river run lodge maupin Voyaging to the Ziro Valley is one of the undisputed highlights of a trip to Arunachal Pradesh and,

577 Agartala Sights 1 Jagannath Mandir.A2 2 Tripura Government Museum.A3 3 Ujjayanta Palace. B1 Sleeping 4 Hotel Chandana. B1 5 Hotel Welcome Palace.A3 Eating 6 Abhishek Restaurant.A2 Restaurant river run lodge maupin Kurry Klub.(see 5) Transport 7 Air India. B1 8 Motor Stand.B3 Hotel Chandana HOTEL $ (%2311216; Palace Compound Lane; r 210)

it is a necessary stopover. In the town itself is the Hotel Kanga Karo Palace (%223531; r 750), which is brand new but already river run lodge maupin looks like its on its last legs. Even so it s still a damn sight better than the couple of ultra- basic places around the market. If you have your own transport, far more interesting accommodation is available in the small, traditional river run lodge maupin thatched village river run lodge maupin of Ligu (coming from Ziro take the left turning just before the bridge at the entrance to Daporijo) where you ll find the basic, but delightful Ligu Tourist Resort (%223114; r 700). The family who run it cook up fantastic meals. Vanishing under the shadow of jungle trees, Ligu village itself is well worth exploring and the people are truly lovely.

Voyaging to the Ziro Valley is one of the undisputed highlights of a trip to Arunachal Pradesh and, though the scenery is stunning and the village river run lodge maupin architecture fascinating, river run lodge maupin the voyeuristic main attraction here is meeting the friendly older Apatani folk who sport facial tattoos and nose plugs that would be the envy of any tattooist in the West (see p 566 ). The most authentic Apatani villages are Hong (the biggest and best known), Hijo (more atmospheric), Hari, Bamin and Dutta; none of which are more than 10km apart. It s vital to have a local guide to take you to any of these villages otherwise you won t see much and might even be made to feel quite unwelcome. Christopher Michi (%9402048466/8014012558; christopherdulley@ yahoo.co.in/christophermichi@hotmail.com) river run lodge maupin is the chairman of the Apatani Cultural Preservation Society and can organise superb visits to the villages don t be at all surprised if your tour culminates in an evening of drinking rice wine and chowing down on barbequed rat in a villager river run lodge maupin s house!