Location · Oct - Apr
Root Bridges and Rain Country
Descend the 3,000 steps to the double-decker bridge, sleep in the gorge and cross the clear Umngot by boat
From US$2,188 per person
Overview
The Meghalaya plateau rises sharply from the Bangladesh plain, which is precisely why it drowns. Monsoon air hits a wall of sandstone and limestone and dumps itself on the southern slopes at Sohra and Mawsynram, where annual totals above 11,000 mm have been recorded. The same rock has been dissolved into some of the longest cave systems in Asia, and the gorges below hold deep subtropical forest.
The Khasi, Jaintia and Garo peoples are not Indo-Aryan and their languages are unrelated to Hindi; Khasi belongs to the Austroasiatic family, closer to Cambodian than to Bengali. Welsh Presbyterian and Catholic missions from the 1840s made the state largely Christian, and Khasi society remains matrilineal: property passes to the youngest daughter and children take the mother's clan name. Explained properly, it is one of the most interesting things here.
A Western visitor comes to walk. The double-decker root bridge at Nongriat is a 3,000-step descent into a gorge and a hard climb back, the Umngot at Dawki runs clear enough to see the riverbed under the boat, and Mawlynnong has been called Asia's cleanest village for twenty years. Shillong's bars play better guitar than anywhere in India.
Hand-held, every step
You travel as our guest, not as a booking number. One named person looks after you from the first video call to the drive back to the airport, and explains the meaning behind everything you are looking at.
In Meghalaya that matters most where the crowds are thickest and the customs least familiar.
- Airport welcome with a name board, a local SIM and your first rupees sorted
- One trip manager on WhatsApp for the whole journey, answering within the hour
- Guides who explain each ritual, dish and carving as you meet it
- Reserved, safe places at festivals rather than the crush
- A real part in a puja, a wedding or a family celebration if you want one
- Female guide on request, vetted drivers, and no shopping-commission stops
Festivals worth planning a trip around
Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Islamic dates follow lunar calendars, so each year shifts. We confirm every date against the panchang before a departure goes on sale.
| Festival | When | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Shad Suk Mynsiem | April | The Khasi thanksgiving dance in Shillong, with unmarried women in gold and silver and men circling them with swords, over three days |
| Nongkrem Dance | Oct-Nov | The Khasi state ritual at Smit, where the Syiem and high priestess preside over goat sacrifice and ceremonial dance for five days |
| Wangala, the Hundred Drums Festival | November | The Garo harvest festival in the western hills, with long drums, feathered headdresses and massed dancing |
| Behdienkhlam | Jul-Aug | The Jaintia monsoon festival at Jowai, where carved wooden posts are hauled through mud to drive out plague |
| Cherry Blossom Festival, Shillong | November | Himalayan cherry trees flowering across the city, marked with concerts, markets and a well-attended music line-up |
| Christmas and Carol Season | December | Carol singing in Khasi, Presbyterian and Catholic services, and lit-up villages across a largely Christian state |
| Shad Nongkrem at Garo and Jaintia villages | Apr-May | Smaller clan dances across the hills marking sowing, open to respectful visitors by arrangement |
| Strawberry and Autumn Festivals, Sohra belt | Feb-Mar | Local produce fairs in the southern villages, with Khasi food stalls, archery and folk singing |
Food to try in Meghalaya
Ranked the way a local host would feed you, starting with the dish you should not leave without.
