After a lot of research and planning the much awaited trip started . We hired a shared cab from Guwahati airport (600 per head ) and Umiam lake was the first spot we covered on our way to Shillong .
The night we spend in a hotel in Shillong and explored the food and surrounding of Police Bazaar area and also we talked with the few cab drivers and fixed our next day trip .Finally one driver was ready to take us to Mawphanlur for 1500 .
On the next morning at about 7 a.m we started , initially we went to Shillong peak which wasn't open yet (closed on Wednesday) and there-after showing our govt ID prove we were allowed to to enter the Army area and enjoyed the view .Next we stopped by Elephant Falls .
Post that we started for Mawphanlur which is a tranquil place in the lap of West Khasi hills . When we reached the place some local Khasi people were doing picnic later on the place was really quiet and the chilling winds were really giving us a hard time.
On the day time we did kayaking in the natural lake of Mawphanlur . We have already pre-booked the travelers' hut there for that night.(Mr Francis ->8787786081) Food was taken care by him only and we really enjoyed the fresh home cooked food .He charged us 1500 for the stay and for the food it was varied from diner to breakfast.(mostly around 200-300)
The next day was Sunday and thus we were not able to find any cab to reach our next destination , but Mr Francis arranged transport and driver for us which was costly but the road after Nongstoin to reach Weinia Falls (our next destination)was way too bumpy .
We started around 9:30 a.m in the morning and had a nice time watching the West Khasi Hills and some falls , lake which were coming in our way and later the nightmare started .
After almost 1 hr of bumpy ride when we reached Weinia falls it gave us goosebumps . There was no tourist and the place still hold a special place in my heart .
Post that we went to Nongkhum Island and the road was really smooth and we just enjoyed the ride but unfortunately Thum falls was close (as we came to know by some local , reason unknown) .We had a nice time in the island , there were some kids playing with some local country boat but were not able to explore further the island :( ....
With a heavy heart we came back to Shillong and the filter coffee of the The Smoky Falls Tribe Coffee just washed away our tiredness , also tried the street food which was really cheap and tasty.
Next day early morning we started for Sohra and was welcomed by scenic postcard pictures in our way .As this is the dry season the water in falls were almost dried up but still we tried covering the falls .
The first one was Wah-Khaba falls , we gave 20 / per head as entry and 40 as parking charge where as there were other view points which was free of charge and on top of that there was no water in the fall . But the view beneath was breath-taking and no matter how much I see this green valley I never get tired of this .
Next one was Wei -Sawdong and one needs to trek down for 30-40 min to catch the vibe of Jurassic park feel wala waterfall .This 3 cascade waterfall is just amazing .
Another one on our way was Dainthlen Falls ,again we were charged for parking and there were almost no water .
One can exclude Mawkdok valley view point as there other places which offer the same view and no charges are being taken.
Next we went to NohKaLikai falls and just fell in love for Sohra deeply cause the cloudy hills smooth roads was just a scene one would come back to this place again and again.
The last destination on this day was Arwah Caves and the entire surrounding was wrapped in clouds. One needs to walk for 10 min to reach the cave from the entry point and the trail gives the view of the green valley of Sohra which is awesome and later we stayed in Sohra View Lodge for that night which was just near that.The lodge was a budget friendly place with basic stuffs and the market is also near ,also the care-taker was good and took care of the food and charged us for hot water(50 per bucket) which seemed ohk for me.
Next morning we hired a cab from Sohra market and went to Nongriat , the much awaited destination .We started climbing down from Tryna village and finally after a long 2 hr trek we reached Double Decker root Bridge .
Post that I relaxed my legs in the pool beneath the root bridges and also had the chance to have a natural fish spa which was really overwhelming, beside that had maggi,omlet and coffee from the nearest tupri .
We choose to stay at Nongriat for next 2 days and hence we selected a home-stay which was just next after crossing the Double Decker root bridge (Shipara Homestay -> 8132012393) .Food was taken care by the owner of the home-stay only and don't expect anything over the top but the basics were present like the electricity ,water, fresh home cooked food which is again a great thing and we really enjoyed our stay amidst the jungle and mountain .
Next day early morning we started trekking for Rainbow falls at about 8 a.m . After 1.5 hr we reached the fall where the water color was Cobalt blue and it is just a sight to watch which none can ever forget. We basically reached early and there was no tourist by that time and as Feb is a off season the water level was less thus we made no delay to dive in the blue pool and enjoyed the beauty at it's best. Then near 10:15 the only shop near the fall opened and had tea , maggi and post that near about 10:45 the angle of the sun became appropriate and we saw the RAINBOW .I don't think till date I have watched such thing in my life so it was just a magnificent moment for me .(Was not able to capture in the camera though)
Post that we started coming back from the fall and in the natural pool on the way we stopped and I enjoyed a gala time swimming in the water of that blue lagoon .when we returned to our home-stay we were tired and hungry thus after dinner slept off.
Next morning we had some coffee, maggi and started conquering 3600 steps again to reach the Tyna village where we started .The tiresome trek we completed in a 1.5 hr and then hired a cab for our next destination which was towards Dawki.
As the water in the falls were less our driver didn't agree to stop by Bydrow falls and also just denied going to Borhill falls.Recently there is a bridge made on top of Borhill falls so shouldn't miss that one. After a long drive we reached Shnongpdeng where we did river camping .
I contacted Mr Frank(8837257876) and the tent with food cost us 2000 and we also did boating (500 for a boat) . The crystal clear water of Umgot was just mesmerizing . We also had a party with couple of other traveler who were also camping in the bank of Umgot.
Next morning we wake up and wasn't able to find any cab for our next destination so asked Mr Frank to arrange something till Dawki which is 10 km from Shnongpdeng. Post that we hired another cab which dropped us till Jowai and from there we took shared cab to reach Shillong which was really cheap.(120 per head from Jowai to Shillong on sharing basis)
On our way to Jowai we went to KrangSuri waterfall and then we saw Thlu-Amwi falls in the highway . Next we crossed the Thlu-Amwi river with the help of a Kayak which costed us 50 per head and then started walking along the bank of the river .After 30 min of walk we reached the end and saw the upper part of Phe Phe Falls then we came to other bank of the river and started trekking down and got the view of Phe Phe falls . Again in the off season as well the waterfall was looking so spectacular ,due to tiredness and short of time we choose not going till the end and started coming back .
As we took shared cab from Jowai we were not able to cover Tyrshi falls and also Smit village on that day .
Lastly after reaching Shillong we rested for the day .
Next morning we were not able to decide our next destination whether it should be Smit or Wakhen and finally after a lot of bargaining we got a driver who was ready to take us at Wakhen (1800 he took).Post reaching Wakhen we started our trek to reach Mawrynkhang view point .To reach the view point we crossed the bamboo bridges made by the villagers and which again just awsome .The view of the green valley , natural pool, waterfall beneath will bound you to make a come back plan to Meghalaya which actually happened to me :) . It just took 3.5 hr to trek this place and the place is also not that touristy yet , but the roads are being made and there is only one shop so carry some food .
Post the trek we headed back to Shillong and took a shared sumo to reach Guwahati which was really cheap (200 per head) .But the traffic jam near Shillong is really pathetic so always make sure to reach Shillong before 6 .
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