Bum la pass

✓ Find the best offers on your Stays on 🏡 booking.com

✓ Deals on Private xfers, SIM Cards, City tours, Day trips on 🛵 GetYourGuide | on 🛵 Klook

Let’s be honest here, the biggest attraction of Tawang is its monastery. But believe me once there you will realize the real beauty of Tawang lies not in its monastery but in the nature around it.

One thing you need to know about Tawang is its close proximity to China border. And Bum La is the border where India meets China.

To make a visit to Bum la one requires a Bum la pass. Bum La pass is a must for all Indian nationals who want to go to a trip to the China border. Army checks for the pass at numerous check posts on the way, so there is no skipping it!

The List of Items show

Tips to get Bum La Pass by yourself – Things to know before you go

1. Note that, if you are only going for a day trip to Madhuri lake then you don’t need to apply for the bum la pass.

2. Note that foreign nationals are not allowed to the china border so there is no point for them to apply for bum la pass.

3. Tawang travel tip #1: You can combine the trip to Bum La with Madhuri lake although road to both split at Y junction. The trip to Madhuri lake takes 2 hours while trip to Bum la border takes 1 hour extra. The distance of Bum la from Tawang is only 34 km but due to the bad road conditions as well as lot of twists on the road it takes lot of time.

4. Mini van taxi to bum la pass and madhuri lake will cost you 4000/- INR. The same mini van taxi to only Madhuri lake will cost you 3000 inr.

5. The distance to Bum La is only around 35 km but the roads are in pretty bad shape; same goes for Madhuri Lake, be prepared for a bumpy ride.

6. I was quoted a price of 4500/- for the day trip from Tawang but was able to negotiate the bum la pass, Bum La and Madhuri lake trip to 3800 INR.

How to get Bum La Pass in Tawang – Steps:

Find and book a cab which will take you to the border. You can easily find a taxi in the Tawang market taxi stand.
Go to DC office in Tawang and get the papers signed.

Next, pay a visit to the Brigade office (same location as Tawang war memorial) and submit the signed papers here.

Some important points to note to get Bum la pass in Tawang:

DC office is open till 5 pm. Submit the paper to brigade office max by 7 PM.
You can collect the permit in the morning at 6 AM (earliest possible time) at the Brigade office.

I recommend you apply early in the morning (office opens at 10 AM) so that you can get the bum la pass by the evening same day.
You can ask the taxi driver to do it for you – the standard price is 500/- INR charged by him.
The bum la pass doesn’t cost anything but you need to take a cab to get to DC office as well as Brigade office. Both of them are in opposite directions, so it is difficult to walk to both of them. The cab will cost you 200-300 INR. My Tawang travel tip is that you can do a sightseeing cab (around 900-1200) and then visit these places enroute. While on the route to Twang Monastery ask the cab driver to stop by DC office first. Don’t take the direct route to the DC office (otherwise you will have to backtrack) but the one that passes by it. The Brigade office will be one of the stops in the local Tawang sightseeing itinerary as it is located in the same place as the Tawang war memorial.

There is no fees for the bum la pass.

Documents needed for getting Bum La Pass:

Driver’s DL copy -2
Driver’s Vehicle Registration copy – 2

Your Id copy – 2
Your ILP copy – 2
No photo required.

✓ You on Insta? 👍@triplyzer