Must Visit Places In Meghalaya: Cherrapunji and Shnongpdeng

CHERRAPUNJI(SOHRA)

Cherranpunji or Sohra is approx. 90 mins drive from Shillong. It is one of the wettest places in the world. I experienced rainfall even in the month of January during my visit! The first stop in Sohra was the world-renowned Double Decker Living root Bridge.  it is located in the Nongriat Village. To go here one need to reach Tyrna Village. One can reach Tyrna Village from Sohra via sharing taxi @ INR 50. From here the hike/trek starts to reach the Nongriat Village. The path consists of approx. 3000 steps and some plain path. It took me approx. an hour or so to reach the Bridge but way more while returning back to Tryna due to the steep ascend. From Double Decker Living Root Bridge one can walk all the way to reach Rainbow Falls. Rainbow forms on the waterfall here which looks absolutely majestic. It is approx. 45 mins walk. You will find several single living root bridges during the trek/hike. I did all of this and return back to Sohra in a single day but I wouldn’t recommend doing it like this to everyone. There are many nice homestays in Nongriat village where one can spend a night. I couldn’t recommend you more doing this trek/hike. I let pictures do all the talking. Next day, I went to the viewpoint of Seven Sisters falls which was okay but the next stop was Mawsmai Caves which was really good. It is the toned-down version of Khuangchera Puk Cave which I explored in Mizoram. There are two caves here actually. One is recently opened. One doesn’t need to be experienced to explore these caves but one surely feels like a true explorer while going through them. While coming back by walk I saw an Eco park which is a nice place to relax. I was really excited to see the Nohkalikai Falls which is the tallest plunge waterfall in India but I was really disappointed after my visit to the falls since I couldn’t able to see it due to heavy fog. One can even go down to the Waterfall which a local told me is a hard trek and takes more than 2 hours. While returning from the Nohkalikai Falls, I saw the board with these words written “Way to Tlai Falls and The Crest of Nohkalikai”. I was intrigued and decided to explore it. The entrance fee was INR 50. I embarked upon one of the best adventures of my Northeast India trip. The guy at the counter was apprehensive about giving me the ticket since we were close to the sunset time. After gruelling 40 mins or so I finally reached Tlai Falls and it was truly amazing. I was the only person at that time and it felt so magical. Since it was almost dark, I hurriedly walk back even though the way was muddy and within the woods. Survival instinct kicks in and I reached the entry point in less than half an hour! It surely felt like an achievement after I was done with the adventure. I would highly recommend you to visit this Falls. You can even visit The Crest of Nohkalikai which is in the opposite direction of Tlai Falls. I didn’t go there though. Every attraction has an entry fee ranging from INR 20-40 per person except the Tlai Falls. To reach these attractions one can hire a taxi for a day if traveling in a group. If you are solo traveling like me, Well then you need to either hitchhike or walk or hire a special taxi. I did a bit of all of these.

SHNONGPDENG