Meghalaya tour packages for 5 days

5 days / 4 nights from ₹13,999 per person. Four days covers Shillong and Cherrapunji with either the Nongriat root-bridge trek or a Dawki day. Five days adds a night at Dawki after Mawlynnong, with Krang Suri and Laitlum on the way back; six days fits Nongriat and Dawki together, the Mawphlang sacred grove or the Mawryngkhang bamboo trek. Seven or eight days adds Kaziranga or Jowai and the Jaintia Hills, and ten days and more continue into Arunachal for Tawang.

5 plans: 5 Days Meghalaya Backpacking Trip (5D/4N, from ₹13,999); 5 Days Meghalaya Honeymoon (5D/4N, from ₹27,470); 5 Days Shillong Guwahati Bliss (5D/4N, from ₹32,790); 5 Days Meghalaya Mawlynnong Dawki Bliss (5D/4N, from ₹32,999).

5 Days Meghalaya Backpacking Trip5D/4N · ₹13,9995 Days Meghalaya Honeymoon5D/4N · ₹27,4705 Days Shillong Guwahati Bliss5D/4N · ₹32,7905 Days Meghalaya Mawlynnong Dawki Bliss5D/4N · ₹32,999

• Duration: 5 days; most travellers take 5 or 6.
• Price: from ₹13,999 per person, stays, local travel and the sightseeing listed on each trip page.
• Places: Umiam Lake and Shillong, Elephant Falls and Laitlum Canyon, the Mawphlang sacred grove, Cherrapunji's Nohkalikai and Seven Sisters falls and Mawsmai Cave, the Nongriat double-decker root bridge, Mawlynnong, Dawki and the Umngot river, and Krang Suri Falls.
• Travel: Every trip starts and ends in Guwahati: the private trips pick you up at Guwahati airport or railway station in your own cab, and the backpacking group trip meets at Guwahati airport in the morning. Shillong is about three hours up the hill road from there. Flights and trains to Guwahati are not part of the package.
• Stay: homestays, B&Bs and 3-star hotels in Shillong, Cherrapunji and Dawki, with resorts and 4-star stays on the Deluxe tier; the backpacking trip sleeps in bamboo huts near Pynursla and a forest stay near Cherrapunji, and the longer plans add Kaziranga, Jowai, Guwahati or Arunachal.
• Best time: October to April is the best window: clear skies, dry trails to the root bridges and the Umngot at Dawki at its clearest from about November, with cold nights in December and January.
• Weather: Shillong and Cherrapunji both sit at about 1,400 to 1,500 m, so summer days are mild at around 20 to 24°C and winter nights fall to about 3 to 5°C.
• Trip type: 1 fixed-date group departure and private trips on your own dates.

5 Days Meghalaya Backpacking Trip5D/4N · ₹13,9995 Days Meghalaya Honeymoon5D/4N · ₹27,4705 Days Shillong Guwahati Bliss5D/4N · ₹32,7905 Days Meghalaya Mawlynnong Dawki Bliss5D/4N · ₹32,999

These are the places Meghalaya trips are built from. Each trip page lists exactly which of them it covers, and a private trip can swap one for another.

