🏍️ Riding Through Meghalaya – 11 Days of Clouds, Valleys & Root Bridges on a Bike!

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 🏍️ Riding Through Meghalaya – 10 Days of Clouds, Valleys & Root Bridges on a Royal Enfield

Cold breeze, winding mountain roads, deep valleys, and landscapes that take your breath away – Meghalaya was a dream. Riding through it on a Royal Enfield made it even more magical. Here's our detailed 10-day itinerary packed with distances, trekking steps, safety tips, and scenic highlights

Must visit are marked in Pink 

Day 1 – 🛬 Guwahati ➝ Shillong (100 km / ~3 hrs)

We landed in Guwahati and took a taxi to Shillong (~₹3000). The hill drive was scenic and refreshing.

Day 2 – 🏙️ Exploring Around Shillong (~80 km round trip)

  • 🏞️ Laitlum Canyon (21 km): Vast cliffs and valleys covered in mist. Great for sunrise/sunset views.

  • 🚣 Umiam Lake (15 km): A serene, man-made lake surrounded by pine forests. Perfect for boating and lakeside walks.

  • 🔭 Shillong View Point (11 km): Highest point in Shillong. Offers panoramic views of the city and hills.

  • 🌳 Mawphlang Sacred Forest (25 km): Ancient forest with spiritual significance and rare flora. Must do with a local guide.

Day 3 – 🌄 Shillong ➝ Cherrapunji (Sohra) (55 km)

A short ride through foggy cliffs to one of Meghalaya’s most beautiful towns.

  • 🌫️ Nohkalikai Falls (5 km): India’s tallest plunge waterfall at 340m, dropping straight into a green pool.

  • 🌄 Mawkdok Dympep Valley Viewpoint (24 km before Sohra): Stunning valley views. Ziplining available here.

  • 🌧️ Mawsmai Falls (2 km): Compact but powerful waterfall, great for photography.

  • 🏞️ Wah Kaba Falls (7 km): Seasonal and plunges into a deep gorge. Beautiful viewpoint walk.

Day 4 – 💦 Waterfalls & Caves of Cherrapunji (~50 km round trip)

This day was packed with lesser-known gems and iconic landscapes:

  • 🌊 Wei Sawdong Falls (9 km): Breathtaking 3-tiered fall reached via bamboo ladders. Offbeat and rewarding. Felt adventurous and totally rewarding.

  • 🌊 Dainthlen Falls (6 km): Wide flat waterfall. Legend says a serpent was slain here.

  • 🌳 Lyngksiar & Janailar Falls: Lesser-visited falls surrounded by forests. Great for solitude lovers.

  • 🕳️ Mawsmai Caves: Walkable[Can be covered in 30mins] limestone caves with narrow chambers and glowing formations.

     🌈 Seven Sisters Waterfalls / Nohsngithiang Falls

  • 📍 Distance: ~4 km from Sohra town

  • 🌊 Type: Seven-segmented waterfall, ~315m high

  • 🪂 Best after rains. Water flows down side-by-side in parallel streams — simply spectacular!

Day 5 – 🌉 Trek to Nongriat Living Root Bridges (from Tyrna)

We had wisely booked our stay for the NEXT day(day7th) at [SMOKY FALLS MAE FI RESORT], which is located near the base at Tyrna. The staff were extremely welcoming and helpful — they allowed us to leave our main luggage safely at the resort while we carried just the essentials[just a small back pack and water] down for the trek. There are shops on the way, so you can buy required items. This made a huge difference, especially given the steep steps.

          P.S: Don't make your luggage heavy, since you have got to take lots of steps down and back up

  • 🧗 Start Point: Tyrna village (20 km from Sohra)

  •  Single Decker Bridge Trek- Take a small diversion after getting down few 1000 steps. There are markings everywhere.

  • 🪜 Double Decker Bridge Trek: ~3,500 steps each way (~3 km). Includes Single Decker Root Bridge en route. 

