Meghalaya

Meghalaya is a state in the East of India. In Sanskrit, Megh means clouds and Alaya means home or adobe. As the name suggest it is Adobe of clouds. It is surrounded by Bangladesh to south and west. To the north is Assam. After nearly completing most of South of India and a maiden trip to Himalayas, we decided to set our next target in Eastern India.

Suggested Itinerary

• When to visit
• How to reach and travel around
• 7 days of Meghalaya
• Cherrapunji or Shohra (local name)
• Living Root Bridge and Rainbow waterfall trek 
• Dawki and Shnongpdeng River side tent stay and water activities
• Shillong - One night stay

When to visit

Meghalaya will have beauty of its own in each month.

Best Season

The best months to visit Meghalaya are from September to January. During this time, the weather is favorable for outdoor activities. Peak season is from November to December. It is ideal for people in Bangalore to visit Meghalaya during Dushera school holidays which falls during September or October.

Other months

Meghalaya experiences a lot of rain through out the year and is famous for recording highest rainfall in the world. And it might not be recommended to travel and do activities in rainy season. However many people visit the area to experience it.

How to reach and travel around 

The nearest airport is Guwahati in Assam. Shillong is around 3 and half hours drive from Guwahati. Cherrapunji is another 3 hours drive from Shillong. We took an early morning 6 am flight from Bangalore and reached Guwahati around 9:30 am. It is recommended to hire a taxi or car for Cherrapunji as getting local transport to tourist spots is difficult.
Drive options -

• Self drive car - Zoomcar is available near Guwahati airport. They arrange pickup from the airport and drop to airport. One needs to drive through  Khasi and Garo Mountain range, the road has a lot of twist and turns. If you are not used to it then, it is recommended to hire a rental car with driver. The road quality was extremely good in the month of September and we were able to easily manage. There are times when it becomes suddenly cloudy. This might prove to be dangerous in the dark.
• Rental cars with drivers - Many options are available on internet.
• Buses - There are buses available till Shillong from Guwahati airport as well as Guwahati city. After a night halt at Shillong, you can start early morning for Cherrapunji. However the taxi hired from Shillong will be available only till Shillong and one needs to take bus to Guwahati airport and its not worth the effort. If you are on tight budget then only opt for it.

Tips 

It is advisable to leave for Cherrapunji early in the morning. Till 10 am to 10:30 am maximum, as it becomes cloudy in the evening near Cherrapunji. Else take a halt in or around Shillong city.
There is a lot of traffic near Guwahati airport for an hour or more till we hit the national highway so plan the travel accordingly both ways.

Cherrapunji or Shohara (Local Name for the place)

After approximately 6 hours drive and couple of breaks we reached Cherrapunji at around 7 pm. It is recommended to have an early lunch near Guwahati airport before you set off for the journey. On the way we experienced bad traffic and road jams in Guwahati near the highway and near Shillong.
It was a mesmerizing drive through the lush green mountains of the Khasi range. On the way before Shillong, we hit the Umiam Lake view point where we took a tea break.There are many small shops which offer tea, biscuits, boiled eggs and omelets. Couple of good restaurants on the way.
Once you approach Cherrapunji, one can spot a lot of local shops selling fresh pork meat. We did not try it however I have read multiple recommendations for the same.
We reached around 7 pm to the hotel in Cherapunji. There are multiple options available as per your
budget. We always prefer medium budget hotel with freshly cooked food. So we choose La Kupar Inn. The hotel manager explained us the next days itinerary with local hand drawn map.
Day 1 - Cherrapunji or Shohara Sightseeing

• Mawsmai Caves - mall caves down south east of Cherrapunji. We reached there around 10 am. It is small limestone cave with stalactites and stalagmites formations. Water drips from the ceiling of the cave and the minerals remains in the water are left behind and form various shapes. It takes about 20 -30 minutes to visit the caves. One has to pay minor entry fee.
• Seven sisters waterfall - After a short drive from Mawsmai caves is the seven sisters waterfall. It is more of viewing point on the road where one can see seven waterfalls over the limestone cliff. There are stalls for tea and local snacks. We spent some quality time over there.
• Nohkalikai Falls -We headed to Nohkalikai waterfalls then, it is towards the center of Cherrapunji town. It was bright and sunny and in few minutes, we were surrounded by clouds all over. My nine year old son was super excited. We parked the car and walked towards the viewing point. The view of the valley and waterfall was blocked as there was light wind and we were among the clouds. It was different experience altogether. My son was running in the clouds and trying to feel them. There is open space behind the viewing point and we decided to explore the nature in the mean time. It was fun to
  walk in the grass meadow with clouds all around us. After some time, the weather became clear and we were able to spot the waterfall.We had our lunch at the restaurant near the viewing point.
• Arwah Caves - The caves are 2-3 km near the Cherrapunji bus stand. After the main entrance, you need to drive alongrough road for about 1 km to reach the parking lot. There is minor entry fee person. Then you need to walk along trail for another 1 km to reach the cave entrance. Half way through you will have option of taking the short but difficult trail else you continue on the longer and easier trail. If you are physically fit then only take the shorter trail. While walking along the trail you will feel as if you are in the Aztec Jungle surrounded by different kind of trees and ferns etc. At the entrance, we hired guide at nominal fee. It is recommended to hire a guide as the cave is lighted half way through. If you want to explore the remaining part it is advisable to do it with guide. The guide showed us multiple fossils of fish and other sea creatures on the walls of the cave. At the end of the cave there is octopus shaped stalactite.It is recommend to keep a torch or mobile phone light on. Some parts of the cave you need to crawl through so wearing shorts is recommended. On our way back we took the shorter trail and it gave me major physical training goals to improve on.
•  Dantalon Waterfalls -  After our endearing stunts in the Arwah caves, we proceeded ahead to the Dantalon Waterfalls. Its 30 to 40 minutes drive from the place. We reached there by sunset and enjoyed our evening tea by the waterfall. Since it was month of October, the water flow is less and the tourist were able to walk through the place. We enjoyed clicking pictures along the scanty water flowing in between the ridges.  Later we explored the remote area to the right of the waterfall. While returning back we were able to take few sunset pictures.  Recommendation - If you have a spare day, then its a good picnic spot. Many locals had carried food and other basic necessities and were enjoying their day out at this place.
• A peaceful sunset over the top of Khasi Garo Mountains marked the end of our Day 1. Please stay updated for Living root bridge and Tent stay next to Umngot River near Dawki.