Sunday 5 February 2017

North East Trip - Dawki and Mawlynnong

Hey All,

First trip in the new year had to be exciting and unique, hence we decided to explore the beauty of North East - a mix of famous and secret escapes. We planned a week long trip to Meghalaya and Assam that covered Shillong, Cherrapunjee, Kaziranga and Guwahati. One of the most memorable trips of my life. We boarded early morning flights from Delhi to Guwahati and hired a taxi to Shillong. Rest of our day was at leisure and we spent time researching more about Dawki and Mawlynnong.

Day 1 of our trip started and we were super charged up. We hired a taxi for a day covering Dawki and Mawlynnong. Once can reach Dawki by road in 3 hours as it stands at a distance of approx 80 kms from Shillong. Road conditions half way are patchy and not so good. Dawki is a town in West Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya. It is on the border between India and Bangladesh. The major tourist attraction of this place is the famous Umngot river that flows between India and Bangladesh. The water is so crystal clear that one can see the bottom of the river even at deep spots. Boating in itself is an experience here that refreshes one in and out. The boat takes you to an island (which isn't visible during the monsoons as the river is flooded) wherein one can eat maggie and savour a sip of tea/ coffee. The famous suspension bridge over the Umngot is used for coal transportation and was build by the britishers. The boat ride is for an hour and takes you for a round trip. One needs to bargain well in terms of money and it can vary from Rs 500-700 for the boat ride. Couple of pictures from this place are appended at the bottom.

After exploring Dawki, we left for Mawlynnong- the cleanest village of Asia. This village is in the East Khasi hills of the Meghalaya district and is known for its cleanliness. This place is also referred to as God's own garden :) We spent about 2 hours in this village exploring all the neat pathways, admiring the beauty of the gardens and ate lunch as well. Majority of the things are made out of bamboo. Small dustbins are also hanging at every corner that reminds this place to be litter free. We also explored a tree house built in this village. On the way to see this village, we stopped by the famous Living root bridge. It was a short trek to have a glimpse of this bridge and we were left awestruck. There is a stream of river that flows underneath however it was dry partly during our visit. After posing pictures we left to see another natural wonder in this village - the balancing rock. A natural and strange phenomenon of a boulder balancing on another rock.

Surprised by nature's wonders we left from Mawlynnong around 6 in the evening for Shillong. Embracing the memories and revisiting the pictures clicked, we logged off for our day.

Entry Fees for Living Root Bridge - Rs 10 per person
Entry Fees for Balancing Rock       - Rs 10 per person
Entry Fees for Tree House              - Rs 20 per person
Entry Fees for Car to Mawlynnong- Rs 50

Couple of pics for you.
Bird's Eye View of the Umngot river - Dawki

Suspension Bridge over the Umngot River

Clear Transparent Water
Balancing Rock

Tree House - Mawlynnong
Living Root Bridge - Picture Courtesy Flickr

Happy Travelling!!!

6 comments:

  1. Hey,how much did you pay the taxi for the entire day ?

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    Replies
    1. It was Rs 2000 for the entire day... Let me know if you need any more details. Hope you find this blog helpful.

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    2. For up and down to shilling?o the taxi fare of 2000 is for only one way, from shillong to dawki?

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    3. The fare is up and down. But this was 2 years back. May be the price might have increased over these 2 years. Let me know if you have any other query!

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  2. Hey can you suggest me a 3 day plan where i can see maximum places.we are group of 6-7 people.what will be the budget per head

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jay, Could not reply you on time. If you wish to spend 3 days in North East, I had shared the detailed review of other places too. You may refer to that. Let me know if you are looking for anything specific.

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