, MVC, beside the highway.
  3. ↓ 34 min by road · 20 km
    12:30
    Sela Pass
    pass · 2 h 17 min from Tawang · about 30 min there
    The 4,170 m pass and its often-frozen sacred lake; stop briefly in the thin air.

Getting there

See how to reach Tawang, the best time to go and the Arunachal ILP guide.

Where to stay

Stay in Tawang both nights, or move on to Dirang on day two. We have no verified lodging, prices or booking rules.

Know before you go

  • Snow or slips can close Sela for a time; check the road in the morning and keep a spare day.
  • Sela Pass is at about 4,170 m; do not linger if you have a headache or feel breathless.
  • Carry your Inner Line Permit and an identity card for the checkposts.

Places on this route

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

Going together

No one has started a group going on this plan yet. Start one and other travellers can ask to come along.

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Other ways to do it

All Tawang itineraries →
One day in Tawang — the monastery, Urgelling and the war memorial
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 →

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Questions people ask

How many days do you need in Tawang?

At least two once you arrive: one for the monastery town and one for the Sela road, with Nuranang Falls, Jaswant Garh and the pass. The drive from Guwahati is long, about 655 minutes free-flow on our routing, so most people add a night at Dirang or Bomdila each way.

How far is Sela Pass from Tawang?

About 71 km and 137 minutes by road on our routing. Nuranang Falls is about 80 minutes from Tawang and the Jaswant Garh memorial about 103 minutes, both on the same road, so you can see all three in one day and return to Tawang before dark.

Can you visit Sela Pass in winter?

Usually. Wikipedia says Sela gets heavy snow in winter but is normally open, unless snow or landslides close it for a time, and the Sela tunnel now keeps Tawang reachable in all weather. Check the road each morning, carry warm clothes and keep a spare day in the plan.