Meghalaya Travelogue - Trip Summary
Shnongpdeng |
" It feels good to be lost in the right direction"
- Long Blog Alert -
I am starting the Meghalaya Blog Series with a overall trip summary giving the complete details of our route, stay details, vehicle details and few important and helpful pointers. It is going to be a long post but I am sure this is going to help you in planning your trip. The detailed day wise trip dairy will start next.
I am just back from a 9 Days trip to Meghalaya and it is such an incredible place to be in! This was a trip after almost 2.5 years and my heart feels super happy at this moment. A much needed detox from everything around especially after the sad demise of a near one.
During Pre-Covid days, a vacation was something which I would usually start planning a couple of months ahead so that I had ample time to figure out the places, stay options, logistics etc. But this Meghalaya trip happened almost on a whim. Till September I was in Pune and didn't have even the foggiest idea about a vacation that would take place in the North East.
During the Covid times since we couldn't travel physically so I found solace in travelling mentally through the videos and travelogues of fellow bloggers. Earlier Kritika Goel was one of my favorite Indian traveler. But recently my mother introduced me to Harish Bali's channel and I was hooked. I started loving his content more so because he would also cover the local cuisines of the place he was visiting. Frankly earlier when I used to travel my entire focus was on the sightseeing, food was a secondary thing. But during pandemic we all became chefs in some way or the other and for me I discovered a whole new interest in various local cuisines of our country. So I was determined that whenever my next travel was going to happen I would surely be looking out for tasting local cuisines..
Inception:
Just by coincidence I had started watching the Meghalaya series by Harish Bali and was already mesmerized by the beauty of the land. So when my cousin's family suggested we should go for a getaway when I am in Kolkata my default suggestion was Meghalaya. Assam was the second option, again based on what I saw in Harish Bali's video.
So we kept toying with these two places and decided to do a little deep dive about the weather, sightseeing and stay options.
Umiam Lake |
How to start Planning?
Meghalaya and other North Eastern states still remain a little offbeat to the tourists of other parts of India. Mainly because of the history of tension in these regions and sometimes due to the lack of awareness about the region.
I would recommend make Google your best friend when you start researching for any place. I did the same and it gave me a very high level idea of the number of divisions and districts of Meghalaya.
Next was to get some genuine suggestion from travelers who have been to that place or local folks. There are two ways to do this.
1. Look up videos of bloggers on Youtube who have been to Meghalaya ( e.g I referred to the series by Harish Bali and Kritika Goel) and note down the places you liked in their videos.
2. Post a question on Trip advisor forum, mentioning a tentative number of days you want to be there, number of members in the group, age group, location/activity preferences, food preferences(if any). The more structured your question is the more chances of getting good responses. In Tripadvisor there are people who are experienced in certain regions and are known as local guides. They are usually very helpful and will help you plan your trip and give you other necessary information.
Here is the link to my question thread in Trip Advisor Forum which helped me prepare for my trip:
Best Season To visit Meghalaya:
- Best Season : The best time to visit Meghalaya is between the months of October to April. The landscape is still all green from the rains. The day temperature is moderate and nights are usually chilly. It is the time when the famous autumn festivals start in various parts of Meghalaya.
- If you are a rain lover: Visit Meghalaya from July till September if you want to experience the full monsoon. Considered to be the wettest place on the Earth, the state receives heavy rainfall. Rainfall adds to the charm to the place and makes it look all the more beautiful. But, it is not the best season to visit because the heavy rainfall hampers your excursion to top tourist destinations in Meghalaya, especially you will find most of the waterfalls covered in fog.
- If you want to escape the summers in the plains: Planning Meghalaya holiday in summer from April to June offers an ideal escape from the scorching heat. The temperature in many parts of the state never goes beyond 28°C. Mornings are as pleasant as evenings.
Basic Info about the state:
- Khasi Hills Division:
- East Khasi Hills (Shillong)
- West Khasi Hills (Nongstoin)
- South West Khasi Hills (Mawkyrwat)
- Ri-Bhoi (Nongpoh)
- Garo Hills Division:
- North Garo Hills (Resubelpara)
- East Garo Hills (Williamnagar)
- South Garo Hills (Baghmara)
- West Garo Hills (Tura)
- South West Garo Hills (Ampati)
- Jaintia Hills Division
- West Jaintia Hills (Jowai)
- East Jaintia Hills (Khliehriat)
A broad route map that we followed |
Tourism Places |
Krang Shuri Waterfall |
- Name : Hotel Poinisukh
- Location: Laitumkhrah Main Rd
- Room : Delux Double room ( 2 pax / room) with breakfast and dinner included
- Cost: booked by Relative's Company hence not aware of the cost.
- Food Info : Breakfast is quite filling with a combination of south Indian and continental choices. Veg and non veg both options available in breakfast. They have 2 different in house restaurants serving an assortment of cuisines. Chinese preparations are a must try.
- Charging Points : Ample charging points for charging phone, camera battery etc.
