Guwahati to Kaziranga National Park:
We are a group of 7 who visited Meghalaya and Kaziranga via Nature wings tour package. Our group has mixed ages from 13 years to 70 years :) So the complete package is customized to match our personal interests. The entire tour was booked through "Nature Wings" tour operator of Kolkata. Everything is well taken care of by this company and I highly recommend using their services for your tour needs. We met our driver at Guwahati airport and our first destination is Kaziranga, Enroute we visited Kamakhya Temple.
General info:
This temple is dated to the 8th-9th century with many subsequent rebuildings —and the final hybrid architecture defines a local style called Nilachal. Maa Kamakhya Devalaya is considered most sacred and oldest of the 51 Shakti Peethas on earth.
According to the temple Dharma Purana, it is believed that this Shaktipeeth got its name as Kamakhya because at this place Bhagwan Vishnu had done 51 parts of Mata Sati with his chakra to dislodge Bhagwan Shiva's disillusionment with Mata Sati, where this part fell there. This became a Shaktipeeth and at this place the mata’s yoni had fallen, which is a very powerful Peeth today.
You will not see any idol or picture of Devi Durga or Maa Ambe in this temple. There is a pool in the temple which is always covered with flowers and water always flows out of this pool. Kamakhya temple is full of miracles, Devi’s Yoni is worshiped here and due to the presence of the yoni part, the mata also menstruates.
Our experience:
The queue to the temple was very very long and also special entry pass for 500Rs per person was not available and hence we saw the deity at some distance and proceeded our journey towards Kaziranga.
It was disheartening to see that animal sacrifice is still practiced in this temple.
We had booked our stay at Infinity resorts at Kaziranga. We reached the resort around 7 30pm.
General Info:
The resort, set in the midst of a thick bamboo grove, together with a wide variety of medicinal plants and a plantation of betel nuts and fruit trees, Infinity Resorts Kaziranga is built in this grove, blending it with the thick foliage and canopy. Its architectural design is reminiscent of old Assamese houses which were in the past, set atop bamboo stilts. This exquisite Kaziranga resort is further enhanced by a beautiful lake.
Our experience:
We received warm welcome on arrival and already cultural dance had started. We enjoyed the dance along with bonfire and bunch of starters that was served. Mayakka and Kaveri Maayi joined the dance later and we all had lot of fun. Later we had buffet dinner which was quite good before calling off for the day.
Jungle Activities at Kaziranga
Our Experience:
After an early wake-up around 4am, we were taken to the elephant riding point at 5am for Kaziranga Elephant Safari in the Western Range. This is very well organized. Initially I felt bit uncomfortable to sit sideways on elephant but later got used to it. We saw Rhinos already from the beginning, many birds and Deers. Definitely this kind of safari on elephant back is very different way to explore the national park. During the elephant safari, mphotos captured were shaken because elephant was always moving.
After the elephant safari, while we were just returning, we saw a Rhino from close distance very near to the elephant safari starting point. The sun rise was also amazing. After this we went back to resort.
After having heavy breakfast, we drove to Kaziranga Central Range for the Kaziranga Jeep Safari.
General Info:
The Central zone of the Kaziranga National Park is the prime zone for ecotourism in the Kaziranga forest. The entry gate to the central zone is situated just about two km from the National Highway passing through the village of Kohora.
Our sightings:
The Kaziranga Jungle Safari offered us some spectacular sightings of the Rhinos grazing or wallowing in the large grassland, a herd of elephants, Deers, Wild Buffaloes, King Cobra sleeping, small python, Komodo dragon, Tortoise and many many birds. The landscape at this park was quite different. The landscape of Kaziranga is of sheer forest known as the Burma Monsoon Forests. The area is part of the floodplains of the mighty Brahmaputra River. The habitat consists primarily of tall, dense grasslands interspersed with canebrakes, open woodlands, interconnecting streams, and lakes.
