Meghalaya hums with a wild, unspoken rhythm—mist weaving through ancient hills, rivers carving secrets into stone, and trails whispering tales of forgotten times. It’s a land that cradles the slow wanderer and ignites the restless adventurer in equal measure. While our classic Meghalaya tours unveil its cultural heartbeat and postcard beauty—our beloved One Week in Meghalaya a traveler’s favorite—this 8-day, 7-night offbeat Meghalaya tour is different. It’s a plunge into the untrodden, a dance with the Northeast’s raw edges.
From the ghostly paths of David Scott’s Trail to the living roots of Nongriat, this adventure trip to Meghalaya trades crowded viewpoints for hidden wonders. Ready to step where the ordinary ends? Your story starts here.
One Week Meghalaya Offbeat Tour Itinerary
- Day 1 – Guwahati To Shillong
- Day 2 – Shillong Local Exploration
- Day 3 – Shillong – David Scott’s Trail Trek – Cherrapunjee
- Day 4 – Cherrapunjee – Double Decker Living Root Bridge Trek – Cherrapunjee
- Day 5 – Cherrapunjee Local sightseeing
- Day 6 – Cherrapunjee – Kongthong Village Tour – Cherrapunjee
- Day 7 – Cherrapunjee – Wahkhen Bamboo Trek – Shillong
- Day 8 – Shillong – Guwahati
Day 1 – Guwahati To Shillong
Your offbeat Meghalaya tour begins the moment you land in Guwahati or Shillong. Our representative meets you, and the road to Meghalaya unfurls like a promise—fields glowing golden in the dry season or shimmering green after the rains. Start your drive to Meghalaya from Guwahati, through the beautiful countryside. If you have still not decided about when you wish to visit, have a look at this article about the best time to visit North East India, to know when is the right time to visit Meghalaya for you.
After driving through beautiful surroundings for a while, as you crisscross the borders of Assam and Meghalaya, you will make your first stop at Umiam Lake. A man-made waterbody, this gorgeous lake is a sight to behold. You can also go boating at Umiam or just spend time gawking at its beauty.
From Umiam, you start for Shillong, which is less than 20 kms away now. Depending upon the time of your arrival in Shillong, you will either head to one of the things to see in Shillong or, if it is already evening or later, you will head directly to your stay.
Day 2 – Shillong Local Sightseeing
Wake to a morning alive with exciting possibilities, there will be a lot to explore among the best things to see in Shillong. That said, it will also be a relaxed day in Shillong City, with hardly any long drive involved. Some of the places to see in Shillong that you will explore today are:
- Ward’s Lake
- Lady Hydari Park
- Don Bosco Museum
- Don Bosco Cathedral
- Police Bazar
To end your day, go for a local dinner at one of the many restaurants in the city or head to your homestay/stay for a local khasi dinner (you have to inform the host before evening if you wish to have dinner at your stay).
Day 3 – Shillong – David Scott’s Trail Trek – Cherrapunjee
Wake to a morning alive with possibility—your adventure trip to Meghalaya truly starts now. And what better way to start it than following Meghalaya’s oldest trekking trail, the David Scott’s trail! After breakfast, wind through the Khasi Hills to Mawphlang, where David Scott’s Trail waits—an ancient artery once trod by colonial boots, now reclaimed by forest and time. With your guide beside you, trek 16 kilometers through a shifting tapestry: streams chatter over stones, valleys yawn wide, and the wind carries echoes of a wilder world. This is offbeat Meghalaya at its purest—untamed, unscripted.
From streams to valleys to mountains to forests, this trek will take you through some of the most beautiful parts of the Khasi Hills.
At the other end of the trail, towards Cherrapunjee and many steps and stories later, you will find your vehicle waiting to take you to Sohra, for a much-needed rest.