- JadohRed rice cooked with pork and blood, the signature Khasi dish; eat it at a market jadoh stall in Shillong
- Doh khliehChopped boiled pork with onion, chilli and lime, served cold as a salad
- TungrymbaiFermented soybean pounded with sesame and chilli, pungent and genuinely local
- Doh jemPork offal cooked with black sesame, the dish that usually sits beside jadoh
- Putharo and pukhleinSteamed rice cakes and jaggery-fried rice bread, sold at morning markets
- Nakham bitchiA Garo soup of dried fish, fiercely hot, drunk at the start of a meal in the western hills
- Bamboo shoot with porkFermented shoot slow-cooked with fat pork, the hill kitchen's standby
- SohphlangA crisp root vegetable eaten raw with mustard and chilli, sold in bundles at Sohra markets
- KyatKhasi rice beer, offered at ceremonies and in village homes rather than in bars
- Khasi black tea with cloud honeyVillage tea with honey from the southern slopes, drunk on a verandah in the fog
Heritage sites in Meghalaya
- Living root bridges of the Khasi hillsFig roots trained across streams over decades, including the double-decker at Nongriat
- Nartiang MonolithsThe largest cluster of standing stones in the region, raised by Jaintia chiefs from the sixteenth century
- Mawphlang sacred forestA grove protected by Khasi ritual law for centuries, where nothing may be removed
- Mawjymbuin Cave, MawsynramA limestone chamber with a stalagmite shaped into a Shiva lingam, revered locally
- Krem Liat PrahThe longest known cave in India, in the Jaintia hills, still being surveyed by caving teams
- Don Bosco Museum, ShillongSeven floors on the cultures of the whole Northeast, the best museum in the region
- All Saints Cathedral and Presbyterian churchesThe Welsh and Catholic mission architecture that shaped Shillong from the 1840s
- Shillong Cantonment and Ward's LakeThe colonial hill station core, laid out when Shillong was capital of undivided Assam
- Garo village architecture, NokrekTraditional Garo longhouses near the UNESCO Nokrek Biosphere Reserve
- Syntung and Smit traditional housesThe thatched Khasi chief's house at Smit, where the Nongkrem ritual is held
Places to visit in Meghalaya
- ShillongThe hill capital, with markets, cathedrals, Don Bosco Museum and a serious live music circuit
- Sohra, formerly CherrapunjiThe rainfall town on the southern edge, with Nohkalikai Falls and cave systems below
- MawsynramThe rival wettest place on earth, 15 km west of Sohra as the crow flies and far further by road
- NongriatThe gorge village of the double-decker root bridge, reached by 3,000 steps down
- MawlynnongThe village called Asia's cleanest, with a sky walk and homestays
- DawkiThe border town on the Umngot river, where boats float over a visible riverbed
- MawphlangSacred forest and the start of the David Scott trail, a day's walk on an old British bridle path
- Jowai and the Jaintia hillsBehdienkhlam country, with Krang Suri falls and the Nartiang monoliths
- Tura and the Garo hillsThe western third of the state, with Nokrek Biosphere Reserve and Wangala drumming
- Laitlum CanyonsA grassland ridge-end above a vast gorge, 25 km from Shillong, usually above the cloud
Waterfalls, lakes and wild places
Falls are at full power from June to September and still strong but far safer in October and November, while the Umngot is only clear between November and April. Rock here is slick with algae all year, so stay behind barriers at the escarpment viewpoints and never wade above a lip.
- Nohkalikai FallsNear Sohra, India's tallest plunge waterfall at about 340 m, dropping into a green pool
- Seven Sisters FallsA row of parallel falls off the Sohra escarpment, spectacular in and just after the monsoon
- Umngot river at DawkiGlass-clear water in the dry season, where boats appear to hang above the stones
- Krang Suri FallsIn the Jaintia hills near Jowai, a wide curtain into a blue pool you can swim in
- Wei Sawdong FallsA three-tier fall below Sohra reached by a steep bamboo ladder descent
- Umiam LakeA large reservoir 15 km north of Shillong, with boating and viewpoints on the Guwahati road
- Dainthlen FallsA broad fall over flat rock near Sohra, with Khasi serpent legends attached
- Rainbow FallsBeyond Nongriat, an hour further on foot, with a permanent rainbow in morning light
Where to stay in Meghalaya
Properties we would put our own guests in. Your package includes the level you choose, and we hold rooms before festival dates.
