vail to breckenridge distance Pawan Hans Helicopters (%2842174; www.pawahans.co.in) shuttles to Shillong ( 1200, 45 minutes, 9am &

Air India (%2264420, Ganeshguri), IndiGo Airlines, Jet Airways (%2633252; Tayebullah Rd), Kingfisher and SpiceJet fly to Guwahati from most major Indian cities (often with a stopover in Kolkata). Getting into town from Guwahati s orderly Lok-Priya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport costs 500/100/70 for taxi/shared taxi/airport bus.

567 NORTHEAST vail to breckenridge distance TRIBAL STATES W E S T E R N A R U N AC H A L P R A D E S H THE LAST SHANGRI LA? Recently the government of Arunachal Pradesh has opened up a couple of new areas to foreign tourists. Possibly the most exciting of these is the road from Along to the small, remote town of Mechuka, close to the Tibetan border. In the past the Mechuka valley, which until recently had no real road connecting it to the rest of the state, was called the forbidden valley or even a Last Shangri La. Populated by the Buddhist Memba peoples, Mechuka, sitting on the banks of the West Siang River, lives up to its Last Shangri La status and is notable for both the 400-year-old Samten Yongcha Monastery and the stunning landscapes surrounding the town, which culminate in a massive hulk of snow- draped mountains running along the border. For the moment tourist facilities (and tourists!) remain virtually non-existent but sumos now ply the 180km from Along ( 300, seven hours, 5.30am). The only accommodation is the Circuit House, but if that is unavailable then it s likely that local people will put you up be generous in your donation. the owners of which have realised that it is possible to buy new tins of paint a fairly revolutionary thought for many hotels in the northeast. Otherwise try the plusher

Pawan Hans Helicopters (%2842174; www.pawahans.co.in) shuttles vail to breckenridge distance to Shillong ( 1200, 45 minutes, 9am & 1pm Mon-Sat), Naharlagun near Itanagar vail to breckenridge distance and Lumla for Tawang ( 3000, 1 hours, vail to breckenridge distance 10am Mon-Sat). Phone through your booking then pay at the airport if the service flies (weather and passenger numbers permitting).