Tourist Places To Visit In Yingkiong

Abundant with exotic landscapes, gushing brooks, deep gorges and encompassed by snow-clad mountains amidst lush greenery, Yingkiong is pristine and comparatively untouched commercially, nestled by the banks of River Siang. As Headquarters for the Upper Siang District in A.P, Yingkiong makes for an offbeat holiday destination for adventure enthusiasts and nature lovers in the serene and tranquil arms of Mother Nature. Of all the tourist attractions in this tiny hill town, its tribal heritage is significantly unique and invites people from far and wide to explore the rich cultural inheritance the locals have been blessed with. Here’s a list of some of the most popular tourist places in and around Yingkiong.

Established in 1982, the Mouling National Park is renowned for its abundant flora and fauna, spanning over 483 sq.km by the river banks of Siang. A reserve for the diverse vegetation and wildlife, the National Park’s plant species vary according to its altitude, for instance, you’d find the coniferous forest and temperate alpines at the upper reaches, while the tropical greenery spans the lower region. You’d also find a copious amount of ornamental plants like orchids and foxtails here. Mouling National Park is also popular for a variety of endangered animal species that include the Snowclouded Leopard, Takins, Hornbill, Monal Sclater, Golden Langur and more.

The Tuting-Geling Singha Triangle forms the Pemako Zone, a Tibetan version of Buddhism, surrounded by tiny Lama Villages encompassed by tranquil natural lakes. With a variety of Buddhist shrines and Gompas that are adorned with Golden Buddha Figurines and other traditional relics of the Buddhist Sect. The Adi Tribe inhabits the region, practicing the ethnic reverence of the Sun and Moon. Their houses are speckled with bamboo sticks and hay with a kitchen-dining area inclusive of an open fire covering. All members of a family gather around this sheath and enjoy their traditional millet beer over-animated chatter.

Ekodumbeng-Ruitala is a region popular for toxic aconite (tuber root) that’s used for games in lieu of hunting animals for food. The region is renowned for its religious ambiance and constitutes Buddhist followers, which has earned the area another name called Amlokeshwara which implies to Paradise. You can expect to see animals like the Musk Deer, Gnu Goat and varied avian species here. The villagers trek during the winters to ginger tuber root.

Home to the native tribes of Upper Siang District, 50km to the SouthEast of Yingkiong, Mariyang is a small town located atop a hillock at the convergence of the Rivers Yamne and Yammeng. You can also visit the village Damroh, which is one of the largest hamlets in the area is renowned for the remains of the United States aircraft wreckage in 1944 during World War II and is about 10km from Mariyang. Pekimodi is about 34km from Mariyang and houses the tribes of Padam, Pasi, Millang and Dalbing. The Solung festival celebrated in September is a significant cultural event here, during which you can enjoy the folk dance of Ponung performed by the Village Women.

A pilgrim site that lies amidst snow-clad mountains and serene natural lakes for most parts of the year, the Tsitapuri Circuit is popular as Lord Guru Rimpoche’s beautiful abode and holds nearly 108 picturesque lakes here. Buddhist followers here believe that those with a pure heart are blessed with sightings of wild animals and the holy Gompa flocked by a line of Lamas with their prayer beads and wheels on the Island. The regions’ captivating landscapes seldom allow visitors to return to their chaotic life.

Dewakota refers to God’s abode in Sanskrit and the Dewakota Circuit is surrounded by the River Nyigong, located on a highland, 40km from Tuting. Accessible only by porter track, the locals of Dewakota believe that Guru Rimpoche kept several treasures that are sacred here and they still need to be revealed and deciphered. The region’s abundant with different holy sites that include caves, Sindura, Guru Durpuk and more. The caves here are known to accommodate more than 100 devotees at a time and are open to visitors only during the winters, as for the rest of the time, the caves are submerged in the River Yangshang Chu. According to popular folklore, people who visit here thrice end up attaining Nirvana and are free of all karmic Debts.

A hanging bridge over the Siang River, the Gandhi Bridge is made of timber, wire and cane en route Tuting and Moying. The bridge may be wobbly when you walk over it, scaring the living daylights out of you, but the surroundings around you will more than makeup for the fright and leave you captivated!

Spanning over 190 sq.km and with over 75% of its land space covered in alluvial grasslands, Dr. Daying Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary is wooded by 15%. Its northern and western regions are surrounded by River Siang and the sanctuary extends into Assam on the south side, called Kobo Chapori. You’d be able to see Mongolian and Siberian Transitory Birds here near the lakes within the Sanctuary, with rare species of aquatic birds that include black-bellied tern, Indian skimmer, lesser whistling teal, darter and the spot-bellied pelican.