Meghalaya
Misty hills, living root bridges, and the wettest slopes on Earth. We explore Meghalaya's hill country with a private guide.
Plan My Meghalaya TripWhere To Go
Meghalaya
Meghalaya means "abode of clouds" in Sanskrit, and the name fits. Cherrapunji and nearby Mawsynram rank among the wettest inhabited places on Earth. Mist rolls through these pine-covered hills for months each year. Khasi and Jaintia communities have lived here for generations, many following rare matrilineal traditions. Their best-known craft is the living root bridge, grown from fig-tree roots trained across rivers over decades. Near the Bangladesh border, the Dawki river runs so clear that boats seem to float in mid-air. We explore these hills privately, with a guide who knows the villages and sets an easy pace.
What To See
What A Private Guide Actually Shows You
Meghalaya's real highlights are what a private guide builds each day around.
Nohkalikai Falls
India's tallest plunge waterfall, dropping 340 metres in a single fall off the Cherrapunji plateau into a blue-green pool.
Seven Sisters Falls
A wide, seven-segmented waterfall that pours off the Sohra cliffs in the monsoon, also called Nohsngithiang Falls.
Mawsmai Cave
A short, lit limestone cave near Cherrapunji that you can walk through, past flowstone, stalactites and narrow squeezes.
Double-Decker Living Root Bridge
Two living bridges of woven fig roots, stacked one above the other, across a stream at Nongriat below Cherrapunji.
Nongriat Root Bridge Trek
The steep walk down and back up about 3,500 steps from Tyrna to the double-decker living root bridge and Rainbow Falls.
Cherrapunji Caving
An easy trip through the lit show-caves near Cherrapunji — Mawsmai and Arwah — past limestone formations and fossils.
Umngot River, Dawki
The clear green river at Dawki near the Bangladesh border, where boats seem to hang in mid-air over the riverbed.
Umngot River Boat Ride
A slow wooden-boat ride on the glass-clear Umngot at Dawki, best from November to April when the water is at its clearest.
Riwai Root Bridge
A single-span living root bridge in the forest near Mawlynnong, the easiest of the root bridges to reach.
Mawphlang Sacred Forest
An ancient Khasi sacred grove near Shillong where nothing may be taken out, protected by belief for centuries.
Umiam Lake
A large reservoir ringed by pine hills just north of Shillong, good for a boat, a viewpoint stop or a lakeside stay.
Elephant Falls
A three-tier waterfall in the pine forest on the edge of Shillong, reached by a short set of steps.
Laitlum Canyons
A sudden green gorge on the edge of the Shillong plateau, with a knife-edge viewpoint and a long stair down to a village.
David Scott Trail Walk
An easy walk along an old colonial bridle path through open Khasi grassland, from Mawphlang toward Lad Mawphlang.
Khasi Food & Market Walk
A guided walk through Shillong's Iewduh market and its food stalls, tasting jadoh, tungrymbai and local greens.
Umiam Lake Kayaking
Kayaks, pedal boats and short sailing trips on Umiam Lake, from the water-sports jetty near Shillong.
Shillong Live Music Evening
An evening of live music in one of Shillong's cafes or clubs, in a city with a real and long-running music scene.
How To Travel
Journeys Through Meghalaya
Every journey here comes with a private guide and driver for each day on the road — full pricing lives on each journey's own page.
