Meghalaya ( Tura , Shillong , Cherrapunji)

Peggy25 · Jun 30th, 2009, 19:31

Hi,

Planning to travel to Meghalaya in august and have a few queries.

1.Wish to do the chopper ride from Shillong to Tura ...your take on the same
( are the rides regular, safe ) plan to return by road ( if its feasible)
2. The internet throws up a few interesting places to see around Tura but nothing about accommodation there...
3. We plan to be in Shillong for about 8 days would love to explore every nook and corner that we can during our stay ...will be happy to hear about places that you have visited and arent usually mentioned in the list of " must do's"
4. Cherrapunji - would like to spend a few days here. Need help with accommodation details.
5. We are a bunch of girls doing this trip, we have travelled extensively but would appreciate feedback about overall safety of the places mentioned above

Thank You

Swapnil · Jul 1st, 2009, 08:30

Welcome to the site Peggy25 !

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peggy25

Hi,

Planning to travel to Meghalaya in august and have a few queries.

1.Wish to do the chopper ride from Shillong to Tura ...your take on the same

I've no idea about this .

Quote:

( are the rides regular, safe ) plan to return by road ( if its feasible)

It might be too hard for you if you intend to travel back via Tura - Williamnagar - Nongstoin - Shillong route. (which entirely passes through Meghalaya).Almost entire route is isolated ,dusty - broken bad roads through jungle & no provision for accommodation.Transport on this route is very limited too . If you must travel back by road then highway road via Assam will be much better & quicker .

Quote:

2. The internet throws up a few interesting places to see around Tura but nothing about accommodation there...

Basic accommodation available in Tura .

Quote:

3. We plan to be in Shillong for about 8 days would love to explore every nook and corner that we can during our stay ...will be happy to hear about places that you have visited and arent usually mentioned in the list of " must do's"

I can't remember visiting other places than mentioned in guidebook.Try searching this forum ...you might get lucky !Regular places include Shillong Peak ,Elephant falls ,Woods lake & gardens around it. Also if you have more time ...I would suggest explore area around Sohra/Cherrapunjee. Trekking in jungle & exploring root bridges.Caves,waterfalls etc. etc...

Quote:

4. Cherrapunji - would like to spend a few days here. Need help with accommodation details.

As far as I remember there's only one Cherrapunjee Holiday Resort is here . However after bit looking you might able to find some basic/home accommodation around in Cherrapunjee .

Quote:

5. We are a bunch of girls doing this trip, we have travelled extensively but would appreciate feedback about overall safety of the places mentioned above

Generally Meghalaya state considered to be safe & as I already mentioned in other (VOF) thread ....you need to take usual precautions & "act sensibly" before to avoid getting into any trouble.(& not after it

)
You should have posted this query in appropriate forum to get more attention/responses.

chan · Jul 1st, 2009, 17:43

Hi
Shillong is one of those still unspoilt hill stations... so u can find those parks and lakes to explore and a wonderful climate all round year. accomodation is a bit expensive compared to rest of NE. for budget and reliable accomodation you can check out the Youth hostel.

one thing you should not miss is the archery that happens near polo bazaar. quite a sight to watch.. you can even get to try your hand at archery if you are lucky.

At Cherrapunji. as mentioned by Swapnil the Cherrapunjee Holiday Resort is the best place with all facilities in a amazing setting.

If you are a bit ok with some sacrifices in comfort, there is a guest house at the Nongriat village near the famous double decker root bridge. they have four rooms with basic facilities and is run by local care takers.

Did not have any personal experience with Tura. other forum members might be able to help you.

hope that helps

-Chandru

theyyamdancer · Jul 1st, 2009, 17:50

Mod Note:

Hi Peggy and welcome to IndiaMike! I have moved your thread to a more appropriate forum where you are likely to get more replies.

You might like to check out the following trip report which is extremely interesting:

Cherrapunjee and the amazing root bridges

From my own experiences travelling in Arunachal Pradesh as well as Assam, I would say that you will be very safe.

