Luxury Shillong Tours

Meghalaya's hill capital, long nicknamed the Scotland of the East for its pine ridges and cool climate.

Seven Sister Falls tumbling down a green mountainside near Shillong, Meghalaya's hill capital.

Overview

Shillong At A Glance

Shillong is Meghalaya's capital and its cultural heart, set high in the Khasi Hills. British officials nicknamed it the Scotland of the East for its rolling greens and cool climate. The city has a strong live-music scene, along with colonial-era landmarks like Ward's Lake. We base your Meghalaya trip here, with day drives out to waterfalls and root-bridge villages.

Where To Stay: Ri Kynjai – Serenity by the Lake, Vivanta Meghalaya, Shillong
Continue To: Cherrapunji, Dawki, Mawlynnong

What To See

What To See In Shillong

Shillong's real highlights are what a private guide builds each day around.

Nature / Wildlife

Mawphlang Sacred Forest

An ancient Khasi sacred grove near Shillong where nothing may be taken out, protected by belief for centuries.

Moss-covered stones and boulders scattered across a damp green forest floor.

Nature / Wildlife

Umiam Lake

A large reservoir ringed by pine hills just north of Shillong, good for a boat, a viewpoint stop or a lakeside stay.

Nature / Wildlife

Elephant Falls

A three-tier waterfall in the pine forest on the edge of Shillong, reached by a short set of steps.

A tiered forest waterfall tumbling over mossy rock through dense greenery near Shillong, Meghalaya.

Nature / Wildlife

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.

Adventure · Half day

David Scott Trail Walk

An easy walk along an old colonial bridle path through open Khasi grassland, from Mawphlang toward Lad Mawphlang.

Open golden grassland rolling across the Khasi Hills near Laitlum, Meghalaya, at low light.

Culinary · 3 hours

Khasi Food & Market Walk

A guided walk through Shillong's Iewduh market and its food stalls, tasting jadoh, tungrymbai and local greens.

People gathered around baskets of fresh produce at a busy Indian local market.

Adventure · 2 hours

Umiam Lake Kayaking

Kayaks, pedal boats and short sailing trips on Umiam Lake, from the water-sports jetty near Shillong.

A red canoe on a calm turquoise lake ringed by dense pine forest.

Wellness / Spa · Evening

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.

A musician playing electric guitar on a dim stage during a live performance.

How To Travel

Journeys Through Shillong

Every journey comes with a private guide and driver for each day on the road. Full details live on each journey's own page.

Nohkalikai Falls drops from a forested cliff into a plunge pool in Meghalaya, India.

10 Nights

Grand Northeast — Assam & Meghalaya

Guwahati · Kaziranga · Cherrapunji · Shillong

A person stands on the Double Decker Living Root Bridge in Nongriat, Meghalaya.

8 Nights

Assam & Meghalaya — Rhinos, Rain & Root Bridges

Guwahati · Kaziranga · Cherrapunji · Shillong

Nohkalikai Falls emerging from heavy monsoon cloud over dark green cliffs.

8 Nights

Slow Meghalaya

Cherrapunji · Shillong

A monsoon waterfall spilling down rocky cliffs into a river in the Jaintia Hills.

7 Nights

Jaintia Hills & the Waterfalls

Cherrapunji · Shillong

A one-horned Indian rhinoceros walks along a track at Kaziranga National Park, Assam.

6 Nights

Northeast Family Adventure

Guwahati · Kaziranga · Cherrapunji · Shillong

Layered green ridges of the Khasi Hills fading into cloud under an overcast sky.

6 Nights

Meghalaya in Depth

Cherrapunji · Shillong

The glass-clear Dawki River seen from a boat in the early morning, hills on both banks.

5 Nights

Meghalaya Honeymoon

Cherrapunji · Shillong

Living bridges of woven fig roots spanning a jungle river at Nongriat, Meghalaya.

5 Nights

Living Root Bridges Trek

Cherrapunji · Shillong

Where To Stay

Where To Stay In Shillong

Stays are chosen for the setting and the service, then matched to the pace of your route.

The upturned Khasi boat-roof cottages of Ri Kynjai stepping down a pine-wooded slope above Umiam Lake.

resort · luxury

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.

hotel · premium

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.

years crafting private India journeys

30,000+

travellers guided end to end

4.5

from 15 reviews on Trustpilot