[vnabhi]

Guys

I am planning a short trip to Shillong by taking a morning flight from Calcutta on December 29th. I need to return to Hyderabad by 1st night. So please let me know what all I can see if I rent a car from Guwahati. I have 3 full days at hand.

I'd certainly like to see Shillong and Cherapunji (and that mystic waterfall that is around 1000 feet high---forgot the name.) Another place I would like to see is Dawki, but I know it is not close to Cherapunji. I need to be back in Gauhati to take the afternoon flight to Calcutta on Jan 1st.

Can any of you please provide inputs on places to see, stay and dine in? We are a family of 4 adults. I also need advice on which agency to rent a car from.

Thanks in advance.

[chiranjitp]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

I am planning a short trip to Shillong by taking a morning flight from Calcutta on December 29th. I need to return to Hyderabad by 1st night.
I'd certainly like to see Shillong and Cherapunji (and that mystic waterfall that is around 1000 feet high---forgot the name.) Another place I would like to see is Dawki, but I know it is not close to Cherapunji.

You can easily visit Dawki, it's only 80-90 km from both Shillong & Cherapunjee. Last year I made this trip, what we did was start from Guwahati early in the morning, then without stopping in Shillong directly went to Dawki. Then from Dawki we went to Cherapunjee for overnight stay, then next day back to Guwahati. Cherapunjee to Guwahati will take around 4-5 hours depending on traffic condition.

Can any of you please provide inputs on places to see, stay and dine in? We are a family of 4 adults. I also need advice on which agency to rent a car from.

For staying in Shillong there are many hotels & most of them can be booked on OYO, please confirm with the hotel whether they have parking facility or not. Cherapunjee has a relatively lesser number of places to stay compared to Shillong & most of them are not available on OYO, so you would need to call the hotel directly to make the booking. I would personally recommend Jiva Resort or Pala Resort, we stayed in Pala Resort last year & liked it very much.

As for renting a car from Guwahati, I would suggest Zoomcar, over the local rental companies. The roads in Meghalaya are in good enough condition, so you can choose any car you want.

Here's a photo of my ex Zen in Pala Resort, Cherapunjee:

[hothatchaway]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Guys

I am planning a short trip to Shillong by taking a morning flight from Calcutta on December 29th. I need to return to Hyderabad by 1st night. So please let me know what all I can see if I rent a car from Guwahati. I have 3 full days at hand.

I'd certainly like to see Shillong and Cherapunji (and that mystic waterfall that is around 1000 feet high---forgot the name.) Another place I would like to see is Dawki, but I know it is not close to Cherapunji. .

If your flight to guwahati is early in the morning, I suggest you drive onto cherrapunjee from the airport. The road to shillong is like a racetrack and can be done in a couple of easy hours. Beware that you are visiting at a very popular time and prior booking is a must. Decent accommodation in meghalaya is costly. Apart from the popular resorts found on MMT and other sites, there are a number of homestays on the outskirts of cherrapunjee especially on the route to Tyrna village. We drove around and found a place but given it's the new year holidays, it's best that you book in advance.

You must be referring to Nohkilakai falls in your post, chances are you will not find it when you visit as waterfalls are rainfed in meghalaya. There are other attractions like Mawsmai and Arwah caves and the sacred forest at mawphlang. I felt that just driving around the place is a bliss, the natural beauty is to be seen to be believed. We skipped dawki as it's overcrowded and did the punishing double decker and rainbow falls trek instead which takes a day to complete and half a week to recover from. If you do visit dawki, drive via jowai to enjoy the scenic route.

If you do go to dawki, you may want to stay overnight at mawlynnong village and drive back to shillong on 31st. It's not easy to get a good place in shillong at pocket friendly prices so book early and ensure they have parking. Police Bazar, which is the city centre, has a multilevel car park, but hotels in that area are either prohibitively expensive or charmless. Try Trattoria at police Bazar if you want to sample local cuisine. We could not as it was a Sunday and many places are closed in shillong on Sundays. We are at Barbeque Chinese restaurant on GS road in police Bazar or PB in local lingo and I recommend it. Else, Laitumkhrah district in shillong is full of happening joints. You will find it full of popular pubs and eateries.

You can plan to drive back to guwahati on the 1st to catch your flight.

[TheVaas]

Apologies for exhuming a dormant thread but had the following query:

Planning a North East trip from mid-December 2020 to mid Jan 2020. We will be doing the usual Guwahati - Shillong - Cherrapunjee - Kaziranga spots, but also wanted to visit Tawang and Mechuka in early Jan.

Google maps shows the Guwahati - Kalaktang - Bomdila - Dirang - Tawang (via Sela Pass) route. And for Mechuka it shows the Bomdila - Tezpur (or Itanagar) - Basar - Mechuka route. Is this the route to be taken? Is there any route that goes via Ziro (have heard a lot about Ziro Valley) to Mechuka?

Any other suggestions or 'concerns' are welcome! Thanks in advance.

