Meghalaya Backpacking Trip | Muddie Trails

Hello Travelers!

There Are Many Amazing Things About Meghalaya State Like The Floating Clouds (That’s The First Thing Comes To Mind), The High Rise Mountains, Rainforests Formed By Wettest Places On Earth, Stunning Deep Valleys, Crystal Clear Waters Of Rivers And Streams, Gigantic Waterfalls, Mystical Caves, Living Root Bridges That Act As Harmony Between Humans And Nature Over Centuries, Some Of The Cleanest Villages, Diverse Spread Of Food, Colorful Locals And Unique Culture.

As Part Of This Backpacking Trip, We At Muddie Trails Handpicked Destinations In The Abode Of Clouds That Will Refresh Your Body, Mind And Awaken Your Soul. We Will Experience Meghalaya In Full Glory, Create Memories, And Sketch Beautiful Stories To Tell Even Long After.

We Will Start The Trip With Shillong, The Capital City Of Meghalaya, Which Is Also The Highest Point Of The State. It Boasts A Cold Climate Most Of The Year. It Has A Unique Cuisine With Tasty Food, Friendly Locals, Great For Shopping Especially The Winter Wear. After Exploring Local Attractions In Shillong, And Thrilling Views Of Laitlum Grand Canyons, We Will Move Deeper Into East Khasi Hills Towards The Crystal Clear Blue Waters Of Krang Suri Waterfalls, Explore The Transparent Umngot River Of Dawki And Indulge In Adrenaline-Pumping Water Activities At Shnongpdeng.

We Will Then Head Towards Some Of The Wettest Places On Earth Like Cherrapunji, Explore Umpteen Viewpoints, Cleanest Villages, Deep Mawsmai Caves, Pristine Valleys, And Numerous Waterfalls Like Nohkalikai Or Wei Sawdong Over There. We Will Set Off On A Wild & Wet Trek To Fascinating Double Decker Living Root Bridges And Magical Rainbow Waterfalls. After Soul-Soothing Dips In The Natural Swimming Pools Of Lush Blue Waters, We Will End The Trip With A Pit Stop At Shillong While Filling Our Bags With Souvenirs, And A Mind Full Of Beautiful Memories.

All In All, Meghalaya Is A Natural Wonder That Cannot Be Missed In Your Lifetime. Come, Join Us To Experience Life At Its Fullest In This Backpacking Trip To Meghalaya.

Highlights Of The Meghalaya Trip:

• The Double Decker Living Root Bridges

• Laitlum Grand Canyons

• Crystal Clear Umngot River

• Dawki Expedition

• Shnongpdeng Water Activities With Camping

• Lush Blue Krang Suri Waterfalls Dip

• Trek To Pristine Rainbow Waterfalls

• Cherrapunji – Wettest Place On Earth

• Mawsmai Caves Exploration

• Nohkalikai Falls – World’s 4th Largest Waterfalls Or 4 Layered Wei Sawdong Waterfalls

• Mawlynnong Asia’s Cleanest Village

• Don Bosco Museum For North Eastern Culture

• Umiam – The Prettiest Lake

• Dress Up In Meghalaya Traditional Attire

Itinerary:

Day 1 (Umium, Around Shillong)

• Travelers Coming By Flight Will Get Picked By Our Vehicle At Guwahati Airport At 10 To 10:30 AM.

• We Will Start Our Journey Towards The Mountain Town Of Shillong, The Capital Of Meghalaya.

• It’s A Drive Of 120 Km That Takes 3.5 Hours Usually. Expect Traffic Congestion In Guwahati. We Shall Enter Meghalaya After Showing Our Covid Vaccination Certificates Or Rt-Pcr Whatever Is Applicable To You.

• Break For Lunch At A Restaurant.

• Continue Our Journey To The Extremely Pretty Umium Lake And Go On A Boat Ride. Travelers Can Easily Spend Couple Of Hours At This Extremely Pretty Lake That Gives A Sneak Peak Of How Beautiful Meghalaya Is!

• Reach Shillong Town Late Evening After Buying Some Snacks And Drinks (If You Wish To), Check Into Our Guest House And Freshen Up.

• Gather At The Common Area, Socialize. And Play Games.

• Rest For The Night On Cozy Beds.

 Day 2 (Crand Canyons, The Clear Blue Waterfall, Riverside Camping)

• Start The Say Early With Breakfast.

• Visit Laitlum Grand Canyon, Which Offers A Spectacular View Of East Khasi Hills With A Great Sudden Dip. We Can Go Down The Stairs Of The Valley And Pose For Pictures.

• Head Towards Jaintia Hills Of Meghalaya To Visit Most Beautiful And Lush Bluish Krang Suri Waterfalls.

• Break For A Quick Lunch At A Local Food Joint On Our Way.

