6/6/2010 Shillong travel guide - Wikitravel

Shillong
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Asia : South Asia : India : North-Eastern India : Meghalaya : East Khasi Hills : Shillong

Contents Shillong (ि◌शलां ग) is the capital and the largest town of

Meghalaya.
Understand
[+] Get in Understand
By plane
By train Shillong was the capital of Assam, but after the state was
By bus split as Assam and Meghalya meaning 'The abode Clouds', it
[+] Get around became the first capital of the newly formed State of
By bus Meghalaya . Located in undulating pine covered hills, the city
By taxi has a milder climate than tropical India. The city center is
See 1496 meters above sea level. Shillong currently has a
[+] Do population of around 270,000. Home to several waterfalls, it
is also known as the Scotland of East. The British legacy is
Cave exploration
still visible in architecture and food habits of population. The
Buy
Assam style houses with slanting roofs, large number of
Eat
windows and wooden floors look like a piece of art (and
Drink happen to be very good idea, considering Shillong lies in a
[+] Sleep area where rains and earthquakes are very common).
Budget Shillong receives heavy rainfalls during monsoon and the
Mid-range rainy season usually lasts longer than rest of India. An
Get out umbrella is therefore a necessity while packing your bags.
Although people avoid the rainy season, it is generally the
time when city is clean (rains wash the streets of all garbage) and waterfalls are in full strength.

Most of the Shillong population belong to Khasi tribe, who are predominantly Christian. There
are significant Bengali and Nepali minorities. An interesting aspect of Khasis are that they are
a matrilineal society - the mother is head of family, youngest daughter owns all the property
and mothers surname is passed on to children.

Get in
By plane

There is a small airport at Umroi, about 40km from Shillong. There are Alliance Air
(operated by Indian Airlines) flights from Calcutta to Umroi on certain days of the week.
Gopinath Bordoloi Airport in Guwahati (104 km from Shillong) is connected to rest of India
with regular flights. Shared cabs (typically small cars from the airport, and larger Tata Sumos
from Guwahati town center) are available from outside airport connecting to Shillong. The rate
(as of June 2007)is INR 300 per passenger from Guwahati Airport to Shillong. The cab
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drops you off at Police Bazaar from where you can get a ride to almost any part of Shillong.
En route from Guwahati to Shillong, you'll probably stop mid way at Nongpoh to freshen up
and get some refreshments. Nongpoh is also a good place to pick up bamboo pickles and
other condiments.

By train

There are no rail lines in Meghalaya. The nearest railway station is Guwahati. It is 105 km
from Shillong and very well connected with all major cities of India.

By bus

The main interstate bus stand is located right next to Guwahati railway station. Buses run by
Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) and Meghalaya Transport Corporation
(MTC), ply every half an hour from Guwahati to Shillong. The ticket fares vary between
Rs.30 to 100, depending upon bus class (ordinary, semi-deluxe and deluxe). Please note
that many of the buses are very old and only visible difference among bus class is
number of people allowed to sit. Many private run buses also run between two cities but
they leave from Paltan Bazar area and cost around Rs. 70. Private buses might be better
built but are occasionally crowded and have more stops enroute. Buses usually take
around 4 hours with a mid-way stop at Nong-poh. Shared taxis are available from Paltan
Bazar area. These are generally SUV sized vehicles (Tata Sumo & Mahindra Bolero) shared
between 8 people. They take around 3 hours to reach Shillong from Guwahati.

Get around
Best way to go about in Shillong is on foot. The city itself is small and can be easily covered
walking and exploring hills and people.

By bus

For places within city limits, city buses are good options. There are two kinds of buses that
pass from Shillong - City bus and Bazar bus. City buses is what tourists should use. Bazar
buses are for villagers coming to Shillong to sell their products. Most of times they carry
vegetables, fruits, poultry etc. along with people. City buses are notoriously slow. Drivers
move their buses from bus-stop only when the bus gets packed or another bus arrives. Many
times you will find that walking will take you earlier to your destination. Bus tickets are atmost
Rs. 5 for one journey. You will find many locals paying in form of betel leaves instead of cash.

