This year in August I travelled to Meghalaya, India. I was super excited. And I enjoyed the tour very much. I know so many of you guys want to travel India. Because India is a beautiful country. So I was thinking why not sharing my experience with you. Maybe you can get some idea about some most beautiful places on the planet. By the way, this article is just about my personal experience. But if you ever visit India, this information can help you. So let’s begin.
At first let’s talk about where Meghalaya is. Meghalaya is a state in northeast India and was formed on 21 January 1972. The state is bound to the south and west by Bangladesh, and to the north and east by India’s State of Assam. Meghalaya is the wettest region of India. Also the highest annual rainfall in the world is recorded in the village of Mawsynram, which is located in Meghalaya. But trust me, when it starts raining, it looks like heaven in the Earth.
Since Meghalaya is quite a large area, it has so many places to visit, so many foods to try and so many cultural thing to explore. All these things cannot be covered in one article. So I have decided to write my Meghalaya tour experiences in part by part. Today is the part 1 and I will only talk about four most beautiful places in Meghalaya which you can visit in one day. But don’t worry, I will talk about Meghalaya’s culture, how to visit Meghalaya and where to stay in Meghalaya in different articles. At this point the most important question is, how can I travel there? Well. If you are living in the USA or Europe or anywhere in the world, don’t worry. You can travel from anywhere of the world to Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport which is located in Guwahati (State of Assam). And from Guwahati, just take a taxi and you are good to go to Shillong, Meghalaya. The distance between Guwahati to Shillong is around 99KM. But don’t worry. You will enjoy the travel because the beauty of two sides of the road. So let’s explore Meghalaya’s beautiful places today.
1. Dawki: Dawki is a border town in the south of Meghalaya which is located at Jaintia Hills. The distance is 82 km from Shillong. But you will never get bored about the distance because of the natural beauty of the road side. You can see so many little water falls besides the road and can take some photos of them. In Dawki you will be amazed by the beauty of Umngot River. The crystal clear waters of the Umngot River is exceptionally so beautiful and transparent in real life. My advice is don’t believe me. Come and visit once and verify it with your own eyes.
2. Umkrem falls: This marvalous waterfalls is located beside Riwai-Dawki Road and very close to Umngot River. That means it is actually very close to Bangladesh and India border from where you can see a glimps of the beauty of the Jaflong which is tourist attraction of Bangladesh. Riwai-Dawki is the road from Dawki to Shillong. A view of three-tiered cascades, gushing down with might, especially during monsoon season (Jun-Oct). Umkrem has a cavelike opening where one can walk up and enjoy the mist from the other side of the falls.
3. Mawlynnong Village: You may be thinking what is so special about a village? Why should I spend my money to go there? Well, this is a place to see and explore to amaze yourself. Mawlynnong is the cleanest village is Asia. You cannot find any dirt on the road here. Mawlynnong village is in the East Khasi Hills besides Riwai-Dawki road and 30 KM from Dawki and 75 KM from Shillong. This is mostly a Christian village. You can find both veg and non-veg food here. So don’t hesitate either you are vegetarian or non-vegetarian.
4. Living Root Bridge: Yes. You heard me right. I am suggesting you to visit a bridge. Why? The reason is this is an amazing thing to explore. Let me explain. A whole bridge is made of the root of two giant living Ficus Elastica tree and direct the roots of the bridge by weaving a bamboo scaffolding. And beneath that bridge, a calm and nice river is flowing. This absolute beauty of nature is located in East Khasi Hills in Meghalaya which is also in the way of Dawki to Shillong road.
If you have read till now, let me tell you one thing. All these four spot I have mentioned you can visit in one day. Because this all are located on the same road and if you hire a taxi, the taxi driver will take you to all four spots.
At this point, you must be tired. Because you have travelled a long way and all day. So you need to take rest. You can stay the night in Shillong Police Bazar. That’s all for today. I will come back in my second part. Happy Travelling!!!
