Located in the far north-eastern corner of India, Arunachal Pradesh is probably the most remote region of the whole country.

It is the first Indian state to see the sunrise and to that it owes its name Arunachal Pradesh “the region that carries the sun”. This is a truly special region to explore, a region for the most part still very isolated from the outside world thanks to the remoteness of its villages and the narrow, winding mountain roads leading to them.  A region where the mithun, a rare and sacred animal found only in Arunachal Pradesh and in the surrounding regions, roams freely through the jungle and greet visitors warmly from the roadside. A region with exceptionally abundant biodiversity and home to rare wild animals like tigers, leopards and red pandas. A region where people live in traditional bamboo or wood houses and sit all together around the wood-burning stove placed at the centre of the main room to cook and keep warm in the coldest nights. A region where ancient indigenous spirituality (Donyi Polo and shamanism) prevails, rooted in the natural elements that still surround everything and everyone, in animal sacrifices, and in ancient and incredibly precious artifacts such as the traditional dao (sword) and jewelry.  Also thanks to its isolation and remoteness, the region retains an exceptionally precious and strong tribal culture, with 26 main tribes and 106 minor tribes, each one with its own language, look and traditions. Travelling from one village to the other means learning a completely new way of living, of communicating and of believing.

Painted beige by the millet fields, the broad valley of Ziro is home of the Apatani tribe, whose women traditionally wear big round wooden piercings on their nose and distinctive facial tribal tattoos. In almost every traditional Apatani kitchen, a big piece of meat hangs on the side of the wood stove for months and even years. It gets eaten only on special occasions, like weddings, and, because of its high value, it can also be sold by the family during financially challenging times.

Around the bustling and central town of Aalo, well hidden in the endless jungle-green valleys, lie quiet little villages where time seems to have stood still for decades. Gallo people here live in big traditional houses made entirely of wood and standing on big poles. Kids and stray dogs play peacefully on the main small dirt road surrounded by orange, grapefruit and banana trees. The great majority of the inhabitants of these villages don’t speak any English nor Hindi, and have never seen a tourist walking their streets, but despite the language barrier, they will always manage to make you feel truly welcome.

Menchuka sits only 29 km from the border with Tibet, because of its remoteness and the bumping, winding road isolating it from the rest of the region, it is often referred to as the “Forgotten Valley“. At 2000 masl, the air smells of fresh mountain breeze and the scenery is wild and extraordinary. Thanks to the proximity to the border, the local Memba tribe holds a strong Buddhist spiritual heritage, and beautiful ancient monasteries, like the 400-year-old Samten Yongcha, sit on top of the hills overseeing the whole valley. For the same geographical reason, Menchuka is also a very active military zone, with almost half of the region’s total population consisting of army soldiers.

Overlooking the tall, verdant mountains of the Dibang Valley, Anini is a remote little town that has never seen a foreign tourist before. From here, two beautiful valleys branch off and make their way towards the border with Tibet. On the left, the Emuli valley with its vast lush grasslands, on the right waterfall after waterfall, each more breathtaking than the last, will guide you towards Acheso. The only worshipped entity by the Idu Mishmi tribe is Mother Nature, Nani Itaya. People pray to the sun, the moon, the river and the mountains. They consider tigers and the other animals roaming the forests around the village as their brothers and sisters. Their spiritual leaders are shamans, people who look ordinary but have spiritual powers, a direct connection with Nani Itaya.

If you want to learn more about the culture of Arunachal Pradesh, visit the Blog Arunachal Pradesh: India’s wildest gem