- Ri Kynjai Serenity by the LakeUmiam Lake, Khasi-styled cottages on a wooded slope above the waterUpscale
- The Heritage Club Tripura CastleShillong, a former Tripura royal summer house on a hillside above the cityHeritage
- Pinewood HotelShillong, a 1920s hill station hotel in the old cantonment, full of period detailHeritage
- Polo Orchid Resort, SohraPerched on the Sohra escarpment with gorge-facing roomsUpscale
- Jiva ResortSohra, comfortable cottages close to the falls and cave routesMid-range
- Cherrapunjee Holiday ResortLaitkynsew near the root bridge trailheads, run by the family who promoted the bridgesMid-range
- Hotel Centre PointPolice Bazar, Shillong, the long-standing central city hotelMid-range
- Homestays in Khasi villagesMawlynnong, Kongthong and Nongriat, arranged through local families with shared facilitiesMid-range
- Sa-I-Mika ResortSohra, cottages and stone huts in a garden near the Mawsmai cavesMid-range
- Guesthouses in TuraSimple but reliable town accommodation for the Garo hills, booked individuallyMid-range
Evenings out and culture
| Place | What it is |
|---|---|
| Shillong live music venues | Cafes and bars around Laitumkhrah and Police Bazar where blues, rock and gospel-trained singers play most nights |
| Shillong Chamber Choir performances | The city's internationally known choir performs when in town, worth timing a trip around |
| Khasi folk evenings at Mawphlang | Duitara and drum performances in the village beside the sacred forest, arranged in advance |
| Cherry Blossom Festival concerts | November's main music event, with Indian and international acts in the city |
| Church carol services | December singing in Khasi in Presbyterian and Catholic churches, open to visitors and genuinely moving |
| Bamboo dance and Garo drumming at Tura | Wangala-season performance in the western hills, with the hundred drums |
| Note on alcohol | Meghalaya is not dry, and Shillong has a real bar scene, but Sunday is quiet across this largely Christian state |
Getting to Meghalaya by air
| Airport or route | Detail |
|---|---|
| Guwahati (GAU) | The gateway, 3 hours by road from Shillong on a good four-lane highway with a lake stop |
| Shillong Umroi (SHL) | 30 km from the city, with small aircraft from Kolkata and Guwahati; schedules change frequently |
| From the USA | A US gateway to Delhi, Delhi to Guwahati in 2h 30m, then the road up; an overnight in Guwahati is sensible |
| From the UK and Europe | London, Frankfurt or Amsterdam to Kolkata, 70 minutes on to Guwahati, then the three hour drive |
| Helicopter Guwahati to Shillong | A short state-run service of about 25 minutes, useful but frequently cancelled for weather |
| Road distances | Shillong to Sohra 2 hours, to Dawki 3 hours 30 minutes, to Tura 10 hours, to Jowai 90 minutes |
Trains and road to Meghalaya
| Route or station | Detail |
|---|---|
| Guwahati Junction (GHY) | The nearest major railhead, with the road to Shillong starting from there |
| Mendipathar (MDPR) | Meghalaya's only railway station, in the Garo hills, with a link to Guwahati |
| Delhi to Guwahati by Rajdhani | About 30 hours, then three hours by car to Shillong |
| Kolkata to Guwahati overnight | Around 22 hours on the Saraighat Express before the hill drive |
| Note on rail | The state has effectively no passenger network, so plan on flying to Guwahati and driving up |
Weather, seasons and best time to visit Meghalaya
October to April is the practical window, with October and November giving full waterfalls and clear skies at once, and December to February coldest at 4 to 18°C. Avoid June to August, when rainfall is measured in metres and roads slide away.
| Months | Season | Day temperature | What to expect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov-Feb | Cold and clear | 4-18°C / 39-64°F | Pine-sharp air, frost on high ridges, the clearest Umngot water and the best long views |
| Mar-Apr | Spring | 12-24°C / 54-75°F | Orchids and cherry-adjacent blossom, Shad Suk Mynsiem dancing, occasional hail |
| May-Sep | Extreme monsoon | 17-24°C / 63-75°F | The world's heaviest rain, landslides, closed trails and falls at their most dramatic |
| Oct | Post-monsoon | 14-23°C / 57-73°F | Rain easing, falls still full, trails reopening and the greenest month of the year |
Meghalaya tour packages
Per person, twin sharing, excluding international flights. Hotels, private transport, guides, entries, your trip manager and 24-hour support are included.
Tradition · Oct - Apr
Matrilineal Hills and Sacred Forests
Walk the David Scott trail with a Khasi historian and stay in the whistling village where children are given tunes
From US$2,000 per person
Festival · Fixed dates - Oct 2027
Nongkrem Dance at Smit
Attend the Khasi state ritual at the chief's thatched house, then two days in the rain country below
From US$1,812 per person
Wellness · Oct - Mar
Caves, Canyons and Cloud Walking
Caving at Mawmluh, a swim under Krang Suri falls and dawn on the Laitlum ridge above the cloud line
From US$1,938 per person
Food & wine · Oct - Apr
Jadoh, Honey and Rice Beer
Market cooking with a Khasi family, cloud honey tasting on the southern slopes and kyat in a village home
From US$1,625 per person
Season · Nov - Mar
Garo Hills and Hundred Drums
The state's least visited third, with Wangala drumming, Nokrek forest and the rain belt to finish
From US$2,500 per person
Take part, don't just watch
Add any of these to a tour. A host stays beside you and tells you what is happening and why it is done that way.
