It had almost been an year since our Ladakh Trip (June 2011) and the itch for a longer trip was too much to bear. Numerous options kept popping up - Kerala, Sikkim and Rishikesh to name a few. Browsing online led me to an obscure term called the Living Root Bridge. The pictures were simply astonishing! These 'bridges' were unique to the eastern state of Meghalaya. A little browsing through the Meghalaya forum at Indiamike (special thanks to IMer Karikor Kharkongor) popped up some more interesting facts about the state. I shared the idea and the pics with Mayank and he too loved it. We decide to look up a bit more - work around a possible itinerary, what sort of activities could be done, contact the concerned people and get the finer details.
By the first week of August 2012, we had the event brochure ready for launch! The event was first made public during our rafting event to an overwhelmingly mild response. Well, Meghalaya is not the first place that comes to mind when you think of any sort of adventure tourism in India. By the way, if anyone from Meghalaya Tourism ever reads this - Guys, you have some awesome stuff at hand which is not being done too much of justice!
The trip was to begin on 8th December (Saturday, early morning)and end on 16th December (Sunday, late night). In the end, we were a team of eight guys all set to say Khublai to Meghalaya - five joining from Mumbai (Mayank, Praful, Deepak, Pradeep and me) two from Kolkata (Arun, Nandit) and one from Pune (Ajay)
A few excerpts from our Meghalaya Adventure Trip brochure:
Meghalaya! … Are you sure?
Absolutely! Meghalaya is one of India’s offbeat adventure hot-spots; although virtually unknown.
Meghalaya literally means ‘abode of the clouds’. The state, flanked by eastern Himalayas in the north and the Bangladesh plains in the south, is primarily a hilly region adequately punctuated by numerous rivers and waterfalls. The state receives very high rainfall, with Cherrapunji and Mawsynram being tagged as the wettest places on the earth. The state capital Shillong is affectionately called the ‘Scotland of the East’ due to the lush green rolling hills that surround it. The village of Mawlynnong near the Bangladesh border has been declared as the cleanest village in Asia.
OK! … But what do 'WE' do?
The land of Meghalaya is composed of limestone which coupled with the excess water-flow have resulted in numerous caves formed due to erosion. These caves offer their own unique adventure activity – caving. Exploring the depth of these caves while wading through waist deep water, crawling through narrow spaces and being hoisted around mini ladders provides an unmatched adrenaline rush, truly making an offbeat adventure.
The water-bodies around these hills calm down after the monsoons and offer a variety of water-sports. Snorkeling, canoeing, cliff-diving, river canyoning and angling are fun ways to get wet and stay wet. Rock climbing and rappelling on the riverbanks are fun too.
Did you know that the people of Meghalaya never built bridges? They grew them! These ‘Living Root Bridges’ are accessible through small treks and are a treat for the offbeat tourists and offer a unique insight to the Meghalayan culture.
Whoa! … So what’s the plan?
The trip starts at Guwahati (Assam). We then move onto Shillong on the same day. Shillong and the surroundings offer us a cultural insight on Meghalaya. Our journey then takes us to Cherrapunji where the treasures and surprises await us. The penultimate leg of our journey will take us to Dawki via Mawlynnong for a quick dip in the water and a glimpse of neighboring Bangladesh. We return to Guwahati via Shillong to end what would beyond doubt be the most remarkable experience you ever had … Get … Set … Go!!!
A brochure is incomplete without some photos. (All were collected from internet sources - none of us had visited these places at this time)
Allright! The brochure's taken care of. Will share day-wise adventures in the forthcoming posts ... stay tuned!
-Kapil Pilankar
By the first week of August 2012, we had the event brochure ready for launch! The event was first made public during our rafting event to an overwhelmingly mild response. Well, Meghalaya is not the first place that comes to mind when you think of any sort of adventure tourism in India. By the way, if anyone from Meghalaya Tourism ever reads this - Guys, you have some awesome stuff at hand which is not being done too much of justice!
The trip was to begin on 8th December (Saturday, early morning)and end on 16th December (Sunday, late night). In the end, we were a team of eight guys all set to say Khublai to Meghalaya - five joining from Mumbai (Mayank, Praful, Deepak, Pradeep and me) two from Kolkata (Arun, Nandit) and one from Pune (Ajay)
A few excerpts from our Meghalaya Adventure Trip brochure:
Meghalaya! … Are you sure?
Absolutely! Meghalaya is one of India’s offbeat adventure hot-spots; although virtually unknown.
Meghalaya literally means ‘abode of the clouds’. The state, flanked by eastern Himalayas in the north and the Bangladesh plains in the south, is primarily a hilly region adequately punctuated by numerous rivers and waterfalls. The state receives very high rainfall, with Cherrapunji and Mawsynram being tagged as the wettest places on the earth. The state capital Shillong is affectionately called the ‘Scotland of the East’ due to the lush green rolling hills that surround it. The village of Mawlynnong near the Bangladesh border has been declared as the cleanest village in Asia.
OK! … But what do 'WE' do?
The land of Meghalaya is composed of limestone which coupled with the excess water-flow have resulted in numerous caves formed due to erosion. These caves offer their own unique adventure activity – caving. Exploring the depth of these caves while wading through waist deep water, crawling through narrow spaces and being hoisted around mini ladders provides an unmatched adrenaline rush, truly making an offbeat adventure.
The water-bodies around these hills calm down after the monsoons and offer a variety of water-sports. Snorkeling, canoeing, cliff-diving, river canyoning and angling are fun ways to get wet and stay wet. Rock climbing and rappelling on the riverbanks are fun too.
Did you know that the people of Meghalaya never built bridges? They grew them! These ‘Living Root Bridges’ are accessible through small treks and are a treat for the offbeat tourists and offer a unique insight to the Meghalayan culture.
Whoa! … So what’s the plan?
The trip starts at Guwahati (Assam). We then move onto Shillong on the same day. Shillong and the surroundings offer us a cultural insight on Meghalaya. Our journey then takes us to Cherrapunji where the treasures and surprises await us. The penultimate leg of our journey will take us to Dawki via Mawlynnong for a quick dip in the water and a glimpse of neighboring Bangladesh. We return to Guwahati via Shillong to end what would beyond doubt be the most remarkable experience you ever had … Get … Set … Go!!!
A brochure is incomplete without some photos. (All were collected from internet sources - none of us had visited these places at this time)
Barapani Lake at the outskirts of Shillong
Monoliths at Nartiang
Nohkalikai Falls
Krem Mawmluh
Krem Ri Blai
A Living Root Bridge
Mawlynnong Village
Canyoning at Dawki
Allright! The brochure's taken care of. Will share day-wise adventures in the forthcoming posts ... stay tuned!
-Kapil Pilankar
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