With teal-green mountains and the scenic Siyom River (a tributary of Brahmaputra) as its backdrop, Arunachal Pradesh has made headlines for its potential as India's next big hotspot for adventure tourism. The recently concluded National Adventure Racing Championship 2025, held from April 17 to 20 in the remote Mechukha Valley, has been a milestone for India’s growing adventure sports ecosystem.
The third edition of the championship celebrated camaraderie, cultural exchange, and the calming beauty of Arunachal’s borderlands. Dubbed “India’s First Border Adventure Race”, the event drew participants from 12 Indian states and two countries—Malaysia and Nepal, with with Team Malaysia emerging as the overall winner.
Not far behind were two teams from Arunachal Pradesh, who made their home state proud by securing the first and second runner-up positions.
Located near the Line of Actual Control (McMahon Line), Mechuka provided a compelling route for the 150-kilometre-long challenge. Participants navigated rugged terrains through disciplines like trail running, mountain biking, kayaking, river crossing, rope work, hiking, and navigation, all while soaking in views that few travellers ever witness.
The well-curated race took teams through villages, over rivers, across mountains, and into the heart of tribal Arunachal.
Speaking at the event, Pasang Dorjee Sona, Arunachal Pradesh’s Minister for Tourism, emphasised the state’s commitment to promoting adventure tourism. “Arunachal Pradesh is well-positioned to emerge as a global destination for adventure travel. We aim to showcase our state’s immense potential through events like the National Adventure Racing Championship. We plan to organise this event on a much larger scale next year.”
While the adventure sports potential of Mechuka has clearly stood out with this championship, participants and visitors were amazed by the captivating beauty of this remote location. "I was in Mechuka for the championship. However, its unmatchable beauty left me in awe. From the trails to the water, everything made the contest enthralling," a participant told Outlook Traveller.
However, several visitors also feared overtourism. A tourist shared how she would not recommend Mechuka to anyone to preserve the exclusivity of the place.
"The Inner Line Permits (ILP) help us regulate tourist footfall. Our focus is to promote this beautiful valley and many other off-beat destinations in Arunachal while ensuring a balance of tourism and overtourism," Pema Khandu, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister, told Outlook Traveller in an exclusive interaction.
The championship is a larger push to open Arunachal’s remote and beautiful border regions to responsible tourism. As the numbers indicate, this strategy is already bearing fruit. In 2023 alone, foreign tourist arrivals jumped by 300 per cent, reaching 4,496 visitors, while domestic tourist arrivals surged by nearly 370 per cent, crossing the 1.04 million mark.