- anahitadubey13
The North-Eastern Beauty Of India
From gorgeous mountain peaks to never-ending deserts, India is a country that is filled up to the brim with natural beauty. But among all this, stands out the undisputed winner, the land of the SEVEN SISTERS. A trip to this heavenly abode is a must for anyone deciding to explore India. Unfortunately, we weren't able to visit all the seven sisters at a go, so we covered only the states of Assam and Meghalaya. But here's the whole itinerary that I and my best friend recorded while there, which will give you an insight into the best time to visit and the best places to visit in North-East India.
Day 1- 26 March
We boarded an early morning flight from Mumbai and landed in Guwahati three hours later. Our hotel was in Shillong - The Scotland of the East, which took approximately 2hrs to reach from the airport. En route, we decided to pay a visit to the famed Kamakhaya Temple of Assam which has a legend associated with it related to the Goddess Parvati. Though it was crowded with devotees and a little unkempt, it was filled with faith and belief. After the temple, we decided to have a traditional Assamese thali for lunch which was quite delicious. About an hour later we crossed the Assam-Meghalaya border and at one point we were driving on a road that was surrounded by Meghalaya on the right and Assam on the left! After crossing the border we stopped at the Barapani (Umiam Lake). The winds that welcomed us there were eternally refreshing but they were also the reason why we couldn't speedboat that day :( But other than that the lake is a definite not-to-be-missed place and is a scenic spot, amazing for taking pictures. We finally reached our hotel late evening, dead tired and ready to go to bed.
A traditional Assamese Thali
Day 2- 27 March
We left for Mawlynnong a.k.a the cleanest village in Asia at around 8:30 am. We were also planning to stop on the Living Root Bridges on the way. While driving on the hills we were literally driving through clouds and the whole experience felt so surreal that we decided to stop at a viewpoint and take it all in. Our next stop was the Living Root Bridges. As you must have guessed from the name, the villagers of the indigenous Khasi tribe of Meghalaya have somehow managed to intertwine the roots of rubber trees to create an actual, sturdy bridge on top of a river. You need to climb down a steep staircase to reach there but it's totally worth it. After that, we stopped at the Balancing Rock. As you must have guessed from the name (again) there was a rock...which was balancing on another rock! (please detect my fake excitement there) This is a totally avoidable place, I mean after seeing that we were literally pointing at every other rock on the hillside and calling it a balancing rock😂
Our next stop was the Mawlynnong village which was a cluster of 82 houses and was decorated with natural beauty on all sides. On top of that, the village was very, very clean and there were handmade bamboo dustbins in almost every corner. The weather was quite pleasant, we actually were kinda hot after walking through the entire village. The last destination for the day was the Dawki village which is famous for its Umngot River and its emerald green waters. But unfortunately for us, it had rained heavily the previous night and the river was now dirty, so there was not much to see. But en route to Dawki, we also passed the India-Bangladesh border which is something worth visiting.
The Living Root Bridge
Day 3- 28 March
So the plan for today was to basically explore every single waterfall in Meghalaya (which were a lot). Our first destination was the Elephant Falls which consisted of three different waterfalls and a LOT of stairs. Compared to the other waterfalls, this was nothing; but it's worth giving a try. The road ahead was sort of a kaccha road and was a little bumpy, but it was manageable. Our next destination was the Dainthlen Falls which was kinda dried up since it was the summer season but still there were small streams through which you could wade and enjoy the icy cold water. We also climbed a nearby hill to get a better view and try to touch the clouds but alas, the clouds ran away :(
Just after a few more kilometers, there was the Jiva Resort so we decided to eat our lunch there, which was decadent, to say the least. Our next stop was the NohKaLikai Falls where something very funny kept happening to us. The moment we used to run towards the balcony to get a better view of it, the clouds used to come and completely cover it up! It was like playing a game of hide-n-seek. But luckily we could see it as after 5 mins the clouds momentarily parted again. You could also go down a looooong staircase to get a better view but it's just the same as above. We bought some souvenirs from there and ate some delicious pineapples and strapped in to visit our next destination, the Mawasmi Caves.
Let me warn you, it's NOT like a normal cave. You can't just walk through it, it's more like an obstacle course. You need to be very flexible to go through it (not advisable for senior citizens). Of course, we didn't know that, we just thought that it was a cave but nevertheless it was fun and it should definitely be on your itinerary. Five minutes from the Mawasmi Caves were the Seven Sisters waterfall. The Seven Sisters looked like they were on a strict no-water diet so you get the image. But I'm pretty sure that it would be a sight to behold during the rainy season so if you're visiting the caves then this should be on your list too.
Our day three recording :)
Dainthlen Falls (left) and the NohKaLikai Falls (right)
Day 4- 29 March
There was not much to visit today as we had a 7-hr ride to the Kaziranga National Park. We started from our hotel a bit early, so that we could beat the morning city traffic. For lunch, we stopped at a tea garden which was 40 km before the hotel. This place was like a storehouse of natural beauty. There was a cute, little treehouse there along with many animals like ducks, chicks, cows, etc with whom we could play with. We had our lunch over there (which was cooked in bamboo) and then set out for our hotel. Since we were already inside the park we could see the rhinos in the distance from our cars if we really focused. We even stopped at a point and bought binoculars to get a better view. Around 6 pm we reached our hotel and rested as we had to wake up early the next day for the safari.
Day 5- 30 March
We were out of our hotel at 6:30 am, more than ready for the elephant safari. Our elephant was the
48-year old dear Chameli and her owner too was quite nice. The elephant safari is not something that you should miss because after that you can not get a better view of the rhinos. I mean the rhinos were literally standing and grazing beside us! We came back to our hotel, had breakfast, and rested for a while as now it had started raining heavily. We left for the jeep safari at around 1:30 pm and it was worth every second. We could stand up and spot the animals, we could climb towers to get a better viewpoint...it was amazing. On top of that, we were really lucky to have a massive rhino cross the road in front of us! Elephants and deers, along with exotic birds such as the Indian Ruler could also be seen in abundance. And if I'm being really honest, then this was the BEST part of the entire trip.
Jeep Safari, Elephant Safari, and the gorgeous rhinos!
Day 6- 31 March
We had a flight at 4:00 pm today so we left five hours earlier from Kaziranga so that we could reach the airport in time. But we still somehow managed to buy souvenirs in between and a LOT of tea, don't ask me how!😂
SOME ADDITIONAL TIPS:-
Please be aware that littering is a CRIME in Shillong. Any person not obeying the lawful orders issued shall be liable to a fine of Rs 5000/-.
Meghalaya and its long tradition of matriliny hold women in very high regard, all women enjoy the same rights, freedoms, and opportunities as men.
Meghalayans by both culture and nature are soft-speaking, quiet, and adverse to conflict so please respect the tranquility of their beautiful outdoors.
Since there is a lot of road travel in this journey, the majority of it being on hills, try to be prepared beforehand.
For the jeep safari, it is advisable to bring a pair of binoculars to spot the animals in the tall grass.
DON'T forget to bring your umbrella!
And finally- ENJOY YOUR STAY!
Nice to go through the content and loved the passionate writing skills. Looking fwd for more … Good wishes
Very descriptive and interesting information about North-east India! Well done Anahita 👏👏