Three kilometres from the Tibet border. Saraswati river vanishes underground here. Sip butter tea in the world's last Indian tea shop.
Three kilometres beyond Badrinath at the head of the valley, the last inhabited village before Tibet — though the sign now reads first village rather than last, which is a change in national mood as much as in signage.
The Saraswati surfaces here, runs under a natural rock bridge, and vanishes again. The Bhotiya families who live here move down the valley for winter, so the village is only open a few months of the year.
Stay with us
A heritage cottage in Badrinath, hot springs in the courtyard.
Stay with us — A Monpa-family wooden house in Tawang town.
13,700 ft, the gateway to the eastern Himalayas, snow-blocked half the year. Special permits, three cultures, the highest monastery in India at the end.
