Shillong & Cherrapunjee

Highlights

• Double Decker Living Root Bridge, Nongriat
• Nohkalikai Falls - tallest plunge waterfall in India
• Mawlynnong - cleanest village in Asia
• Elephant Falls & Shillong Peak
• Dawki - Umngot River boating on crystal clear water

Day by day

1. Day 1Arrival in Guwahati - Shillong

   Collected in Guwahati and up into the hills, about three hours, stopping at Umiam Lake where the water spreads blue between pine ridges. Evening loose at Police Bazar, which is where Shillong goes after dark. Overnight in Shillong.

2. Day 2Shillong Local Sightseeing

   All of Shillong in a day: the view from Shillong Peak over the whole plateau, Elephant Falls stepping down through the rock in three separate drops, Ward's Lake in the middle of town, the Don Bosco Museum — genuinely the best introduction to all eight states — and the Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians. Overnight in Shillong.

3. Day 3Shillong - Cherrapunjee (Sohra)

   Down to Cherrapunjee through the Mawkdok Dympep Valley, where the road runs along the edge of a gorge that drops clean away. Nohkalikai plunging into its jade pool, the Arwah Caves with fossils in the limestone, and the Seven Sisters across the valley. Overnight in Cherrapunjee.

4. Day 4Double Decker Root Bridge Trek - Mawlynnong - Dawki

   An early trek to Nongriat — around 3,500 steps down and back — to the Double Decker Living Root Bridge, two tiers grown from living rubber roots over generations. Then Mawlynnong, and Dawki, where the Umngot is clear enough that the boats look like they are floating on air. Back to Shillong. Overnight in Shillong.

5. Day 5Departure

   Breakfast, then the drive back down to Guwahati for onward travel.

Gallery