Kaziranga (Part 1) | Meghalaya (Part 2)

Meghalaya literally means abode of clouds, but here I am having abode of confusion as to how to fit all things in one article. Well, it’s difficult even to split, as my itinerary is all very jumbled up. So, let me just try.

Taking a cue from my previous article – “Treat to Visual Senses – Kaziranga“, we are on Day 3. My next destination is Shillong (Scotland of the east), followed by Cherrapunji (the Wettest Place on Earth) in the state of Meghalaya. The following days at a glimpse before moving into details.

• Day 3 – After early lunch, proceed to Shillong. I had a stopover for high tea at Jiva Restaurant (one of the best where you can get good taste food, ambiance, clean washrooms..etc. Please expect a huge crowd due to earlier mentioned advantages.) and overnight at Shillong.
• Day 4 – Post Breakfast Visit to Dawki (Village at Bangladesh Border), Umngot River, Living Root Bridge (single), Mawlynnong (Asia’s Cleanest Village), Stay at Cherrapunji.
• Day 5 – Visit Dwan Syiem View Point, Noh Kalikai Falls, Seven Sisters Falls, Mawsmai Caves, and Eco Park, and Stay at Cherrapunji
• Day 6 – Wakaba Falls, Elephanta Falls, Air Force Museum, Ward’s Lake, Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians Church, Stay at Shillong
• Day 7 – Don Bosco Museum, Umium Lake, Proceed to Guwahati Airport

Day 3: Shillong

It was a little exhaustive day. Traveling in the hilly region makes you feel tired. So we spent our evening at the Hotel – Heritage Club relaxing. Luckily, our room was upgraded to a suite, which had a beautiful view of the valley. Another taste of luxury. I am literally spoiled with luxuries on this trip.

Day 4: Dwaki Village, Living Root Bridge, Mawlynnong

We started at around 8.30 in the morning, with many stopovers in between. Our driver suggested that we leave for Cherrapunji by 3 PM to avoid fog. First, we went to Dwaki village, the border for India-Bangladesh. However, it is not what you expect a country border to look like (definitely not if you have seen the Wagah Border). It was very simple to my expectations. But you always feel proud when you see our Flag waving high.

Our next point was the Umngot River. Many people go boating her. Neither of us was very excited to do a boat ride here, so we just spent 5-10 minutes there. One very interesting thing over here is the bridge built by Britishers, and only one Vehicle is allowed at a time to pass. So it’s actually not advisable to spend more time here if there are big tourist groups around. Invitation to traffic jams.

The third stopover was Living Root Bridge in Mawlynoong. The bridge was formed with the help of four huge trees. One needs to walk a little to reach this place, but it is worth it.

Our fourth stop was Mawlynoong Village, which is Asia’s cleanest village. I am extremely proud moment that Asia’s cleanest village is in my country and tourists visit here to see the beauty. And the village is indeed very clean. But the way 19 km stretch to reach this village is more beautiful and serene. The journey to reach here is what i enjoyed more. The 19 km road is well maintained but very narrow. One way/side has to stop if the vehicle from the other end has to cross.

As our driver suggested, we left the village by 3 p.m. to avoid traffic and fog.

Our final stopover was to eat something as we didn’t have our lunch. There are no options in Dwaki or Mawlynoong (though there is one very average eating point in the village, but we decided to skip that). The restaurant had amazing good food (but i forgot the name) but long waiting cues at even 4 in the evening. The view of the entire valley was amazing from here.

We reached our resort – Jiva resort, by evening and ended our day with an early light dinner.

Day 5: Dwan Syiem View Point, Noh Kalikai Falls, Seven Sisters Falls, Mawsmai Caves, Eco Park

The day started with breakfast at an open Restaurant, followed by exploring our resort while waiting for our driver to arrive.

Our first stop was Dwan Syiem View Point.

The next stop was the beautiful Noh Kalikai Falls. Though the falls are beautiful but the story behind is very sad.

