Places to Visit in Meghalaya: Root Bridges, Caves and Canyons

Terrain rather than distance separates the places to visit in Meghalaya, and the choice decides how much of a day goes on foot rather than in a car. Mawlynnong, sold everywhere as Asia's cleanest village, has admitted no visitors on Sundays since January 2026, by its own council's decision. That title came from a travel magazine in 2003 and was never an official award.

Almost everything here is reached from Shillong or Sohra, and the guide to preparing for travelling in India sets out how to reach the state in the first place.

Places to visit in Meghalaya

Grouped by what the day asks of you.

• Around Shillong. Mawphlang, Laitlum, Umiam. Half days, little walking.
• The Sohra plateau. Nohkalikai, Seven Sisters, Mawsmai, Arwah. Viewpoints and short descents.
• Deep descents. Nongriat, Wei Sawdong, Rainbow Falls. Full days on steps.
• The southern border. Dawki, Shnongpdeng, Mawlynnong, Riwai.
• The west. The Garo hills, Tura, Siju, Balpakram. A separate trip.

Living root bridges and where to find them

Grown rather than built, by training the aerial roots of the rubber fig across a stream over many years. They are village property and most charge a small fee that pays for upkeep.

• Nongriat. The double decker, the one in every photograph, reached by a long stepped descent from Tyrna.
• Riwai, near Mawlynnong. A single bridge, reached in a few minutes, and the right one if the descent is not possible.
• Rainbow Falls. Beyond Nongriat, adding hours to an already long day.
• Mawlynnong and Nongriat are often sold as one day. They are two.
• The climb back is the hard half. Plan the day around the return rather than the arrival.

Waterfalls around Sohra

Sohra, still widely called Cherrapunji, has the highest concentration and the volume swings hugely between seasons.

• Nohkalikai. The tallest plunge in the state, and a viewpoint rather than a walk.
• Seven Sisters, or Nohsngithiang. Seven streams across a cliff, and often one or two outside the monsoon.
• Wei Sawdong. Three tiers reached by a steep bamboo ladder descent.
• Krang Suri, in the Jaintia hills. Blue water and a swimming pool below.
• Season decides everything. June to September for volume, November to February for views and safe footing.

Caves and canyons in Meghalaya

The state sits on limestone and holds some of the longest cave systems in the subcontinent, only a few of which are set up for visitors.

• Mawsmai. Lit, short and busy. The one most itineraries use.
• Arwah Lumshynna. Quieter, with visible fossils in the rock.
• Liat Prah and the Jaintia systems. Serious caving, not casual visits.
• Siju, in the Garo hills, known for its bat colonies.
• Laitlum canyon. Not a cave, but the clearest view of how the plateau falls away.
• Caves take water in the monsoon and some close entirely.

Dawki, Shnongpdeng and the southern border

The Umngot river runs clear enough in winter that boats appear to float on air, and that is a dry season picture rather than a permanent condition.

• Dawki. The border town and the busiest stretch of the river.
• Shnongpdeng. Upstream, quieter, and where the camping and kayaking are.
• Mawlynnong. Twenty minutes away, closed on Sundays since January 2026.
• Riwai root bridge, next to Mawlynnong and the easiest in the state to reach.
• The water runs brown from June to September. Plan for the season you are in rather than the photograph you saw.

The Garo hills and western Meghalaya

A different landscape, a different language and almost no visitors, reached from the west rather than from Shillong.

• Tura. The main town and the base for everything in the west.
• Balpakram National Park. A deep canyon on the Bangladesh border, and significant in Garo belief.
• Siju caves and the wetland below them.
• Nokrek, the biosphere reserve, known for a wild citrus ancestor.
• Reaching it. Closer to Guwahati by road through the plains than to Shillong across the hills.

A village that has decided how it wants to be visited has given you the most useful planning information there is, which is why Mawlynnong's Sunday closure matters more than its reputation. How places handle being visited is a longer subject. Our seven day journey through the forests, hills and root bridges is paced for the descents rather than around them. Customised tours is where a fixed set of dates gets matched to the season.

Also Read

1. Things to Know Before Planning a Trip to Meghalaya
2. The Meghalaya Road Trip I Planned From the Car
3. Cultural Places to Visit in India, and What Most People Miss

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Mawlynnong worth visiting?

It is a short and pleasant stop rather than a destination in itself, and it pairs naturally with the Riwai root bridge next door. Be aware that it admits no visitors on Sundays since January 2026, and that the cleanest village title came from a travel magazine in 2003 rather than from any official body.

How hard is the walk to the double decker root bridge?

It is a long stepped descent from Tyrna to Nongriat and the same climb back, and the return is the harder half. Allow a full day, start early, and carry water. Anyone who cannot manage a sustained descent and climb should take the Riwai bridge near Mawlynnong instead.

When do the Meghalaya waterfalls have the most water?

June to September, during and just after the monsoon, when Nohkalikai and Seven Sisters run hardest. The trade is visibility, because cloud fills the canyons for days at a time in those months. November to February gives clear views, safer footing and thinner falls.

Is the Umngot river at Dawki always clear?

No. The transparent water in the photographs is a dry season condition, roughly November to April. From June to September the river runs high and brown. Shnongpdeng, upstream from Dawki, is quieter and is where most camping and kayaking happens.