After satisfactory safari, we went back to Resort and had all the rest of the day for ourselves. After lunch we had a nap and then started to Orchid Park in Kaziranga. The park is having exclusive collection of orchids and many other gardens like medicinal garden, bamboo garden etc. That day even a cultural event was taking place over there. The park is very beautiful and well maintained. Recommended to keep 2-3hrs for the same if you are interested in such natural themes.
After return to resort from the Orchid Park, we had Bihu folk dance today.
Bihu dance:
The Bihu dance is an indigenous folk dance from Assam related to the Bihu festival and an important part of Assamese culture. It was really mesmerizing to see how gracefully men played the instruments, sang songs and how beautifully women danced and moved the waist to the beat. After the dance, they also invite the guests to dance with them and Mayakka from our group joined them.
After mesmerizing dance, we saw the locals kneeling down to the dancers and we understood that it's their tradition to do so.
The food at Kaziranga was bit on sweet side. Food was good but if you don't have sweet tooth like me, then probably you might not enjoy it.
Today we started our journey towards Shillong which is in Meghalaya. The Meghalaya plateau is subdivided into three regions: The Garo Hills, the Khasi Hills and the Jaintia Hills. All these hills are named after the tribal groups inhabiting the region.
Kaziranga National Park to Shillong / 6 Hrs Approx
After Breakfast, Proceed towards Shillong. Shillong, also known as ‘The Scotland of the East’ is the capital city of Meghalaya.
En route we visited the Mrityuanjaya temple and Hathi pattar near to Kaziranga and largest manmade lake of Northeast India –Umium Lake near Shillong.
General info:
Timings : Lake is open at all times. Water sport activities are open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Time Required : 1-2 hrs
Boating at Umiam Lake
A leisure boat ride should never be missed at Umiam Lake. The sight of the serene waters of the reservoir, the lush green forests that surround the lake under the enchanting skies is truly exhilarating.
Boating is one of the most preferred activities in the region and visitors can choose between Group, Family, Couple and Solo boat rides between 9:00 AM and 05:00 PM at extra costs.
Our experience:
Even though it was cloudy, and the weather looked to be about to rain, we took the group boat ticket and while waiting for our turn, it started to rain. But we thoroughly enjoyed our boat ride.
After enjoying the activities and the lake, we reached Shillong. Since it was already dark by around 5pm itself, we could not visit Ward’s Lake located at the heart of the city which is popular for its garden walks and boating, Lady Hydari Park and others which were planned in our itinerary. We reached our hotel around 7:30 pm.
Hotel is very good. It's very clean and with all facilities like split AC, 24hrs reception, toiletries provided etc., and the best part is very good food. There were some glitches like window door dint have proper lock, key was not working for some of our rooms but overall, the stay was good. We had 4 nights booked here itself.
Day excursion trip to Jowai / 5 Hrs
Morning after breakfast in Shillong, proceed for a day excursion trip to Jowai, eastern Meghalaya - Jaintia Hills. Explore the Laitlum Canyon, Krang suri falls, Thadlaskein Lake, Stone bridge and other attractions. Also enjoy your route that is very beautiful & scenic.
General Info:
Perched on the East Khasi Hills, Laitlum Canyons are located about 21 Kms south of Shillong which is about a half-hour drive away. Literally, translating to 'End of hills', this exotic viewing site offers the best panoramic views of the whole of Meghalaya embraced by the majestic hills and valleys. The spot is secluded and serene, ideal for quiet and peaceful getaways. Laitlum Canyons remain accessible from 6:00 AM in the morning to 5:00 PM in the evening. The best time to visit it is in the afternoon hours since during morning and evening, the places are covered with fog, and one cannot catch clear views.
Our experience:
There was lot of fog, so we could not get a clear view of the valley. But still it was beautiful.
General Info:
A swimmer's paradise as the fall is not violent and the lagoon is not too deep.
Wearing a life jacket is mandatory while entering the lagoon for swimming. The walk down to the falls is also light and easy. It took us 15 minutes downstairs and 20 minutes upstairs. You do get to see the falls from far off distance within the first 4 minutes of walk. In case of any elders who cannot walk down completely, they can have a clear-cut glimpse of the falls with the 1st 300 meters of the walk downstairs.
