(Howrah > Tawang > Bumla Pass > The Tactical Retreat)
After the 1,860km “warm-up” from Pune, it was time for a technical reset. Before pointing the KTM 390 Adventure toward the Himalayas, I did a full service: a fresh engine oil change and a thorough throttle body cleaning. In the mountains, you don’t want a sluggish throttle when you’re fighting for oxygen at 15,000 feet.
The Road to the Gateway
Nov 14 – Nov 16 The journey began with a long push to Malda, then into the familiar chaos of Siliguri. By Nov 16, I was in Guwahati, the air getting crisper and the excitement for Arunachal Pradesh starting to peak.
Into the Valley of the Rising Sun
Nov 17 – Nov 19 Crossing into Bhalukpong is like entering a different realm. From here, the route took me through the stunning Dirang Valley. Reaching Tawang was a moment of deep relief. The first night there was dedicated to pure rest—sitting in the guest house garden, nursing a hot cup of tea, and just letting the silence of the mountains sink in.
The Bumla Strategy: Permits and Ice
Nov 20 If you want to reach Bumla Pass, you have to respect the logistics. To save time, I hired an agent for the permit—doing it yourself can eat up a whole day, and I was on a mission.
Pro-Tip: Start for Bumla early, but wait for the first light. If you go too late, the sun starts melting the ice, turning the road into a slippery, unpredictable mess. I got lucky—the sky was a piercing, cloudless blue. Even in mid-November, there wasn’t a flake of snow falling as I reached the Indo-China border at 15,200 feet.
The Mountain’s Warning
Nov 21 The mountains have a way of telling you when it’s time to leave. The morning I checked out, the weather turned. The sky went heavy and grey, and the first signs of a snowstorm began to swirl.
Realizing that the descent could become a trap if the passes got blocked, I made the call to shorten my stay. Instead of a leisurely ride back, I pushed hard: Tawang to Bhalukpong in one go, and then a massive, relentless dash the next day directly to Siliguri. It was a test of endurance—from the freezing heights of Arunachal to the humid plains of Bengal in a blur of tarmac.
Phase 2 Status:
- Technical Win: Fresh oil and a clean throttle made the high-altitude hairpins effortless.
- The Highlight: A clear-sky morning at the edge of the world.
- The Lesson: Respect the weather. When the snow starts, the mountain is done with you.
Phase 3 Preview:
Next, we’ll dive into Phase 3—the 3,000km southward sprint. We’ll cover the transition from the icy silence of Tawang to the coastal humidity of Puri and Vizag, the long haul to Hyderabad, and finally, the roar of the crowd at Goa for India Bike Week.
