Itanagar

Itanagar, 'the land of the dawn lit mountains' is the capital city of north eastern state Arunachal Pradesh. It is nestled on the foothills of Himalayas. Blessed with pampering surroundings and pleasant climate, Itanagar flaunts quite a number of attractions. Itanagar offers immense satisfaction to its tourists in terms of pleasurable holidays. Temples, Churches, lakes, ruins of palace and fort are some of its highlights which speaks oodles about its glorious past. In the 11th century it was the capital of the Jitari dynasty. Tibetan culture is deeply interwoven into the lives of the people here. Be it costumes or festivals, the influence of the Tibetan culture is clearly visible. In fact, Itanagar is a land where people from different cultural backgrounds live in perfect harmony.

Climate:
In summer the temperature varies from 40°C to 18°C; while in winter the maximum temp is 12°C and the minimum is 5°C. The climate is pleasant round the year so you can visit the city any time.

Shopping:
You can buy several beautiful handicrafts from Itanagar. Carpets, traditional costumes, bamboo and cane items, woodcarvings, thankas(Buddhist religious paintings on cloth with vegetable dyes and/or gold), sarongs and shawls. Take your pick.

Cuisine:
Non vegetarian dishes are an important part of the cuisine of Itanagar. Momos are another favourite dish here. Good restaurants like Bishmak in the Doyni Polo Ashok hotel offers Indian, Continental and Chinese cuisines.

How To Reach:
Air: Lilabari in Assam is the nearest Airport, 67 km from Itanagar.
Rail: Arunachal Pradesh does not have any railway station. The railhead is Harrmoty in Assam, 33 km from Itanagar.
Road: Regular bus service from Itanagar connects it with Guwahati and other cities of Assam.

Accommodation:
The most propitious location for comfortable accommodation is Itanagar. It houses numerous hotels ranging from luxurious ones to budget hotels. Economically reasonable, some of the good hotels of the city are Field Hostel, circuit House, Hotel Itafort, Hotel Donyi Polo Ashok, Blue Pine Hotel, Hotel Simang.