[nikhil.neon]

Last proper road trip was a long time ago, back in 2015 - blogged here: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...eh-ladakh.html (XUV500: Road Trip from Delhi to Leh-Ladakh). A long gap and a pandemic later, it was Meghalaya this time as it suited well on a one-week timeline.
With Shillong as base, broad plan, Surat to Surat, was as follows:

Day 1: Surat to Mumbai (Drop the cats at foster home)
Day 2: Fly to Guwahati, drive and to Shillong (Zoom-Car)
Day 3: Mawphlāng - Sacred Forest | Wei Sawdong | Janailar Falls | Garden of Caves | NohKaLikai Falls
Day 4: Mawryngkhang Trek (Bamboo Trail)
Day 5: Boating @ Darrang | Shnongpdeng | Dawki (Bangladesh Border)
Day 6: Drive to Tyrna| Trek to Rainbow Falls | Blue Lagoon | Home Stay at Nongriat for the night
Day 7: Double Decker Living Root Bridge | Trek up to Tyrna | NohKaLikai Falls | Drive back to Guwahati
Day 8: Fly to Mumbai | Drive to Surat

This was in no way an exhaustive tour of Meghalaya. Goal was to go easy and cover places at our own pace. Early November offers a pleasant weather, greenery and plenty of waterfalls that are yet to go dry post monsoon. Come December, Meghalaya gets drier.
Temperatures in Nov in and around Shillong are between 10-25 deg C.

Distance clocked (by road): ~1100 Kms in Meghalaya, ~560Kms - Surat to Mumbai (To & Fro)

Folks: Me, Wife and my SIL

Pets: My 2 cats, Foxy and Tora, despite persistent requests, choose to relax at a Foster Home in Mumbai and did not join us further.


Cars:
Surat to Mumbai : 2016 Ford Figo Tdci
Guwahati Onwards : Creta Diesel (Zoom-car)

Zoomcar experience:
Going by the latest reviews in the forum, I was prepared for the worse. Few alternatives to Zoom car were available at Guwahati. Decided to take my chances and booked a Swift to keep my risk at a minimum. One day before the booking start, got a call from Zoomcar informing that Swift was down for maintainance and I would be provided a free upgrade to either an Ecosport or Creta. Chose Creta as i was familiar with the Ecosport diesel and wanted to try something different.

Pickup coordinates were provided few hrs before the trip start (thru app & sms) which was a multilevel parking in the heart of Guwahati City. A Zoomcar representative was available and helped me with the formalities. The KA registered Creta with about 1,17,000 Kms on the odo was waiting. Exteriors had many minor dents & scratches while the interiors were clean and mechanicals, tires, spares etc. were in good shape. Zoomcar App preloaded the car’s condition sparing me the trouble of bringing it to their notice. Fuel was at 30%. Post pickup, received a message about speed governor in the car limiting it’s speed to 80 Kmph. In this part of the country that’s good enough as I rarely exceed the limit. Out of curiosity I tested the limit a few times and did not feel any restriction. . Drop was equally seamless with no questions asked. I had returned the car with about 25% Fuel but wasn’t charged for the difference either.

Overall, a pleasant experience. I would not mind returning to Zoomcar again.

Day 1: Surat to Mumbai
Mumbai is a smooth 5 hr drive from Surat. My Cats are accustomed to car travel as this was their third time. While in car, they go into the cat basket placed on the rear seat and secured with mid seat belts. I do not let them out while in the car as cats could end up anywhere with their elusive nature and curiosity. After about 20 minutes of complaints, they slept well during the rest of the journey. 4 hrs. later we were on Ghodbunder road, luckily, not having to wait at the Fountain hotel Jn 30-45 min delay is the usual norm. Dropped the cats to the Foster home at Thane, and proceeded to my Aunt’s place for overnight stay. Next day's flight was early and we had to start at 4 am for Airport.

