Meghalaya Backpacking Trip

• Report at Guwahati airport before 10:00 AM.
  Note 1 – In case you’re gonna reach Guwahati anytime earlier than the trip starting day, our team will be happy to help you out with suggestions for good stays, 
  places to visit around, and any other doubts you might have.
  Note 2 – Pick up from your stay location or the nearest location shall be arranged if it falls in the same route.
  Note 3 – Please freshen up & have your breakfast before 10:00 AM itself. The food court is available at just a minute’s distance once you come outside the airport. 
• Else, several restaurants are available at a distance of a kilometer on the way to VIP Chowk from the airport exit. You can keep the luggage inside our vehicle and head there. Once started vehicle will not halt for breakfast on the way.
• We will start at the airport at 10:10 AM. So today we are traveling from the southernmost part of Assam to almost close to the Indo-Bangla border. This journey is gonna be the longest of all days. Just after an hour, as you get into the vehicle be ready to witness SIX route intersections between the states of Assam & Meghalaya. Yes! You will be crisscrossing the two states around 6 times as the route leads.
• The route undergoes the transition from the bustle of a typical city to a highway surrounded by green hills & clouds to thin roads through the small villages & green landscapes eventually. 
• By the time we are about to reach the Mawkdok valley, you will experience the transition in temperature as well, going from typical hot winds of around 30 degrees Celcius of Guwahati to chiller winds of around 15 degrees Celsius in Mawkdok. It will take us between 4 to 5 Hr to reach the Mawdok Valley. On the way, we shall halt at Umiam lake viewpoint; grab few bites of juicy pineapples while seeing a picturesque sight of the lake.
• It will be around 02:00 PM when we reach Mawkdok Valley; although the weather might give you sweet surprises one after another like fog followed by rains followed by bright sunny rays! Here, get ready for an adrenaline rush! East India’s longest Zip-Line it is! The total length of the zip-line is 2600 ft & the maximum depth is 1200 ft. It makes for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The instructors are trained technically and certified; they give pre-instructions to get your posture right & boost your confidence.
• Post this, we’ll have our lunch in the nearby café & visit a small waterfall in the vicinity. It’s the same waterfall that you’ve seen while doing the zip-lining through the valley by this time. 
• Then we will head to stay. It takes hardly an hour from here to reach the stay.
• Today’s stay is one of our team’s favorite stays! It’s a group of bamboo huts clubbed on a tiny hill in the remote areas of East Khasi hills. 
• The local Khasis who will be serving the dinner to you are one of those simple & lovely people who are a bit shy & naive. 
• You can use your skills in simple Hindi & English to interact with them to know more about their culture

Quick Highlights:

1. Total journey: 115 Km
2. Estimated travel time: 4 Hr
3. Activities: Swimming, Boating, Cliff jumping
4. Places: Krang Shuri waterfall, Dawki river, Indo-Bangla border in water & on land
5. Stay: Bamboo Huts in Pynursla

• Detailed Itinerary:
• Note 1 – You need not carry all your luggage; it will remain in the stay place itself. Carry one extra pair of clothing, a water bottle, snacks, sandals (No need for shoes today), cap – raincoat as per the season, some cash & that would be sufficient for the day!
• Note 2 – We’ll be getting into the water twice throughout the day. The quick-dry clothing will be helpful for this purpose, do wear a quick-dry pair of clothes right from the morning.
• The day shall start as early as 06:00 AM. Today is all about water activities! Those azure blue waters will get hold of your heart so much that the kid in you won’t feel like getting out of the water at all! It takes less than two hours to reach Krang Shuri waterfall from the stay. The route goes through small hills with green trees & bushes all around you. Be ready to capture the sight of Bangladesh through your windows after around half an hour. The sands that you see from here & the area belonging to that side is Bangladesh. We shall be coming back here to swim post we visit Krang Shuri waterfall.
• As we reach the Krang Shuri waterfall we’ll have a quick breakfast and start the hike to the waterfall immediately. It’s a hike of around 10-15 minutes that goes through the forest. Just a matter of 2-3 minutes more till you collect the life jackets & wear them (Yeah, they are mandatory!) and the waterfall is all yours to explore! We spend plenty of time here playing in the azure blue water!
• Post this we will be heading to the boating point in Dawki river. It takes almost an hour to reach there. As you walk down towards the boats, you will see a board saying “Do Not Cross The Border – India” towards your left. Don’t be tempted to cross it because the Indian check post is hardly at a few meters distance behind you & a BSF personnel will be somewhere around you keeping a watch. 😉
• We’ll wear life jackets & start the boat ride. In the same boat ride, the boatman will be taking us to the cliff jumping point and then at the end to a small island. The height of the cliff is around 25 ft. And jumping off that is a once-in-a-lifetime experience! Non-swimmers need not worry even a bit; we are wearing life jackets & the support of local boatmen makes it quite easy for us to jump. If you’re a swimmer, don’t forget to carry your swimming goggles!
• Sometimes, some boatmen are singing their local songs and that creates an altogether different vibe! The transparent water, the boating through the water splashing through the cut rocks, is sure to put your soul into a different world!
• We spend plenty of time here. There are several stalls near the steps for quick bites. On the main road, you’ll find fresh fruits like oranges, pineapples, berries etc to munch on.
• Post this we head back to the stay, it takes around 40 minutes to reach from here.

