Serene Homestay, Nongriat, Meghalaya

This homestay is situated in a beautiful village of Meghalaya, Nongriat. The only way to reach this homestay is through a 3 km trek, covering almost 3500+ stairs, few metal bridges and one root bridge. You have to trek for good two hours to reach this homestay. Also, the famous double decker root bridge is just 100m away from this beautiful homestay.

This homestay belongs to Byron, his wife & their beautiful kids. Travellers shouldn’t except A/C lavish rooms here. Rooms here are mostly dormitory except a couple of double bed rooms. It’s for travellers who are more than happy with a bed, a table and a fan. Rooms were reasonably clean and even the washrooms which were shared by everyone, were quite clean and properly maintained.

We started trekking late so we reached the homestay almost at the time for dinner. If you love eating local food, you’re going to enjoy the food here. Dinner is served buffet style with dal, rice and loads of local vegetable dishes. You get maggi, toast, porridge with fruits, rice with dal and other vegetables. We also had a delicious breakfast which was porridge topped with fruits and nuts before leaving for rainbow waterfalls the next day.

Byron and the kids are very kind and accommodating. I know a lot travellers have felt otherwise and I did read a lot of reviews about Byron and how he is very rude and uncouth in dealing with guests. And to be honest, I had a similar experience too. But you know, as humans, we all should give people the benefit of the doubt, you know, always.

After getting to know the life Byron is leading and a little about his past, I understood the struggles that he goes through. He has been an educator with 12 years of experience, out of which 5 years were in Rama Krishna Mission giving Health and Environment education. He left all of that to live with his family and serve people like us. I once saw him getting bothered by loud music being played by guests which is fair because it just ruins the calm and serenity of the place.

Don’t go to Nongriat expecting services of tourist hubs like Shillong and Cherapunjee. Price here is approximately Rs. 300 per person and food about Rs. 50 - 150. It’s a perfect place to stay for budget travellers and backpackers. It’s always best to expect bare minimum and you’d be a happy traveller.