Itanagar, the capital city of Arunachal Pradesh is a new city with a cross section of Arunachali people. As early as the 11th century, it was called by the name "Mayapur" under the Jitri Dynasty. The forts in the city date back to the 14th or 15th centuries, They were built by King Ram Chandra and bear testimony to its history. Itanagar being an earthquake prone state, has new earthquake proof wooden framed buildings along with the traditional huts on the slope of the hill. Modern houses too, can be seen scattered in between.

The "Buddha Vihar" on the hill near the Hotel Arun Subansiri, is a magnificent monument for people to see. This new yellow-roofed Buddhist temple stands in well-maintained gardens on top of the hill. The Shrine is located behind a Stupa and on one side has a tree planted by the Dalai Lama. Another important place of visit is situated at a distance of 6 km from Itanagar, called "Ganga Lake", which is short but a very steep tract. The adjoining areas also portray a beautiful sight.

Jawahar Lal Nehru state museum is another interesting and informative place near the Secretariat. It has an incredible collection of art, woodcarving, musical instruments, religious objects and the like on the ground floor, which are indigenous to the local tribal people of Arunachal Pradesh, where as the first floor has pristine exhibits of  textiles, ornaments and weapons, and also the archaeological sites such as Malinthan, Itafort, Noksaparbat etc. These people are a great source of attraction for the foreign tourists.

The nearest airport from Itanagar is at Tezpur in Assam, which is 2116 kms away. Multiple buses ply to Guwahati taking 12 hrs to complete the journey like the Green Valley and Blue Hill travel services.

Situated at a distance of about 2 kms. from the heart of the city is the "Tawang Gompa". This is a breath taking, marvelous place in the far northwest of Arunachal. Located in a superb area at 3400m near the borders of Bhutan, the monastery is one of the largest kinds in India. From the middle of the17th century it was known as the most important monastery of northeast India. This is also believed to be the birthplace of the 6th Dalai Lama. It has 65 residential buildings around the main temple Shrine, housing over 500 lamas belonging to the Gelupa or Reformed Sect of Mahayana Buddhist monks. Buddhism however spread in the area in the 8th century with Padmasambhava, but it was only after the establishment of the monastery in the 17th century that the local 'Monpas' embraced the Tantric Buddhist Cult. The Gompas here include an interesting collection of "Thangkas" (Tibetan painting on cloth) and a large gilded statue of "Sakyamuni" (historical Buddha), about 5.5m high in the prayer hall. There are also numerous sculptures while the library contains valuable manuscripts of the scriptures. There is a handicraft centre with beautiful hand made items made locally.

To reach Tawang, we need to cover a distance of 350kms from the nearest airport at Tezpur in Assam, crossing the 4249-m Se La. It takes about 24 hours by local bus from Tezpur and 12 hours by jeep or car to reach Tawang. The route enthralls you as you pass through attractive apple orchards, which are a feast to the eyes.

Bomdila

Altitude = 2530m. Situated about halfway between Tezpur (Assam) and Tawang is the attractive town of "Bomdila". This place provides prodigious and alluring views of the snow-capped mountains along with beautiful picturesque sights of the Himalayan landscape and hills. One can get to see a couple of Buddhist gompas too.

Tipi, situated at a few kilometers from the state border of Assam at Bhalukpong, is the place which is best visited during April or May. This place has an "Orchid Research Centre" which is known to preserve a wide variety of orchids, which are on the verge of extinction.

Ziro

Altitude = 1475m. Ziro is located at a distance of 150 kms from Itanagar, on an extremely picturesque level valley called the Apatani plateau. The Apatani people live in several densely populated villages lining the valley. They are known to grow rice on terraces on the 2659km Apatani plateau, unlike the neighboring Nishi and Hill Miri tribes who follow the slash and burn method of farming.

Pasighat

Pasighat is a quiet town with a very serene and tranquil atmosphere, and is the best place to make a halt. This town is mostly inhabited by the Adi people on the Banks of the Brahmaputra river known locally as "Siang". It has some local handloom and craft emporiums and few basic hotels and circuit houses.

Parasuram Kund

Arunachal Pradesh is best known for a lake near Tezu called "Parasuram Kund". This place is a holy place for people on the day of "Makar Sankranti" observed in mid January, when pilgrims in exodus come to the fair and take a dip in the holy water. This is believed to wash away one's sin and guide us in leading a meaningful and a chaste life.

Arunachal Pradesh was not open to outside influence. However, now the state offers a treat for the people who wish to study the simple life of these Arunachali tribal people and discover their extravagant cultural heritage, which to a very large extent, retains its original structure to this day.