Day 2: Fly Mumbai to Guwahati, drive to Shillong
Cab showed up early and we were on time at the Airport. Had to endure some waiting as Indigo flew from T2 and international flyers were in good numbers that morning. Baggage drops, security checks, and a good breakfast later, we were on our flight to Guwahati. Some reading and napping later, landed and drove to Zoomcar pickup location, completed the formalities, loaded the luggage, and drove to have lunch at Missing Kitchen in Ghuwati. The place has good reviews and is a modest setup where local food is served in traditional thalis. Tried a (tiny) sample of Bhoot Jolokia which is a part of the standard sides served. Bhoot Jolokia or Ghost pepper is a chilly grown in the region, which In 2007 the Guinness World Records, certified as the world's hottest chili pepper, 170 times hotter than Tabasco sauce. On a Scoville scale that measures the hotness of a chilly, this scores between 850,000 to 1,000,000 while a typical chilly would score around 10,000 tops!. It crawls down the throat like a fireball.


Food in this part of the country is served in large portions. Typically, 1 plate is good for 2. After a sumptuous lunch, were on our way to Shillong.

Ghuwati to Shillong a 100 km drive on NH6. Roads are in good shape with sparse traffic and offer gradients, slopes, & curves - a pleasantly engaging drive. Had to stop at Meghalaya border to register entry on the Mehgalaya Tourism App, post which, a permit was issued. (Vaccination or an RTPCR -ve report was a must, process took about 45 min due to poor network). From here, first stop at the Umiam Lake close to Shillong which offers a good view and photography spots. It is popular among locals as a evening hangout. Elevated walkways and tree houses at the place offer scenic view of the landscape.



After spending about an hour, drove to our AirBnB at Shillong. On a Sunday evening, Shillong is peaceful with most places closing early including restaurants that close by 8 pm. Google maps led us through narrow serpentine roads, and we were at the destination by 5:30 pm. In the East, sun sets early and 5pm feels like 8 pm in the West. It is important to start early and end early as post 4:30 pm, most places in Meghalaya close due to requirement of daylight. Temperature during the night range between 12-14 deg C.

We had booked The Garden at Langkyrding, Golf Links (AirBnB) and our “Superhost” was very helpful and provided valuable insights that helped fine-tune our itinerary over the coming days. Place was lavish with refrigerator stocked with fresh fruits, chopped veggies and an attached kitchen to self-cook meals / breakfast. As we were mostly traveling, we did not get to spend time at this beautiful place.

https://youtu.be/0JIPiUnVBB8

As restaurants were due to close soon, we ordered dinner online through Netfoodish, the local equivalent of Zomato. (Swiggy does work).
After a day long travel, we were deprived of sleep and hit the bed early.

Day 3: Mawphlāng - Sacred Forest | Wei Sawdong | Janailar Falls | Garden of Caves | NohKaLikai Falls
Day started with a self made breakfast of omelets, toast, muffins and coffee.

Were ready to hit the roads by 8 am. By then morning traffic was buzzing, majority of it in the opposite direction towards the city. Our first stop was Mawphlang Sacred Grove, 27 kms from Shillong. Could make it out of the city comfortably. Most state roads here are two lane with traffic following each other and little opportunity to overtake. Villagers around Shillong commute daily to the Shillong market and return in the evening. 80% of the cars are A segment cars, largely 800s in immaculate condition. Generous upsizing of wheels and mods - some tasteful, some whacky, is a common sight.

A related post on the forum on Shillong car culture is already on the forum here:https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...-shillong.html (Pics: The Car Culture in Shillong)

About one hour's drive and a wrong turn and a u-turn later, we arrived at the sacred forest. We did not opt for the forest hike as we wanted to spend more time at other places planned during the day. Some quick clicks later we were on our way to Wei Sawdong Waterfall.


Wei Sawdong situated on the outskirts of Cherrapunjee, is a three-tier waterfall. A 15-20 min descent takes you down to it’s base.
Along the way there is a viewpoint where the waterfall can be seen in it’s entirety, a mesmerizing play of blue water with the greenery around.


Descend further and the base of the falls is equally beautiful.