• Umiam Lake: The wide reservoir at Barapani on the Guwahati–Shillong road, ringed by pine hills, where most trips stop on the first day for the view or a boat ride.
• Shillong: The hill capital at about 1,500 m: Ward's Lake, Police Bazaar, the Cathedral of Mary, the Don Bosco Museum (usually closed on Sundays) and Shillong Peak, the highest point above the city.
• Elephant Falls: A tiered waterfall just outside Shillong, a short walk down from the road; an easy stop on the way to Cherrapunji or on a Shillong day.
• Laitlum Canyon: The ridge outside Shillong where the land drops away into deep green gorges, walked on the way back from Dawki or on a Cherrapunji day.
• Mawphlang Sacred Grove: An old Khasi forest kept untouched by local belief, where nothing may be taken out, not even a leaf; walked only with a local guide, for about one and a half to two hours.
• Cherrapunji (Sohra): The plateau town on the edge of the Khasi Hills: the Mawkdok valley viewpoint, the Garden of Caves, Seven Sisters Falls and Nohkalikai Falls, often called the tallest plunge waterfall in India at about 340 m.
• Mawsmai Cave: A lit limestone cave near Cherrapunji, short enough for most visitors, with a few tight squeezes between the chambers.
• Nongriat and the double-decker root bridge: About 3,500 steps down from Tyrna village to the two-level bridge grown from living rubber-tree roots, with the Blue Lagoon and Rainbow Falls further on for strong walkers; a full day.
• Mawlynnong and the Riwai root bridge: The flower-lined village often called Asia's cleanest, its bamboo Sky View over the Bangladesh plains, the Balancing Rock and a single-decker living root bridge a short walk away.
• Dawki, the Umngot river and Shnongpdeng: The river on the Bangladesh border so clear in the dry months that boats seem to float on air, the old suspension bridge, and Shnongpdeng upstream for kayaking, cliff jumping and snorkelling, paid on the spot.
• Krang Suri Falls: A waterfall in the Jaintia Hills with a turquoise pool below it, reached by a short walk; swimming is with life jackets.
• Mawryngkhang bamboo trek and Wei Sawdong: The bamboo walkway from Wahkhen village along the cliffs to the U Mawryngkhang rock, about three to four hours there and back, and the three-tier Wei Sawdong falls near Cherrapunji.

What to eat

Shillong's Police Bazaar and the town's cafés have food for every taste, from momos and thukpa to North and South Indian meals. Khasi dishes to try include jadoh, rice cooked with meat, and pork with black sesame; the roadside stalls sell local fruit and snacks. Vegetarian food is easy to find in Shillong and Cherrapunji and simpler in the villages, so tell the planner when you book. Most trips include breakfast only, and the backpacking trip's meals are bought at local kitchens and dhabas on the way.

A private trip runs the same plan at your own pace; a group departure follows it to the minute.

• Day 1: pick-up at Guwahati airport or station and the three-hour drive to Shillong, with a stop at Umiam Lake and an evening at Ward's Lake.
• Day 2: to Cherrapunji: the Mawkdok valley viewpoint, the Garden of Caves, Nohkalikai and Seven Sisters falls and Mawsmai Cave; night in Cherrapunji.
• Day 3: Mawlynnong village, its Sky View and the Riwai root bridge, then along the border to Dawki for the Umngot river; night at Dawki.
• Day 4: Shnongpdeng in the morning, Krang Suri Falls and the Laitlum Canyon ridge on the way back to Shillong.
• Day 5: down to Guwahati, with the Kamakhya Temple if you wish, for the journey home.

Meghalaya packages start at ₹13,999 per person: ₹13,999 for 5 days. That covers the stays, the cab from Guwahati and back, the sightseeing each trip page lists and the meals it names, which on most trips is breakfast. Flights and trains to Guwahati are not included; you book them yourself.

What moves the price is the stay tier (homestays and 3-star hotels, or resorts and 4-star stays), the size of the cab for your group (sedan, SUV or tempo traveller), the number of nights and whether the trip adds Kaziranga or Arunachal. Most trips include breakfast only, while the 8 day trip and the longer Assam and Arunachal circuits include all meals; some trip pages charge more over Christmas and New Year. Flights or trains to Guwahati, entry tickets, the Dawki boat on some routes, the Shnongpdeng water sports and anything not named on the trip page stay out of the fare, and 5% GST is added to the price shown.

The walking trips: a full day down the 3,500 steps to the double-decker root bridge and Rainbow Falls, the bamboo walkway to U Mawryngkhang, or both on the 5 day backpacking trip with bamboo huts, a forest stay and a trip captain.

1 trip on this page, from ₹13,999 per person: 5 Days Meghalaya Backpacking Trip (5D/4N, from ₹13,999).

5 Days Meghalaya Backpacking Trip5D/4N · ₹13,999

The couple plans keep the days short and the nights in Shillong: Elephant Falls, Cherrapunji and Laitlum, a day on the Umngot at Dawki, and on one plan room decor and a candlelight dinner arranged at your stay.

2 trips on this page, from ₹27,470 per person: 5 Days Meghalaya Honeymoon (5D/4N, from ₹27,470); 5 Days Shillong Guwahati Honeymoon (5D/4N, from ₹34,790).