There is a boat ride as well, but we did not opt for it.
Zip lining option is also there for 300/-. I did not see anyone opting it though. Entry ticket to the falls is 30 and car parking charge is 50.
There are few small eateries near the parking where you get Maggi , snacks and thali as well.
Tip: I recommend not to take the 1st entrance (from main road) to the falls as it is a long walk from there. Ask your driver to take you to the 2nd entrance/car parking.
Our experience:
Even though it seems like a long journey to this fall, I highly recommend it. You will forget all the journey time, walking time once you see this fall. Water is very clean with different shades of blue and green and we were also lucky to see the rainbow formation on the falls and stones behind. Due to lack of time, and since we wanted to visit another Shakthipeeth, we couldn't visit Thadlaskein lake.
Stone Bridge:
The traditional intricacy of harnessing the stones together into an arch-shape and finally a bridge was really a masterpiece of architecture built by tribals. The stone bridge which we saw is on the walking path to the falls and not outside.
The Jaintia districts of Meghalaya have a distinct royal history and Nartiang is one of the best places to see well-preserved remnants from this glorious chapter. The garden of monoliths features a collection of large monoliths that were erected as monuments for the old kings. There is a small winding path that twists through and around the looming monoliths, providing a chance for you to explore and soak in the surreal scenes. You will also get decent views of the town from this heritage site.
Some of these stones were erected half a millennia ago and additions were made till the middle of the nineteenth century. The monoliths provide a captivating sight – arguably the largest collection of monoliths in a single place and loaded with so much historical and cultural significance. The standing monoliths or menhirs are dedicated to the male ancestors while the flat ones, the dolmens, are dedicated to the women.
Located amidst the serene Jaintia Hills this 500 year old Durga temple is home to Maa "Jainteshwari" or "Jayanti" with "Kramadishwar" as her Bhairava. This is a very sacred place for Hindus as Devi Sati's left thigh is believed to have fallen at Nartiang. It's a very small temple maintained by locals. The silence here was divine and very peaceful.
We drove back to Shillong and back for dinner at M crown hotel.
After breakfast we started our sightseeing.
Next, we went on Excursion towards Mawsynram (Wettest place on Earth). Visit Mawphlang Sacred Forest, Mawjymbuin Cave (Mawsynram cave).
A track of around 40mins where the guide will accustom you to the ancient rituals of the tribe who use to live there. Since the whole forest is considered to be sacred thus one is not allowed to take even a leaf from the forest.
Known as ‘Nature’s Museum’, this forest is one of the oldest and most famous sacred groves of Meghalaya, harboring a diversity of flowering and medicinal plants, trees, mushrooms, birds and insects. The forest is located in the village of Mawphlang – meaning ‘moss-covered stone’ in Khasi – which is amongst the numerous settlements named after monoliths. Spanning a land area of 193 acres, the forest is protected by members of the Lyngdoh clan. It is believed to be the abode of the Khasi deity, Labasa, who is said to protect the clan and the village from all harm. As goes the local saying: “there cannot be a kingdom without a sacred forest, and no sacred forest without a kingdom.”
For more information refer to below page,
https://www.outlookindia.com/travel/all-about-the-sacred-forest-of-mawphlang--news-196793
https://www.oyorooms.com/travel-guide/things-to-do-in-mawphlang/
Our experience:
We saw Rudraksha tree and understood that we get different mukhi Rudraksha in the same tree. We also saw some rare trees which have healing powers to heal cancer also but since one cannot take anything outside of this forest, its preserved and not used commercially.
I did meditation here for few minutes and felt very light, peaceful and full of energy. Really speaking I did not want to get out of here :)
Mawjymbuin caves emerge as tourist hotspot in Meghalaya. The cave is famous for naturally formed Shiva Linga.