Building a root bridge with a Khasi family
In a gorge village a household that maintains three bridges shows you how fig roots are guided across bamboo scaffolding and tied, a job measured in decades not seasons. You add a strand yourself to a bridge that will be load-bearing long after you are gone.
A walk through Mawphlang's sacred forest
A Khasi elder who holds ritual authority over the grove takes you in, explains why no leaf may be carried out, and points out the monoliths where clan sacrifices were made. The forest's floor, untouched for centuries, is nothing like the hills around it.
Learning your tune in Kongthong
In the whistling village every child is given a melody instead of a called name, and mothers summon their children across the valley by singing. The family hosting you composes a short tune for you and teaches you to call their son home with it.
Sunday singing in a Khasi church
A Presbyterian congregation in the hills welcomes you into a service sung entirely in Khasi, in four-part harmony that the Welsh missions left behind. Afterwards the deacon's family takes you home for rice, pork and an honest conversation about faith in these hills.
Questions travellers ask about Meghalaya
Why should I visit Meghalaya?
Because Khasi villagers grow their bridges. Fig roots trained over decades carry people across gorge streams, including the famous double-decker at Nongriat, and nothing else in the world looks like it. Add record rainfall, Asia's longest caves, a matrilineal society and the best live music in India, and it is unlike any other Indian state.
When is the best time to visit Meghalaya?
October to April. October and November are ideal: 14 to 23°C, waterfalls still in spate and skies clearing. December to February are cold at 4 to 18°C with the clearest Umngot water. Avoid June to August, when the southern slopes take several metres of rain and landslides cut roads regularly.
Is Meghalaya safe for travellers, including solo women?
Yes, notably so. In a matrilineal society women are visible and confident in public life, and foreign women report Shillong and the villages as among the easiest places in India to travel alone. The real hazards are physical: wet rock, unfenced escarpments and long descents, so wear proper footwear and keep to marked paths.
Do US, UK or EU citizens need a permit for Meghalaya?
No permit is normally required for foreign visitors to Meghalaya, as with Assam and Tripura. You need an Indian tourist e-Visa, which covers US, UK and EU nationals and takes three to four weeks. Neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur do require permits, so confirm with us if your route crosses over.
What do Meghalaya tours cost?
Our ground costs range from around US$1,300 for five nights of Khasi food and village stays to US$2,000 for eight nights including the Garo hills, per person sharing. The figure covers hotels and homestays, a private vehicle with a hill driver, village and trail guides, entries, boats and caving support. Flights and visa are extra.
How many days do I need in Meghalaya?
Six nights is the sensible minimum: two in Shillong, two in the Sohra rain belt, one in the gorge at Nongriat and one at Dawki or Mawlynnong. Eight to ten nights adds Jowai, Laitlum and a proper night in a village homestay. The Garo hills need a further three because of the drive.
How hard is the walk to the double-decker root bridge?
It is roughly 3,000 steps down into the Nongriat gorge and the same back up, two to three hours each way, on wet uneven stone with no vehicle access. Fit walkers manage it comfortably; knees complain on the return. We strongly suggest sleeping in the gorge overnight rather than doing both directions in one day.
What is Khasi food like, and can vegetarians cope?
Khasi cooking is pork-centred and only moderately hot, with jadoh rice, boiled pork salads and fermented soybean as the mainstays. Vegetarians need a little management, since even rice is often cooked with meat stock, but we brief kitchens and village hosts in advance and there is good vegetable, potato and sohphlang eating.
Is Meghalaya a Christian state, and does that affect travel?
Largely yes, following Welsh Presbyterian and Catholic missions from the 1840s, and it shapes the week: Sunday is for church, many shops close and village tourism slows right down. Visitors are genuinely welcome at services, where the Khasi four-part singing is remarkable. Build Sunday into your itinerary as a quiet day rather than a driving one.
Which festival should I plan my Meghalaya trip around?
Nongkrem Dance at Smit in October or November is the serious one, a five day Khasi state ritual at the chief's thatched house with sacrifice and ceremonial dance. Shad Suk Mynsiem in April is the big thanksgiving dance in Shillong. For music rather than ritual, November's Cherry Blossom Festival fills the city with concerts.
Cities and towns in Meghalaya
Each has a full guide of its own, with its own food, heritage, hotels, trains and tours.