By taxi

Black and yellow unmetered shared taxis ply within city limits. These are faster and are always
shared; rates may vary from Rs 5/- to Rs 15/- maximum. Being shared taxis, drivers often
pick up additional passengers en route to the same destination, in order to make a better fare.
If one decides to negotiate the "hire" of a taxi, however, the driver will not pick up any more
passengers (or stop roadside to find more) but the fare will be significantly higher than if one
had just hailed the taxi as it passed by.
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For sightseeing it is a good idea to hire a taxi cab for full day. The fares should be fixed before
travel. Hotel staff will be able to give you an idea of reasonable rate.

Much of the infrastructure is basic and many roads outside city are in bad shape due to heavy
rains and poor maintenance, but within the city the roads are quite good. Although the city
traffic ranks second in the country in terms to vehicles to population ratio, Mumbai being first,
it is very slow and disciplined unlike most of India.

See
Umiam Lake, meghalaya (north of shillong). A beautiful lake north of Shillong, which
resembles the 'Lochs', or lakes of Scotland, and is a must-see for all tourists. This lake
is man-made and is better known as 'Barapani' (big water) for its sheer size. There is a
water sports complex. There is a garden ( Lum Nehru park) by the side water sports
complex. edit

Don Bosco Museum of Indigenous North East Culture. Run by the Salesian order
of the Catholic Church, the Don Bosco Museum is a truly amazing repository of
information on the entire North Eastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur,
Mizoram, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura. Located within the precincts of
the Sacred Heart Church, Mawlai, the edifice iteself is shaped like a spiral and its
distinct form is discernible from quite some distance away. It has an amazing collection
of attire, accoutrements, weapons, ornamentation and rare photographs. This is also
the largest cultural museum in the whole Asia. Fr Sebastian is the priest who has taken
up the cause of preservation of art and culture with 'missionary zeal!

Wards Lake. Wards Lake is an artificial lake surrounded by a fairly large garden.
Boating facilities are available in the lake. It has a wooden bridge at the middle. Lots of
lotus plants with leaves are there on either side of lake. One can find lots of colourful
fishes in the lake. A cafeteria is there to provide refreshment.A fountain dancing to the
tunes of song is also there.

Lady Hydari Park. The park has variety of local flowering plants and orchids. It also
has a small zoo within it. Children wiil like it as there are few swings, sea-saws, slips for
them. It is a famous picnic spot for local population. This park is named after the Lady
Hydari, the first lady of the state, wife of the Governor of Assam. This park has a mini
zoo and a deer park, which is spread over more than one kilometre.

Sweet Falls. Located in Happy Valley, it is a very steep fall. Extreme caution is
advised as there are no barricades and rocks are nearly always slippery (due to rain or
dew).

Bishop & Beadon Falls. Located in Suna valley,these two are very beautiful falls.
Suna is the home to wild animals such as deer, leopard,langurs,wild cats and numerous
bird species.

Elephant Falls. It is located in Upper Shillong area which also houses the Eastern Air
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Command of Indian Airforce. The scenic fall is not continuous and more of collection
of smaller falls. It has footpath leading to bottom fo fall where it reaches a small lake.
Its name elephant falls was given by British. Because there was a rock by the side of
fall which resembled elephant. The rock was destroyed in earthquake.

Shillong Peak. Shillong Peak

is the highest point in state of
Meghalaya (1965 meters above
sea level). There is a view-point Ads by Google
where you can get breathtaking Shillong
view of Shillong city. The city Budget
view during night is a scene to Hotels
remember. It is host to a radar
Compare
station for Indian Air force and Rates, Read
tourists are advised to declare Reviews &
their cameras while reaching Book Your
view-point and not to take Hotel. Low
pictures of radar facilties. Elephant Falls Price
Guaranteed!
Butterfly Museum. There is a www. MakeMyTrip. com/
Shillong-Hotels
huge collection of different types of butterflies. Students of zoology will find them
interesting. This place is also attractive for adults where they can see the natural beauty
and play with the beautiful and colourful butterflies. This museum presents some of the
finest and rarest species of butterflies.

Golf course Shillong golf course is located at an altitude of around 5200 ft. This is the
first golf course of India which has 18 holes in it. This place is like a dream come true
for the putters. This golf course is so beautiful and located at the unique location that
some time it is compared with the “ Glen Eagle Course” of the United State.

Do
Take a walk through Iewduh (Bara Bazar)-Iewduh means Big Market - It is one of the
biggest market in North-East India. There are separate areas dedicated to vegetables,
fruits, iron works, fish, beef, betel and so on.

