Monsoon Meghalaya

• Shillong
• 1,525 m
• 100 km · 3–3.5 hrs
• Dinner

Your driver meets you at Guwahati Airport or the railway station. The four-lane highway via Jorabat, Byrnihat and Nongpoh stays open through the monsoon, though heavy rain can slow traffic and occasional slips near the hills cause short holds. Stop at the Umiam Lake viewpoint 15 km before Shillong, where low cloud often drifts across the water. Check in by mid-afternoon. In the evening, walk to Ward's Lake with an umbrella, then warm up with tea and a plate of jadoh near Police Bazar. Buy a good umbrella or poncho in town if you have not packed one.

• Shillong
• 1,525 m
• About 120 km round trip · 4 hrs driving
• Breakfast, Dinner

Leave Shillong after breakfast for Mawsynram, about 65 km and 2 hours west through Mawphlang. Mawsynram and Sohra trade the title of wettest inhabited place on earth, and in July the rain can be continuous for days. Visit Mawjymbuin Cave, where water drips onto a large stalagmite that locals and visitors compare to a Shiva lingam; the entrance is a short walk from the road. Then drive to the Symper Rock viewpoint if the cloud allows. Lunch is simple in the village. Return to Shillong by late afternoon. Leeches appear on grass verges in the rains, so wear closed shoes.

• Sohra
• 1,480 m
• 55 km · 1.5–2 hrs, plus local stops
• Breakfast, Dinner

Check out after breakfast and drive the Sohra road, stopping at Wah Kaba Falls, which roars beside the road in the rains, and at the Mawkdok valley viewpoint, where you may be above or inside the cloud. In Sohra, drive to Thangkharang Park to see Kynrem Falls, about 305 m in three tiers, pouring off the plateau. On the way back, stop at Eco Park, where streams run straight off the cliff. Check in by mid-afternoon. If the rain eases, the view across the gorge to the Seven Sisters Falls, all seven running, is the image most people come for.

• Sohra
• 1,480 m
• Local sightseeing · about 30 km
• Breakfast, Dinner

Try the Nohkalikai viewpoint at 7.30 am; early mornings are often the clearest window in the monsoon. The fall drops about 340 m, India's tallest plunge, and in July it is at its fullest. If cloud covers the gorge, go on and return later, because gaps open and close within minutes. Mawsmai Cave is a good dry hour: a lit route of about 150 m with one squeeze, though it can close after very heavy rain. After lunch, walk the 1 km paved cliff path to Arwah Cave. Spend the evening with tea on the resort terrace, watching the cloud move through the valley.

• Departure
• 55 m
• 155 km · 5–5.5 hrs
• Breakfast

Leave Sohra by 8.30 am after breakfast, allowing extra time in case of rain. The road runs back past Mawkdok to the edge of Shillong and then down the Guwahati highway via Umiam and Nongpoh. In very heavy rain, drivers slow down and hold at small slips until they are cleared, which is why we suggest flights after 4 pm or trains after 4.30 pm. Buy local tea, bay leaves or pineapples at Nongpoh for home. Your driver drops you at the airport terminal or station entrance. If you are flying out early, we can move the last night to Guwahati.