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

Meghalaya · 6 Days

Meghalaya — Cherrapunji & Dawki

Shillong, then three nights in Cherrapunji for the double-decker root bridge trek and a loop to Mawlynnong and the glass-clear river at Dawki.

Day by Day

6 Days, In Full

The trip most people should book if they have the days. Two nights in Shillong for the city. Three nights in Cherrapunji: one hard day on the Nongriat trek to the double-decker root bridge, one long loop to the Riwai bridge, Mawlynnong village and the Umngot River at Dawki, and time to rest between them. It covers the three things Meghalaya is known for, the falls, the root bridges and the clear river, without rushing any of them. The clear water at Dawki needs the dry season, November to April.

Shillong

Arrive in Shillong via Umiam Lake

The drive up from Guwahati airport takes about three hours, climbing out of the Assam plains into pine hills. The road runs along Umiam Lake, and there is a viewpoint to stop at for the first real look at Meghalaya. You reach Shillong in the afternoon. The rest of the day is easy: Ward's Lake, the cafes around Police Bazar, or just a rest after the flight. The evenings here are cool all year.

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.

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.

A wooden path curving down through dense green jungle in the hills of Meghalaya.

Cherrapunji

The Double-Decker Root Bridge Trek at Nongriat

The big walk of the trip, and a hard one. From Tyrna village a stone staircase of about three thousand five hundred steps drops into the gorge, over two long steel footbridges, to the hamlet of Nongriat and its double-decker living root bridge, two woven spans stacked over the same stream. Strong walkers carry on to Rainbow Falls and its blue pool. The climb back out is the real effort. Start at first light, carry water, take a guide, and keep the rest of the day clear.

A clean tree-lined lane running through Mawlynnong village in Meghalaya.

Cherrapunji

Mawlynnong, the Riwai Root Bridge and the River at Dawki

A long, rewarding loop from Cherrapunji toward the border. Riwai first, where a single-span root bridge crosses a clear stream a short walk from the road. Then Mawlynnong, the village called the cleanest in Asia, for a slow walk through swept lanes and flower gardens and a climb up the bamboo sky-view tower. Dawki is last: a wooden-boat ride on the Umngot, so clear in the dry season that the boat seems to float on air. Back to the plateau by evening.

Shillong

Depart Shillong for Guwahati

A last morning in the hills before the drive down to Guwahati airport, about three hours. If the flight is later, there is time for a final stop at Umiam Lake, a coffee in Laitumkhrah, or the shops of Police Bazar for Khasi weave and orange-blossom honey. The road loses height quickly, and the air warms as the plains come back into view.

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