Meghalaya Travel Guide

Meghalaya is waterfalls, caves, root bridges and rain on a scale found almost nowhere else. It is also refreshingly uncrowded, with a matrilineal Khasi culture that makes it feel distinct from anywhere else in India.

Why travellers choose Meghalaya

The living root bridges are grown from rubber-fig roots across generations — engineering as a multi-decade act of patience, and utterly unique.

Cherrapunji and Mawsynram compete for the title of wettest place on earth, and the waterfalls that result are enormous.

The Umngot river at Dawki runs so clear that on a still winter day boats genuinely appear suspended above the riverbed.

What not to miss in Meghalaya

• Nongriat double-decker root bridge — Around 3,000 steps down and back, and worth every one of them.
• Nohkalikai Falls — India's tallest plunge waterfall, at its most powerful just after the monsoon.
• Dawki and the Umngot river — Boating on water clear enough to see the bed several metres down.
• Mawlynnong — Asia's cleanest village, with a bamboo skywalk over the forest canopy.
• Mawsmai and Arwah caves — Limestone caves with fossils and formations, both easily walkable.
• Shillong — Ward's Lake, Elephant Falls and a live-music culture unlike anywhere else in India.

When to travel

October to April is the best window — clearer skies, and the Umngot at its most transparent between November and February. September and October give strong waterfall flow with reduced rain. June to August is the peak monsoon: spectacular waterfalls but persistent rain, leeches on the root-bridge trails and difficult driving.

Entry and paperwork

No permit is required for Indian citizens in Meghalaya. Dawki is close to the Bangladesh border, so carry photo identification. Some root-bridge trails involve entry fees collected by village councils, which we include in your quote.

Planning a Meghalaya trip with Elitech Travels

Every Meghalaya itinerary on this page is a starting point rather than a fixed product. Extend a city, change the hotel category, add a private guide or merge two routes and we will re-cost the trip and send a revised plan. Because we publish no departure dates, your holiday is operated in the window that suits your leave — tell us roughly when you want to travel and we confirm availability and pricing for exactly those days.