Meghalaya, ‘The Abode of Clouds’, is aptly named by Rabindranath Tagore due to its beauty and is one of the most travelled states of the northeastern region.
Meghalaya’s crystal clear environment, smell, and diversity have a different sense of joy for our minds.
I can’t count how many times I have been to Shillong since my childhood days and every time I have visited, the mountain and clouds catch me in a new way, with a new look.
We started our journey to our home in Guwahati crossing the busy road towards Shillong. Before heading to Shillong, we picked up our friend and his family from Khanapara.
After that we found ourselves moving towards the clouded city of Shillong through rows of pine trees alongside the road.
But one thing must be kept in mind if you want to see the waterfalls in their awesome form, you must go during April, May, June, and July during the monsoon season. If you want to enjoy the beauty of ‘Megh Pahar’, you must go between September and February. This is the reason behind Shillong hill is crowded with tourists every year during the Durga Puja season.
While on your way to Shillong, you will find Umiam Lake. You can also take rides on water scooters, speed boats, 6 seater boats on the lake.
After reaching Shillong, if you want to explore the city a little, it is better to go out early in the morning because of the traffic congestion.
If you are fond of waterfalls, you may visit the Elephant Falls in Upper Shillong and many others in Sohra (Cherrapunji).
To enjoy the view, you can head to the Shillong viewpoint (Laitkor viewpoint) and be mesmerised by the beautiful view.
In my childhood days, I went to Shillong with my family and I will never forget those happy and golden memories in my life.
For shopping, Police Bazar is the best place in Shillong. But, if you want to go shopping, make sure you do that after you complete your trip visiting all the tourist spots in Meghalaya. This will help you with the burden of carrying extra baggage while sightseeing.
We went to the Police Bazar in the evening on the first day of our visit pushing through the crowd. We then returned to Lausimri Lodge at Malki Mor with dinner. The lodge is a little far away from the city.
On August 14 and 15, Police Bazar was a lot more crowded than due to the holidays.
You may also want to visit the amazing Botanical Gardens, Beadon Falls, Golf Course, Don Bosco Museum, and the bungalow of poet Rabindranath Tagore.
Another great place to visit is Mawlynnong. This place is known as Asia’s cleanest village.
You can also visit Laitlum Grand Canyon and enjoy the scenic view of the canyon which is one of the most popular destinations for bikers.
While there are a lot of Khasi food options in the local eateries, you can have a pleasant plate of “Maggi” on top of the viewpoint.
If you have the target to visit Sohra (Cherapunji), then visiting the Mawsmai Cave is a must. Another attraction you cannot miss is the Living Root Bridges.
If you love some adventure, you may also want to visit the ropeways passing between the metal ropes connecting two hills in Sohra.
My friend’s family who went with us family visited the cave and earlier that day we went to see Kynrem Falls via Sohra-Shella road.
Nature and waterfall together are unique but the weather was quite hot that day. We also visited Dawki during our trip but many other places were left out.
However, we ended our trip with a desire to see those places on our next trip.
On our way back, we crossed the same pine trees and the hilly road to reach Guwahati.