The avenue toward heaven-North East India

Yes, it was a girlie trip of 7 days covering Guwahati, Kaziranga, Shillong and Cherrapunji. We four girls landed in Guwahati in the morning and spent our afternoon & evening in the local market, where we had pigeon as the delicacy of that place. Next morning we visited kaziranga which made our trip worth it. I would suggest you should go for elephant safari rather than jeep one because then you would be more close to the wild life. The most accessible and popular range is the Central one, at Kohora in Kaziranga. I would recommend you to visit Kaziranga for sure to see the highest density of Rhinos. Also, don't miss the beautiful tea gardens of Methoni, Difalu, Hathkhuli, Behora and Borchapor. Then the next four days were spent in Shillong and from there we covered the wettest place called Cherrapunji and the cleanest village in Asia called Mawlynnong. We covered a lot of falls and did not forget to take the picturesque view of the city from shillong in the afternoon. Another very interesting thing to do while in Cherrapunji is to walk on the living root bridges that are to be found in the tiny villages dotting the town.

The detail about our personal itinerary is shared below :

North East- 1st Nov to 7th Nov

Guwahati- Shillong- Kaziranga- Cherrapunji

Cost Includes:

Air Ticket per person: 13,000 Approx. Each

Accommodation on twin Sharing Basis to save on money.

Breakfast in hotel and other meals of the day at some nice places.

Car or bus rentals

Itinerary

Day 1 – 1 st Nov

We flew from Delhi to Guwahati and reached there by 10:05 am.

Travelers: If you are reaching before 12 noon, you can either go for an overnight stay to Kaziranga national park (5 hrs drive), where you can get the cost effective hotels at Paltan Bazar/ or close to ISBT (http://www.tripadvisor.in/Hotels-g503692-Guwahati_Assam-Hotels.html).

Or a day can be spent there in Guwahati itself- you can check Brahmaputra Ferry (shared ferry or motorboat for Rs 10), Kamakhya Temple (at Nilachal Hill- one of the seven wonders of India), Assam State Museum (10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (summers), closed on Mondays. And then you can leave for Kaziranga in the morning.

However, we decided to stay in Guwahati for a night. And then the following morning we headed to Kaziranga.

Day 2 & 3 - 2nd & 3rd Nov

On the second morning, we started off in a cab and headed towards Kaziranga. We planned in such a way that we did not miss a single scenic view on our way. The stay was at Parayag resort which made us enjoy the stay by getting the born fire in the middle of the forest.

Note- Kazaringa is open daily from November 1 to April 30 every year.

The day in Kaziranga starts at 4 am and the evening gets dark around 5 pm. One hour elephant safaris are offered between 5.30 a.m. and 7.30 a.m. Elephant safaris are also possible in the afternoon, from 3 p.m. until 4 p.m. The park is open for jeep safaris from 7.30 a.m until 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. until 4.30 p.m. The most accessible and popular range is the Central one, at Kohora. The Western range, 25 minutes from Kohora, is the shortest circuit but has the highest density of rhinos.

On 2nd Nov, we went for the Jeep Safari in the Kohora (central) range in the Kaziranga park. Next day, 3rd Nov, we also went for 1 hr. Elephant Safari in the Kohora (Central) range of Kaziranga early morning.

The fees payable comprise a number of elements –

Park Entry Fee: 50 rupees for Indians (WOW -250 rupees for foreigners)

Jeep Hire Fee - Varies from zone to zone and hotel one is staying at (1000 and above)

Elephant Safari Fee: 500 rupees for Indians

Fee for armed guard to accompany visitors on safaris: 50 rupees for Indians

(Try to avoid the first safaris of the morning in winter though, as fog and late sunrise hamper viewing.)

On third day, after covering elephant safari, we took time to cover the beautiful tea gardens of Methoni, Difalu, Hathkhuli, Behora and Borchapor. In the evening set out on a River cruise to watch the sun go down the Brahmaputra River and see yourself why the river is locally called ‘Luit’- color of blood.

Day 3 , we planned to come back from Kaziranga to Shillong- Scotland of the East. Please note you have to come back to Guwahati as there is no bus or cab service direct to Shillong.

From Kaziranga to Guwahati you can drive down by a cab, which is around 6 hrs drive (Rs 1,500)

Guwahati to Shillong Bus Tickets Online At RedBus : 06:00 AM 10:00 AM ( Rs 130.00 )

http://www.redbus.in/bus-tickets/guwahati-shillong.aspx

Day 4, 4th Nov

On the Fourth day of our trip, we went for Elephant waterfall and later went for the picturesque view of the city from Shillong peak in the afternoon.

Places we covered:

• Feast your eyes - Lum Khyriem Viewpoint- The viewpoint is a mere 6 kms away from the city- you get a full 180 degrees panoramic view of Shillong . Same day or next you can go to Umiam Lake (man made lake) and can do water skiing, Sailing, kayaking, water scooting, booting, Angling as well as some boating..

Day 5 , 5th Nov

Visit Nongkhnum River Island- The Island is barely 14 kms from shillong- Winter is the best time for the long treks there. It’s the biggest river island in Meghalaya and the second biggest river island in Asia.

Suggested Trekking Routes

1) Weinia Falls (near vehicle parking lot) - Shadthum Falls - Phanliang Lake, Sandy

Beach and Phanliang Hut - Flat Land - Sohkhe Falls - Vehicle Parking Lot .....

roughly 25 kms.

2)Weinia Falls - Langchiang Falls and Langchiang Lake and return - roughly 16 kms.

3)Weinia Falls - Sohkhe Falls - Phanliang Hut - Shadthum Falls - Phanliang Hut .....

12 kms.

Day 6, 6th Nov

Early morning we headed towards Cherrapunji from Shillong

Places we covered there:

• Mawmluh Cave in Cherrapunji in East Khasi Hills: http://megtourism.gov.in/caves.html

Once here, head to Krem Mawmluh. The 4503m long cave with five river passage is the 4th longest in India. It is situated approximately half a kilometer west of Cherrapunji adjacent to the small hamlet of Mawmluh. The entry to this cave is located at a height of 10 ft above sea level. In addition, there is a pool inside the cave, which is formed as a result of five different rivers finding their way inside the cave.

• Living root bridges: Another very interesting thing to do while in Cherrapunji is to walk on the living root bridges that are to be found in the tiny villages dotting the town.

One of the most famous root bridge is the Ummonoi Root Bridge, in Laitkynsew Village which is considered to be a 'double-decker' bridge as it is made up of two bridges overlapping each other.

Back to our hotel in Shillong.

Day 7, 7th Nov

Traveled back to Guwahati and boarded our flight in the afternoon.

Keep Traveling !!