Meghalaya Trip Details

Hotel Reviews

1) The hotel is centrally located. There are plenty of transportation options nearby and reasonable eating options within a 10 minute walk.
2) The rooms and bathrooms were clean.
3) The tariff was reasonable.
4) The hotel is in a quite alley. So there are no external/traffic noise.
5) The WIFI was free with good speed and connectivity.

1) The rooms are not sound proof. So if there are noisy neighbours, the sleep quality is affected.
2) The rooms and bathrooms are very small.
3) The front desk does not work round the clock. We found no one at the desk when we left in the morning (6 am) and no way to call anyone for help.
4) The hotel did not have a laundry service.

Hotel Crescent, Cherrapunji: We stayed here for one night in November 2022.
- Pros:
- Cons:

The roads are typical Himalayan winding roads. In many places the roads are so narrow that you have to back half a kilometer to let the opposing vehicle pass. Driving is not recommended for inexperienced drivers. The distances and timings shown in Google Maps are quite accurate for driving between any two towns/cities. The sites are quite spread out in Cherrapunji. It takes a long time getting from one point to another. Most of the side roads that lead to the waterfalls are in very bad condition.

Garden of Caves: Must see. Sounds like a tourist trap and probably is. But the half a dozen points that it houses are all very photogenic and worth a dekko.
Wei Sawdong Falls: Must See. It is a very steep climb down/up to the falls via a series of rickety and slippery ladders. Took us about 30 mins each way. The trailhead itself is a 30 to 40 min drive from the main road.
Dainthlen Falls: Must See. Very little walking involved. But there are small stream crossings. So waterproof footwear is recommended.
Arwah Caves: Must See. The surrounding scenery is breathtaking. The caves don't have any formations. But it is quite an experience to walk through.
Mawsmai Caves: Must see. Very short and narrow cave. Be prepared to bend and crawl in a couple of places. The formations are quite nice.
Nohkhalikai & Wakhaba Falls: Must see. Bang on the side of the road. Quick pitstops.
Kynrem Falls: Should see. It is quite far from the town. The falls is decent, but it may not worth such a long detour given than Meghalaya is overflowing with falls anyway.
Double Decker Bridge: Must see. The trek involves climbing down 2900 steps (and then back up). It is strenuous. We completed this in about 4 hours. Start early. We started at 6 am and had the bridge all to ourselves.

Elephant Falls: Should see. The falls aren't that great and it is quite crowded. We went just a month after a good monsoon and the water level was not impressive.
Umiam Lake: Should see. You have to drive past it if you are going to the airport/Guwahati from Shillong. It is impossible to miss this if you are plying that route in daytime. It is a pretty lake and worth stopping for a few pictures.
Tyrshi Falls: Must see. It is a short 20 min hike (one way) to get to the falls.
Phe Phe Falls: Must see. There are two falls here - the upper and lower and both are quite spectacular. Very few people get to the lower falls as the path is not easy to find. To get here, you need to cross a river and walk about 30 to 40 mins (each way).
Krang Shuri Falls: Must see. It is a short 20 min hike (one way) to get to the falls.
Dawki River: Should see. It is crowded and is not as clean as we were lead to imagine.
Mawlynnong Root Bridge: Must see. It is a short 10 min hike (one way) to get to the bridge (if you park at the lower area). The place is crowded. So get early to avoid the crowd.