Shillong Sightseeing, Quick Facts, History, Packages, Tours & Excursions

Shillong Sightseeing Highlights:

Police Bazar (popularly called PB) in the downtown area, near the main bus stand, is alive with shops, restaurants and hotels. It is a convenient central hub from where visitors can make forays to the town's various tourist attractions, and journeys out of town to other tourist centres.  The Laitumukra area is awash with cyber cafes, poolrooms and eateries making it a popular hub for the youth. Since the town starts winding down after 7.30 pm for any nightly entertainment check what's happening in restaurants at the posh hotels in town.

Museums

Butterfly Musuem - The pristine mountains are home to a staggering variety of insect life. Mr Wankhar, a city resident, has been sharing his private collection of butterflies and bugs with visitors from home and abroad, on Jaiaw Road. Viewing is available from Monday to Friday from 11am-4pm. You can buy butterfly mounted wall plates as souvenirs. The State Museum, sadly a bit sketchy offers displays on different aspects of Khasi lifestyle.

Churches

Your rambles around town will bring you across several old churches. Do stop at the Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians  and enter the peaceful interiors of this old church and marvel at the beautiful stained glass windows and vaulted arch. Close to Ward's Lake and the State Central Library, lies All Saints Cathedral built in the 19th century.

Burra Bazaar

It's not just a shopping enclave, it's a great tourist attraction. A morning at this lively market, also called the Iewduh Market, the biggest in the Northeast, offers visitors a slice of everyday life in this picturesque hill town. The Khasis follow a 8-day week and on the first day of that week they arrive , laden with baskets of market produce from the countryside  and spread out their wares in a gaggle of stalls, broken intermittently with winding lanes lined with shops, hawking everything from vegetables to meat, poultry and fresh spices. The Khasis are a matriarchal society so it should come as no surprise that the stalls and shops are mostly 'manned' by the womenfolk. Colourfully attired Khasi ladies, gesticulating shopkeepers with their wares spread out in attractive heaps and woven bamboo baskets - children playing tag amongst the stalls.. It's not just the local residents you'll find crowding the lanes here - don't be surprised finding a flock of camera-toting tourists taking advantage of the great photo-ops. Stock up on popular souvenir item such as handwoven shawls, mounted butterflies, orange honey, black mushrooms, fruit produce and much more.

Outdoor sightseeing:

Waterfalls

Amongst the popular waterfalls close to town are Spread Eagle Falls (6 km)  in the cantonment area on the city's outskirts, and in the Happy Valley area there's the lesser visited and more tranquil environs of Sweet Falls or Wei Tdem (8 km). Further afield there's the Bishop Falls and Beadon Falls (4 km) and the Elephant Falls (12 km) to explore if you have time. For a spot of swimming you could try the Crinoline Falls, which has a well kept swimming pool at its base. It has a restaurant, where sometimes entertainment is arranged in the evenings. It lies close to Lady Hydari Park.

Lakes and Parks

Opt for some leisurely hours in the serene environs of the horse-shoe shaped Ward's Lake (named after William Ward who was the chief commissioner of Assam then), an artificial water body, punctuated by small islets, located below Raj Bhavan. Rich in carp the lake has generated an enthusiastic carp-feeding tradition by visitors from the bridge vaulting over the lake. There are pretty walkways and a cafeteria alongside.  The expansive landscaped grounds of Lady Hydari Park (named after the wife of Sir Akbar Hydari) are a joy for kids as it is home to a mini-zoo. If you really enjoy lakeside picnics, and feel like avoiding the crush of visitors at Ward's head out 17km from town on the Guwahati-Shillong road to Umiam Lake. Spend a night out of town here at the Orchid Lake Resort designed by noted architect Charles Correa, nestling in the pines and overlooking the lake which serves a wide array of water sports activities. The serene environs of this lake offer a restful holiday experience-it's magical at sunset. Lum Nehru Park, close by has an aviary and orchidarium. You can go for quiet walks in the nearby hill trails, or follow some of the popular trekking routes in these forested hills.

Peaks

The tourist department in town has an adventure wing which arranges treks - both hard and soft and of varying durations in the surrounding hills. Located just 10km from town Shillong Peak (6,433 ft) or Lei Shyllong  offers some of the most spectacular views of the town and on clear days the Eastern Himalayas and the plains of Bangladesh in the distance.  The Sohpetbneng Peak, 20 km away and a sacred place for the Hynfiiewtrep tribe, is also a great place to catch those breathtaking views

The Orchidarium

The Botanical Survey of India Orchidarium in Shillong offers a window into the fabulous wealth of Meghalaya's orchid and botanical heritage that it is justly renowned for. Entry is free to the orchidarium which remains open from 9.30am-6 pm

Golf

Just as Shillong is dubbed the Scotland of the East, it's Golf Course, the third oldest in the country, has been dubbed the Gleneagle of the East by the US Golf Association Library and Museum. Set amongst the undulating landscape of a valley thick with pine and rhododendron, the golf links which were established as a 9 hole golf course in 1898 by English golfing buddies of the British civil service, was later inaugurated as a 18- hole course in 1924, and has the rare distinction of being one of the Asia's natural golf courses as well as being one of the most challenging. Every fairway has its independent USP, adding such a zest to the game that golfers clamour to play on these historic grounds near the Polo Grounds. As a non-member it takes only a nominal fee to get a game here. The annual golf tournament is held in the month of October, when autumn hues add a golden touch to everything.

