Cherrapunji

Shillong to Cherrapunji is only 53 km but takes 2 hours to reach. Anywhere you go in Meghalaya, the distance might not be much but remember that it is a hilly area with narrow roads, so it always takes more time than otherwise. Also, there are many places on the way to visit so it might take much more. We took almost 6-7 hours in arriving Cherrapunji because we were coming directly from Guwahati. One interesting fact was that there comes a stretch of the road while leaving Guwahati where on one side of the road it is Assam and Meghalaya on the other side.

Cherrapunji is also known as Sohra. It is the heart and soul of Meghalaya tourism. There are many other areas that are potential tourist gems but, it is Cherrapunji that has developed infrastructure to support mass tourism till date. There are so many things to explore in and around Cherrapunji and the Mawphlang area that even 3 days can feel like a short time. We spent 2 nights and 3 days here yet, we felt like we could have spent another 2 days to completely explore it. Moreover, it was so cloudy most of the times that it took us more than necessary amount of time to get a clear view of the scenes and waterfalls. It was probably this reason why we took more time in exploring it. But it was this reason that made us stop, wait and appreciate the place more.

Here are some of the places that we visited in Cherrapunji:

Mawkdok Dympep viewpoint

This is a mandatory stop on way to Cherrapunji from Shillong. This place is a combination of the Duwan Sing Syiem bridge, a stunning valley viewpoint and some adventure activities like ziplining. The viewpoint is accessible by the main road itself. You can stop by the roadside and have a view of the beautiful V-shaped valley lush with green trees. It is a bonus if there are low clouds hanging just below the peaks of the hills. It feels like a cottony carpet welcoming you to explore the valley.

There is an entrance to a trail just beside the bridge from where you can get a good view of the valley without the vehicles passing by as from above. You can also get a view of several waterfalls in a distance from the viewpoint if the weather permits. You can spend a good 1-1.5 hours here (more if you trek down to the designated viewpoint). There are a few vendors selling tea, roasted corn and juice by the roadside or you can have light meal in the scanty restaurants nearby.

Tyngam Masi viewpoint, Laitsohpliah

A little further to the Mawkdok Dympep viewpoint, there is another stunning viewpoint of Sohra valley on the right. This is the Tyngam Masi viewpoint. There is an entry fee of ₹20 per person. The entrance has a quite steep flight of stairs. The place is a hill top with well laid paths, proper seating at the viewpoints, a small reservoir with an artificial waterfall. You can take a leisurely stroll around the pathways for as long as you like.

When we arrived there it was almost sunset time. Moreover, it was very cloudy and we waited for around half an hour for it to clear so that we could finally get a view of the surrounding valley. The wait was worth it for we were able to get some excellent views from our vantage point. It is like a 360 degree view of the surrounding hills and valley from here. It was almost 5 PM by the time we left this place. So we did not stop anywhere else and headed straight to our resort.

Wei Sawdong

Our next day was for a bit of exploration around Cherrapunji. We had this entire day to decide if we wanted to explore around or go to Nongriat for the double decker bridge trek. We said no to the trek and set off for our exploration. Our first destination was Wei-sawdong waterfall.

Location

Wei sawdong waterfall is in quite a secluded area. It was not easy to find this waterfall. We had to do a lot of asking around as our driver was not local. You take the Dainthlen waterfall road and after a number of left turns, you arrive at a small shack with the placard of “wei sawdong waterfall” and an arrow marking the start of the trail. There were two very small shacks selling only snacks and soft drinks there.

We parked the car there and started on the trail. At the beginning the trail was good, with paved stones. After climbing down a few steps, we reached the first viewpoint from where we got a hazy view of the waterfall. Actually there was no view because of the clouds and the weather was also very gloomy that day. We had no hopes that it would clear up. Feeling disappointed one of us stayed back at the viewpoint and the rest continued on the trek. It is a beautiful three tiered waterfall with a pool at its end. It is by far the most pretty waterfall I have seen in my life. The water appears green from far and looks like a dream. You can even take a swim in the pool at the bottom.

Trek and waterfall

As we descended, the steps became treacherous. Towards the end, there are no steps at all. It is only the exposed rocks, tree roots and some broken wooden planks stitched together to make the path accessible somehow. We finally arrived at the bottom and thankfully the weather cleared up. By the time, it also cleared from up above and we were joined by my friend. Overall, it was a worthwhile trek for such surreal views of the waterfall. If you do not want to trek all the way down, even staying at the viewpoint is enough. The actual view of the tiered waterfall and the green water is visible from the viewpoint only. Go to the bottom if you want to take a swim in the pool or get up close to the waterfall.

