Our first stop on the way from Guwahati to Shillong in Meghalaya was Umïam lake.
Umïam Lake, also known as Bara Pani, is a reservoir in the hills 15 km north of Shillong in the state of Meghalaya. It was created by damming the Umïam River in the early 1960s. The principal catchment area of the lake and dam is spread over 225 square km hence we decided to get an overview of the lake from one of the viewpoints on the hills surrounding it.
Am happy that I got a shot in which the lake seemed to be like the map of India! And then we moved to our destination of the day – Shillong – capital of Meghalaya.
On the way we stopped at a food court that also had shops selling souvenirs.
The Don Bosco museum was next on our list to visit. It has on display all the cultural significant artefacts and descriptions of all the tribes in Meghalaya. Since all of them were encased in glass cases I did not take any photos of the same. It's definitely worth a visit to learn about the history of Meghalaya and the spread of Christianity in the state.
Got a couple of nice photos from their canteen though of the vast church grounds.
Since our hotel was just opposite the Ward’s lake we decided to visit the lake first and then check in to the hotel.
Ward’s lake was
pleasant with a few ducks swimming along, a nice café and a beautiful wooden
bridge.
The lake was planned by the then chief commissioner of Assam, Sir William Ward. It was designed by Fitzwilliam Thomas Pollok and built by Colonel Hopkins in 1894. It is said that the area around the lake was developed by a Khasi prisoner who did so to mitigate the monotony of his daily routine.
Rabindranath Tagore was fascinated by the lake and he visited it frequently resulting in his writing a poem on it. It is etched on stone and placed along the lake for the visitors to read.
You may have to zoom in to read the poem in the photo
below.
The next day turned out to be the day for celebration of waterfalls for which Meghalaya is famous.
Our first visit was to the Elephant waterfalls.
The Elephant Falls are a two-tier waterfall in Shillong. The mountain stream descends through two
successive falls set in dells of fern-covered rocks.
The name originated in the British era when the Englishmen spotted a giant rock that looked like an elephant near the fall. However, this rock was destroyed in the 1897 due to an earthquake but the name persists. The original Khasi name for the falls is Ka Kshaid Lai Pateng Khohsiew, which translates to "the three-step waterfall". There were plenty of tourists getting photographed in front of the waterfalls. A great beginning to the day.
The souvenir shops at the entrance proved the popularity of this site.
Next on our itinerary was the famous Mawkdok‑Dympep Valley. Located about 30 km from Shillong, the viewpoint is also called the Duwan Sing Syiem Bridge viewpoint, offering dramatic vistas of a deep V-shaped gorge carpeted in verdant greenery.
It beautifully blends scenic tranquility with adventure. From absorbing sweeping views and photographing the river-carved gorge to zooming across it via zipline or striking a pose in Khasi attire, it's a wonderful stop on the Shillong-Cherrapunji route.
We spent about half an hour there taking in the beauty
of nature before us though we didn’t go ziplining nor posed in Khasi attire. Some
sights were indeed breathtaking.
Then on to the Garden of Caves! It is one of the most well managed tourist sites that I have seen. There are about thirteen viewpoints that one can visit and right from the start there are officials guiding you to the next. A brief history of the viewing point is given on stone slabs alongside.
Garden of Caves is a natural cave park in Laitmawsiang village near Sohra (Cherrapunji) in the East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya. Locally known as Ka Bri Ki Synrang, the roughly 2.5-hectare site was developed and opened to the public in December 2010 and includes open-air limestone caves,
waterfalls, natural pools, suspension bridges, platforms, and named features such as the Mawodohnud
heart-shaped pothole and Palong Syiem (King's Cave).
It takes about an hour to visit all the points and if you want exclusive photos it might take longer depending on the tourist footfall.
The fairies of Wah Kaba waterfalls beckoned and off we went lest we disappoint them. Wah Kaba Falls is a waterfall located near Cherrapunji.
It descends from a steep rock face and drops approximately 170–190 meters into a gorge. There is a local legend that two fairies live at the falls.
We didn’t have the stamina to go all the way down and were happy to admire it from halfway down.
We had a quick veg thali in a dhaba on the way before going to witness one of the most impressive
waterfalls ever - Nohkalikai Falls, sometimes Ka Likai. It is the tallest plunge waterfall in India plunging 340 meters and forming a turquoise green pool at the bottom. I could spend hours just listening to it fall and add to the beautiful pool down below.
Incidentally, the roadside dhabas offer delectable
thalis and are very hygienic.
To end the day of exploring Meghalaya we visited the Mawsmai
caves and the seven sisters waterfalls.
Meghalaya tourism promotes the Mawsmai cave thus - “Step into the mysterious world of Mawsmai
Caves, where ancient limestone formations, echoing chambers, and narrow
passages reveal Meghalaya's underground wonders in a thrilling, torch-lit
adventure.”
Mawsmai Caves
are a glimpse into the earth's quiet, sculpted memory—where time drips from
limestone ceilings and shadows dance across ancient stone. Beneath the surface
of Meghalaya's misty hills, this subterranean world twists and narrows,
revealing chambers shaped by water and silence. It's not just a cave—it's a
passage through geology, myth, and the slow artistry of nature.
There is a warning at the entrance which says ‘Do not enter if you have any medical issues like claustrophobia or hypertension’. Since I suffer from claustrophobia and hypertension we just went to the mouth of the cave for a photo op and returned to visit the seven sisters waterfalls.
The seven sisters waterfalls were a huge disappointment. We could not even see seven trickling falls but the view from there was a consolation. There was a busker performing to alleviate one’s disappointment too just like the one outside the Mawsmai cave.
Tired but happy with what we saw and did all day we returned to our hotel to relax and felt glad that we had seen a bit of Meghalaya and created some happy memories.
Meghalaya is truly the abode of clouds and a land of waterfalls!
In my next post I will take you along to Arunachal
Pradesh the last but not the least on our itinerary.
