Four Women Bikers Blaze A Trail Through The Dawn-Lit Mountains

Arunachal Pradesh, also known as the country of dawn-lit mountains, is the first Indian territory to welcome the morning light. Despite having a wealth of natural flora and fauna, the state is one of the least explored areas in India. The tourism department has announced a digital campaign, "Explore Beyond," that follows the journey of four female bikers to draw in tourists from around the world.

Meet The Bikers 

Four well-known women riders from India took part in a four-day biking excursion while cruising down nicely paved, wide roads and through calm, secure, and safe checkpoints in Ducati Multistradas. The bikers on board included Kalyani Potekar, known as the fastest biker in India, who has already travelled to many places, including parts of the Himalayas on her bike Candida Louis, an Indian adventure traveller who recently completed an incredible solo journey from Bangalore to Sydney on the bike Maral Yazarloo, an Iranian-Indian who holds the motorbiking world record and is also the founder of Lady Riders of India and Tenzin Metoh, a native of the state and an adventure junkie with a firm footing in social work. 

The four-day adventure allowed the riders to explore the state beyond its natural beauty they also visited and interacted with the area's indigenous tribes, sampled native fare, and watched dance performances. 

&ldquoIt is a moment of pride for us to promote women empowerment and safety for solo travellers within the state. With this campaign, we want people to know more about our state, showcase the ease of travelling, and boost tourism which will help the local economy and people&rsquos livelihood. Through the bike expedition, we would like to project our state&rsquos natural beauty and rich culture to the whole country and the world,&rdquo said Shri Pema Khandu, the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh. 

The Journey 

The riders had the opportunity to visit the stunning Mayodia Pass, popularly known as the secret Shangri-La of Arunachal Pradesh and a popular tourist destination because of its snow-capped mountains. In addition to their tour, the riders stopped in Dambuk, Lower Dibang Valley, renowned for producing some of the best oranges in the nation. They also saw the first adventure and music festival in India, the Orange Festival in Dambuk, which was the first of its type. Adventure sports like zip-lining, dirt biking, river rafting, and camping were available at the orange festival. The festival provided local food and wine manufactured by the people and an impressive lineup of live musicians like Kayan, Big Mountain, and Swanky Tunes.