5 Days Meghalaya Honeymoon5D/4N · ₹27,4705 Days Shillong Guwahati Honeymoon5D/4N · ₹34,790

Friends and solo travellers: 1 fixed-date group trip from ₹13,999, Guwahati-to-Guwahati transport, shared stays in bamboo huts and a forest stay, the Dawki boating, local guides on the treks and a trip captain, rooms shared by gender: 5 Days Meghalaya Backpacking Trip (5D/4N, from ₹13,999).

Couples: 2 plans with the quieter stays and private transfers, from ₹27,470: 5 Days Meghalaya Honeymoon (5D/4N, from ₹27,470); 5 Days Shillong Guwahati Honeymoon (5D/4N, from ₹34,790).

Families and couples take the private trips: the same places at your own pace, with the room category and the car chosen for your group.

5 Days Meghalaya Backpacking Trip5D/4N · ₹13,9995 Days Meghalaya Honeymoon5D/4N · ₹27,4705 Days Shillong Guwahati Honeymoon5D/4N · ₹34,790

Best time

October to April is the best window: clear skies, dry trails to the root bridges and the Umngot at Dawki at its clearest from about November, with cold nights in December and January. June to September is the monsoon in one of the wettest places on earth, when the waterfalls are at their fullest but the trails are slippery, the river turns murky and landslides can slow the roads.

• October to November, 12 to 22°C: The best all-round weeks: the rain has eased, the waterfalls are still full, the trails to the root bridges are drying out and the Umngot at Dawki is turning clear.
• December to February, 3 to 16°C: Cool, dry and clear: the Umngot is at its clearest and the treks are easiest, though the waterfalls run thinner and Shillong nights are cold. Christmas and New Year are the busiest weeks.
• March to May, 12 to 24°C: Pleasant days and green hills; pre-monsoon showers start in April and May, and the Kaziranga add-on is still possible early in the season.
• June to September, 15 to 24°C: The monsoon in one of the wettest places on earth: the waterfalls are at their most dramatic, but the trails are slippery, the Umngot turns murky, boating can stop when the river is high and landslides can slow the hill roads.

What to pack

Layers in every month: a fleece or light jacket for Shillong evenings from March to November, and a warm jacket, thermals and a cap from December to February, when nights are near freezing. A rain jacket or umbrella all year and especially from June to September; shoes with a good grip for the Nongriat steps and the bamboo trek, plus sandals, quick-dry clothes and swimwear for Krang Suri and Dawki. A torch, a power bank, insect repellent, motion-sickness tablets for the hill roads, some cash because ATMs are few outside the towns, and a government photo ID.

Getting there

From Hyderabad, fly to Guwahati, non-stop or with one stop through Kolkata or Delhi depending on the day. Every trip starts at Guwahati airport or railway station, and Shillong is about three hours up the hill road from there. The train to Guwahati takes well over a day, so most travellers fly.

From Bengaluru, fly to Guwahati, non-stop or through Kolkata or Delhi depending on the day. The trip starts at Guwahati airport or station, where your cab or the backpacking group meets you, and Shillong is about three hours by road. Trains to Guwahati take more than two days.

From Chennai, fly to Guwahati, directly or through Kolkata, Delhi or Bengaluru depending on the day. Every trip begins at Guwahati airport or station, about three hours below Shillong by road; the train takes well over a day.

Permits and fees

Indian citizens do not need an Inner Line Permit for Meghalaya; carry a government photo ID. The Mawphlang sacred grove can only be walked with a local guide, paid at the gate. The longer trips into Arunachal Pradesh need an Inner Line Permit, which those trip pages include or help with, and foreign nationals need a Protected Area Permit for Arunachal; tell the planner before booking. Rules change, so confirm before you book.

Meghalaya or Sikkim? Meghalaya is the green, wet, lower trip: waterfalls, caves, living root bridges and the clear Umngot river at Dawki, with Shillong at about 1,500 m, no altitude to think about and no permits for Indian travellers, reached through Guwahati. Sikkim is the mountain trip: Kanchenjunga views, high lakes such as Tsomgo and Gurudongmar, snow in the winter months and protected-area permits for the high roads, reached through Bagdogra. Pick Meghalaya for walks, water and a relaxed pace; pick Sikkim for the high Himalaya and snow.

This page answers one question. The hub lists the whole Meghalaya catalogue — every length, every departure city, group departures and private trips — with the same prices.