Archery

Shillong seems to have created its own answer to the races. Today they've converted the old martial skill of archery or teer into a legalized betting pastime. It continues to fascinate city folks who flock to the Polo Grounds, just 3km from the Police Station, to lay bets on the most accurate marksmen, or just watch this archery stakes contest held every afternoon around 3.30 or 4.00 pm. A gaggle of betting kiosks line the ground and you can egg on your favourites while enjoying a beer, from one of the stalls set up nearby.

Other Activities

Rock and Pop Music Concerts

Check the local papers for timings for a pop or rock concert as Shillong has long been associated with musical fiestas by its youthful bands.

Adventure Activities

Meghalaya Tourism's Adventure wing arranges guided treks and caving activities amongst other adventurous forays into the hills.

Culinary Pleasures

Shillong's popular markets have a range of eateries serving hot pizzas, burgers, momos thukpas and chowmiens. If you're non-veg try traditional Khasi dishes such as jado?a biryani-like fiery dish made of fried red hill rice with pork. Another popular rice dish is jastem. A pork salad, dohkhlieh is a zestful accompaniment to meals. Black sesame seeds give the pork dish dohneiong its rich colour, while the meal can be ended with Koowai, a pungent combination of raw areca  nut  with a tiny piece of ginger and stroke of lime paste wrapped in betel leaf and much favoured by the local populace.

Shopping

Having checked out the exciting offerings of Burra Bazaar take time out to explore the popular Police Bazaar , Didar Market and GS Road. Some of the popular shopping outlets in town are the various emporiums- especially Meghalaya Handloom & Handicrafts, Manipur Emporium, Tantuja, Purbashree, Assam Emporium, Nagaland Handloom & Handicrafts, and Meghaloom. Spend a leisurely morning at the Glory Plaza.

Fairs & Festivals

 Shillong offers visitors a cultural treat during the annual festivities of Shad Nongkrem held all over the Khasi hills in the month of November. It is one of the most important festivals of the Khasi community. The five-day festival is held at Smit, just 20 km north of Shillong. In April the three-day Shad Suk Mynsiem festival of the community marks celebrations of spring in all their traditional finery. The festival is a riot of colours and sounds, motion and ritual, culinary treasures and cultural fare.  During the month of July the Jaintia community celebrates Beh Deinkhlam seeking the blessings of the gods for a good harvest at Jowai.  In April/May the annual Archery festival and the Spring Flower Show held in Shillong draw huge crowds

Excursions:

Mawphlang

Spread over 70 acres of wilderness the pristine forested expanses of Mawphlang (24km), in the west Khasi hills, are a sacred forest where the elders of the communities meet and seek the intervention of the benign spirits during bad times. If you?re visiting remember this is hallowed ground and must be treated with respect. A walk in the forest can be a serene and uplifting experience. Ask the tourist office for assistance if you wish to visit this secret world which offers intriguing insights into Khasi history and religious beliefs.

Cherrapunji (57 km)

It may no longer be the wettest place on earth -it's nearby Mawsynram village  now, but  do plan a day visit as its worth visiting for the drive alone. The scenic vistas are marked by waterfalls and deep gorges along the route. On a clear day you can spot the plains of Bangladesh. At the Sohra Market pick up the famous Cherrapunji orange honey.  Cherrapunji is also home to the oldest theological college in the region, which was established by the Presbyterians missionaries in 1888. The Rama Krishna Mission too started its activities in the Khasi hills from here. Drive a bit further to Nohsngithiang Falls (Mawsmai Falls), Kshaid Dain-thlen Falls (the place where a huge mythical Khasi monster is said to have met a gory end) Noh Kailikai Falls, all of which swell into roaring torrents with the advent of the monsoons. Two km from the David Scott Monument at Sohra (the local name for Cherrapunji) the Nohsngithiang Falls are a spectacular vision that can be enjoyed from the nearby Observation Tower located on a promontory of the Mawsmai Ridge. On the road to the limestone caves, for which the area around here is famous you will espy some giant megaliths, memorial stones erected to honour dead Khasi chieftains.

Mawsynram (55 km)

Get ready for a spot of caving amongst the legendary limestone spaces of the Khasi hills. A network of limestone caves riddle the hills from Cherrapunji to Mawsynram.. Not too far away from Mawsynram, now considered to be the wettest place on earth, are the Mawjymbuin  limestone caves with their amazing natural stalagmites that have taken forms that represent sacred images from Hindu mythology such as the giant Shivling worshipped here by Hindu pilgrims

Jakrem (64 km)

Distances are of little consequence for those who have faith in the healing properties of the mineral rich hot springs here. The drive to this health centre of nature through open countryside is an uplifting experience.

Tourism Info:

Directorate of Tourism, Govt of Meghalaya 

Nokrek Building

Lower Lachumiere,

Shillong

Tel: 0364-2226054