Read more at:
https://www.aninews.in/news/lifestyle/travel/mawjymbuin-caves-emerge-as-tourist-hotspot-in-meghalaya20190811020632/
Named after an Elephant like stone at its foot, the Elephant Falls are a two-tier waterfall. The mountain stream descends through two successive falls set in dells of fern-covered rocks.
A small signboard quite near the Shillong Peak, marks a small road that turns off to the edge of the mountain. This road leads to the falls.
From the gate, there is a steep, flight of stairs to navigate each level of the fall with the first and second level facilitated with benches to rest and relax.
We also tried Khasi traditional dresses here.
Next we went to Air Force Museum.
Overnight stay at Shillong in the same hotel.
Day Excursion trip to Mawlynnong and Dawki & transfer to Cherrapunjee
Wake up early and have your breakfast and drive to Mawlynnong. Today you can explore the cleanest village Mawlynnong in the world. You can take the sky walk.
On the way we also went to single root bridge.
For those who cannot trek, its good idea to visit this living root bridge. It has only few steps and quite beautiful to experience the living root bridge.
Village is quite famous for its cleanliness. Read more about it at,
https://traveltriangle.com/blog/mawlynnong-cleanest-village-in-asia/
Village has a sky walk which is made of bamboo. View from the sky walk is good.
After lunch, drive to Dawki. Dawki is the gateway to Bangladesh where major export and import transactions take place. It is a splendid drive of 45 kilometers passing through deep gorges and ravines, which is certainly a thrilling experience.
On approaching Dawki is the Umngot river, The Umngot river is the natural boundary between Ri Pnar or Jaintia Hills with Hima Khyrim of Khasi hills over which a single span suspension bridge was constructed. The water of Umngot river is so clear that the boats floating on it, look as if they are on a crystal glass surface.
We took a boat ride which costed ₹1000 per boat with a maximum capacity of 3 persons. The boat ride was very scenic and peaceful where there were several small waterfalls falling into the river. One tip is to go to Dawki from Mawlynnong which has better roads and also takes you into Bangladesh for a very small stretch in between just for the experience. The 1-hour boating exploring the clear water and surroundings was an experience to remember for life.
Overnight Stay at Cherrapunjee.
The resort started 3 years back it seems but still looks like newly constructed. It's very clean with basic facilities. Room heaters are available for extra cost on request. Breakfast is basic with either bread (Omlette, butter, jam) or Poori Bhaji. Lunch and Dinner has different options which is prepared after getting the order.
So, we ordered our dinner as soon as we reached around 6:30pm for dinner at 8:30pm. Food was good I would say. We stayed here for 2 nights.
General Info:
Double Decker Root Bridge Trek & Rainbow Falls / Optional (Close on Sunday)
After early breakfast, proceed for the full day visit to Double Decker Route Bridge. This trek will take 6 to 7 Hours to complete. Located in the thick tropical forest of Meghalaya, cloaked with rain during most part of the year is the fantastic man-made cum natural wonders of the living root bridges. These roots grow from the ancient rubber trees, seen only in the northeast region. These roots are trained by the Khasis to grow in such a manner as to be in the form of bridges on the top of a river. These bridges are an amazing alternative to wooden bridges that dwindle with so much rain falling on them. The most popular tourist attraction of Cherrapunjee, these double Deckers living root bridges are 2 bridges that are stacked one on the other, made because of the entanglement of roots.
Rainbow Falls is again 1 hour walk from Double Decker Route Bridge Point. That will be optional based on your choice & energy, you can visit or skip.
Here is a nice blog which gives complete info about trekking,
https://thirdeyetraveller.com/how-to-reach-double-decker-living-root-bridge-cherrapunjee/
Our experience:
It starts downhill with steps. Actually, downhill was quite easy, and I think all of us including 2 elders of 65+ we reached double decker bridge within 1-1.5hrs. Kudos to the enthusiasm of elders at this age to trek and to be the inspiration for younger generation.