Peggy25 · Jul 1st, 2009, 19:55

Theyyam Dancer :- thank you for the welcome note, go ahead on the safety bit and for directing me to the right place to have this forum discussed

Interesting to know you have covered Assam ….I’m sure that’s a fabulous belt to explore !

Chan :- Hi ....glad you pointed out the archery thing ! have that on my list of must do.
was on the phone with the tourism board guys this morning and have gathered information about stays in cherrapunji and tura. They have been extremely helpful with information as well as directing us to the concerned district department for local info. Mostly will be staying at the resort mentioned by swapnil ….keen on covering the living roots bridges ….will try the stay over at the guest house too as I heard the trek is tough and would be good to break it up. thank you appreciate your interest in answering my queries

Swapnil :- Got a little more info about the chopper ride its one hour to Tura from Shillong and they run this 3 days a week. Keeping my fingers crossed about making the chopper ride work for us. Like you mentioned the roads are going to be tough as overnight buses or shared Sumo taxis are the only options ....will have to tweak the Tura bit when we reach Shillong factoring in the rains & transport.
Thank you for pointing out accommodation details in Cherrapunji…the living root bridges and caves being the highlight of planning this trip so looking forward to exploring this

Point noted about "act sensibly"

i seem to court trouble more in the plains than mountains....if this simple logic will work through this trip will be pleased. Though you'll have to agree about being smart enough to get out of trouble you didnt want to get into in the first place is " acting more sensibly "

Peggy25 · Jul 9th, 2009, 22:57

Need some info about getting to shillong from guwahati ....would like to hire a taxi for ourself & not do the shared taxi. Any idea about fares for this drive ?

thanks

jun_momin · Jul 12th, 2009, 02:25

Hi!9
Having been born and brought up in Tura (parents and sis still there) i can claim to have some knowledge of the place.replies point wise:-

1. chopper ride in aug during peak of the monsoon not advisable both from safety point of view and from frequency of service. Return by road from tura to shg is feasible. take the night bus services which leave tura around 7-8 in the evening and reach shg around 8 next morning. or you could take the Sumo cabs which leave in the morning and take about 8-10 hrs to reach shg.

2.Remember tura is a district HQ of WEST Garo hills. There is also East as well as South Garo Hills. depending on how many days you want to be in tura you could cover all these places.. for accoo. try hotel rikman continental..dont be taken in by the continental bit!!. its clean.. decent and in the heart of the market and oh!! its safe.Remember: its a sleepy place and things wind down by 7. so make sure u're back by then.

3. Apart from the touristy places in shillong..plenty of which find mention in the Net... here are a few places u can check out... did my college and worked there for 8 years..sis still there...wife from there so i know!!!...go visit Hongkong Restaurant in the heart of police bazar and have the wonton soup!!..its basic ambience... but hey! the experience matters... if youre into music..google "Lou Majaw" and see...ICON... is one word!talk a walk in golf links during the afternoon.. on way to Shillong peak as you are about to reach the Airforce gate... get down walk back and you will see a small hillock....walk to it and be surprised!!!!google... tripura castle as well!!

4.Cherrapunjee resorts-google

5. These joints are essential safe ..provided one takes the normal precautions..dont sweat. but remember these are small places and be sure to be back well by 7.

Any queries email at junjgbg@yahoo.com

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peggy25

Hi,

Planning to travel to Meghalaya in august and have a few queries.

