Suggestions & tips for Meghalaya trip

We have discussed all about the things to do in Meghalaya and how to go about exploring it in our other posts. Check out this post for our detailed trip planning to Meghalaya. In this post we are about to discuss some important suggestions and tips based on what we experienced during planning and executing our plans while on our trip.

Best time to visit Meghalaya

Meghalaya is a gem all year round. We have shared a detail weather and seasonal pattern to help you plan in this post. The weather in Meghalaya is different at different places. The temperatures in and around Cherrapunji is always lower than Shillong or any other area. It can get very warm during summers in Shillong as well as Dawki. Dawki is low lying near to the river and experiences the hottest days in all of Meghalaya. Rest of Meghalaya is comparatively cooler all through the year. If you are going during summers avoid Dawki and explore the other hilly regions. Summers mean March to June.

In our opinion, it is best to avoid it in peak monsoons. While many suggest it is the best time to explore, we have our reservations regarding the rainy season. Monsoons enhance the beauty of a tropical hill region but it can also get dangerous with landslides and blocked roads. Also, you cannot fully enjoy the place being soaked up. This is our personal opinion and yours may vary. If you do not have any problem with it go ahead. Monsoon is typically from June end to October beginning.

The best time according to us and the peak season also is during second half of October to first half of March. The weather is pleasant. The dangerous aftermath of monsoon is likely over.  The forests are lush and waterfalls are not overflowing. Dawki river also clears up during this season. However, it can get very costly during this time. Availability dwindles and every day thinking and not acting adds cost to your budget.

We visited during second week of October and viewed Meghalaya in its peak beauty. Tourist season was just beginning and we could avoid much crowd. We encountered slight rains in Cherrapunji, but, think of it, it is the wettest place on Earth for a reason. Only thing was that it was quite cloudy and all of the places were covered in cloud. Believe us it was the best thing to happen. The cloud cover made Meghalaya look like heaven. It added to the charm of valleys and hills. Dawki was also clear at that time.

How to reach Meghalaya?

• Starting your trip from Guwahati would be cheaper and better.
• Take trains if time permits. Flights can become too costly as this sector does not have too many flights.
• Flight to Guwahati would be cheaper than Shillong.
• Book tickets as early as possible.
• Avoid flights during monsoons.

We also started our trip from Guwahati. We took a train and reached Guwahati. Spent a day exploring and then left for Cherrapunji in a private taxi the next day.

Places to stay

Other than Shillong, no other town or city has a well-developed infrastructure. So, the options are limited. For booking accommodation, there are a few things you need to keep in mind:

• Sunsets happen early. There is not much to do at night anywhere other than Shillong.
• Although Meghalaya is safer but do not venture out alone or at night.
• All areas are not equally accessible and convenient. Some localities may be far away from facilities.
• Book accommodation with an inhouse restaurant and include breakfast in the booking.
• Some areas may not have restaurants. Even so, the café and other eating joints close early by 7 PM. Food might not be available at late nights.

We have shared the best areas for booking hotels in different cities in this post. Here we will mention the places where we stayed:

Shillong: The Ark Guest House (now the Silversky) in Laitmukhrah. This is an apartment style guest house. The rooms were very good. Interiors were Elizabethan era. Balcony was very small. Lift is available. However, it was difficult to locate. There are many restaurants nearby but it can be tiring to walk as the region is hilly. Also the price was a bit more compared to the facilities and location. But we could not find anything cheaper in a better area.

Cherrapunji: We stayed in Sulawado resort. It is an excellent resort located just by the highway near to Mawsmai caves, eco park and 7 sisters fall. The resort has an in-house restaurant with good food. We ate all our meals here. The views from the resort are stunning. You can definitely catch clouds descended on the nearby hills from your room itself.  A stream runs near to the resort on the backside and there is a path that takes you close. You can spend your mornings here. We stayed for 2 wonderful nights. This was the most expensive of our trip. But, it was worth it as we enjoyed a lot here.