Lyngskiar falls and cave

On our return journey from Wei Sawdong we missed the first right due to heavy clouds and headed straight. Basically we were lost but we did not know yet. We discovered Lyngskiar falls by mistake as it was not on our itinerary. It was a happy mistake as this place was beautiful and worth the time.

Waterfall

There is a proper parking area and one or two restaurants near the entrance but they were closed when we were there. The entry fees was about ₹75 per person. There are three parts of the place- a garden and a peak view, waterfall view points and a cave network. We first explored the gardens and headed off to the left viewpoint. It was less crowded naturally as it offered the top view of the waterfall from behind. Since the view was not very appealing, we set off to the actual viewpoint which was around 200+ steps down. We trekked and found a much better view of the waterfall. It was a tiered waterfall which was quite magnificent in its own. But, having already been to wei sawdong, it looked less impressive.

Caves

This is a good place to spend some time as it is suited for every age group. After spending about 1-1.5 hours we returned. It was now that we realized that we were lost and started on our way back. Lost a lot of time in this. But finally arrived at Dainthlen falls.

Dainthlen Falls

You can either visit Dainthlen before going to Wei Sawdong or while returning from Wei Sawdong . It will depend on the route you take to explore this area and all the beautiful waterfalls here. A short walk from the parking of the Dainthlen falls is a river bed.

This is a flat rocky river bed around the waterfall surrounded with trees. There are many small pools on the flat rocky surface. They appear like small whirlpools in a river. You need to cross a narrow stream which actually forms the waterfall to reach the other side in order to get the front view of the fall. We had to open our shoes to get into the stream as there was sufficient water. The rocky flatbed surrounding the origin of the waterfall gave the impression that maybe at peak monsoon period, the entire area is covered in water streaming down from all sides. Maybe the viewpoint of the waterfall will be inaccessible during monsoons due to high amount of water in the river.

Dainthlen falls is a high waterfall (80m) with a straight drop into a rocky valley. It looks stunning from the viewpoint. The scale of its surrounding and the far distance of the viewpoint might takeaway the threatening nature of this waterfall. But, even then it appeared a dominating force in the set up. The surrounding area is also quite a view.

Depending on the time of the day, you may choose to spend time here. We strongly suggest to visit wei sawdong waterfall earlier because it is more interior.

Arwah caves

As we already mentioned, Meghalaya has some of the world’s longest caves. Exploring these caves need experience and enthusiasm. But not all caves need you to be an enthusiast. Our next stop was Arwah caves. We were just in time before the sunset or else it would be difficult to explore the caves. It closes by 5PM. Since the day we visited the place was cloudy and misty, even the path leading to the cave was not visible properly. The visibility might have been 20-30m. When we reached there, the entire setting made it a bit spooky. Like being on the sets of a scary movie. Check it out by yourself in the video below.

Complex

It is a properly developed place for tourists. The entry fee is ₹50 per adult. There are walkaways and viewpoints leading up to the cave entrance. There is also a small rugged trail section to give you that trekking feel. Overall not very difficult but do take precautions with kids and older people.

Interior of cave

This is a deep cave made of sunken rocks from limestone cliffs. You can find a number of plant and marine fossils on the inside walls. The cave is an amazement if you are big on exploring natural sculptures. The cave by itself is very narrow. In some sections you have to crouch down low to cross. However the floor is somewhat even and walkable. A water stream flows inside due to the water dripping from the top and in between the rocks. Added difficulty is the darkness inside making the slippery stones very dangerous. If possible, avoid taking young kids or older people inside as it will be difficult for them. You can wear shoes inside as they will not get wet except in monsoon season when the caves are filled with enough water to cover your feet. For more tips check out this post.

Nohsngithiang (Seven sisters) waterfall

Our next and final stop for the day was the famous seven sisters waterfall. This is a cluster of seven adjacent falls from the same rock-bed spread over kilometres. The waterfall falls into a canyon from a high point around 300m making it the fourth highest waterfall in India. The viewpoint is far away from the falls but just by the main roadside, so that tourists can get a complete view of all the 7 falls together. We arrived there just before sunset and such had been the day that we encountered clouds here as well. It seemed that all the clouds had gathered here for a farewell meeting before the day’s windup. Fortunately the clouds cleared up partially and we were able to clearly see five of the seven falls clearly and could make the remaining two.

