Start with Shillong itself: Shillong Peak at 09:00, Elephant Falls, Ward's Lake, the Don Bosco Museum and Umiam Lake, about 67 km by cab. Give Sohra (Cherrapunji) a day for Nohkalikai Falls, Arwah and Mawsmai caves and Seven Sisters Falls, about 126 km. A third day goes to Mawlynnong, the Riwai root bridge and the clear river at Dawki, about 181 km.
Each plan is a real route by cab, timed against opening hours.
Shillong Peak, Elephant Falls, the museum and Umiam
6 places · 67 km by cab
See the plan →Shillong Peak, Elephant Falls, the museum and Umiam · Cherrapunji: falls, caves and viewpoints
13 places · 192 km by cab
See the plan →Shillong Peak, Elephant Falls, the museum and Umiam · Cherrapunji: falls, caves and viewpoints · Mawlynnong, the root bridge and Dawki
16 places · 373 km by cab
See the plan →Call or message a local Shillong operator with this plan. Tell them your hotel and dates, and they send a price for the car and driver.
We are still listing Shillong operators. Write to [email protected] and we will put you in touch.
With the best time to go and how long to stay.
| Place | Open | Best time | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shillong Peak | About 09:00 to 15:30 (one listing says 17:00). One listing says closed on Wednesdays. Small ticket; carry photo ID? | First thing in the morning, before clouds roll in. | 45 min |
| Elephant Falls | About 09:00 to 17:00, every day (one listing says 10:00 to 18:00). Small ticket? | Any time of day; the falls are fullest from June to October. | 1 h |
| Air Force Museum, Upper Shillong | About 09:30 to 17:30, closed on Mondays. Free. One source only? | With Elephant Falls, a few minutes away. | 45 min |
| Ward's Lake | 08:30 to 17:30 from November to February, to 19:00 from March to October. One source says closed on Tuesdays, another lists no closed day. Small ticket | Late morning, when the boats are out. | 45 min |
| Lady Hydari Park | 08:00 to 17:00, closed on Mondays. Small ticket | Any time; good with children. | 45 min |
| Don Bosco Museum | 09:30 to 16:30 from December to mid-February (last entry 15:30), to 17:30 the rest of the year. Closed on Sundays and some church holidays | Late morning, with an hour or more to spare. | 1 h 15 min |
| Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians | Open every day, about 09:00 to 17:00 (listings differ, from 07:00 to 18:30). Quiet during Mass? | Any time outside Mass; Sunday mornings are busy. | 25 min |
| Umiam Lake | The roadside viewpoint is open in daylight. Boats and water sports at the lake about 09:00 to 17:00? | Late afternoon, when the light is soft on the water. | 45 min |
| Laitlum Canyons | Open in daylight, about 06:00 to 17:00. Free or a small fee? | Afternoon; mornings are often lost in fog. | 1 h |
| Mawphlang Sacred Forest | 09:00 to 16:30, every day. Entry fee, and a local guide is needed | Morning, with a guide. | 1 h 30 min |
The highest point around Shillong, at about 1,960 m, with a view over the whole city and the hills beyond. It sits inside an Air Force radar station, so there is a gate, a ticket and a short walk to the viewing deck.
In the 1-day plan
Three waterfalls one below the other in a fern-covered gorge, about 10 km from Police Bazar. The Khasi name means "three steps falls"; the British named it after a rock shaped like an elephant, which an earthquake broke in 1897.
In the 1-day planA small museum at the Eastern Air Command headquarters with old aircraft, uniforms and models, and the story of the Air Force in the Northeast.
Not in our plans. Add it if you have time.
A small horseshoe-shaped lake in the middle of town, made in the 1890s, with a wooden bridge, gardens and paddle boats. It is a few minutes from Police Bazar.
In the 1-day plan
A Japanese-style garden with a pond, a deer park and a small zoo of local birds and animals, about 1.5 km from Ward's Lake.
Not in our plans. Add it if you have time.
A seven-floor museum about the peoples of the Northeast: their clothes, tools, weapons, music and homes, gallery by gallery. On the roof, a skywalk looks out over Shillong.
In the 1-day plan
Shillong's Catholic cathedral, a tall church in Laitumkhrah rebuilt in the 1940s after a fire, with stained-glass windows along both sides.