1.Wish to do the chopper ride from Shillong to Tura ...your take on the same
( are the rides regular, safe ) plan to return by road ( if its feasible)
2. The internet throws up a few interesting places to see around Tura but nothing about accommodation there...
3. We plan to be in Shillong for about 8 days would love to explore every nook and corner that we can during our stay ...will be happy to hear about places that you have visited and arent usually mentioned in the list of " must do's"
4. Cherrapunji - would like to spend a few days here. Need help with accommodation details.
5. We are a bunch of girls doing this trip, we have travelled extensively but would appreciate feedback about overall safety of the places mentioned above

Thank You

Peggy25 · Jul 13th, 2009, 02:18

Hey Jun,

Your god sent

who better to tell us about Tura !
thanks for the info on good food .....we are all set to try the local stuff......pretty excited about everything we have heard so far ! frog legs included
again heard so much about the very active music scene ...have a saturday evening in Shillong to explore !
We were keen on the helicopter ride but we thought we'll take a call on it when we get there....like you said the rain gods permitting and the rather dubious safety record ... has been a bit of a dampener

have made a note of things you pointed out ...thank u !
The tourism website throws up a lot on the East & South Garo hills...dont have too many days there if i have to choose which one would be more sensible to do from Tura ?
thank you for sharing your email address.

jun_momin · Jul 13th, 2009, 10:25

you will get plenty of shillong bound sumos, maruti vans from Paltan bazar in guwahati near the ASTC bus stand.A shared car should cost you no more than 1500/-

BTW, frog legs are mostly in nagaland not shillong!!!

Ask around in police bazar for local khasi eating joints.. there are plenty!!

cheers
Jun

Peggy25 · Aug 11th, 2009, 18:42

Hey Jun,

Just back from your home town and cant stop gushing about the place !
Tura was a fabulous choice and i'm so glad i made it !!!
the chopper ride worked for us both ways and man was it fun

I made it to the beautiful Selbalgre Village reserve forest ...the hoolock gibbon habitat ....the reason i picked on Tura was for the Gibbons !
As luck would have it i even got to interact with these friendly beings at the rescue center at Tura.....for this reason alone Tura will be one of my all time fav places !!!!
I visited this lilttle village called Sadolpara too ....the people of this village received us with such warmth and showed us around their way of living and shared the home made rice wine with us ! broke my heart to leave Tura

The women from this region are absolutely stunning your a lucky man to be married to one

thank you again for pointing out Hongkong restaurant ...i second the wanton soup and everything else on the menu.....i hvnt stuffed my face like tht in a while

Needless to say i'm so in love with Meghalaya !

theyyamdancer · Aug 11th, 2009, 19:05

Hi Peggy, really happy to hear that you enjoyed your trip! Photos?

karnail · Aug 12th, 2009, 23:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peggy25

Hey Jun,

Just back from your home town and cant stop gushing about the place !
.
.
.
Needless to say i'm so in love with Meghalaya !

Hi Peggy, eagerly waiting for details and more information from you. Details about hotels etc.I am planning Shillong around Dussehra.

jun_momin · Aug 14th, 2009, 11:06

Yo Peggy!

Glad to hear u had a whale of a time in Tura. Now please send me some pics of yourtravels.
Have a blog?? do tell me more.

Cheers
Jun

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peggy25

Hey Jun,

Just back from your home town and cant stop gushing about the place !
Tura was a fabulous choice and i'm so glad i made it !!!
the chopper ride worked for us both ways and man was it fun

I made it to the beautiful Selbalgre Village reserve forest ...the hoolock gibbon habitat ....the reason i picked on Tura was for the Gibbons !
As luck would have it i even got to interact with these friendly beings at the rescue center at Tura.....for this reason alone Tura will be one of my all time fav places !!!!
I visited this lilttle village called Sadolpara too ....the people of this village received us with such warmth and showed us around their way of living and shared the home made rice wine with us ! broke my heart to leave Tura

The women from this region are absolutely stunning your a lucky man to be married to one

thank you again for pointing out Hongkong restaurant ...i second the wanton soup and everything else on the menu.....i hvnt stuffed my face like tht in a while

Needless to say i'm so in love with Meghalaya !

jun_momin · Aug 14th, 2009, 11:10

/btw, am not married to one frm meghalaya ;-)but someone born and brought up there.