We spent quite some time here and met a solo traveler from Bangalore who recommended Janailar Falls which we decided to proceed next. Idea was to avoid the routine places and the rush and enjoy the calm instead. Janailar falls is about 5 kms from Wei Sawdong and is less frequented by tourists.

Jalinar Falls (below): We had the place all to ourself and spent a good 30 min relaxing amidst the natural bliss.



It was 3:30pm already and we were running short of time with two more places to cover. Drove to Garden of Caves which is a trail along a collection of caves. We were not too keen to spend time here as the place lacked natural touch and was more like a regular tourist hangout. We covered the trail quickly but could not make it to NohKaLikai Falls by sundown though it was just 16 kms. Decided to head back and have dinner at a good place in Shillong. On our way, browsed through few restaurant reviews and zeroed in on few options.

While we expected to reach Shillong by 7, we actually ended-up circling around thanks to Google-maps which does not get Shillong traffic and it’s roads right, constantly leading us through narrow by-lanes and sometimes dead-ends. A lot of traffic and reversing and U-turns later we decided to skip the restaurant plan and headed to our AirBnB. Dinner was ordered online.

In Shillong, I would happily trade a Creta for an 800 If I had to endure the roads on a daily basis. Narrow Serpentine roads, Massive gradients, Stop and Go traffic and Nonexistent Parking - all of these are a daily affair during peak hours. People drive sensibly but the infrastructure just doesn’t exist and crawling traffic is the way. If you plan to explore Shillong market or its popular restaurants, leave your car behind and take a taxi or better walk in the central market areas.

Day 4: Mawryngkhang Trek (Bamboo Trail)
While original plan was to visit Dawki on Day-4, we swapped it with Day-5 and do the Bamboo Trail instead. This meant less driving and an easy schedule. Bamboo Trail (Mawryngkhang Trek) is 53 kms from Shillong. It's is a 3 kms trek (one-way) through numerous bamboo bridges that cross over blue water lagoons, greenery and places that offer beautiful view of the valley.

Start of the bamboo trail:


One of the many bamboo bridges along the trail:


Along the trail, there are few local shops sell water, cold drinks, biscuits, chocolates etc.


A little friend along the way:


This waterfall, a slight de-tour from the trail is not to be missed. The place with it's roaring falls and the view of valley is a splendid experience.
Typical to the region, water was turquoise and with the greenery around, it's a treat to the eyes.


Some sections of the trail are literally on the edge of the cliff and walking over them is a thrilling experience. Those with acrophobia might find it challenging.


Notice my foot at the edge of the bridge. Though made of bamboo, this section of the trail is re-enforced with concrete pillars under the structure.

Literally walk on the edge at a few places:


More views of the valley:



About 75% into the trail, a viewpoint gives a good 180 deg view. From here, end of the trail, which is a rock at a lower elevation can be spotted.


Stairs leading to the rock which marks the end of the trail - quite a steep climb.
Stairway to heaven!


About 3 hours and plenty of clicks later, headed back to Shillong. Plan was to be in Shillong by 5pm to beat the peak traffic and make it to Police bazar, the heart of Shillong where most of the restaurants are. While we reached the city outskirts early, same cycle of getting stuck in the traffic and finding a place to park went on, finally ending up with dinner being order food online.

Day 5: Boating @ Darrang | Shnongpdeng | Dawki (Bangladesh Border)
With long drive ahead, started the day early at 7 am. With instructions from our host, took a detour via the state highway which is broader and sees less traffic. The drive was blissful barring initial few kms of Shillong city roads that were very steep and narrow. Arrived at our first stop - Krang Suri Falls – A short waterfall with a rich blue lagoon.


We could get close and take some under water shots before heading to next stop - Shnowpedong.
This is at the Bangladesh border. Last 10-15kms is a single lane due to long line of truckers blocking a lane while they wait to cross border. Mostly loaded with stones, they wait for clearance - a long wait indeed.

