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

Assam & Meghalaya · 7 Days

Assam & Meghalaya — the Short Loop

The northeast in a week — Guwahati, a night of Kaziranga safaris, Shillong, and two nights among the Cherrapunji falls and caves.

Day by Day

7 Days, In Full

The compact version of the Assam-and-Meghalaya loop. A night in Guwahati, a night at Kaziranga for the elephant and jeep safaris, then up into the Khasi Hills. A night in Shillong for the city and its falls, and two on the Cherrapunji plateau for Nohkalikai, the Seven Sisters and the caves. It leaves out the long root-bridge trek and the border rivers, which the nine and eleven-day versions add. It is a clean first taste of the two regions for travellers short on time.

A lone fisherman poles a wooden boat across a wide marshy stretch of the Brahmaputra valley in Assam.
01

Guwahati

Arrive in Guwahati — the Brahmaputra at Dusk

You land at Guwahati, the hub for the whole northeast. The city sits where the Brahmaputra narrows between hills, and the river is the thing to see first. In the late afternoon a cruise boat runs out onto the water for the sunset, past Umananda island and under the temple hill, usually with tea or a meal and a short set of Assamese music. It is an easy way to arrive and get the shape of the place.

A broad green Assam field runs to a tree line under a soft sky, typical countryside along the Guwahati-Kaziranga road.
02

Guwahati → Kaziranga

Guwahati to Kaziranga — East Along the Brahmaputra

The drive east follows the south bank of the Brahmaputra for about two hundred kilometres and five hours, through paddy fields, tea gardens and small towns, with the hills of Meghalaya away to the south. There are stops for tea and for lunch on the way. You reach the lodges at Kohora, just outside the park's Central Range gate, in the afternoon, with time to settle in and meet the naturalist before dark.

An open safari jeep drives a dirt track beside tall green grass and forest in Kaziranga National Park, Assam.
03

Kaziranga

Kaziranga — Elephant Safari at Dawn, Jeep in the Afternoon

The elephant safari goes out at first light from Kohora or Bagori, for about an hour, walking through grass that is often higher than a jeep. This is where the rhinos feed, so it is the closest you will get to one. The mist lifts during the ride. Back for breakfast, then a slow middle of the day. The afternoon is a jeep safari of about three hours through the Central Range, for rhino, wild elephant, swamp deer and buffalo, and the chance of a tiger in the grass.

A paved road winds up green forested hills in Sikkim, northeast India.
04

Kaziranga → Shillong

Kaziranga to Shillong — Into the Khasi Hills

A drive of about six hours, first back west along the Brahmaputra plain, then south and up into the Khasi Hills. The land changes as the road climbs, from paddy and tea to pine forest and cloud. The last stretch runs along Umiam Lake, a wide reservoir in a bowl of hills, with a viewpoint to stop at. Shillong, the old British hill capital, is cool enough for a jacket in the evening. You arrive in the late afternoon, with time for the cafes around Police Bazar.

Shillong town spread across pine-clad hills at dusk, seen from the Don Bosco Museum viewpoint.
05

Shillong

Shillong — the City, the Peak and Elephant Falls

A full day around the capital. Elephant Falls first, a short walk down through the trees to a three-tier cascade. Then Shillong Peak, the highest point, for the view over the whole city and the hills. The Don Bosco museum lays out the cultures of all seven Northeast states across seven floors, and ends on a rooftop walkway. The afternoon is for Ward's Lake, the cathedral, and the lanes of Police Bazar and Laitumkhrah, where the city's coffee culture lives.

A deep green valley falling away between ridges on the Shillong to Cherrapunji road.
06

Shillong → Cherrapunji

Shillong to Cherrapunji via the Mawkdok Canyon

The road south to Sohra runs across a high, open plateau that gets barer and windier as you go. The Mawkdok Dympep viewpoint, about halfway, looks down a deep V-shaped gorge and has a zipline for anyone who wants it. You reach Cherrapunji by early afternoon. Nohkalikai Falls, India's tallest plunge waterfall, is the first stop: a short walk to a viewpoint over a three-hundred-and-forty-metre drop into a blue-green pool. Check in on the canyon rim for the evening.

Kynrem Falls dropping in tiers through dense forest near Cherrapunji.
07

Cherrapunji

Cherrapunji — the Waterfalls and the Caves

Cherrapunji is one of the wettest places on earth, and the landscape is all water and limestone. The Seven Sisters Falls pour off the cliffs near Mawsmai, best after rain. Mawsmai Cave is a short lit walk through the rock, past flowstone and narrow squeezes, with the longer Arwah cave nearby for anyone who wants more. The day can also take in the Nohsngithiang viewpoint, the Eco Park on the plateau edge, and Thangkharang Park, where on a clear day you can see into Bangladesh.

A private itinerary being sketched out by hand

Kashmir to Kanyakumari

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7-Day Assam & Meghalaya Tour — Kaziranga, Shillong & Cherrapunji | Lux India Tours