In the 1-day plan
A huge lake made by a dam in the 1960s, about 15 km north of Shillong on the Guwahati road, ringed by pine-covered hills. Locals call it Barapani, "big water".
In the 1-day plan
A grassy ridge where the hills drop away into deep green valleys, about 25 km south of Shillong. Steps lead down to Rasong village far below.
Not in our plans. Add it if you have time.
An old forest the Khasi people have protected for hundreds of years: nothing may be taken out of it, not even a leaf. Guides walk you past huge trees, orchids and stones used in old rituals.
Not in our plans. Add it if you have time.
A viewpoint by the Mawkdok bridge on the Sohra road, looking down the Mawkdok valley. It is the first big view on the way to Cherrapunji.
Day 2 of the 2-day plan
A tall, thin waterfall that drops into a gorge right beside the Sohra road, seen from a small viewing shelter.
Day 2 of the 2-day plan
A limestone cave above Sohra with fossils of fish and shells set in its walls, from when this land was under the sea. A paved path along the cliff leads to it.
Day 2 of the 2-day plan
One of India's tallest plunge waterfalls, about 340 m, falling into a turquoise pool in a wooded gorge. The view is from the cliff opposite.
Day 2 of the 2-day plan
A lit limestone cave about 150 m long that you walk through, past stalactites and narrow gaps. It is the easiest cave to see in Meghalaya.
Day 2 of the 2-day plan
Seven streams that fall side by side over a long limestone cliff near Mawsmai village. The Khasi name is Nohsngithiang.
Day 2 of the 2-day planA park on the edge of a plateau where streams run over the cliff. On a clear day you can see the plains of Bangladesh below.
Day 2 of the 2-day plan
A park at the southern edge of the Sohra plateau, looking at Kynrem Falls and the Khoh Ramhah rock, with the Bangladesh plains below.
Not in our plans. Add it if you have time.
A Khasi village known as one of the cleanest in Asia: bamboo bins on every path, flower gardens and stone-and-wood houses. The Sky View, a bamboo tower, looks out to Bangladesh, and the Balancing Rock sits on the edge of the village.
Day 3 of the 3-day plan
A bridge grown from the roots of a rubber tree, trained across a stream by villagers over many years. It is the easiest living root bridge to reach.
Day 3 of the 3-day plan
A river so clear in winter that the boats seem to float on air. Small wooden boats row out under the old Dawki suspension bridge, a few hundred metres from the Bangladesh border.
Day 3 of the 3-day plan
The busy centre of Shillong, around a roundabout lined with shops, cafes and street food stalls selling momos and local snacks.
Not in our plans. Add it if you have time.Three days covers it well: one for Shillong town and Umiam Lake, one for Sohra (Cherrapunji), and one for Mawlynnong and Dawki. With two days, skip Dawki; with one, see the town.
It may run into trouble. Since 2025 the Meghalaya tourist taxi association has stopped some Assam cabs from taking visitors to Sohra, Dawki and Mawlynnong, and the issue was not fully settled in 2026. The safe choice is a Meghalaya-registered cab for the sightseeing days; ask your operator before you book.
The Don Bosco Museum closes on Sundays and Lady Hydari Park on Mondays. One listing says Shillong Peak closes on Wednesdays and another that Ward's Lake closes on Tuesdays, so check before you go. The Sohra and Dawki sights open every day.
Yes. The viewpoint is inside an Air Force station, so carry a photo ID for the gate, where cameras may be held. Foreign visitors may not be allowed in.
October to April for clear views and clear water at Dawki. June to September is the monsoon: the waterfalls are at their best, but roads slow down, views fill with cloud and boating at Dawki often stops.
Not on a cab day. It is about 3,000 steps down from Tyrna village near Sohra, roughly 1.5 hours down and 2 to 3 hours back up, so it is a full day on foot, or a night in Nongriat. A guide may be required. The Riwai root bridge on the Mawlynnong day is a 10 minute walk.
Laitlum Canyons and the Mawphlang Sacred Forest are each about 25 km from Police Bazar, about 50 km there and back, so each is a half day. Krang Suri Falls in the Jaintia Hills is a long day of its own.
Cabs can drop you at the edge, but the centre is crowded and partly closed to traffic, so walk it in the evening after the cab day. Many shops close on Sundays.