Visit the State Central Library - Located near Dhankheti, it was started at the time of
British Raj and holds many rare books and almanacs. For British searching for clues
about ancestors in this area, it is a gold-mine. Unfortunately with time and poor Ads by Google
management many books are being lost. Visit
Explore the forest around Shillong peak - There are no large or dangerous animals and Prague
forest is full of rare and exotic plants - orchids, pines and others including the famous Visit Prague
insect eating pitcher plant (Nepenthes khasiana). and be
amazed! The
European
Cave exploration destination of
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choice.
There are many naturally beautiful caves in Shillong, Meghalaya. Tourists can explore the PragueEventsCalendar.
caves, where they will have to pass through dark and murky interiors. com

Buy
Iewduh is the largest open street market in north-eastern India. It has large sections dedicated
to local fruits, vegetables, honey, fish etc. As a tourist, one can get a very nice picture of local
life in here. Traditional bamboo handicrafts and woollen handmade shawls are most popular
buys. Additionally art-crafts made of wood and bamboo funitures are popular. Bamboo shoot
pickles are quite favourite of the tourists. Please visit the Meghalya Govt. Handicrafts
Showroom "Purbashree" located in police bazar.

Shillong is one of the fashion capitals of India,it has innumerable number of shops selling top
quality brands from India and abroad. The well known ones are RAPs Apparel in Raps'
Mansion MG Road, Uncle Shop, In-Fashion, Broadway Collection, Selection Centre, in
Police Bazar, etc..

Eat
There are a variety of restaurants in Shillong. Most of the better ones are located in Police
Bazar area. Chinese, Indian and Tibetan foods are popular and even khun ksew.

Bamboo Hut in RAPs' Mansion MG Road is one of the famost hangout and also the CITY
Dhaba near Earl Holiday Home.

One should definitely try Momos (steamed Tibetan dumplings filled with cabbage and pork)
They come as small momos and big momos and are very popular snacks.

Shillong has a pre-dominantly Christian population, therefore pork and beef are easily
available in restaurants run by local Khasis, although cleanliness remains a issue in smaller
food-outlets.

Khasi and Tibetan recipes use very little spices (including salt) unlike cooking style of rest of
India and emphasis is on boiling or roasting rather than frying in oil.

For Indian snacks, one can try Delhi Mistaan Bhandar in Police Bazar which in my
opinion,has the best jalebis in the world.

Apart from these, the hotels mentioned below have restaurants that have their own charm.
Ginger at Hotel Polo Towers is good, Royal Heritage has a nice restaurant. Sip & Dine
at Hotel Alpine Continental have excellent restaurant.

suruchi hotel, police bazar (near parking lot). this place serves excellent bengali
food, rice, daal, vegetable, fish at a very economical price. the restaurant is clean, staff
is polite and food is very good. The food is simply superb and the quality of fish is
great. A must try for all the bengalis and others who appreciate bengali
food.recommended edit

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Foodplus, Laban Last Stop Taxi Stand, ☎ 091-9863083167. A fast food joint Cum
Hotel edit

Chef's Multi Cuisine Restaurant, M G Road- Opp SBI, Shillong (5 minutes from
City centre on foot), ☎ +919436332977, [1] (www.shillonghotels.com) . Great food
at reasonable prices edit

Sesame, Laitumkhrah. Serves South-east Asian cuisine including traditional tribal food.
Newly opened and offers an interesting menu including the Jaintia thali. edit

Drink
It is the drinker's paradise.Because of the tax structure on alcohol in this state, you will be
hard pressed find cheaper drinks anywhere else in India, if you are the type who buys liquor
from a shop and drinks in your hotel room.

If you like pubs and clubs, then Shillong has quite a few of them.

Platinum, Hotel Polo Towers.

Cloud 9, Centre Point.
Picadilly (English Pub), Hotel Polo Towers.
Tango at Police Bazar in O B Shopping Mall.
Cocktails at Hotel Alpine Continental.

Nightlife is generally at its peak on Fridays and Saturdays. Sundays are very very dull.