[ABHI_1512]

Originally Posted by TheVaas

Apologies for exhuming a dormant thread but had the following query:

Planning a North East trip from mid-December 2020 to mid Jan 2020. We will be doing the usual Guwahati - Shillong - Cherrapunjee - Kaziranga spots, but also wanted to visit Tawang and Mechuka in early Jan.

Google maps shows the Guwahati - Kalaktang - Bomdila - Dirang - Tawang (via Sela Pass) route. And for Mechuka it shows the Bomdila - Tezpur (or Itanagar) - Basar - Mechuka route. Is this the route to be taken? Is there any route that goes via Ziro (have heard a lot about Ziro Valley)

Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh, both are closed for self-driven tourism for now. Arunachal Pradesh recently came with a circular about tourists though. For Arunachal, you need to prebook your holidays with any registered travel operator of the state and Covid restrictions like tests are mandatory.

Things might change by your travel dates but I am not that hopeful. The route through Orang- Kalaktang to Tawang is good as of now compared to the Bhalukpong route. Also, road towards Menchuka is in very bad shape specially while reaching Aalo. Ziro route is also perennially bad and it is also off route although you can make a detour through Potin road via Banderdewa to reach Ziro.

[TheVaas]

Originally Posted by ABHI_1512

Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh, both are closed for self-driven tourism for now. Arunachal Pradesh recently came with a circular about tourists though. For Arunachal, you need to prebook your holidays with any registered travel operator of the state and Covid restrictions like tests are mandatory.

Things might change by your travel dates but I am not that hopeful. The route through Orang- Kalaktang to Tawang is good as of now compared to the Bhalukpong route. Also, road towards Menchuka is in very bad shape specially while reaching Aalo. Ziro route is also perennially bad and it is also off route although you can make a detour through Potin road via Banderdewa to reach Ziro.

Thank you so much for this. Though our plans are still in 'planning stage', we had spoken to few travel agents, operators and hotels in Guwahati. They kinda gave us the impression that post Durga Puja everything will be opened up. But post your message I checked online and came across Arunachal's tourism SOPs - which you've rightly pointed out. Meghalaya's tourism SOP is still not out yet - and as you might again be right - December might still be teething phase for the states, especially since we were planning to ride/drive all the way.

Will post the update on this thread as and when I receive. Might be useful for others as well.

[kmadhok]

Hi,

We are in Guwahati for a wedding, planning to extend the trip to do some sight seeing as well. We are travelling with our 2 kids aged 6yrs and 10 yrs.
Planning the following

Thu - 8AM Drive from Guwahati to Dawki. Boat ride in Dawki, Arrive in Cherapunjee resort for the night
Friday - Double decker bridge and Rainbow waterfalls.
Sat - Rest/ Some more water falls around cherapunjee. Drive to Shillong.
Sun - Drive back to Guwahati for the flight back.

Does the itinerary seem dooable?
Being a little aggressive on the first day and light on the last day to make sure we have enough time to get to our flight by 2pm.

If we had to stay some place in Dawki to see some waterfalls there, any suggestions?

Also, MMT says Meghalya requires RTPCR for all tourists, even fully vaccinated. Anyone know the latest on this? Do they check on the drive? If this is needed and we wanted to avoid Meghalaya altogether, what are the other places we can visit within Assam?

-Shikhar

[goandude]

Originally Posted by kmadhok

Hi,

We are in Guwahati for a wedding, planning to extend the trip to do some sight seeing as well. We are travelling with our 2 kids aged 6yrs and 10 yrs.
Planning the following

Thu - 8AM Drive from Guwahati to Dawki. Boat ride in Dawki, Arrive in Cherapunjee resort for the night
Friday - Double decker bridge and Rainbow waterfalls.
Sat - Rest/ Some more water falls around cherapunjee. Drive to Shillong.
Sun - Drive back to Guwahati for the flight back.

Does the itinerary seem dooable?
Being a little aggressive on the first day and light on the last day to make sure we have enough time to get to our flight by 2pm.

If we had to stay some place in Dawki to see some waterfalls there, any suggestions?

Also, MMT says Meghalya requires RTPCR for all tourists, even fully vaccinated. Anyone know the latest on this? Do they check on the drive? If this is needed and we wanted to avoid Meghalaya altogether, what are the other places we can visit within Assam?

-Shikhar

Firstly it's very cold in Shillong. Temperature in single digit nowadays.
Guwahati to Dawki would take you 6 hours at least, roads are not good. Sun sets at 5 pm. Travel in dark on road to c'punjee on 2 lane would be slow. So bottom line is I think you will be pushing it. Suggest stop over at Shillong.
RTPCR is required on entry to Meghalaya.

[vijayols]

Also with 2 kids whether a trek to double decker bridge and below to rainbow falls depends whether they have walked before as the climb down and up in a day is tough .

[callvvijay]

Hello BHPians, Need some advice on Guwahati-Shillong-Kaziranga trip.

We - a group of 3 couples and 4 kids (two of them 3-year olds) are planning a 8-9 days trip starting from May-7th.

