Things to do in Cherrapunji
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Cherrapunji
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Post-monsoon is best overall, with strong falls, green hills, clearing skies and the clearest Dawki water beginning.
Winter dry season brings the best trekking and clearest river, but waterfalls shrink hard and Seven Sisters can be dry.
Spring warms up with building showers, moderate falls and thinner crowds, and Shad Suk Mynsiem falls in April.
Monsoon deluge gives maximum waterfalls but landslides, closed trails, white fog and a brown, fast Dawki river.
What's on
- Nongkrem Dance Festival November, five days, dates vary
The most important Khasi festival, ritual and dance at Smit near Shillong, a community ceremony visitors may watch respectfully.
- Shad Suk Mynsiem April
Khasi Dance of the Joyful Heart in Shillong, a spring thanksgiving dance in silk and gold, held in the Shillong area.
Best things to do in Cherrapunji
Nohkalikai Falls
India's tallest plunge waterfall seen from a cliff viewpoint, thundering in monsoon and narrowing sharply by late winter.
Nohsngithiang Falls
Seven streams side by side over a high cliff, spectacular after rain and often little more than damp rock by February.
Mawsmai Cave
A short, lit limestone cave with tight squeezes and fossil traces, the friendly first cave, best done early before crowds.
Arwah Cave
The bigger, quieter Sohra cave, reached by a forest path, with large chambers, fossils and a stream running through it.
Wei Sawdong
A three tiered waterfall with turquoise pools in a gorge, reached by a short but steep descent on bamboo ladders.
Dainthlen Falls
A wide waterfall over rock shelves near Wei Sawdong, a picnic and paddle stop in the dry season rather than a spectacle.
Garden of Caves
Small caves, waterfalls and pools strung along one garden path, an easy hour that suits families and cave beginners.
Eco Park
A plateau top park above the Seven Sisters drop, worth it for gorge views and, on clear days, the Bangladesh plains.
Where to stay in Cherrapunji
Sohra town and Mawsmai
waterfalls, caves and dawn starts
Sleeping in Sohra puts the falls circuit and the Tyrna trailhead within short drives and avoids a daily Shillong commute.
Kutmadan and Laitkynsew edge
quiet resort stays and treks
Greener and quieter than town, with resort settings and own trek programmes, at the cost of a drive for every sight.
Shillong (separate base)
food, music and hotel choice
The capital is 54 km and under 2 hours away, fine for a falls day trip but a poor base for an early Nongriat trek.
Think twice about
- Guwahati as a Sohra base
About 5 hours by road from Sohra. Use it as an arrival airport and sleep in Shillong or Sohra instead.
Best restaurants in Cherrapunji
Jiva Grill
Sohra's top rated dining room, North Indian and Asian grills at Jiva Resort, the closest thing to a celebration dinner.
Cafe Cherrapunjee & Inn
A Raj era heritage cafe among pines on the Shillong road, the natural lunch stop on arrival or departure day.
Orange Roots
The reliable vegetarian plate at the entrance to town, thalis, dosas and idlis in a clean roadside dining room.
Nalgre Restaurant
A small local restaurant on the Sohra-Shella road, with a fish thali that repeat visitors single out.
Kongwang Jadoh Stall
A market stall by the taxi stand serving jadoh where drivers and traders eat, the cheapest true Khasi plate in town.
Outdoor things to do in Cherrapunji
Double Decker Living Root Bridge
Two living root bridges stacked over a stream at Nongriat, reached by roughly 3,000 steps down from Tyrna village.
Rainbow Falls
An hour beyond the Double Decker bridge, a powerful fall into a deep blue pool for a dry season swim.
Umngot River
Dry season water so clear that boats look suspended over the riverbed, with swimming and camping at Shnongpdeng.
Pioneer Adventure Tours
The named operator for the Mawkdok gorge zipline and for Shnongpdeng water activities, with certified local guides.
Mawlynnong
A famously clean Khasi village day trip with a root bridge at Riwai and skywalk views over Bangladesh, paired with Dawki.
Best hotels in Cherrapunji
Polo Orchid Resort Cherrapunjee
Sohra's top resort by the Seven Sisters viewpoint, with a spa, restaurant and balconies, the local ceiling for comfort.
Jiva Resort Cherrapunji
The other luxury Sohra resort, near Kutmadan, built around its grill restaurant and a quiet, green setting.
Sa-I-Mika Resort
Cottages on grassy grounds where clouds drift through, with home style food and staff who organise local treks.
Cherrapunjee Holiday Resort
A family run hilltop nature resort 16 km from town, with its own treks, waterfall baths and Bangladesh plains views.
La Kupar Inn
A simple, good value inn in town with a garden, bonfire evenings and early breakfasts packed for trek days.
Goshen homestay
A small family homestay with a full breakfast, where the host doubles as your source for drivers and weather sense.
Is Cherrapunji expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ₹2,500 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ₹5,500 a person |
| Splurge | ₹14,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Umngot River: a few days ahead
- Polo Orchid Resort Cherrapunjee: weeks ahead
- Jiva Resort Cherrapunji: weeks ahead
- Sa-I-Mika Resort: a few days ahead
- Cherrapunjee Holiday Resort: a few days ahead
- Book Sohra rooms ahead for October to January and Indian holiday weekends, as the good properties are small.
- Book a Nongriat homestay night and any Shnongpdeng riverside camp ahead in the dry season.
Is Cherrapunji safe?
- In monsoon, expect landslides, road closures and white fog with visibility of a few metres on the Shillong to Sohra road.
- Trails and cave paths are slippery stone, mobile signal is thin in valleys like Nongriat, and serious medical care is back in Shillong.
- Carry cash, as card machines and ATMs in Sohra fail often enough to plan around.
Cherrapunji travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Visiting Seven Sisters Falls in February expecting the postcard, when it can be dry rock.
- Attempting the Double Decker descent in peak monsoon rain, or expecting clear water at Dawki in July.
- A rushed Shillong day trip that spends more time in the car than at the falls.
Getting around Cherrapunji: public transport and more
- Fly to Guwahati, drive about 3 hours to Shillong, then 54 km and about 1 hour 45 minutes on to Sohra.
- Hire a car with a local driver in Sohra, as sights spread along 30 km of plateau roads and public transport is thin.
- Tyrna, the Nongriat trailhead, is about 12 km and 30 minutes from Sohra, and Shnongpdeng is a 2 to 3 hour hill drive.
Who Cherrapunji suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Cherrapunji your trip
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