  • 🏕️ Overnight Stay at Nongriat: Magical once the day crowd leaves. You get the double-decker bridge all to yourself. You can enjoy beautiful water flow and the whole bridge to your self. 

There are only two place here to stay. So I would advice you to book well in advance for the stay. Stay is very very basic. Single bulb in a room with no internet or network. Basic food will be provided by the host. Just need to spend the night. Morning for breakfast bread omlet and Maggie was provided to us 

          Place we stayed: Nongriat homestay

  • 🌈 Rainbow Falls: 1.5 km further (~1,500 more steps from Double decker root bridge). Strenuous but the turquoise pool and rainbow mist make it worth it! 

Day 6 – 🧘 Trek Back & Rest Day at Tyrna

The climb back is tough (~3,500 steps uphill), so we stayed at a peaceful guesthouse just 500m from the top and took the day to relax.

          Place we stayed: SMOKY FALLS MAE FI RESORT Resort

Day 7 – 🧹 Drive to Mawlynnong (~80 km)

Asia’s cleanest village — spotless paths, smiling locals, and floral gardens everywhere. Entry ticket is there to enter the village

Place is so safe that, night we were just sleeping in the center of the village on the road. 

  • 🪨 Balancing Rock: A large boulder mysteriously perched on a smaller stone.

  • 💧 Mawlynnong Falls: Small, pretty waterfall tucked into a quiet corner.

  • 🌉 Riwai Root Bridge (2 km): Easily accessible root bridge – no tough trekking required! And place is awesomely beautiful with green trees and chilly breeze. 

Day 8 – 🌊 Mawlynnong ➝ Dawki ➝ Border (40 km)

  • 🚣 Umngot River: Crystal-clear river — you can see the riverbed even 10 feet down! Boat rides are a must.

  • 🇮🇳 Tamabil Village: Indo-Bangla border where you can wave to Bangladesh.

  • 🌈 Seven Sisters Waterfalls (Optional Stop): Revisit on this route — lighting may be different and give a fresh perspective.

⛺ Camping by the Umngot River under the stars is what many people prefer. We had booked a hotel by the river. 


Day 9 – 🏞️ Dwaki ➝ Shillong Via Mawsynram

Mawsynram:

Known as the wettest place on Earth, it didn’t disappoint.

  • 🌊 Elephant Falls (12 km from Shillong): A lovely, accessible 3-step waterfall with stone paths and viewpoints.

  • 💧 Thwei Suhthied Natural Pool: Hidden turquoise pool nestled among trees near Mawsynram. Peaceful and perfect for a break.

Day 10– 🏞️ Shillong:    

  • 🦢 Ward Lake: A charming artificial lake with paddle boats and peaceful walking paths.

  • 🌸 Lady Hydari Park: A garden and small zoo — ideal for a slow morning before your return trip.

Day 11– 🏞️ ✈️ Back to Guwahati airport — full of memories and mist.

Flight back from Guwahati marked the end of an unforgettable ride through one of India’s most scenic and soulful states.

✅ Safety & Travel Tips

  • 🥾 Trekking: Nongriat (3,500 steps down/up) is steep. Go slow, wear sturdy shoes, and start early.

  • 🌧️ Waterfalls: Best viewed post-monsoon (Sept–Nov). Wei Sawdong & Seven Sisters are multi-tiered — visit during good flow.

  • 🛵 Bike Ride: Fog is common — use headlights and avoid riding at night.

  • 📶 Signal: Limited in remote areas like Nongriat and Mawsynram — download offline maps.

  • 💵 Cash: Carry ₹100/₹200 notes — ATMs are rare outside major towns. Most places only cash was accepted

  • 🧼 Cleanliness: Especially in Mawlynnong — dispose of waste responsibly.

  • One of the safest states of India!!


Disclaimer: All the info above is according to me when I visited. Anything can change with time! So when you plan your trip, some of the things would have changed! Ex: Train timings, tour timings or websites. Some tours or trains even get cancelled at the end moment! This was just my itinerary. Read and make your plans accordingly 😃 


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