[nikhil.neon]

At Shnowpedong, River Dwaki with it’s clear water is the highlight. Boats in the river appear to be held in air due to clear shallow water. Spent good 2 hrs boating at Darrang, about a km before Shnowpedong.



Drove to Snowpeding where a cable bridge across the river provides an aerial view.



Plenty of Local boats pass underneath provide fantastic photographic opportunities. Carry your drone here for some amazing shots during boating.


Water is clear enough to spot fishes from over 20 mtr high bridge. A zip-line across the river is also available, but is not high enough for the thrill. There are several camp sites along the river to spend the night in tents.

We made it just in time to the Bangladesh border to enjoy the sunset.

There is hardly any demarcation at the border - one might cross the boundary without noticing. Local vendors offer food and refreshments.
Post sunset, drove back to Shillong. Roads were mostly foggy with some small clear patches presenting good opportunity for star gazing. Took some time to watch the sky. By the time we neared Shillong, traffic was low and could easily make it to our Air-BnB.

Day 6: Drive to Tyrna | Trek to Nongriat | Rainbow Falls | Blue Lagoon | Home Stay at Nongriat for the night
We checked out of Shillong AirBnB and drove to Tyrna village where we had planned to park the car overnight.

At the Air-BnB, loaded and ready to drive:


At Tyrna village parking:

All drive and no wash makes jack a dirty car
Spotted 2 other zoom cars here .

Plan was was to descend to Nongriat village and book a home stay for the night. As we weren’t sure about the quality of these stays, decided to check it out rather than book in advance. Though route was well marked, took a local guide along as a help in finding a good accommodation. Most blogs we checked had suggested 1.5–2 hrs for the downward trail, however, having started late, we moved quickly as it gets harder to spot the Rainbow @ Rainbow falls post 3 pm. We could make it to Nongriat in under an hour.

Some scenes along the trail to Nongriat:




Root Bridges:


Cable Bridges:


At Nongriat village, we checked the Serene Homestay which was neat and clean. It’s managed by one Mr (Bro) Byron who is very friendly and enthusiastic. He was quick to show us our room where we dropped our stuff and proceeded to Rainbow falls.

Serene Homestay:


The living root bridge is hardly 5 min walk form the homestay and is on the way to rainbow falls. As we were to stay overnight, planned to visit it next day early. Trek to Rainbow falls was moderate. Ideal window is 8AM to 3:00 PM with maximum probability of spotting Rainbow. We made it around 2:30 PM but cloudy weather did not allow rainbow formation. Nevertheless, the falls does not fail to mesmerize.


As we had skipped lunch, made it up with some fruits and cakes and headed to blue lagoon with is en route with a slight detour.
Our guide insisted not to miss this place and it turned out to be a splendid experience.

Scenic view at the blue lagoon:


After about good 2 hrs, returned to the homestay where dinner was served at 7 pm - a buffet of basic dal, rice , sabji & papad.
After a tiring day, the food though basic tasted delicious and was exactly what we needed.

Day 7: Double Decker Living Root Bridge | Trek up to Tyrna | NohKaLikai Falls | Drive back to Guwahati
At 6 am we were at the Double Dekker Living Root Bridge. This is one of the must-visit spot in Meghalaya with a 2-level root bridge. The Khasi people of Meghalaya are known for their skill of guiding the pliable roots of the Ficus elastica tree across a stream or river, and then allowing the roots to grow and strengthen over time until they can hold the weight of a human being. The young roots are sometimes tied or twisted together and are often encouraged to combine with one another via the process of inosculation. As they are made from living, growing organisms, the useful lifespan can last for many hundreds of years. If the tree from which it is formed remains healthy, the bridge will naturally self-renew and self-strengthen as its component roots grow thicker.

Spent an hour at the bridge and headed back to our home stay for breakfast. Some Maggie and coffee later, we were on our way back climbing to Terna Village. Took us about an hour. Basically, if you are fit enough to do 10K run in an hr, this trail is a catwalk.


