Daporijo is the headquarters of the Upper Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh, India. It is located at a high altitude & is inhabited by the Tagin tribes whose facial feature resemble the Chinese.
The journey to Daporizo is usually taken from Ziro onwards. Tourists can enjoy the scenic landscapes enroute. Walls of mountains of low height surround the green valley. The journey over a serpentine road offers spectacular panoramic views of the countryside and an insight into the lifestyles of the Tagin, Hill Miri and Adi tribes. Sikoarijo Nishi and Don village is home of the Tagins where traditional medicine is practiced even today. This is an interesting town to walk around or hike to some village nearby. This district headquarters and main trade center of Daporizo is the land of Tangin and Hilmiri tribal who are fond of dressing. Young men have their hair of the front portion of the head, kept tied in a bun, giving a look like a tuff. Hilmili maids dress up their body with attractive cane-rings and cane ornaments.One can visit some of the surrounding tribal villages and have time to explore Daporizo on your own.
Best For:
The Craft Centre here is an interesting attraction. The village bridges are made from cane and bamboo which are absolutely unique in form. This is one of the major attraction for the Tourist.
Daprizo is a favourable place for trekking and the best time to visit is September.
The climate is cool in summer and chilly in winter. The cool weather in summers is a major tourist attraction. Heavy woolens in winter and cotton in summer are recommended clothing for the place.
Tourists would require a restricted area permit (RAP) to visit Arunachal Pradesh apart from a valid Indian Visa for foreign nationals.
Daporizo is connected by Air & Rail from the nearest places of Tezpur & Lakhimpur. There are Government buses which are another means of connection from Daporizo to Ziro. Buses can be boarded to Ziro from Itanagar/Naharlagun and from North Lakhimpur.
By Air: The Nearest Airports are Tezpur & Lilabari connecting Daporizo to Kolkata and Guwahati which have bigger Airports with a higher frequency of flights. From here the tourists have easy access to flights connecting to the rest of the Country.
By Rail: The nearest railhead to Daporizo is North Lakhimpur by Arunachal Express from New Bongaigaon.
By Road: Government and Private buses run from Itanagar/Naharlagun and from North Lakhimpur to Ziro. From there tourists need to make prior arrangements to proceed further. Direct buses are also available from Itanagar and North Lakhimpur upto Ziro.
Local Transport: A very small number of Taxis without rate meter are available from the capital Itanagar. It is best for tourists to book a taxi/jeep from here itself to avoid inconvenience. Tourist/Deluxe buses are available on rent from the Director Tourism, Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh, Nahariagun. A few other transport agencies in the state capital rent out private tourist cars and coaches.
The tribes at Daporizo are its main attraction. Tourists can spend a full day at Daporizo visiting villages of the Hill Miris & Tagins tribes. To have access from one village to another one has to cross the old sturdy bamboo suspension bridges. A day at the Tagin tribal villages Taliha, Mara and Menga can be counted as a fascinating study of the different myriad cultures of each of these tribes by meeting their families and watching their lifestyle. One can also get to know the Tagin priests and their unique dress. The Tagins are the main inhabitants of Upper Sunansiri district. Their primary occupation is agriculture. Polygamy is customary among them. Their dress is very simple consisting of only one piece of cloth.
The Tagins, Hill Miris and the Tamens have their dwellings in villages between Daporizo and Damporizo.
A visit to the Shiva Cave and hike to the village Nayam is also one of the things to see in Daporizo.
Also worth is the visit to the most spectacular and thrilling hanging rope bridge in Daporizo.
Menga's Natural Cave Tourists can use an autorickshaw from Daporizo or catch a bus which is a good 3 hrs drive to the Natural Cave in Menga (19 Kms ). One has to crawl to get into the cave through narrow a passage. It is advisable to carry a torch along. Outside the main cave is another cave of Lord Mahadeva
The Hillmiri tribal village at Raga is also a place to see. Nishi, Hillmiri and Tagin tribe are more or less similar in their culture, customs, tradition & there also is a slight similarity in their dialogue.
Tale Sanctuary which is 30 Kms from Zero can be reached by Jeep from Zero crossing Siro/Manipoylong settlement/Ponge and trek further 8-km to Tale Sanctuary. The sanctuary is a natural botanical garden extending throughout the valley with an area of 337-sq-km. With the variation of height the nature and character of flora and fauna also vary. Some of the famous attractions found over here include Mithun, Clouded Leopards, and Bears along with varied orchids.
