We drove to Umiam Lake and took the Ferry to the boathouse. Umiam Boat House is covered by water from three sides and a small hill on one side. The caretaker and his family live on this small hill and on the other side they also have few tents for stay. Beautiful interiors and neatly maintained, this Boathouse is a delight to stay in. With all the basic amenities and on-call basic food available, one can spend a quiet day watching the small ripples while slowing getting cradled in the boathouse. It’s you and the lake. We sat on the porch, watched the sunset and played music. You can catch a glimpse of the lights dispersing from the clouds and magically spreading all across the lake, the dance of clouds while listening to the calming nature’s music.

 

 

 

We reached Sohra by evening. Cherrapunji is preferred to be locally known as Sohra and this place has been the highlight of our trip. We kept coming back to Sohra even when we didn’t plan and every second was worth spending here. We headed to Orange Roots, one of the main restaurants in Sohra. A Unit by Meghalaya Tourism, it is run by local women and serves delicious home-cooked meals. Ghee Masala Dosa and Chole Bhature are a must-try here. We stayed at Sai Mika Resort, bit off-road Sohra but with amazing view day and night. They also have a Dorm, a huge antique architecture hall with fireplace and six beds. Fortunately, they didn’t have any guests for the dorm so we got the entire hall to ourselves. Ended our day here with live country music and listening to stories about unheard Meghalaya from locals

 

 

 

As usual, woke up early and after having breakfast in the resort, we made our way to Wei SongDong Waterfalls. A three-step Waterfall in nature, this is the most picturesque place you’ll see in the entire Meghalaya. You’ll have to trek through uneven stairs, bamboo trail, and dangerous narrow bamboo bridges but trust me, it will be worth a visit. Swimming inside the middle of cascades is not recommended even if you are a professional because they are quite deep. However, you’ll find the shallow ends to swim in and absorb the beauty of this place. Next, we drove to Seven Sister waterfalls but it’s more of a touristy place. We didn’t spend much time here and headed to Mawsmai Caves. It is one of the distinguished places in Sohra full of stalactites and stalagmites. With narrow space and dimly lighted, make sure you visit them when it’s not crowded. Overall, a unique experience.

 

 

 

Drive to Nongriat takes an hour from Sohra and then trek of two hours to reach the double root bridge. This trek is not for weak hearts, 3500 steps one side and steep. Getting down was still manageable compared to trekking back but while coming back, I could hear my heartbeat in the throat. In September, just after the monsoons, it was really humid which made the hiking really bad. We took a dip in the pool on the way to curb the scorching heat and savor the place. Double Root Bridge and other living bridges in Nongriat are manmade wonders. The roots of Banyan trees are twisted and woven together and given directions to form a pathway. There are many guest houses in Nongriat and usually, travelers prefer to stay for a day or two exploring the hidden places around. However looking at the weather, we decided to trek back the same day. Our legs were shaking and knees were wobbly but somehow we made it. You can hire a porter to carry your luggage up for a little ease.

 

 

 

When you drive from Sohra to Dawki, you’ll find a restaurant, Appertifs Food & Bar on your way. Don’t forget to stop by for a quick bite or lunch. They only serve Chinese and drinks but it was delicious and super cheap. This place gives ‘Cabin in the woods” feel and you can spend as much time here you want with amazing sky view. As you go down the valley weather becomes humid and hot around monsoons, so be prepared for it. Umglot River is the main attraction of Dawki and people usually enjoy boating in the clear river. Due to Rainwater, the river wasn’t clear as seen in pictures so we headed to Darrang and then Shnogpdeng for our stay. Darrang is an unexplored place on the bank of Umglot river near Dawki with few guesthouses. We chose Shnogpdeng for a night stay as Darrang didn’t have a single traveler around. We got a tent for a night, right at the edge of the sparkling river and magnificent sky view. Well, it wasn’t a smooth night because it became really hot in the tent at night and then it rained. We were scared all the time and kept waking to check if we are floating with our tent. There are few guesthouses too and they charge as per the season.

 

 

After one last dip in Umglot River, we headed to Krangshuri Waterfalls. Easy downhill hike of 2 km, you’ll reach the Waterfalls. Here also you’ll get the life jackets and can swim in and around the waterfalls. It is a peaceful place to spend a day. You can also stay here with few basic homestays around. After being content with our time around waterfalls, we headed back to Shillong to experience Meghalaya’s city life.

 

 

 

Having our flight the next day, we wanted to shop souvenirs for our friends and family. We drove back to Shillong. Since Rockski was completely booked, we stayed at The Dew B&B, near Laitmukrah Market. It was a newly built property with clean interiors and warm staff. A pleasant stay. Strolling around the Police Bazaar, we bought thrift clothes and pineapples. Don’t forget to buy pineapples if you have space. Pineapples in Meghalaya are the best ones you’ll ever eat. We spent our evening hopping around cafes and enjoying live music at The Evening club.