One of the seven sisters, Meghalaya should be in everyone's bucket list. For trekkers its definitely a paradise with so many beautiful treks. Waterfalls are main highlights here and it will take you almost 2 weeks atleast to explore all waterfalls. Every waterfall is very different from previous one. Meghalaya is just not about waterfalls there is more to it. It has everything one can imagine. Mountains, landscapes, waterfalls, dense forests, villages, ponds etc.
Best time to visit is October just after rainfall but it is usually too crowded at that time. January is off season and good time to visit if you don't like crowd and want serene experience.
Below is our travel itinerary with travel tips that will save time and cost.
Day 1: Guwahati- Umiam Lake - Shillong
Day 2: Cherrapunji
Day 3: Laitlum canyon, Dawki and Mawlyngong
Day 4: Krangsuri waterfalls - Phi Phi waterfalls - Shillong
Day 5: Guwahati
We travelled in a group with 2 couples and 3 kids, still we were able to trek a lot and explore most of the places.
we started our Day 1 from Guwahati. Reach Guwahati in morning and book a taxi for all 5 days. we paid around 21000 (approx 4300 per day) for 6 seater Innova. If you have lot of luggage choose one with carrier.
From Guwahati we drive straight to Shillong via Umiam Lake. Its most serene and beautiful lake I have seen till date. Enroute do stop and enjoy local fruits specially pineapple.
Stay: Orchid Lake Resort at Umiam lake or if you want to go Shillong then there are two good options to stay in city centre (Hotel Centre Point in Police Bazar or Hotel Polo Towers in Polo grounds). Visit Police Bazar and Polo Grounds. If you want to stay in outskirts then Tripura Castle is your pick.
Note: Kids are not allowed in any of the pubs or restro bars so plan accordingly. If you are traveling in covid times then everything closes by 9 pm here.
You wont find liquor shops easily so look out for open shops that's what they call them here. All Open shops are closed on Sunday so maintain your stock. On Sunday most of the shops and restaurants are closed and most of the local people are out for family picnics.
Dining: If you are looking for fine dining options then sky bar in hotel Centre Point Shillong is must visit. You can also visit Tripura Castle for fine dining options and cafe. If you too lazy to go out and eat then Zomato and Swiggy will save you here as well.
If you like to visit high end area in Shillong then Malki is your pick for fine restaurants and hotel options.
Sun set usually happens around 5-5.30 pm in Shillong during winters, therfore start your day early max by 8 am so that you can cover all points in your itinerary.
Places we visited on 2nd Day:
1. Elephant falls : its 5 min trek downstairs but must visit .
2. Mawdak viewpoint: its Enroute to waterfalls. do not spend much time here.
3. Wei Sadong: If you are a trekker then this is must visit. Its most beautiful waterfall I have seen till date. Trek is steepy and can be difficult with kids but worth every single step.
4. Arwah Caves: its 10 minute nature walk that you will definitely enjoy.
5. Nohkalikai falls: If you love trekking then you can take this 1 hour trek and experience magic around. In case you are tired then you can view this fall from viewpoint and enjoy.
On all these points, you can enjoy Maggi, momos, chowmein, soup, and pineapple. My personal favourite was chowmein.
There are other waterfalls as well on this route. If you have time and interest then you can explore some more.
Instead of taking 2 day stay in Shillong, you can also stay in Cherrapunji. (Snow brook resort or Ka Bri War Resort). Vegetarian food is amazing here. This will save your travel time for next day.
Places we visited on 3rd Day:
1. Laitlum Canyons: this is definitely unexplored but must go place if you like watching landscapes.
Landscapes at Laitlum canyons
2. Umngot River: India's cleanest river near Bangladesh border. Enroute you can actually see border fencing to mark boundaries. It gets little hot here so wear cotton clothes and keep extra set of clothes if you like to do cliff jumping and kayak. There are 2 entry points. I would suggest to go through Shnongpdeng as it is more calm and beautiful from here. If you would like to get a taste of local life visit their village too.
3. Living root bridge: If you dont want to trek and still want to see living root bridge then visit this one. spend 15 minutes and come back. If you like trekking then plan a day trek to double decker root bridge and rainbow waterfalls.
4. Mawlyngong: Asia's cleanest village. It is hardly 15 minute walk but beautiful village. We stayed in homestay there (Benjamin Homestay). Prebook your stay since only 30-40 homestays are there. Locals are very good and they serve delicious meals with stay at nominal charges. If you still want to eat out then there are couple of restaurants near big parking. But if its Sunday then everything is closed till 11 am as they go to church first and then picnics.
After visiting Mawlyngong village in morning we departed for Krangsuri waterfalls which is around 2.5 hours away from this village. Enroute you can get food options in Dawki only. Its a small trek of 15 minutes but worth going.
After that we visited phi phi waterfalls which is a bit difficult trek as compared to previous one but definitely worth the beauty you are looking for and then we headed back to Shillong (approx. 3 hours).
Stay: Tripura Castle heritage Club. This is must stay if you are in Shillong. Luxurious old property with good food and interior. Morning buffet breakfast was ok but Ala carte options are definitely there.
Next morning we left around 11 am for Guwahati after breakfast at hotel. On way back to Guwahati there are lot food options so dont forget to eat pineapple and local fruits.
We spent some time doing shopping in Guwahati Paltan bazar and headed towards Kamakhya Temple. Its beautiful temple situated at top. (Time required: 2-3 hours). If you are lucky then there will be no crowd and you can visit whole premise in half hour else it usually takes minimum 2 hours so plan accordingly.
Places to eat: there are lot of good restaurants in Guwahati main city. There are less options in airport to eat so better to get something packed for your travel.
Finally we took our flight to Delhi.
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