The Third stop was Seven Sisters Falls, which depicts seven states of the Northeast. The falls look splendid if traveled during heavy rainfall.

The fourth stop was Mawsmai Caves. I loved these limestone caves. the caves are well-lit but very narrow and a little difficult for heavier people to cross (similar to the original narrow cave of Vaishno Devi).

The last attraction was Eco Park. It was extremely beautiful. It reminded me of Hakone in Japan. One can easily spend a couple of hours there. Walking on the trail and enjoying the swings was really fun.

We spent the rest of the evening relaxing at our resort.

Day 6: Wakaba Falls, Elephanta Falls, Airforce Museum, Ward Lake

After relaxing breakfast, we proceeded back to Shillong with stopovers in between before reaching our Hotel.

Our first stop was Wakaba Falls. The view from here was mesmerizing.

Our next stop was Elephanta Falls. It has falls located at 3 stages. One can get dressed in traditional wear for photography. Shopping lovers can shop here for Traditional shawls and souvenirs. The shops do bargain.

Our third stop was the Air Force Museum, which was nice to see.

Then we further went to Ward’s Lake. It is a good option to do boating.

Our last stop was the Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians Church. It is a huge, beautiful Church. Due to Christmas, the church was decorated so beautifully.

We rested our day with an early dinner.

Day 7: Don Bosco Museum, Umium Lake

After breakfast, we first went to see the Don Bosco Museum. Although i am not a great fan of museums, but this museum has simply amazed me and i loved it. It’s a huge seven floor museum and takes minimum 2 hrs even if you just walk without much interest. And if you intend to read and see everything, then it will take at least half a day. Though it is in Shillong, it is very far from the city and other tourist spots. The Don Bosco Museum has 20 galleries showcasing rich culture. It includes galleries like – Alcoves, Pre History, Land & People, Agriculture, Musical Instruments, Religion & Culture, ornaments, Weapons..etc.

It also has a Skywalk which provides the best view of the Queen City Shillong. I loved 2 Galleries specifically – One Sky Walk and another Religion & Culture Gallery. I seriously felt we should be taught education in this way (crisp & clear). It can truly be called as “Center for Advanced Learning”.

Our next stop over was Umium Lake for 10-15 mins. One can enjoy boating here with spectacular views. We didn’t go down as we had to rush to the airport.

Notes cum Tips cum Must See

• Must See: Double Decker Living Root Bridge. You need one day spare and a lot of stamina to visit this place. It has 3,500 steps, which take approximately 2- 3 hours one way and the same time coming back up. But it is worth it for adventure seekers.
• Adventure seekers can also do Zipping. It is on the way from Cherrapunji to Shillong.
• Umium Lake is better than the rest of the lakes for boating. It provides the best view of the surroundings if the weather is good. One can visit this on the way from Guwahati to Shillong if time permits (I did the other way around). It will take approx 15-20 mins to walk down from your parking and another 30-40 mins if one chooses to go boating here. So keep at least an hour in hand.
• Try to leave Mawlynnong village by 3 PM so that you can reach Cherrapunji or Shillong by 5.00 PM-5.30 PM. After sunset, nothing is visible. Due to high levels of fog, it is extremely difficult to drive in hills. One cannot see even 10 meters ahead.
• The best time to visit Meghalaya is from October to December (especially if you have kids), though days are cold but mostly sunny. One can roam around and enjoy the beauty. But if you want to see only rainfall and a high degree of waterfall, then June-Jul is best. But one needs to sit with raincoats put on even inside the cars/bus. So be prepared.
• Visiting Northeast – One should be prepared for long-distance and hilly travel. Keep medicines accordingly if you have nausea from traveling at a go.
• We had a rental car for 6 days with a driver. Having a local driver helps you with navigation, helps in avoiding driving in hilly areas/small roads, and getting public transport is a big task. Hence my advice for a tension-free holiday is to have a car with a driver.