Interesting u like my fav authors too..lee child and baldacci--loved the lions game

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peggy25

Hey Jun,

Just back from your home town and cant stop gushing about the place !
Tura was a fabulous choice and i'm so glad i made it !!!
the chopper ride worked for us both ways and man was it fun

I made it to the beautiful Selbalgre Village reserve forest ...the hoolock gibbon habitat ....the reason i picked on Tura was for the Gibbons !
As luck would have it i even got to interact with these friendly beings at the rescue center at Tura.....for this reason alone Tura will be one of my all time fav places !!!!
I visited this lilttle village called Sadolpara too ....the people of this village received us with such warmth and showed us around their way of living and shared the home made rice wine with us ! broke my heart to leave Tura

The women from this region are absolutely stunning your a lucky man to be married to one

thank you again for pointing out Hongkong restaurant ...i second the wanton soup and everything else on the menu.....i hvnt stuffed my face like tht in a while

Needless to say i'm so in love with Meghalaya !

Peggy25 · Aug 14th, 2009, 18:34

Hiya !

Theyyamdancer :- will share the pics soon !

Karnil :- will do a lil write up & share it on this site and you've picked a beauty for your next holiday !

Jun :- yeah still reeling with a hangover & lil disoriented since i'm back ....signs of a good holiday ! will share the pics with you soon & a lil write up too !
Hmm....you still on my list of lucky people....you get to call Tura home

Huge fan of these authors .... Sold on old man Oliver Stone from Baldacci's series

Jun 30th, 2009, 19:31	#1
Peggy25 Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 15	Meghalaya ( Tura , Shillong , Cherrapunji) Hi, Planning to travel to Meghalaya in august and have a few queries. 1.Wish to do the chopper ride from Shillong to Tura ...your take on the same ( are the rides regular, safe ) plan to return by road ( if its feasible) 2. The internet throws up a few interesting places to see around Tura but nothing about accommodation there... 3. We plan to be in Shillong for about 8 days would love to explore every nook and corner that we can during our stay ...will be happy to hear about places that you have visited and arent usually mentioned in the list of " must do's" 4. Cherrapunji - would like to spend a few days here. Need help with accommodation details. 5. We are a bunch of girls doing this trip, we have travelled extensively but would appreciate feedback about overall safety of the places mentioned above Thank You

Jul 1st, 2009, 17:50	#4
theyyamdancer lost in Mechuka member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Crete Posts: 4,426	Mod Note: Hi Peggy and welcome to IndiaMike! I have moved your thread to a more appropriate forum where you are likely to get more replies. You might like to check out the following trip report which is extremely interesting: Cherrapunjee and the amazing root bridges From my own experiences travelling in Arunachal Pradesh as well as Assam, I would say that you will be very safe. __________________ "Wandering seemed no more than the happiness of an anxious man." - Albert Camus

Jul 13th, 2009, 10:25	#9
jun_momin Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: kolkata Posts: 6	cab from guwahati to shg you will get plenty of shillong bound sumos, maruti vans from Paltan bazar in guwahati near the ASTC bus stand.A shared car should cost you no more than 1500/- BTW, frog legs are mostly in nagaland not shillong!!! Ask around in police bazar for local khasi eating joints.. there are plenty!! cheers Jun

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Jul 1st, 2009, 17:43	#3
chan Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: bangalore Posts: 3	Hi Shillong is one of those still unspoilt hill stations... so u can find those parks and lakes to explore and a wonderful climate all round year. accomodation is a bit expensive compared to rest of NE. for budget and reliable accomodation you can check out the Youth hostel. one thing you should not miss is the archery that happens near polo bazaar. quite a sight to watch.. you can even get to try your hand at archery if you are lucky. At Cherrapunji. as mentioned by Swapnil the Cherrapunjee Holiday Resort is the best place with all facilities in a amazing setting. If you are a bit ok with some sacrifices in comfort, there is a guest house at the Nongriat village near the famous double decker root bridge. they have four rooms with basic facilities and is run by local care takers. Did not have any personal experience with Tura. other forum members might be able to help you. hope that helps -Chandru