Quick Highlights:  

• Total journey: 110 Km
• Estimated travel time: 5 Hr
• Highlights: Mawryngkhang Bamboo Trek, Natural water pool, Wei Sawdong waterfall
• Activities: Trekking, Swimming
• Trek Time:
  1. Mawryngkhang Bamboo Trek – Approx. 3-4 Hr up & down
  2. Hike to Wei Sawdong Waterfall – Approx. 15 Min one way
• Stay: Jungle resort in Cherrapunjee

Detailed Itinerary 

Note 1 – You will be carrying all your luggage today as we are moving to another destination. Pack one extra pair of clothing, water bottle, snacks, cap – raincoat as per the season – in a small sack so that you can carry it during the trek.
Note 2 – Wear your sports shoe/ trekking shoe which will help you to get a good grip in the trek.

• Today we are heading to one of the most off-beat places – Mawryngkhang Bamboo Trek & Wei Sawdong waterfall. The former is literally a skywalk made of bamboos & the latter is a beautiful 3 layered waterfall.
• It takes around an hour to reach the Wahkhen village from where our trek is going to start. We will be having a heavy breakfast on the way. As you take the left turn from the Pomlum village, you will climb a hill that is surrounded by a bamboo forest. After crossing the hill, you will reach Wahkhen. It is a small village which falls under East Khasi hills. There are a few small stalls at the starting point from where you can buy some snacks.
• So in this unique trek, you will be walking on bamboo bridges starting from the Wahkhen village to the endpoint – U Mawryngkhang stone. This stone has an interesting folk tale behind it. How about reaching on the top and then listening to the tale?
• The trek has an initial descend for around 25 minutes into a valley where the Umrew river flows. You will cross this river over a few bamboo bridges & few stones & that’s where the ascent of another hill starts. This ascent will take you through the lush green forest, where the water stream accompanies you towards your left. Birds chirp, the wind blows through the trees like a whistle, the sound of the water waves – it all brings nothing but solitude to your soul. After around two hours you’ll reach the U Mawryngkhang stone. We shall spend some time here capturing the beautiful view. Returning is through the same route.
• As we return to Wahkhen village, we will quickly head to Wei Sawdong waterfall. On the way, we will have a quick lunch. It takes under 2 hr to reach there from Wahkhen.
• One has to hike down for around 15 to 20 minutes to reach the waterfall. There’s only one word to describe the sight of this waterfall – Heavenly! Teal blue water flowing in 3 layers from one into another – in a poetic mind that imprints as a swimming pool of a heavenly angel! Before it gets dark we shall get going from here.
• Within the next one & a half hours, we will reach today’s stay. This is our team’s most favourite stay! It is secluded from the bustle of a village – completely into the forest. The women who will be serving the freshly prepared food will find them in dresses draped in their local style. The stay has few viewpoints which we shall explore over our two days of the stay.

Quick Highlights:

• Total journey: 15 Km
• Estimated travel time: 1 Hr
• Activities: Trekking, Swimming
• Highlights: Double Decker Root Bridge (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Suspension Bridges, Living Root Bridges, Natural Pools, Rainbow Waterfall
• Trek Distance: 4.5 Km (One way), Trek Time: 4-6 Hr
• Stay: Jungle resort in Cherrapunjee

Detailed Itinerary 

• Note 1 – Today as well, you need not carry all your luggage. Just carry your daypack along with one extra pair of clothing.
• Note 2 – Do wear a quick-dry pair of clothes & shoes right from the morning. Make sure you carry plenty of water & healthy snacks like energy bars, fruits, beverages like lemon juice/ fruit juices/ ORS which provide instant sugars to your body.
• Today is all about the longest & most rewarding hike of this trip! So it starts from Tyrna village – to the Double-decker root bridge – to the Rainbow waterfall in the end. The total distance is 9 km to & fro. The hike involves descending around 3500 steps to enter the valley, then ascending a hill & a traverse towards the right to reach the Rainbow waterfall. This hike unlike the Bamboo trek is quite popularised & hence you will find a bunch of shops after every 500-600 meter. The route goes through a lush green forest all around & you will come across azure blue water pools on the way.
• The double-decker root bridge is a wonderful sight to behold! It is said to be around 200 years old. From Tyrna, it takes around 1 hrs & 15 minutes to reach here. On the way, we cross suspension bridges. We will have breakfast here. Post that, we head to Rainbow waterfall.
• It will amaze your mind to see the roots of trees entwined into each other across long long lengths & holding up the weight of a bunch of us human beings. Apart from the double-decker bridge, you will come across the living roots once or twice more. Keep your eyes awake & wide!
• After 4.5 km, we will reach the Rainbow waterfall, the sound of which falls onto your ears from around 100 meters behind. And the adventurous kid in you won’t stop but run towards it! That sight is what is wholly rewarding. And swimming into those azure blue waters is just beyond words!
• We shall spend a plentiful time here.
• We come back the same way. On the way back we will have lunch. While climbing back those steps from the Double-decker bridge till Tyrna you will certainly be pushing yourself! And that’s what pushes you to learn about yourself too!

Quick Highlights: 

• Total journey: 190 Km
• Estimated travel time: 7 Hr
• Places: Nohkalikai waterfall viewpoint

• Detailed Itinerary:

• Today is the last day of the trip. We shall visit the Nohkalikali waterfall viewpoint on the way.
• This day also acts as a buffer day. In cases where any places are missed, they can be covered today.
• You can plan your return journey after 06:00 PM from Guwahati Airport.