ZIRO FESTIVAL OF MUSIC AND BEYOND

We take you to Arunachal Pradesh, India’s easternmost state. Arunachal Pradesh appears as a giant patch of green on the country’s map. India’s wildest and least explored state, Arunachal (literally the ‘land of dawn-lit mountains’) rises abruptly from the Assam plains as a mass of densely forested and impossibly steep hills, culminating in snowcapped peaks along the Tibetan border. It shares three international borders with Bhutan, Tibet and Myanmar. This state is home to 26 major tribes with over 100 sub-tribes and clans speaking some 50 odd dialects. Arunachal Pradesh is perhaps the last sanctuary for India’s natural and anthropological heritage.

The journey starts from Guwahati taking you through the Brahmaputra valley, into the forested mountains of Arunachal Pradesh. Your first stop is the Ziro Valley of central Arunachal Pradesh for the Ziro Festival of Music. Ziro Festival of music can be categorized as a contemporary Musical festival with a large involvement of guests, bands, artists and performers, ZFM includes a broad division of musical genre, it is in essence the ‘Woodstock’ of India. Apart from the music, there is various cuisines and brew to be tried, cultural activities and local experiences to be had.

Other than the festivities at Ziro, we indulge in some dolphin spotting on the Brahmaputra, observe over 12 distinct tribes from Vaishnivite to Animist, to Vajrayana Buddhist to Theravada Buddhist), drive across some of the greatest himalayan rivers (Brahmaputra, Subansiri, Siang, Dibang and Lohit), sample local cuisine and brew , indulge in activities like rafting and much more.