Meghalaya - Part 4 - Cheerapunji Local Sightseeing
Day 5 – [7-Sept-22] – Nohkalikai waterfalls, Mawsmai cave, garden of caves. Overnight stay at Cheerapunji (Labana hotel)
Woke up to a bright and sunny morning in Cherrapunji. After having a good breakfast in Labana hotel, we headed visit some of the popular tourist hotspots of Cherrapunji.
 |
| View from Hotel Labana previous evening |
Sohra is the Khasi or the local name of Cherrapunji in Meghalaya. Sohra means "Land of Oranges".
Cherrapunji is often credited as the wettest place on earth. But Mawsynram just 10 miles to the west receives even more heavy rains than Cherrapunji with an average annual rainfall of 11871 mm. Hence recently Mawsynram has been credited as the wettest place of earth and Cherrapunji as the second wettest place.
This town sits at an altitude of 1260 m above sea level. So please be prepared for some picturesque, panoramic and breathtaking views of the Khasi hills as you drive around Cherrapunji 😊.
Nohkalikai waterfalls
This is located at around 8 kilometers from Cherrapunji. Until you reach the parking lot of this tourist spot, you wouldn’t be aware of the surprise that is going to unfold. As you get down from your vehicle and start walking towards this waterfall you will be amazed by the first look of this stunning landscape. This apparently is the talent plunge waterfall in India. The sheer sight of waterfall plunging from rock cliffs with lush greenery in the backdrop and the clear turquoise natural swimming pool at the base gives its visitor’s a WOW moment.
Ramakrishna Mission
This is one of the most popular tourist destination of Cherrapunji. This place provides education to underprivileged kids of this city. For visitors, there are many things to see here – Temple, Anthropological museum and the store.
There are clear directions here so that you can find your way easily.
We next headed to the museum. There are interesting exhibits hung out in school.
This museum showcases culture of all seven sister states. The coverage of each and every aspect of these states have been beautifully showcased here. Photography is not allowed inside the museum. But its totally worth a visit.
Next we headed to the store where interesting handicrafts, books, shawls weaved locally are kept for sale. I found books very interesting.
Seven Sisters Falls
Going by its name, this waterfall forms a seven-segmented waterfall, which plunges over the top of rugged cliffs of the Khasi Hills.
We next headed to the beautiful limestone cave of Cherrapunji – Mawsmai cave.
Mawsmai Cave
We reached parking lot Mawsmai cave.
There are lot of shops and restaurants on both the sides till you reach the ticket counter of the cave.
Timings - 9:30 am to 5:30 pm
Entry fees – Rs 30 per person
After taking entry ticket, you will need to walk along a clearly carved out stony path with some steps to climb for around 50 meters and then you will reach the actual cave entrance.
Don’t misjudge this cave with its entrance.
Once you enter and start your journey of cave exploration you will need to squeeze and crawl around in few places to make your way. And also water keeps dripping from cave top. So be ready for this exciting and thrilling experience inside the cave.
When we came out of the cave, there is an interesting shop where in you can get dressed in traditional Khasi attire and click photos. We really had fun getting dressed like them and clicked few pictures here as souvenirs.
Then we had lunch in one of the restaurants here. Food was ok. If you are a pure vegetarian, then be prepared to eat different versions of Potato and cabbage in most of your meals.
We then took a stroll along the shops in the parking area and picked up some souvenirs. There are interesting handicrafts you can take back home from here.
We headed now to the last stop of the day - Garden of caves.
Enroute we stopped again to capture some stunning views during our drive.
Garden of caves
This was my favorite of all the attractions of Cherrapunji. Garden of caves is a natural trail where you will traverse through lot of caves and waterfalls amidst dense forest.
There is a ticket counter where in you need to take tickets Rs 50.
There are 11 caves totally and you need to walk along a designated path to cover each cave in one order. Also there are volunteers at various points to help you in case of any confusion.
Overall very well maintained natural habitat, peaceful and breathtaking. This is truly a hidden gem and less crowded too. I simply loved it😊.
Wah-Kaba-Latara Falls
This waterfall is situated right on the main road. Viewpoint is very nicely covered with railings along the edges. We could get stunning pictures of the panoramic view of this location with falls and surrounding valley along with sunset.
One important point to be kept in mind while sight-seeing in Meghalaya – all tourist attractions close by 5 PM. So, everyone heads back to their place of stay before dark.
We also reached our hotel, had early dinner, and slept soon since we had to wake up at 5 am for the most awaiting adventurous trek of my life – Double Decker Root Bridge of Meghalaya 
.
Pages from my Meghalaya Travel Diary
Meghalaya - Part 1 - Latlum Canyon and Nartiang Monolith
Meghalaya - Part 2 - Krang Suri Falls and Dawki
Meghalaya - Part 3 - Mawlynnong : Asia's Cleanest Village
Meghalaya - Part 5 - Double Decker Root Bridge Trek and Sacred Groove
Comments
Post a Comment