Here is my plan:
May-07th (Sat): Arrival in Guwahati in the morning; Visit Kamakhya temple; Proceed to Kaziranga
May-08th (Sun): Kaziranga
May-09th (Mon): Checkout and proceed to Shillong
May-10th (Tue): Shillong-Cheerapunji-Shillong
May-11th (Wed): Shillong-Jowai-Shnongpedeng-Dawki
May-12th (Thu): Dawki-Mawlynnong-Shillong
May-13th (Fri): Local sightseeing in Shillong
May-14th (Sat): Local sightseeing in Guwahati - Flight back to Chennai
May-15th (Sun): I can have my flight on this day as well if there is something else to cover

I have the following questions - and need some help here

1. As you see above, I still have May-15th available. Is there anything that I have to add to my itinerary?

2. Visiting Kaziranga on May7th-8th - I am reading that it would have started raining in May and the national park might get closed. What's your take on this? Secondly, we might move the whole plan by a week - that is, from May-14th (Sat) to May-21st (Sat). The same question applies for that week as well.

3. Cheerapunji - With two 3-year-olds and two 10-year olds, is the trek to Root-bridge doable? If not, what can I include on that day?

4. Kaziranga vs Manas vs Pobitora national park - I'm told that even if Kaziranga is closed, I might be able to visit Manas. How good are Pobitora and Manas

Lastly, is there anything that I'm missing here?

Thanks!

[mygodbole]

Kaziranga Park itself is closed from May 1 (https://www.kaziranga-national-park....to-visit.shtml)
Pobitora is close to Guwahati city, but facilities are pretty basic.
Cheerapunji without waterfalls may not be all that fun, except for the drive and the sights.
Manas should be open.
Kamakhya is extra busy on weekends and the road from the airport side has been completely dug up. Leave extra time (up to TWO hours) for travel. I passed through that area in December 2021 and the cab driver said he would NOT have taken that road after 7am. I landed in Guwahati at 6am.
If you can, budget some time at the Barapani lake on the Guwahati-Shillong highway.
If you want/can, visit Guwahati Zoo, but avoid weekends. It is the go-to place for families on weekends. See if you can take the Brahmaputra ropeway. Nothing much on the other side but the ropeway itself can be fun.
Hope this helps.

[callvvijay]

Thanks a ton, for your suggestions on those additional places.

This is the website I was looking at - KazirangaTourism.com And, it says that the closing date is mid-May

Originally Posted by mygodbole

Pobitora is close to Guwahati city, but facilities are pretty basic.

If Kaziranga is closed, I thought of going to Pobitora or Manas.

Originally Posted by mygodbole

Cheerapunji without waterfalls may not be all that fun, except for the drive and the sights.

When you say this, do you mean that we have to trek to the waterfall and it is not doable with kids? I didn't get your point.

In general, is it worthy to do the trip in May (either starting on 7th or 14th)?


Thanks!

[mygodbole]

The waterfalls peak during monsoon. It is raining in May so I suggest you ask whatever hotel you are staying at to advise you on the actual waterfall. And as with most waterfalls, yes, walking is involved since most parking spots are some distance away. It will be raining on and off, so carry an umbrella. Guwahati and Kaziranga/Pobitora/Manas will be well above 30C during the day and quite humid, the hills will be cooler.

[callvvijay]

Originally Posted by mygodbole

The waterfalls peak during monsoon. It is raining in May so I suggest you ask whatever hotel you are staying at to advise you on the actual waterfall. And as with most waterfalls, yes, walking is involved since most parking spots are some distance away.

Thank you. I had earlier mentioned that it would be 3 couples. Slowly, word spread in the family and it is now 5 couples (10 adults and 5 children). We have booked our flight tickets

While I would love to drive in those beautiful mountains, the majority of the folks said to hire a Tempo Traveler so that the kids will enjoy the company. Half-heartedly said yes.

We have made some changes and have tentatively arrived at the following plan now.

May-07th (Sat): Reach Guwahati by 11:30am; Visit Kamakhya temple (depends on the traffic / crowd at temple); Proceed to Manas
May-08th (Sun): Morning Jeep Safari and checkout to Shillong (will be reaching late to Shillong. So, Barapani cannot be covered on this day)
May-09th (Mon): Shillong sightseeing
May-10th (Tue): Shillong sightseeing
May-11th (Wed): Shillong - Jowai - Krangshuri - Dawki; Stay at Dawki
May-12th (Thu): Dawki - Mawlynnong - Cherrapunji; Stay at Cherrapunji
May-13th (Fri): Cherrapunji - Guwahati; Stay at Guwahati
May-14th (Sat): Local sightseeing in Guwahati - Flight back to Chennai at 1700hrs.

Not sure if we will be able to accommodate Guwahati zoo.

Any suggestions welcome!

Thanks!

[5252rpm]

Hi folks,

Need your advice on this trip plan.

- Flight to Guwahati
- Zoomcar : S-Cross
- Drive to Cherrapunji
- Cover locations around Cherrapunji

How are the roads in general? OK to visit around this time? Any places to avoid now?