How to Travel Pasighat

Getting to Pasighat — the low, easy end of Arunachal

Pasighat is unusual for Arunachal: it sits at only about 150 m, where the Siang river comes out of the mountains onto a wide plain of gravel bars and channels. There is no climb, no high pass and no altitude to acclimatise to. It has no railway station of its own, and reaching it is straightforward by the standards of this state — which is why it makes a sensible first or last stop on an Arunachal itinerary.

✈️ By air

Pasighat has its own airport (IXT) with scheduled Alliance Air service to Guwahati under the UDAN scheme. It is the fastest way in when it is running. But these small routes change frequency and get suspended, and Pasighat's service has come and gone — so check the current schedule directly with the airline before you build a trip on it, and keep the road as your fallback.

Dibrugarh (Mohabari) is the nearest busy airport, a few hours' drive away via the Bogibeel bridge, and is what most travellers actually use. It has far better connectivity than Pasighat.

🚆 Rail and road

The nearest railway station is Murkongselek in Assam, about 30 km away. From there it is a short road leg across into Arunachal. This is the cheapest and most reliable combination: train to Murkongselek, taxi to Pasighat.

By road from Dibrugarh or Guwahati — Dibrugarh is the practical gateway. Guwahati is much further and means a long day or an overnight. Shared Sumos and taxis run the Assam-side legs and the crossing into Pasighat.

App cabs do not operate here. Uber and Ola do not run in Arunachal. Local taxis and shared Sumos are arranged at the stand or through your hotel, with fares agreed point to point rather than metered.

🧭 Getting around

Pasighat is a green, relaxed town with a university, a busy market and the riverfront always close. The town centre is walkable.

Out of town you need a vehicle, and you should arrange it as a day hire rather than expecting to find transport at each end:

• Daying Ering Wildlife Sanctuary — reached by boat, in winter for birds and the river islands. Book the boat through your hotel; there is no scheduled service.
• Kekar Monying and the Pangin confluence — north of town, by road, best done as one day trip.
• The Siang is powerful and cold. Do not swim unless you are with a rafting outfit that knows the water.

📋 Permits

Indian visitors need an Inner Line Permit, applied for online as an e-ILP through the state portal, usually issued within 24–48 hours. Foreign nationals need a Protected Area Permit through a registered tour operator.

Permits are checked at the Ruksin gate on the road from Assam — which is on your way in, not in town. Have the permit before you leave Dibrugarh or Murkongselek. There is an Arunachal Tourism counter at Guwahati airport arrivals that issues ILPs on the spot if the online process failed.

💡 Things that go wrong

Do not assume the Pasighat flight is running — Check with Alliance Air, and plan the Murkongselek rail route as your default.

October to April is dry and pleasant. From May to September it is hot, humid and very wet, and floods and landslides can cut roads. The Siang in particular rises a long way in monsoon — boat trips and river access are weather-dependent.

Carry cash — ATMs exist in town but run low, and there is nothing on the river trips or north of town.

Signal is good in town and patchy on the river and the northern roads — Confirm boat and taxi bookings while you still have a connection.

Book the boat and the day taxi in advance — Neither is something you can arrange on the morning you want it, and there is no app to fall back on.

Ask before photographing people — Pasighat is the heartland of the Adi, who follow their own Donyi-Polo faith honouring the sun and moon, many alongside Christianity. Villages are welcoming; ask before photographing anyone or entering a home. Solung, the harvest festival in early September, and Aran in March are the big dates.