Madras Cafe (Police bazar). 7 am to 10 pm. This small but busy place in polica
bazar serves some authentic south indian dishes like idlis, dosas, vada etc.. Dosas are
their favourite and are crispy and hot. They also serve some south indian rice dishes.
100 for a meal. edit

Swish, laitumkhrah. Swish Cafe which is opening soon after undergoing renovation, is
the first cafe in Shillong and is a favourite haunt of youngsters and anyone who wants a
good cup of coffee and some tasty snacks. Its a cute little coffee shop with a lot of
character! edit

Delhi Mistan Bhandar, Police bazar. Vintage sweet shop in Shillong,famous for it's
jalebis edit

MOT (Matter of Taste), Laitumkrah, (turn left at the junction). Matter of taste,
MOT is an amazing coffee shop which serves pastas, sandwiches and pizzas too. Irish
coffee is a must try. After a hard day of travelling around shillong, it refreshes you like
anything edit

Sharma Bhojanalaya, Near Police Bazaar (Enter from Iewedeh, near roop kala
sarees). For all those who look for vegetarian food. Serves decent food, marwari thali
priced at Rs.40. Good food for veggies edit

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Sleep
Shillong has options for all kind of travellers. Most of the hotels are located in and around the
Police Bazar which is the noisy, crowded city centre of Shillong. Hotel Polo Towers and
Royal Heritage have locations that are more relaxing. Backpackers might want to check the
Youth Hostel near Office of Chief Telecom Officer (CTO Complex). Internet reservation is
available only in few starred hotels.

Budget

White Orchid Guesthouse,Lachaumiere Shillong Tel :+91-9774012129 [2]

(http://www.shillonghotel.com)
B&B, Rosaville Cottage,[3] (http://www.nivalink.com/rosaville/index.html)
The Majestic Hotel, Polo Road, [4] (http://www.majesticmonsoonshillong.com)
Lake View Inn, MG Road, [5] (http://www.shillonghotels.com)
Shillong Club Guesthouse near Police bazaar
Rohit Guest House, Near Shillong Times Building, Tel:+91-9864506161
Hotel Yalana, Laimukhra,Shillong Tel:+91-9954364952 [6]
(http://www.northeastindiatravels.net)

Mid-range

Hotel Centre Point (+91 364 222 0272/ 222 0480 Email:
centre_point91@rediffmail.com)
Royal Heritage Tripura Castle (+91 364 250 1111/49 Email:
rh_tripuracastle@rediffmail.com)
Hotel Alpine Continental,3 Star, Shillong [7] (http://www.alpinecontinental.com)
email: alpineshillong@gmail.com
Hotel Polo Towers, Shillong`s Only 4 Star Hotel, [8]
(http://www.hotelpolotowers.com)
HotelPine Brook Guest House. Pure Bengali food available Laban Howell( Near
Police Bazer)road well furnesid 700 to 1200 Kolkata Cont.91 033 224_92716,
2264_2051Rooms Rs 1000-1500 resturant , Garden etc
Luxury, Ri Kynjai Resort, (+91 98624 20300/01 Email:rikynjai@yahoo.co.in), [9]
(http://rikynjai.com/)

Get out
There are many interesting places for outing from Shillong.

Cherrapunjee (or Sohra as called locally) is around 60 km south of Shillong. It holds

the world record for the highest rainfall ever in a calendar year. It is famous for its
various waterfalls (most famous of all Noh Kalikai Falls) and limestone caves. The
Monsoon is the best time to enjoy thundering waterfalls. Limestone caves are full of
stalactites and stalagmites and you will find many adventurous souls venturing deep into
them.
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Umiam is a water sports complex, developed upon the reservoir of the Umiam Hydro
Electric Project, around 20 km north of Shillong. The campus consists of a lake resort
and a park. It also offers many water sports activities.

Sacred Forest (or Mawphlang as called locally) are groves around 25 km away from
Shillong. These are considered sacred by Khasis and people were forbidden to enter
them earlier. This ensured protection of a dense growth of several kinds of trees
including the Khasi pine. The heavily covered grounds around the forests facilitating
growth of ferns and orchids most of them endemic.

Mawsynram is 56 km from Shillong and is known for the Giant Stalagmite formation
shaped into a "Shivalinga" and found inside a cave known locally as Mawjymbuin. It
also gets the heaviest rainfalls in world in recent years.

Jakrem, 64 km from Shillong, is a hot-spring of sulphur water, believed to have

curative medicinal properties.

Jaintia Hills This is not a hot tourist spot but one can find a beautiful lake, a 700
hundred years old Durga temple and a rock garden.

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