Day 4 – Cherrapunjee – Double Decker Living Root Bridge Trek – Cherrapunjee
Rested from yesterday’s ramble, you rise in Cherrapunjee—once the rain-soaked king of the world—hungry for more. Drive to Tyrna, a village tucked like a secret in the hills, and begin a two-hour descent into myth. The Double Decker Living Root Bridges of Nongriat loom ahead—tangled wonders sculpted by Khasi hands and centuries of patience. The trail teases you with swaying bamboo bridges, emerald pools, and cliffs draped in green. This isn’t a trek; it’s a journey to where nature and human will collide. Settle into your Nongriat stay, the forest’s heartbeat your lullaby.
After the comparatively relaxed trek following David Scott’s trail, followed by enough sleep yesterday, you will be pumped up for today’s adventure.
The double-decker living root bridge trek is one of the most exciting things to do in Meghalaya, and rightly so.
The trek is almost a full-day affair and by the time you come back, it will be evening. And all you would want to do is rest.
So, that is what you will do, once back at your stay🙂.
Day 5 – Cherrapunjee Local Sightseeing
After two tough days, today is going to be an easy day.
You will go around Cherrapunjee, visiting various waterfalls, caves, and valleys. Some of the places that you will visit today are :
- Mawsmai Caves
- Wah Kaba Falls
- Arwah Caves
- Seven Sisters Falls
- Eco Park
- Nohkalikai Falls
End the day as and when you wish to. It’s a relaxed day after all 🙂
Day 6 – Cherrapunjee – Kongthong (Whistling) Village – Cherrapunjee
Today we will drive to one of the most remote places in the Khasi hills. To a place that is unique in more than one way.
Around 35 kilometers from Cherrapunjee, hidden deep inside the Khasi hills, lies the tiny village of Kongthong.
If you haven’t already heard of Kongthong, it is a unique village, a village where people talk in whistles. The whistling village, as it is known.
Every child born in the Kongthong village is given a special tune by her/his mother, at birth. The mother calls her child by whistling the unique tune of the child. The entire thing is quite fascinating, something which we will let our guides explain to us once we are in Kongthong.
For now, let’s just say that, while the village itself is a great experience, reaching there, though narrow, snaking mountain roads is one hell of a dropping experience. With tall cliffs on one side and a scary gorge on the other side, there won’t be any dull moment, for sure.
Once there, go on a guided tour of the Kongthong village to meet the women of the village and know why and how this naming their children with unique tunes came into being and see in person, how this unique language works in real life.
Time permitting, you can also go on a trek to one of the less-known but in no way less gorgeous living root bridges, off the village.
Be back to Cherrapunjee for the night.
Day 7 – Cherrapunjee – Wankhen Bamboo Trek – Shillong
Today is another trekking day. We start from Cherrapunjee in the morning and head to Wankhen, the famous Wahkhen bamboo trek, as it is also known.
This will take a good part of today.
And as you come back from the trek downhill, accompanied by your guide, it will almost be evening.
From there, you drive straight down to Shillong.
Day 8 – Shillong – Guwahati
Your offbeat Meghalaya tour ends today, but the hills leave their mark. After breakfast, drive to Guwahati or Shillong’s airport, the road unwinding through landscapes now etched in your bones. Depart with stories—of trails and roots, rivers and falls—that’ll linger long after the plane lifts off. Until next time, Meghalaya waits.
Inclusions
- Dedicated vehicle for the entire stay in Meghalaya.
- Accommodation for all nights on a twin-sharing basis.
- Breakfast in Shillong, Cherrapunjee & Mawlynnong.
- Guide wherever required.
- Meghalaya Permit.
Exclusions
- Any personal/sanitary/medical expenses.
- Entry fee to the attraction & parking.
- Any extension in the number of days staying.
- Food and snacks.
- Anything that is not mentioned in the ‘inclusions’ section.
- Boating charges.
- 5% GST.
**Please be informed that the homestays in Cherrapunjee & Mawlynnong are neat & clean but basic, given their geographic location.
If you think you are not flexible enough to stay in experimental homestays, do let us know and we will plan your accommodations in Shillong.
** Oct-end through April is generally considered dry season in the region so the waterfalls are not at their best in this period. However, the Umngkot River is at its transparent best.
**During the dry season, the waterfalls of Cherrapunjee are not at their best and many of them are dry.
Click here to read more about the best time to visit North East India.
