How To Reach Itanagar

The capital city of Arunachal Pradesh, Itanagar, is a melange of diverse tribes and terrains that lends this far-flung northeastern city its unparalleled charm. The sprawling greens, spectacular hills, swooshing lakes and salubrious weather makes Itanagar a dream stop for the wanderlusts. Sashaying matchless natural extravagance and a mind-boggling biodiversity, Itanagar is inarguably one of northeast's biggest attractions. The bucolic cultures and scenic landscape makes it a potential destination for the backpackers. However, getting to Itanagar is not easy and entails government permits. So, before you head out for Itanagar, make sure you avail stay permits in advance. All said and done, Itanagar is endowed with good transportation network that makes this city easily accessible for the tourists. Apart from the airways and the railways, Itanagar is also gifted with an impressive network of roads, which connects the city to all the neighboring cities and states. If you plan to travel to Itanagar, then knowing how to reach the city and the best way to move around will make sense to you. Scroll down this write-up for more on dope on this.

Traveling To Itanagar

By Air
Situated on the northernmost corners of the country, Itanagar is not endowed with an airport of its own. However, it can be easily accessed by air via other neighboring airports. The closest airport to Itanagar is located in Lilabari, North Lakhimpur in Assam. Lilabari is about 67km from Itanagar and 53km away from Naharlagun. This airport is well connected to Guwahati by regular flights. Apart from these, there are domestic helicopters like Pawan Hans that provides helicopter service between Itanagar and Guwahati, three days in a week. The helicopter also connects cities like Guwahati, Dibrugarh (Mohanbari) and Itanagar to Tawang, Ziro, Roing, Daporijo, Along, Tezu, Pasighat, Anini, and Khonsa.

By Rail
Itanagar does not have a railway station of its own. The nearest railway head is placed in Harmuty in Assam, which is about 33km away from Itanagar. Another railway station is located at North Lakhimpur in Assam, which is about 60 km away from Itanagar. The railway station leads to Kamakhya Railway Station in Guwahati, which is connected to Silchar, Kolkata, and Siliguri etc.

By Road
An impressive network of roads connects Itanagar to the important cities and other neighboring states of Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya. Motorable roads link Itanagar to Guwahati (429kms), Bomdila (350kms), Kolkata (1611kms), North Lakhimpur (64kms), Siliguri (942kms), and Shillong (495kms) and so on. Overnight buses connect Itanagar to Guwahati, Shillong and Imphal. Arunachal State Transport runs an extensive bus service throughout the state. However, being a protected area, the tourists must obtain entry permits before they head out.

Getting Around
To get in and around the city, you can avail the cycle rickshaws, auto rickshaws and taxis that are the most preferred form of local transport here. Itanagar is basically a very small city, and tourists can visit all the places of interest in a single day by covering the entire region by foot.