We wonder if anyone has ever seen all the seven falls clearly. Anyway, there are many eateries around the place and some vendors selling fresh tea, steamed corn and momos. We spent the evening in this place having snacks and tea and roaming around aimlessly as our resort was quite near to the seven sisters waterfall.

Mawsmai Caves

Mawsmai caves are located near to the seven sisters waterfall. It stays open from 10AM to 5 PM. We started our next day from Cherrapunji to Dawki with Mawsmai caves. This a limestone cave with huge and clear stalactite and stalagmite formations. There are fossils on the walls here as well similar to Arwah caves. The structures with selective natural lights filtering through small openings in between the rocks or a collapsed top portion makes the cave very dramatic. It is longer, more complex and more interesting than Arwah caves. The cave is very narrow at places, dark and suffocating. At several places you need to crouch low or navigate between close lying rocks and cross a stream of water. According to us, it not advisable for small kids and older people. There may be breathing or suffocation issues. In non-monsoon months, the caves are comparatively drier so you can easily wear shoes to the caves. It takes about an hour in exploring the entire cave.

There is a small complex just outside the cave entrance with a number of small shops selling locally made handicraft items. You may visit several stores, check out the items and even buy something if you like. Firstly, the items are well priced and secondly, it would a good thig to encourage local craftsmanship. We found some unique bamboo works in the shops apart from the regular items available in each shop. Bamboo vases, decorative pieces, artificial bamboo flowers, animals, statues and art displays are some of the artefacts for sale. There were some fresh fruit and food stalls also.

Nohkalikai waterfalls

This was the most gorgeous waterfall we visited in Meghalaya. It is easily accessible by road just half an hour drive from Cherrapunji. There is a huge parking area leading up to the viewpoint. The viewpoint is also conveniently located with a large fenced gallery area from where the waterfall can be seen very clearly (provided there are no clouds which seldom is the case in Meghalaya). This waterfall has an interesting but tragic background story as well for its name. A girl named Ka Likai jumped from this place as she came to know that her jealous husband had killed her daughter and made Likai eat her flesh.

Waterfall

This waterfall plunges from a height of 340m into a green pool. It is the third highest waterfall in India and the highest single plunge waterfall in the country. Quite a remarkable feat and evidently so. The flow is said to be daunting during monsoons. We visited in October and still, the waterfall in its glory. It was covered in clouds when we arrived there. People had been waiting for half an hour at the place but the waterfall was not visible. We prayed to Gods for letting us view the waterfall as we had come here the previous day as well in the evening but the visibility was so bad that we left without seeing it. So this was our last chance on this trip. Maybe we prayed with pure hearts that no sooner we arrived there than the clouds were swept by a strong gust of winds and we were able to get a perfect view of the falls. All the people gathered and waiting let out a cheer and clap that the waterfall was now visible. We had our fill of the view until the clouds covered the waterfall again before we left.

Wah Caba Waterfalls

Wah Caba waterfall is another high waterfall in Cherrapunji. There is a small doable trek with properly barricaded and paved path from the entrance to the viewpoint of the main waterfall. Since, it lies right by the main road to Cherrapunji, the footfall is high here. Before arriving at the main viewpoint you will pass along several viewpoints offering beautiful views of the surrounding hills and valleys. There is a smaller waterfall en route which may be skipped.

The main waterfall starts modest with two three small tiers and then falls into a deep gorge whose base cannot be seen from the top. Following the fall of water to the depth made my head spin. It is nothing exuberant like the Nohkalikai or the Dainthlen but it is worth a visit. It will be absolutely fine if you skip the waterfall as well.

Nongriat Trek (Double decker bridge)

Nongriat is a regaion in Meghalaya near Cherrapunji that houses the world -amous double decker natural bridge. There are many natural bridges all across Meghalaya. But this one is unique because it is two storeyed. If you want to explore this place from Cherrapunji, it takes a full day for an average person to trek down and back up. If you are an athletic or fairly fit and active person you might take around 6 hours for trekking. You can explore another waterfall if you trek further 1 hr. The scary part of this trek is the 3000 odd steps that take you down to the bridge. You will find many medicinal herbs and plants on the way. Even some unique flora and fauna can be seen. It is absolutely not for everybody but an unforgettable experience that must definitely be had.