• Take A Dip In The Chilling Water Of Krang Suri With Life Jackets That Are Mandatory.

• The Water Is So Cold That Going In The Water Pool Itself Is A Dare! But There Are Some Crazy People In Every Group, Who Will Take This Challenge.

• Continue Our Journey To Shnongpdeng On The Banks Of The Umngot River.

• River Side Camping Time With Bonfire And Social Gathering.

• Rest In Your Assigned Tents.

 Day 3 (Transparent River Adventures, Dawki & Cleanest Villages)

• Good Morning At The Crystal Clear Waters Of Umngot River. The First Rays Of The Sun Reflecting On The Flowing Waters Is Mesmerizing. There Is Also An Eye-Catching Suspension Bridge To Explore. 

• Finish Breakfast At Our Camp.

• Indulge In Shnongpdeng Water Activities Like Boating, Cliff Jumping, Kayaking, Zip Lining, Etc. Based On Their Availability At That Time Of The Year.

• Shnongpdeng Is Also The Hottest Place On This Trip. Turning Into A Fully Wet Mermaid For A Few Hours Under Sunny Weather Gives The Best Experience Along With A Rush Of Adrenaline.

• Take A Pit Stop At Dawki Where The Transparent Umngot River Leaves Our Country, Peek Into The Border Areas, And Say Hi To Our Neighbors From Bangladesh 

• Post Another Quick Lunch, We Will Give A Visit To Asia’s Cleanest Village Mawlynnong. This Village Boasts Interesting Things Like A Bamboo-Made Tower To Peek Into Bangladesh From A Height, Cleanest Roads, Sense Of Calmness And Beautiful People.

• We Will Then Head Towards Our Next Destination Cherrapunji By Late Evening.

• Dinner With Social Hours.

• Rest On The Cozy Beds Of Guest House Rooms Assigned To You.

 Day 4 (Trek Down To Heaven, Walk On Double Decker Living Roots & Spot A Rainbow)

• Start The Day With Breakfast In The Misty Town Of Cherrapunji.

• Head To Base Village Tyrna And Trek Down To Nongriat Village Double Decker Living Root Bridges.

• The 3641 Steps Into The Valley To The Nongriat Village Will Take Us To The Most Offbeat Place Of Meghalaya Where We Will Spend The Rest Of The Day And Night.

• After Marveling At The Huge Double Decker Living Root Bridges Structure Constructed By Generations Of Humans By Carefully Bending Roots Of Rubber Trees For Centuries, Continue Trekking Into The Jungle Another 1.5 Hours To Reach Breathtaking Rainbow Waterfalls. 

• Trekkers Are Expected To Carry Ample Snacks Like – Bananas/Dry Fruits/Biscuits/Energy Bars – Today As There Is No Special Place For Lunch At This Remote Place.

• A Dip In The Chilling Water Is Absolutely Delightful And Refreshing After A Long Trek. If Sun Shine Around 2 To 3 Pm, There Is Every Chance To Spot A Beautiful Rainbow In Front Of The Falls!

• Trek Back To Village, Stay At Village Dorms Overnight With Basic Facilities.

 Day 5 (Trek Back To Earth, Explore Caves, Waterfalls, Dress Up)

• Good Morning From One Of The Remotest Part Of Country!

• After Having Early Breakfast, Trek Back Up Towards The Tyrna Village (The Place Where We Descended From Yesterday).

• Climbing Up 3600 Odd Stairs Will Take It’s Time, But Your Mind Is Full Of Amazing Stories And Colors Of What You Just Experienced Yesterday. This Hike Can Be Done In 2 To 3 Hours Easily With Frequent Breaks.

• Explore The Breathtaking Maze Of Caves Formed Of Limestone Called Mawsmai Caves. Though The Caves Are Quite Long, Only A Small Part Of Open For Tourists. This Magnificent Natural Wonder Is The Handiwork Of Years Of Natural Erosion And Underground Water. The Fun Part Is – There Are Some Tricky Paths In The Caves Where You Have To Sneak Through.

• Dress Up In Meghalaya Special Khasi Tribe Traditional Attire And Pose For Cameras.

• Have Leisurely Lunch At A Restaurant.

• Visit Nohkalikai Waterfalls Viewpoint, One Of The Biggest Falls In India.Or Visit Offbeat And 3 Layered Wei Sawdong Waterfalls Based On Group Choice.

•  Note That There Would Be No Time To Cover Both Waterfalls As It Gets Dark Very Early In Meghalaya. More Often By 4 Pm The Sun Would Have Already Set.

• We Will Get Back To The Cherrapunji Homestay And Gather One Last Time For Dinner.

• Well Deserved Rest In The Assigned Rooms.

