Cab Services for your Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya Holiday
Are you planning a holiday to North East India, especially the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya? Are you planning on covering multiple places during your trip? If yes, then you most probably have a road trip on your mind. Train and flight connectivity in the North East of India is fairly limited and you have to reach most destinations by road. Either, you can drive or ride on your own or hire a comfortable car for your holiday. This article is for you in case you are looking at hiring a comfortable cab/taxi/car for your holiday to Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya.
One of my favourite drivers to explore North East India is Madan Basnat. I have been availing his cab services for the last 15 years. He owns a one year old Innova Crysta (with a Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya permit) and a white board Mahindra Bolero that can be used to explore the other parts of North East India. I have traveled in both these vehicles, though on my most recent trip this March, I traveled in his new Innova Crysta for two weeks while exploring Central and Eastern Arunachal Pradesh.
Madan Basnat is a native of Tezpur in Assam. He is of Nepali origin and has spent most of his life driving the mountain roads of North East India. When he started his career, he drove trucks and then moved to driving for the Indian army and border police. For the past two decades, he has been driving his guests in his own vehicle. As he is well traveled in the region, he is well versed with the route, the languages, the different tourist attractions, the challenges that come with the terrain and the local permit requirements.
Some of the highlights of traveling with Madan Basnat:
1) His Innova car is just one year old and is in excellent road worthy condition.
2) Madan is a capable, reliable and able driver.
3) In the North East, people usually drive between 5 AM and 6 PM. Night driving is generally avoided. So, please try not to push the driver to drive during the night. One or two days might be fine. But, in such challenging terrain, the driver needs to remain fresh and alert at all times.
4) Madan is a friendly chap and is extremely accommodating with the itinerary, pit stops, etc. He may have some ideas to share on his own from time to time.
5) If you are planning to rough it out on your own in your tent or sleeping bag for a few nights, do let Madan know well in advance so that he can carry his bedding and sleeping bag with him and rough it out along with you.
6) Madan offers full pick-up and drop service from your airport or railway station.
7) He manages a small basic property near Nameri Tiger Reserve in Assam. If you wish, you can ask him to arrange for accommodation at his place for a night or two.
8) Madan is a great person to have a conversation with while you are on the road or when you are at the hotel. He has lots of stories to share.
His pricing is fairly simple: INR 5500 per day per 250 kms drive for the Innova car. Extra kilometres, if any to be charged separately or you can fill the fuel for that. Accommodation and food, if not given free by the hotel where you are staying, you will have to pay the bills. Typically, in popular tourist circuits, drivers are given free accommodation and food by the hotel because they bring tourists to the establishment. However, this doesn’t apply to remote corners of the North East, say central and eastern Arunachal Pradesh for example, where you have to pay for the driver accommodation and food in addition to your accommodation and food. If you don’t want the headache of paying separate bills, he charges an all inclusive rate of INR 7000 per day per 250 kms of driving. For the Bolero car, he might charge a lower fee. It is best to call him and figure out the latest prices.
During my trip to Aalo, Mechuka, Lamang, Roing, Anini, Tezu, Namsai & Kaho in Arunachal Pradesh and Guwahati & Dibrugarh in Assam, I paid him INR 5500 per day and I took care of all his food and accommodation expenses. He stayed and ate with us during the entire trip just like one of us. Madan is like a travel friend and is a great person to explore North East India with.
To contact Madan Basnat and to book your road trip, you can call him at +91 94018 38475 or at +91 84029 56554 (also his whatsapp number). You can mention my name (Sankara) or my blog name (Be on the road) to get royal treatment on your road trip to Arunachal pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya. I recommend Madan with multiple thumbs up.
