Places to visit in Meghalaya
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.