Day 6 (Museum Of Colors & Cultures, Shopping, Return Journey)

• Start The Day Early With A Breakfast At Our Stay. We Are Expected To Check Out By 7 AM.

• We Will Move Towards Shillong To Visit Very Interesting Don Bosco Museum That Showcases Culture, Colors, Tools, Clothing And Artifacts Of North Eastern States.

• One Shouldn’t Miss This Wonderful Museum On Their Meghalaya Trip. It Will Make You Fall In Love With North East And Pull You Back To Explore Other States Like Nagaland And Sikkim.

• Taste Some Local Food For Lunch At A Place Our Guide Will Take You To, And Sip A Warm Cup Of Variety Of Tea Famous In Shillong.

• Start Around 3.30 PM And Try To Reach Guwahati By Late Evening.

• A Strict Timeline Will Be Maintained Today So That We Can Reach Airport On Time To Catch Our Return Flights.

• You May Book Flights After 8:30 PM Or We Shall Help You With Pointing A Guest House In Guwahati For The Night So That You Could Leave The Next Day.

• Note: Many Travelers Extend Their Holiday To Visit Kaziranga National Park Of Assam. If You Need Any Assistance In That, Do Let Your Organizers Know.

• Note: Our Team Can Also Assist You In Booking Your Flight Tickets.

Travel:

• Trip Starting/Ending Point: Guwahati

• Pick Up And Drop At Guwahati Airport

• Tempo, Innova Or Similar Tourist Vehicle (6 Days Journey)

• Tempo Travelers In North East Are Of 2 Kinds – 13 Seater And 17 Seater. 13 Have Pushback And 17 Do Not Have Pushback. We May Book Any Vehicle Based On Availability And Group Number.

• There Is No Night Journey On This Trip. All Travel Is During Day Time.

Timings:

• Start Time: Day 1, 11:45 AM

• End Time: Day 6, 8:30 PM

• Vehicle Will Drop Guests At Guwahati Airport By 6:30 PM On Day 6.

• You Can Book Flights To/From Guwahati Based On The Above Timings.

• Note: Start Time Is 10:30 AM For Only Oct 22 – 27 Batch

Stay:

• Shillong: Guesthouse For 1 Night (Comfort, Shared Stay)

• Cherrapunji: Homestay For 2 Nights (Comfort, Shared Stay)

• Nongriat Village: Dormitory For 1 Night (Basic, Shared Stay)

• Shnongpdeng: Camping For 1 Night (Basic Stay)
  > Common Washrooms By Meghalaya Tourist Board
  > 2 Sharing Tents For Couples
  > 3 Sharing Tents For Others

Couple Stay:

• Couple Stay Can Be Provided At An Extra Cost Of 1000 Per Night.

• This Is Possible Only In Shillong/Cherrapunji.

• Contact Organizers To Check Availability Before Booking.

Special Case Of Nongriat Stay:

• Nongriat Village (Double Decker Living Roots) Has Very Few Stays. On A Busy Week, If We Cannot Get Confirmed Stay Booking At Nongriat, Then The Stay Will Be At Cherrapunji Instead.

• This Means We Have To Do The Return Trek Also On The Same Day. Please Read Itinerary Of Day 4 For More Details.

• This Happens Very Rarely.

 Food:

• Breakfasts Included

• Lunches & Dinners Are Self-Sponsored

• Based On Feedback From Previous Batches, We Excluded Lunches And Dinners As Everyone Have Different Food Choices. Meghalaya Boasts Good Food. There Are Multiple Food Options Available At All The Places That Put Travelers In Confusion.

• All Homestays At Meghalaya Provide Pre-Set Food For Dinner Or Take Orders As Per Menu.

• How Much You Have To Spend For Good Food?
  150 – 200 Per Lunch
  200 – 250 Per Dinner

Meghalaya Package Inclusions:

• Travel (Guwahati To Guwahati)

• Stay For 5 Nights

• 5 Breakfasts

• Dawki River Boating, Cliff Jumping

• Meghalaya Khasi Tribe Dress Up

• All Entry Tickets, Permissions

• Trip Captain

• Local Guide For Double Decker, Rainbow Trekking

• Airport Pickup And Drop (Fixed Timings)

• Bonfire (At Least 1 Time)

• Once In A Lifetime Experience Visiting All Places Mentioned In Highlights Section

Meghalaya Package Exclusions:

• Lunches, Dinners

• Any Kind Of Activities Other Than Mentioned Above

• Any Kind Of Insurance, Shopping, Party, Medical Expenses

• Any Misc. Expenses That Are Not In Inclusions Above

• Any Extra Cost Arising Due To Any Change In The Itinerary/Stay/Route On Account Of Bad Weather, Traffic-Congestion, Landslides/Roadblocks, Natural Calamities, Political Disturbances And/Or Any Other Factors Beyond Our Control.