On way to Guwahati, we decided to cover Nohkalikai falls which we missed on Day 3. In the month of November, the water begins to dry as it’s majorly fed by the rain. Reached the Nohkalikai viewpoint by 10am. Panoramic view of the valley combined with the falls is a beautiful sight and i can only imagine how impressive it would be in it's full glory in the monsoons.


After a quick lunch stop at a random Dhaba, continued further and reached Guhawati around 5pm. Due to an early flight next day, we had booked our stay close to the Airport which is 30 km out of Ghuwati city. Dropped the luggage and drove back to the city to drop the car. Spent the rest of the evening at Terra Maya – one of the famous places for good food, drinks and music.

Day 8: Fly to Mumbai | Drive to Surat
Missing our pets for a week, we were looking forward to the return. Flight was on time and we are in Mumbai by 10AM. Picked up my car, pick up cats and drive to Surat. Highway traffic was low due to the Diwali holidays and we could reach in under 5 hours.

Hope you enjoyed the read.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[kiran_aithal]

Very well written Nikhil! And the amazing photos do a lot of talking too.
Thanks for the detailed description of the roads, traffic, stay and the places visited.

[IP_Man]

Excellent travelog and mesmerising photographs.

I'm curious, how this beaten up Creta performed through out of your journey.

[petrogeek]

Very nice and crisp travelogue. To come all the way from Surat and cover most of the popular tourist spots in Meghalaya is commendable. I stay in Shillong by the way. While the A segment cars dominate, I wish you had a chance to see some of the tastefully done 4X4s- Gypsys, Thars, ISUZU. Shillong is big on mods, though i doubt this extends to the mechanicals of the vehicle, or engine mods.

What you have covered is the Eastern part of Meghalaya- the Khasi and Jaintia Hills districts. There is also the Western part of Meghalaya- the Garo Hills district which rarely gets mention except in a few places. The biggest town there is Tura which is roughly 220 Km from Guwahati Airport - around 5 hours drive. Roads are great. From Tura, you could cover the Balpakram National Park, Nokrek Peak, Wari Chora falls and many many more.
These are pristine nature hotspots and well worth the travel.

[JoshMachine]

Superb travelogue Nikhil
Absolutely smashing pics, that of the waterfalls and the beautiful lagoons nearby!

Didn't know so much about the natural beauty, exists in Meghalaya. Pretty awesome, thanks for bringing to us!

[nikhil.neon]

Originally Posted by IP_Man

Excellent travelog and mesmerising photographs.

I'm curious, how this beaten up Creta performed through out of your journey.

Thanks. .
Creta was mechanically in good shape. Took it through all kinds of roads without issues. It did rattle a little but that's acceptable given it's mileage and the use case.

Originally Posted by petrogeek

What you have covered is the Eastern part of Meghalaya- the Khasi and Jaintia Hills districts. There is also the Western part of Meghalaya- the Garo Hills district which rarely gets mention except in a few places. The biggest town there is Tura which is roughly 220 Km from Guwahati Airport - around 5 hours drive. Roads are great. From Tura, you could cover the Balpakram National Park, Nokrek Peak, Wari Chora falls and many many more.
These are pristine nature hotspots and well worth the travel.

Thanks for this information, found little mention of it in most online blogs. We were pressed for time during this trip. Much of north east remains to be seen, looking forward to cover western Meghalaya next time.

NOTE FROM T-BHP SUPPORT: Please use the QUOTE+ & EDIT functions within 30 minutes of submitting your first post. Do not submit one post after another (back-to-back/consecutive posts). Thank you for your anticipated cooperation in this regard.

[noopster]

@nikhil.neon, this is a lovely travelogue with some great pics! The only exposure I've had to the North East is a 3-day trip to Gangtok, Sikkim in 1998 just before graduation. It was incredible and I want to see more of that beautiful part of our country. With Zoomcar, I guess it becomes much easier, so will plan a trip soon.

I checked with a friend who is a Guwahati native and in addition to the places you mentioned he said to try and cover Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh as well. Plus in Assam, he recommended Kaziranga and Majuli. What were some of the other places you considered but didn't visit?

