A trip to Meghalaya will always remain close to my heart. Spending 4 days in the lap of nature with spectacular views and new friends was just the break I needed from this online life.
Meghalaya, as the name translates to "adobe of clouds" is just the right experience you need if you are planning for your next holidays. After 4 months of rigorous online MBA, we got a window of holiday. It was a sudden plan, and 4 of us decided to go to Shillong for the vacation. In the last week of October, we gathered in Guwahati as we were from different cities. Meeting with new friends was exciting enough, and we had a perfect trip planned ahead of us.
Day 1: Guwahati to Shillong
We hired a cab for 4 days and started early in the morning from Guwahati. Stopped at Jiva Veg for breakfast, around 50Kms from Guwahati. That is a decent place serving dishes like Puri-Sbji, Dosas and many more for breakfast. We reached Umiam Lake by 10:30AM. It is a beautiful lake with some water sports like boating. Spent 1.5 hours clicking photos and admiring the beauty of the lake.
Our Next Stop for the day was Don Bosco Museum, reached there by 12:30PM. The Museum is a beautiful place 7-story building displaying the culture and art of the North-Eastern Region and neighboring countries. Museum has a section having scaled models of satellites launched by India, including the Chandrayan-2 and some interesting facts about India's effort into Space. There is a must-visit Skywalk on the top of the Museum to get a splendid view of the city. We reached Ward's Lake by 2PM, skipping the Shillong Peak(close for visitors) and Lady Hydari Park(closed on Mondays). Ward's Lake is a Park constructed around the lake with some beautiful flowers and ducks roaming around.
After checking in our hotels, we went on to explore Police Bazar. It is a local market where you can try local street foods and shop for clothes or other local items. Explored the area roaming in the streets, tried some street foods, had our dinner, and returned to rooms by 8PM. The temperature was around 18 Deg C. It was comfortable and enjoyable.
Day 2: Shillong to Cherrapunji
Started our day early after breakfast from Shillong. Reached Elephant Falls by 8AM, traveled down using the steps made in rocks to get to the last fall. You can have breakfast in the shops near the fall and buy local handmade wooden items. Our next stop was Duwan Sing View Point. The view of the valley was mesmerizing, making a permanent place in everyone's mind. You can take the steps down to the bottom of the valley to witness another waterfall or skip if you are running short on time. I would recommend taking a few steps down to get an eye-catching view of the valley.
Driving towards Cherrapunji in the lap of mountains, trying to capture each passing view, we stopped at Umstew Viewpoint. Another splendid view of the valley with a small waterfall. Experiencing the cold breezes standing on the edge of the valley, experiencing nature at its best. We stopped at Orange Roots for our Lunch. The food was excellent, with a unique taste of the local flavor, a must-try place.
Checked in 7 Sisters Falls View Inn, near the 7 Sisters Falls, for the next 2 days. In the evening, we went to Mawsmai Cave and Arwah Cave, trekking inside the granite caves. Lights have been put inside the cave, but the path is not easy and not recommended for elderly people. The 2nd cave of Mawsmai was more complex and scary as fewer people were inside the 2nd cave. Arwah cave is accessible with an open path and lights and a fresh stream of water flowing inside the cave. Went 200 meters beyond the lights, which was an adventure with a very narrow passage between the caves and only our flashlights to support us. We had our dinner at the hotel, the food was decent.
Day 3: Cherrapunji to Dwaki, Mawlynnong and back
After breakfast on day 3, we drove through beautiful ranges for almost 3 hours to Dwaki, a town that shares a border with Bangladesh. Dwaki River, or the "Umngot" river, is one of the cleanest rivers in India owing to the freshwater flowing in the river. You can hire a boat for Rs. 800/- and go exploring the river. Overnight Camping is also available near the river giving the best experience of nature.
After Dwaki, driving parallel to Bangladesh Border, we reached Mawlynnong, Asia's cleanest village. The village has some beautiful homestays to spend time in the peace of nature in the cleanest place. We went to one of the treehouses to view the village and catch a glimpse of Bangladesh. Visited the Single root bridge near the village. It was a living root bridge connecting two ends of the valley. After a great great day, we started our journey back to Cherrapunji. Since it got dark and cold while driving back, clouds could be seen on roads while driving through the valley.
Day 4: Trek to Double Root Bridge and Rainbow Falls and back to Guwahati
Started the trek to Double Root Bridge and Rainbow Falls at 8:30AM. Got our guide for Rs. 1000/- and a guide stick to help us hike. It is advised to take the guide and stick to ease your trek journey. The initial part of the trek had man-made stairs and almost 3000 steps down to the Double Root Bridge. The hill is very steep, so the stairs were very small. Need to be very careful while going down the stairs. Visited Single root bridge in between and reached the double root bridge by 10AM. The Double root bridge is a natural magnificence with two levels of living bridges made of roots of trees over the waterfall. The waterfall was the source of freshwater, and the pond had small fishes where you could put your leg in the fresh water and enjoy the view of the place while you get a natural pedicure from the fishes. After staying there for almost an hour, we started our trek for rainbow falls. This was a more natural and adventurous trek with steps made out of rocks of mountains. Had to cross so many suspended and shaking bridges to reach the rainbow fall by 12 Noon. The view of the fall was eye-catching. With falling water, you can see a rainbow behind the waterfall.
Trekked back to Double Root Bridge by 1:30PM. Had Maggie and tea in the relaxing cold water of the fall. And started the most challenging part of the trek, climbing back 3000 Steps in the steep mountain. It took us 2 hours to climb those steps back to the top. It was tough and exhausting. We somehow managed to reach the top of the valley by 4PM. We set on a drive to Guwahati and reached our hotel by 10PM.
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Trip Cost for 4 people:
Car(Swift Dezire) 4 days, 3 Nights : Rs. 14000/-
Hotels : 1 Night in Shillong, 2 Nights in Cherrapunji : Rs. 13000/-
Food + Entry Fees : Rs. 4000/- per person