MEGHALAYA BACKPACKING

Meghalaya’s Landscapes
The unforgettable landscapes of Meghalaya will stay in your heart, long after your journey is over. The table-top heights of Sohra (Cherrapunjee) are brimful with waterfalls, streams, and forest trails. Gaze at the Bangladeshi plains from the many vantage points on the state’s southern ridges. The outskirts of Shillong and the high plateau around Mylliem and Smit offer postcard perfect representations of the simple life – complete with pastel green meadows, tall pine groves, crisp cool air, and quiet villages with quaint cottages and wooden fences spread across the countryside.
Further west, the Garo Hills burst into all the shades of green that you can think of. It is a region where you can travel on winding roads that pass through undisturbed forests where pachyderms and predators still rule and discover rarely-breached ecosystems. Meghalaya’s largely agrarian society has also contributed to this vibrant mosaic. Paddy fields neatly carved out of the hills and betel plantations that blend into the forest are just some examples you will come across. On the eastern part of the state, the Jaintia Hills offer more even enchanting views – a mix of heady cliffs, river-crossed tableland, rapids and waterfalls, and primeval forests that still remain unexplored in places.
Meghalaya is home to some of the longest and most complex cave systems in the world – from west to east, there are many subterranean tunnels and spots marked with ancient fossils and home to rare species. During the monsoons, the fast-moving rivers swell and drop into the plains in imposing, powerful cascades – a reason why Meghalaya is also termed as a land of waterfalls.