Dawki: We stayed at Food planet Restaurant and Guesthouse. It was a last-minute booking as we had an unfortunate experience. The stay at Food planet was excellent. They have a restaurant in the ground floor. The rooms are on first and second floors. There is no lift but the staff helps you with the luggage. The guest house itself is just by the main road. Food was good enough. Rooms are very small with little space to keep luggage but they are clean and comfortable. Rooms are exactly as shown in the pictures in the above link.

Getting around Meghalaya

Book a taxi as per the number of people in your group for the entire trip. This is perhaps the only way to ensure comfort and convenience. For solo travellers hire a shared taxi. It can be difficult to explore Meghalaya in limited time without a taxi. If you have more time, you can take rental motor bikes and shared taxis for moving around.

Nevertheless, keep these things in mind:

• Start early! This is the golden rule if you want to explore more in less time. As we mentioned earlier, sun sets very soon and fast. And you cannot travel after sunset in most areas.
• There are many things to do and places to visit in Meghalaya. So, select what you want to do and what to skip beforehand according to days at hand. Stick to that itinerary or your day will feel wasted.
• If you want a slow trip which you must in Meghalaya, keep only 2-3 places to visit. Check out the suggested places by cities in this post.
• Since, waterfalls and viewpoints may involve easy to medium level trekking, select places accordingly. If you have senior people or kids with you avoid more trekking.

We hired a sedan from Guwahati. Our driver was interesting as he was open to exploring Meghalaya himself. We did not have any preplanned set of spots to visit. We decided the places on the go and he was more than enthusiastic to comply. He used to accompany us on treks and carry our bags also. He helped us a lot and we recommend hiring him on your trip as well. This is his contact number in case you want to use his services, Mr. Lakeshwar Burman- 6900647997

Food

• Always book places where there is food available inhouse or ensure there are restaurants nearby the accommodation.
• Eat local thalis. There are unlimited thali options during meal times in most of the restaurants. This is the simplest way to cut down cost on food. We found one or two awesome restaurants near Krang Suri waterfall parking serving delicious home cooked meals.
• Food is not expensive but options may be limited. Not every tourist spot has food or washroom facilities.
• Carry refillable water bottle with you. Try to refill them at restaurants. Avoid buying too many plastic water bottles to contribute to sustainable tourism. Also, packaged water may be expensive in some places.

Shopping

Yes, there is a section for suggesting shopping ideas because who does not want to bring back memorabilia from a trip.

The small handicraft market at the parking in Elephant Falls is reasonably priced. If you feel like buying anything just do it. The handcrafted products or bamboo decorative items will not be found elsewhere. You will see odd one at Shillong Police Bazaar but they are very costly there. So, buy fridge magnets, bamboo/wooden treehouses, bridge models and other replicas from Elephant falls market.

The turmeric and honey from Meghalaya have their own GI tags. Its original and authentic. Definitely buy turmeric at least. It is of good quality, flavour and colour. Ask for Lakadong turmeric. You will find shops selling turmeric and other herbs and spices near Nohkalikai waterfall. This small local market is also selling authentic things at reasonable prices.

There is another handicraft market at Mawsmai caves that we have mentioned here. We did not find any other local markets at any place. Do not wait for buying things in Shillong. Buy wherever you find them, you will not be scammed.

Other important tips

• No matter what season you are travelling in carry an umbrella or a raincoat with you.
• Carry good amount of cash, just in case. We did not find any ATM in Cherrapunji.
• Network reception is often good in most places. To be on the safe side download offline maps if your driver is not local.
• Enjoy the rides. The journey is always better than the destination. This proverb stands its test of truth in this part of the world.
• Shoes can be worn at all places. You do not have to worry about taking them off. If it is still rainy season then you cannot wear them inside the caves as they will surely get wet.
• People are very sweet and helpful but shy. Try to interact with them to know the local lifestyle and culture. They are not very forthcoming on their own but are polite if you want to hold a conversation.
• It is a clean and nature friendly place. Please be a responsible tourist when visiting Meghalaya to preserve its beauty as is. Visit the official tourism website of Meghalaya for more information https://www.meghalayatourism.in/.