During the trek, we got to know about "Blue lagoon" which is in between double decker and rainbow falls and take around 40 more minutes to reach. Since downhill was not tiring, we 3 (Me, my husband and Mayakka), decided to further explore blue lagoon. My son together with elders enjoyed at double decker and slowly started back uphill. Later we got to know that they took roughly 3-3.5hrs to reach back. Uphill was quite tiring even for us. If I had imagined climbing 3500 steps initially during downhill itself, then I would not dare to go to double decker. Uphill really tested our fitness. Considering blue lagoon and double decker, it was worth the trouble.
After walking around 40mins from double decker we reach a crystal-clear water body with waterfall. The path to this lagoon is very beautiful through forests and boulders. You can take life jacket on rent and swim here. Since the water was cold, me and my husband enjoyed
the lagoon without getting into water, But Mayakka is dare enough and enjoyed the lagoon by swimming and getting near to waterfalls.
Overall, the day was quite satisfactory but very tiring too. We had simple dinner and crashed into bed as soon as possible :)
Cherrapunjee local sightseeing
After breakfast, proceed to Visit Arwah Caves, Nohkalikai Falls, Garden of Caves, Mawsmai Caves, Seven Sisters falls, Ram Krishna Mission.
Awesome and recommended for all ages. It's a 15 min walk from the parking to entrance of the cave. To see the cave takes 15 mins and its quite safe except during rains. Please wear proper shoes and not chappals or ladies' slippers are not recommended. There is a metal staircase 5 to 6 steps to decent and then a walk-through limestone rocks and a beautiful stream.
Read more about it from link below,
https://www.meghalayatourism.in/destinations/mawsmai-cave/
Nice caves. The passage is in some parts low and or small. It is fun to do and see. And yes, do bring torches. Sometimes the floor is also a bit wet.
Nohkalikai Falls is the tallest plunge waterfall in India. The view of the falls is mesmerizing. The blue pool below the falls is like a blue lagoon.
Read about it legend at below link,
https://travelmelodies.com/nohkalikai-falls-meghalaya-india/
We had lunch at Orange Roots Restaurant. Food is very good here with different thali options and Dosa, Roti and other options too. Highly recommended if you are nearby to this place.
The place requires you to walk through the garden in a designated path on which you can see 11 different spots which are clearly marked. It is one place where you get to experience a river, rich flora, caves and several waterfalls very up close which was one of the best ways to view them. It was a wonderful experience and the garden was even more beautiful due to the rains.
Only point against it is that you have to walk a lot with several steps and would recommend only the first waterfall and cave experience for the ones who cannot exert much as there is a exit point just near these spots while if you go to the other spots, it’s a long way back.
I definitely recommend visiting all the spots if possible.
There are supposed to be seven different falls at this location due to which it is also called the seven sister falls however there was very less water in the falls, and we could hardly see 2-3 of the falls. We viewed these falls from viewpoints from where they were hardly visible due to clouds all around. Other falls have far more water in them as compared to these falls.
Ramkrihna Mission Ashram, set up almost 90 years back between Sohra Bazaar & Nohkalikai Falls area is propagating the ideals of Sri Ramakrishna & Swami Vivekananda amongst the people of this region.
A museum depicting the cultures of local tribes through models and artifacts, a school with library, large playground, and a modest temple built in memory of Shri Ramkrishna makes this an awesome place for a peace lovers.
Very happy to visit this Ashram to see the work they are doing for propagating education and culture in the North East of India. Meditation hall is ideal for offering prayers.
Religious books & handicrafts of the local region are also available in a small shop inside Ashram campus. Overnight stay in Cherrapunjee.
In the morning after breakfast, check out from your hotel. Before dropping off to airport, we planned to go to Umananda temple and Balaji temple. But when we went to ferry point to go to Umananda temple, there was huge huge crowd. Ferry timings were also not frequent, so we decided to keep it for next time.
We went to Purva Tirupati Balaji temple. The temple also had big crowd, but it was well organized, so we went ahead and stood in the queue. After having darshan of Sri Balaji, Mata Padmavati and Mata Durga, we headed towards airport for our flight back to Bangalore with loads of memories.
“In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take” - so “Work, Save, Travel, Repeat” :)