Jaintia Hills & the Waterfalls — Luxury
Arrive in Shillong via Umiam Lake — Shillong — the City, the Peak and Elephant Falls
Jaintia Hills & the Waterfalls — Premium
Arrive in Shillong via Umiam Lake — Shillong — the City, the Peak and Elephant Falls
Khasi Culture & Sacred Forests — Luxury
Arrive in Shillong via Umiam Lake — Shillong — the City, the Peak and Elephant Falls
Khasi Culture & Sacred Forests — Premium
Arrive in Shillong via Umiam Lake — Shillong — the City, the Peak and Elephant Falls
Crystal Rivers & Clean Villages — Luxury
Arrive in Shillong via Umiam Lake — Shillong — the City, the Peak and Elephant Falls
Crystal Rivers & Clean Villages — Premium
Arrive in Shillong via Umiam Lake — Shillong — the City, the Peak and Elephant Falls
Classic Meghalaya — Luxury
Arrive in Shillong via Umiam Lake — Shillong — the City, the Peak and Elephant Falls
Classic Meghalaya — Premium
Arrive in Shillong via Umiam Lake — Shillong — the City, the Peak and Elephant Falls
Cherrapunji & the Waterfalls — Luxury
Arrive in Shillong via Umiam Lake — Shillong to Cherrapunji via the Mawkdok Canyon
Cherrapunji & the Waterfalls — Premium
Arrive in Shillong via Umiam Lake — Shillong to Cherrapunji via the Mawkdok Canyon
First-Timer's Meghalaya — Luxury
Arrive in Shillong via Umiam Lake — Shillong to Cherrapunji via the Mawkdok Canyon
First-Timer's Meghalaya — Premium
Arrive in Shillong via Umiam Lake — Shillong to Cherrapunji via the Mawkdok Canyon
Where To Stay
Real Stays, Chosen City By City
A private itinerary through Meghalaya is anchored by real, handpicked stays — heritage palaces and boutique properties chosen city by city, not a single hotel chain repeated everywhere.
Jiva Resort, Cherrapunjee
Jiva Resort sits above Saitsohpen, the old part of Cherrapunji, with hills on every side. The rooms are large and well finished, in a range of suite grades, and the bigger ones have wide views over the valley. There is a restaurant, a grill, a small golf lawn and a jacuzzi. Bicycles and board games are there for a slow afternoon. It is close to Nohkalikai Falls and to the start of the root-bridge trek, and the staff arrange guides and packed breakfasts for an early walk. It is the premium option in Cherrapunji for travellers who want a full-service resort and space to spread out, rather than a room right on the canyon edge.
Polo Orchid Resort, Cherrapunji
Polo Orchid stands on the edge of the Sohra plateau, near Nohkalikai Falls, where the land drops away into a deep green canyon. The cottages and rooms are set along the rim, and the best of them look straight down the gorge. There is a deck and a glass-walled restaurant on the edge, and on a clear evening the view runs for miles toward the plains. It is the most comfortable place to stay in Cherrapunji, and the closest good hotel to Nohkalikai, the Seven Sisters Falls and the caves. The trailhead for the root-bridge trek is a short drive away. Cloud and rain are part of the deal here. When the weather lifts, the setting is hard to beat.
Ri Kynjai – Serenity by the Lake
Ri Kynjai sits on a wooded ridge above Umiam Lake, about eighteen kilometres north of Shillong. The cottages are built in the Khasi way, with high, upturned roofs shaped like the hull of a boat. They step down the slope among pines, and most look straight out over the water. Inside they are simple and warm, in wood and local weave. There is a spa that uses Khasi herbs, a restaurant with lake views, and quiet lawns to sit on. The lake itself is below, for a boat or a slow walk. It is the calmest luxury stay in the state, and it works best as a place to slow down for a night or two on either side of the falls and the root bridges.
Vivanta Meghalaya, Shillong
Vivanta Meghalaya is a Taj-group hotel in the centre of Shillong, at Police Bazar, and it was the first five-star hotel in the state. The rooms are modern and well kept, with Khasi patterns and local art worked into the design. There is a spa, a bar and a good all-day restaurant. Staff know the region and can arrange guides and cars. Being in the middle of town is the point. Shillong's cafes, the lake, the markets and the churches are a short walk or a five-minute drive, and the roads out to Cherrapunji and Dawki start here. It is the premium choice for a city-based Meghalaya trip, and the easy option for a first or last night around a flight from Guwahati.
From the Journal
Meghalaya travel guides
Private Tour or Group Tour in India? An Honest Comparison
Getting Around India: Trains, Flights or a Private Car?
Eating Well in India Without Getting Ill: A Practical Guide
Continue Your Journey
Assam
Private luxury tours through Assam — Kaziranga's one-horned rhinos, the Brahmaputra, the tea gardens, and the island monasteries of Majuli.
Assam & Meghalaya
Northeast India in one circuit — the rhinos and tea of Assam, then up into the Khasi Hills for the waterfalls, caves and root bridges of Meghalaya.
Sikkim
Private luxury tours through Sikkim's Himalayan monasteries, Kanchenjunga viewpoints, and hill-station capital.
West Bengal
Colonial Kolkata and Himalayan tea country, joined by a private guide across two very different Bengals.
Kashmir to Kanyakumari
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