Jul 1st, 2009, 19:55	#5
Peggy25 Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 15	Theyyam Dancer :- thank you for the welcome note, go ahead on the safety bit and for directing me to the right place to have this forum discussed Interesting to know you have covered Assam ….I’m sure that’s a fabulous belt to explore ! Chan :- Hi ....glad you pointed out the archery thing ! have that on my list of must do. was on the phone with the tourism board guys this morning and have gathered information about stays in cherrapunji and tura. They have been extremely helpful with information as well as directing us to the concerned district department for local info. Mostly will be staying at the resort mentioned by swapnil ….keen on covering the living roots bridges ….will try the stay over at the guest house too as I heard the trek is tough and would be good to break it up. thank you appreciate your interest in answering my queries Swapnil :- Got a little more info about the chopper ride its one hour to Tura from Shillong and they run this 3 days a week. Keeping my fingers crossed about making the chopper ride work for us. Like you mentioned the roads are going to be tough as overnight buses or shared Sumo taxis are the only options ....will have to tweak the Tura bit when we reach Shillong factoring in the rains & transport. Thank you for pointing out accommodation details in Cherrapunji…the living root bridges and caves being the highlight of planning this trip so looking forward to exploring this Point noted about "act sensibly" i seem to court trouble more in the plains than mountains....if this simple logic will work through this trip will be pleased. Though you'll have to agree about being smart enough to get out of trouble you didnt want to get into in the first place is " acting more sensibly "

Jul 9th, 2009, 22:57	#6
Peggy25 Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 15	Need some info about getting to shillong from guwahati ....would like to hire a taxi for ourself & not do the shared taxi. Any idea about fares for this drive ? thanks

Jul 13th, 2009, 02:18	#8
Peggy25 Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 15	Hey Jun, Your god sent who better to tell us about Tura ! thanks for the info on good food .....we are all set to try the local stuff......pretty excited about everything we have heard so far ! frog legs included again heard so much about the very active music scene ...have a saturday evening in Shillong to explore ! We were keen on the helicopter ride but we thought we'll take a call on it when we get there....like you said the rain gods permitting and the rather dubious safety record ... has been a bit of a dampener have made a note of things you pointed out ...thank u ! The tourism website throws up a lot on the East & South Garo hills...dont have too many days there if i have to choose which one would be more sensible to do from Tura ? thank you for sharing your email address.

Aug 11th, 2009, 18:42	#10
Peggy25 Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 15	Hey Jun, Just back from your home town and cant stop gushing about the place ! Tura was a fabulous choice and i'm so glad i made it !!! the chopper ride worked for us both ways and man was it fun I made it to the beautiful Selbalgre Village reserve forest ...the hoolock gibbon habitat ....the reason i picked on Tura was for the Gibbons ! As luck would have it i even got to interact with these friendly beings at the rescue center at Tura.....for this reason alone Tura will be one of my all time fav places !!!! I visited this lilttle village called Sadolpara too ....the people of this village received us with such warmth and showed us around their way of living and shared the home made rice wine with us ! broke my heart to leave Tura The women from this region are absolutely stunning your a lucky man to be married to one thank you again for pointing out Hongkong restaurant ...i second the wanton soup and everything else on the menu.....i hvnt stuffed my face like tht in a while Needless to say i'm so in love with Meghalaya !

Aug 11th, 2009, 19:05	#11
theyyamdancer lost in Mechuka member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Crete Posts: 4,426	Hi Peggy, really happy to hear that you enjoyed your trip! Photos?

Aug 14th, 2009, 18:34	#15
Peggy25 Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 15	Hiya ! Theyyamdancer :- will share the pics soon ! Karnil :- will do a lil write up & share it on this site and you've picked a beauty for your next holiday ! Jun :- yeah still reeling with a hangover & lil disoriented since i'm back ....signs of a good holiday ! will share the pics with you soon & a lil write up too ! Hmm....you still on my list of lucky people....you get to call Tura home Huge fan of these authors .... Sold on old man Oliver Stone from Baldacci's series