Originally Posted by petrogeek

What you have covered is the Eastern part of Meghalaya- the Khasi and Jaintia Hills districts. There is also the Western part of Meghalaya- the Garo Hills district which rarely gets mention except in a few places. The biggest town there is Tura which is roughly 220 Km from Guwahati Airport - around 5 hours drive. Roads are great. From Tura, you could cover the Balpakram National Park, Nokrek Peak, Wari Chora falls and many many more.
These are pristine nature hotspots and well worth the travel.

Is it better to cover Shillong/Cherrapunji in one trip then retun to Guwahati and do Tura++ or is there a good road coverage from Shillong to Tura as well?

[petrogeek]

Originally Posted by noopster

Is it better to cover Shillong/Cherrapunji in one trip then retun to Guwahati and do Tura++ or is there a good road coverage from Shillong to Tura as well?

You can do Guwahati-Tura- Shillong (Via Nongstoin i.e. NH217) or vice versa .

NH217 has winding roads in excellent condition, some may find it dizzying if not used to such roads!

There is an excellent travelogue on You tube by a man called Will Sangma from Garo Hills. You can check it out.

https://youtu.be/xkgpfJxzJOQ?t=469

[MadSnapper]

Nikhil Ji, thanks a ton for the pics and the t-logue. it was an amazing read and I know it'll come in handy when I visit the NE some time mid next year. Sikkim and Meghalaya for sure. The only problem is - I'm not sure of the wisdom behind my bike trip next year as I plan to do it solo on my Himalayan. This T-logue has been a revelation. Extremely well-written. Kudos once again....

[Naztone]

Thank you for sharing, nicely written with some spectacular snaps too.

Meghalaya is now next on my visit list, the information you and petrogeek have shared will sure come in handy

[Archisman]

Wonderful pics. I have fond memories of Meghalaya trip taken few years back.

Just a small nitpick- Why spell Guwahati wrong in all places?

[Tokengrip]

Nice write-up about your trip. I just did a road trip through Meghalaya in November. But I rented my car through a rental agency called Fufu Gaadi. They are a Guwahati based agency and they were super nice and efficient with the rental process. All their cars are brand new, either 2020 or 2021 models.

I have attached the document that I recieved along with all the rates for the different cars. Additionally there are fewer limitations on miles etc.

There is also the Western part of Meghalaya- the Garo Hills district which rarely gets mention except in a few places. The biggest town there is Tura which is roughly 220 Km from Guwahati Airport - around 5 hours drive. Roads are great. From Tura, you could cover the Balpakram National Park, Nokrek Peak, Wari Chora falls and many many more.

Completely agree with this. First of all the road was fantastic to Tura and the food scene in the Garo region is completely different from the Khasi food. Tourism is a little less developed in the region and it's a little harder to find quality accommodation outside of Tura. Otherwise I really enjoyed my time in the western hills.

[nikhil.neon]

Originally Posted by noopster

What were some of the other places you considered but didn't visit?

We dropped Laitlum as there wasn't enough time.

Originally Posted by MadSnapper

I'm not sure of the wisdom behind my bike trip next year as I plan to do it solo on my Himalayan.

I met several solo bikers. Some had rented bikes from Guwahati. I did spot sizable no of gearless scooter & Aprilias. Roads are ideal for bikes and the distances are short. Bikes should be more fun!

Originally Posted by Archisman

Just a small nitpick- Why spell Guwahati wrong in all places?

Believe i have misspelt it at 3 places, must have added the wrong spelling in my browser dictionary and it auto "corrected", sorry!.

Originally Posted by Tokengrip

Nice write-up about your trip. I just did a road trip through Meghalaya in November. But I rented my car through a rental agency called Fufu Gaadi. They are a Guwahati based agency and they were super nice and efficient with the rental process. All their cars are brand new, either 2020 or 2021 models.

Thanks. I did come across Fufu Gaadi and my wife had sent them an enquiry. Guess it took a while for them to respond by which time we had booked zoom car.