Top star: Driving to Bum La in a Mercedes-Benz GLC

I hit the defogger, open the panoramic sunroof, even open my eyes wider to see a little bit more of the road ahead. The road is a barrage of lefts and rights, flowing into each other without any particular rhythm, running alongside the Kameng river once you cross the border from Assam to Arunachal at Bhalukpong. The muddy Kameng looks ominous, with its heavy flow speaking of the pregnant clouds that lie ahead. I can’t see the dark skies, all I can see is fog and a piercing throw of the GLC’s headlights barely making it to a few metres in front of me, kissing the dotted divider line to tell me I’m still driving on tarmac. It’s the middle of the day and yet it feels like I’m about to welcome a dark night any moment now. The road tightens as we begin to climb, the fog gets impossibly thicker and all of a sudden, darkness hits.

I didn’t warp time, or dive into a black hole, it’s just a tunnel. Nechiphu tunnel opened in 2023, so had I done this drive over a year ago, I wouldn’t have seen night in the middle of the day. I would also most likely have had to drive about 30 extra corners up a winding road in thick fog. That’s 30 fewer corners and a precursor of things to come over the next few days. For what it’s worth, at the snail’s pace I am doing, the road surface is very impressive. Despite the lashings of rain from the pre-monsoon showers, they are holding up and the satin ribbons laid around the Himalayas in this part of the country are inviting a pacy charge up the mountain towards Bomdila.

I exit at the northern end of Nechiphu to clear skies, 500 metres away from a climate this side of the mountain was yet to see. I dial in sport mode for quicker throttle responses, the GLC 220d obliges with a raspier exhaust note as the revs rise, there is more finesse in the steering and a noticeably quicker turn of pace. The new GLC gets the 48V mild hybrid system with an ISG (integrated starter generator) developing more power and torque. 200Nm more, and it makes a whole lot of difference up in the mountains. It’s in short bursts out of corners when you need it the most that this system turns out to be a game changer, getting a good balance of performance and efficiency out of the GLC. Backed by AWD grip, the GLC is a quick SUV in a land that rarely or almost never sees a Mercedes.

Once the skies clear, I make quick work of the Bomdila bypass and get on my way to Dirang where I am planning to catch up with a friend of mine who knows the town like the back of his hand.

While studying fat medical books on the way to becoming a doctor, Zaid found his calling in the viewfinder of his camera. Dirang and the valleys around it are so picturesque that he had come there for one of his photography escapades. It is a chance for me to see the GLC through his eyes too so we take the narrow trail down to a river bed as soon as we catch up. You can see the play of reflection ooze a sense of calm on the rocky river bed. The GLC’s off-road engineering package gives it an extra 20mm of ground clearance compared to the European spec car, not only making it safer for our road conditions but allowing for a bit more adventure without worrying about scraping its bottom.

This route going up to Tawang is faultless at the moment so if not for this slight detour, the GLC would only be used on the finest tarmac roads I have driven on in the recent past. Zaid is quick to remind me of the newly-opened Sela tunnel that lies a little ahead of Dirang where he wants to capture the GLC under the tunnel’s arch. So we get out of the river, turn off-road mode off and navigate out of town, on our way to the tunnel.

Sela tunnel is an engineering marvel. Built at 13,000 feet above sea level, it is actually called the Sela tunnel project since it is a pair of tunnels and not one. About 700 feet below the infamous Sela pass that is notorious for its bone chilling cold and narrow access, the new project surmounts the pass and saves between 30 minutes to an hour on this route. More importantly, it gives all weather access to the Tawang region that would otherwise get cut off when the pass is buried in snow. It’s significant for the troops and the people that this tunnel project is now open. The GLC is a fitting SUV to drive through this tunnel, boasting such impressive tech, much in line with the engineering achievements of the BRO in building that tunnel.

Zaid gets me to park the GLC under the arch of the tunnel to get that iconic shot you see in these pages and then wants to head back to Dirang for a few more days of romanticising the town. After turning around and ensuring Zaid has a ride back to town, I drive back through the tunnel another time, and every time I do it, it makes me feel prouder. You see roads and expressways popping up everywhere in the country and at the speed they are being built in India now, they are rarely an occasion any more. But when a tunnel is built in the mountains, the impact of it can be felt by everyone who uses it. Life gets so much easier, it leads to prosperity in the region and especially so close to a hostile border, it facilitates quicker troop and equipment movement.

Once you cross the tunnel, you enter the Tawang region where the tarmac road rapidly loses altitude by about 4000 feet, you cross a bridge and a light climb later, the beautiful monastery town welcomes you. The mission is to get to the border, another layer of mountains away, but civilians aren’t allowed in the second half of the day on the route that goes to Bum La. It’s a much needed break anyway after all that driving in the Himalayas. The GLC has kept me comfortable but the twisties are relentless in Arunachal, something you can’t compare to a drive in Ladakh. It wears you down so much, a good night’s rest is essential. I cruise into the beautiful and cosy Vivanta by early evening where I'm in for some amazing hospitality and a gastronomical delight.

Vivanta is one of few luxurious properties now open in Tawang, speaking volumes of the improvements in infrastructure in this region. Good hotels only come up in places where you don’t have to break your car to get to. As I step out of the GLC, I’m received with the warmest of Arunachali welcomes. Once settled in, I call in for an early dinner when the chef surprises me with a traditional Arunachali platter, that is absolutely out of this world. All the exhaustion in the arms and the rest of my body heals with every bite, after which I call it a night. The next morning, after a lazy breakfast on my balcony, I fire up the GLC to drive it another 5000ft higher. The Sela tunnel project is after all a means to an end. It is to get us to Tawang for an overnight recharge only to get going further up a few layers of the Himalayas.

With our Inner Line permits sorted — without which you might as well return to your hotel room — we begin the climb to the summit of the pass. The road shrinks to a single lane, hugging the mountainside. A few kilometres ahead, abandoned bunkers from the sixties appear, remnants of a time when Chinese soldiers reached all the way to Tawang. Now, it’s almost a forgotten memory, overshadowed by the majesty of the surrounding scenery.

The road we’re driving on was a mere trail a few years ago. Every flap of a bird’s wing is monitored by the Indian Army along this heavily guarded path. Yet, despite the military presence, it’s achingly beautiful. From the driver’s seat, every bend reveals panoramic views that are simply breathtaking. Bum La pass is a little over an hour away, but calling it a ‘pass’ is a bit of a misnomer. This is a pass you can't just pass. You reach the top, and there it is: a massive Indian flag fluttering proudly, with a formidable Army contingent ensuring it stays that way.

On the other side of the check post, you walk a hundred metres and two guards in unfamiliar outfits greet you with a polite ‘Ni Hao.’ I respond with a courteous ‘Namaste’ and turn back to admire the GLC parked by the flag.

Without skipping a beat, as effortlessly as a hot knife through butter, the GLC has been flawless throughout this drive. This journey was possible because the Northeast is more accessible now. Just ten years ago, the idea of driving up to Bum La in a luxury car would have been ludicrous; but here we are. The three-pointed star has reached the highest motorable pass in Arunachal for the first time ever.