Meghalaya · 8 Days
Meghalaya — Jaintia & Khasi Hills
Both of Meghalaya's hill ranges over eight days — the quiet Jaintia Hills and Krang Suri, then the full Khasi circuit of falls, root bridges and clear rivers.
Day by Day
8 Days, In Full
Meghalaya beyond the standard route. The Jaintia Hills, east of Shillong, are the part most trips miss: Krang Suri Falls and its blue pool, the Nartiang standing stones, quiet roads and few other visitors. The trip pairs them with the full Khasi circuit, the Mawphlang sacred forest, the Nongriat root bridge trek, Mawlynnong and the Umngot River at Dawki. Four nights in Shillong and three in Cherrapunji keep the base changes to a minimum. It suits repeat visitors and anyone who wants room off the main circuit.
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.
Shillong
The Jaintia Hills — Jowai and Krang Suri Falls
East of Shillong the land opens into the Jaintia Hills, less visited than the Khasi side. Krang Suri Falls is the reason to come: a wide fall into a bright blue pool, with a managed path down and a roped area to swim. The day can add the Nartiang monoliths, a field of standing stones some over five metres tall, and the Syntai Ksiar or Thadlaskein lake. It is a long day out and back, on quiet roads, and it works for travellers who want to get past the main circuit.
Shillong
Mawphlang — the Sacred Forest and the David Scott Trail
A day in the grassland south of Shillong. The sacred forest at Mawphlang is first, walked with a Khasi guide who explains why nothing may be taken from it, among huge moss-hung trees and old stone monoliths. Then a stretch of the David Scott Trail, the colonial bridle path that crosses the open hills toward Lad Mawphlang. Walk as much or as little of it as you like. It is gentle, green and quiet, and a complete change from the town.
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.
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.
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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