What is the Orange Festival?
The Dambuk Orange Festival (15–18 December, 2016) has its roots in adventure and music. Supported and largely sponsored by Arunachal Pradesh Tourism, it was first organised in 2014 as a brainchild of Abu Tayeng. This year, in its 3rd edition, the festival promises better adventures and hard-core musical evenings with internationally renowed names, such as Yngwie Malmsteen – who will be performing in India for the first time.
For adventure junkies, the fest has its off-roading championship, which is perhaps the region’s ‘highest paying tournaments’ of all times. In 2015, the festival had bungee jumping over Dibang River, from a height of approx.120 feet.
Where is Dambuk?
The Dibang Valley comprises two parts – Upper Dibang Valley and Lower Dibang Valley. Dambuk falls in the Lower Valley and has been said to be a panchayat village. The local language spoken for communication is largely English.
With that being said, if explorers, adventure junkies or travellers are looking for campsites, the following 2 may come in handy – Mishmi Hills | Orangee Campsite and ChaloHoppo village.
1. Mishmi Hills Camp
Accessibility: Dambuk is 50 kms (around 90 minutes’ drive) from Pasighat (off-road) and around 40 minutes’ drive from Roing. Vehicles with good ground clearance are recommended.
By Air: The nearest airport is Mohanbari, Dibrugarh. There are Sumo/Bolero/Scorpio available for transport. Ferry across the Brahmaputra from here and drive towards Pasighat (100 kms) to Dambuk through dry river beds. Alternatively, one can reach the Guwahati Airport, which is well connected with all major cities in India. From Guwahati, drive to Pasighat via Lakhimpur and later drive to Dambuk.
By Train: Travel from Guwahati to Mokokngselek by Intercity Train, and take the special shuttle service (Arunachal State Transport Bus) to Dambuk at Rs. 250 per person per way. Alternatively, the major railway station is Dibrugarh and there are arrangements for land services as mentioned above.
By Road: From Guwahati, the route is Guwahati-Lakhimpur-Pasighat-Dambuk (around 650 kms). One can reach Dibrugarh as per the details given above. From Tinsukia, the route is: Tinsukia-Doomdooma-Namsai-Roing-Dambuk. From Pasighat, Rs. 150 per person one way (Arunachal State Transport Bus) to Dambuk. Source: Everythingoutdoornortheast
2. At Rs 1200 per person per night, the ChaloHoppo village is an affordable and comfortable campsite. It provides all basic amenities – running water for 24 hours a day, electricity with generator back up, phone charging points, and luggage rooms. There are provisions for breakfast, as well as toilets and bathrooms of course. You can visit their Facebook page for more information.
Rhea Hussain
This 22-year-old political science graduate is a self-proclaimed fitness freak with a love for collecting books and smelling them incessantly. A few things that she digs are crunching on ice cubes, binging on momos and travelling. She has an unconditional affection for dogs. Although she says that she does not have a philosophy in life, but she believes that "happiness is subjective, so never compare".