- Hot water: Geyser available
- In House Restaurant: Yes
- Vaccine Report Check : Yes
- Photo ID check : Yes
- Wifi Available : Yes
- Name : Brightstar tents and homestay( 2 pax per room) with breakfast
- Location: Shnongpdeng
- Details: They have both tents and structured building for stay options. We took 3 rooms in the building. It has 2 floors. Upper floor has two double occupancy rooms. Two washrooms are detached from the room but in the same floor. Both with Commode facility. Lower floor has two quad ( 4 pax) occupancy rooms with attached bathrooms. It also has commode facility.
- Room 1 : Upper floor - Rs 2500 - detached bathroom - 2 pax - breakfast included
- Room 2: Upper floor - Rs 2500 - detached bathroom - 2 pax - breakfast included
- Room 3: Lower floor - Rs 2000 - attached bathroom - 4 pax - breakfast included
- Website: https://www.facebook.com/Bright-Star-Camps-Home-Stay-Shnongpdeng-Village-Tourist-Place-636218953252889
- Contact Number: 7005177829 / 8974227204/ 8787318215
- Contact person : Micky
- Food Info : Micky can arrange thalis for you in Dinner. There are also a couple of small food shacks serving Thalis ( fish, veg, chicken etc.) at nominal at walking distance from this place. If you are looking for some fancy food, there is a resort named Betlenut at a 2-3 minutes driving distance from this camp.
- Food Cost : Nominal cost at about 150-250 / thali depending on what you choose.
- Charging Points : Ample charging points for charging phone, camera battery etc.
- Hot water: Geyser available
- Additional Info : Micky arranges for all the sports activity you want to do at an additional cost
- Vaccine Report Check : No
- Photo ID check : No
- Wifi Available : No
- Name : Abode of Clouds ( 2 pax per room) with breakfast
- Location: Sohra-Shella Road, Seven Sister Falls is at walking distance
- Details: Standalone Cottages overlooking beautiful vast landscape. Sunrise is stunning. If you love solitude this is the place to be. We took 3 cottages with double occupancy each.
- Room : Rs 3000 - 2 pax - breakfast included
- Website: https://www.facebook.com/Bright-Star-Camps-Home-Stay-Shnongpdeng-Village-Tourist-Place-636218953252889
- Contact Number: 8787724200 ( whatsapp)/ 8118932889
- Contact person : Who ever is at front desk will answer
- In House Restaurant: Yes
- Food Info : You will get a choice of Indian and Chinese dishes. Both veg and non veg available. Order at the front desk by 7 PM to get an early dinner.
- Food Cost : Prices are like any standard restaurant.
- Charging Points : Limited charging points for charging phone, camera battery etc. Take an extension board if required.
- Hot water: Geyser available
- Additional Info : They can arrange for a super early packed breakfast if needed. Usually the chef comes by 4 PM so if you are planning to stay in at lunch time, you might not be able to order food in the in house restaurant.
- Vaccine Report Check : Yes
- Photo ID check : Yes
- Wifi Available : Did not check
- Name : Dongrama homestay with breakfast
- Details: They have one cottage which can accommodate up to 4 adults ( 1 double bed, 1 sofa cum bed and many sofas ) and one double room (twin beds) with double occupancy. Standard Breakfast is complimentary. Special breakfast ( local traditional food) can be ordered at additional cost.
- Room 1 : In the main house where host stays - Rs 2000 - attached bathroom - 2 pax - breakfast included
- Room 2: Standalone Cottage - Rs 3000 for 2 people and Rs 500 per extra guest ( 4 pax = 4000)- attached bathroom - 4 pax - breakfast included
- Website: https://www.facebook.com/Dongrama-Homestay-319917645266663/
- Contact Number: 8414803502 (whatsapp)/ 8787404158/ 9436108456
- Contact person : Oswin Momin
- Food Info : Oswin and his wife always encourages visitors to taste the local traditional fare at their place. We opted for total traditional dishes and they were really superb. Both vegetarian and non vegetarian ( fish, chicken, pork) can be arranged by them. The cooking is done in house by some amazing local ladies.
- Food Cost : Nominal cost at about 150-250 / thali depending on what you choose.
- Charging Points : Ample charging points for charging phone, camera battery etc.
- Additional Info : Mr Oswin is a superhost who arranges different sightseeing activities you want to do at an additional cost. If you happen to turn up at their property on a weekend, he personally takes you around and even takes some amazing Drone shots while you are at the sightseeing points. He can also arrange for some experiential activities like tribal dance, tribal wine making process etc. if you request in advance. All these activities can be enjoyed at an additional cost. The property itself is so beautiful that you wont mind spending a day or two just lazing around the property and the quaint surroundings. They have a stunning garden ( Mr Oswin's mother in law is an avid plant lover) with some unique produce which you can check out as well.
- Vaccine Report Check : No
- Photo ID check : No
- Wifi Available : Did not check
Tura Peak |
2 comments
I would suggest travelling via Guwahati Air/Railway...The drive from Guwahati to Shillong will be worth remembering... Taking a short break at Nongpoh.
ReplyDeleteYes when we came back to Shillong form Tura we took the Guwahati Shillong route and it was good. Next time we are planning to go via Guwahati only as we want to stop over in Assam too.
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