While most regular tourists try to dodge rain in search of brighter locales, we are anything but regular tourists! And this was what led us to Cherrapunji, quite literally one of the wettest places on planet Earth, and for many years recognised as the wettest place on Earth.
And boy was it wet, with one of our guests even questioning whether “monsoon tourism” would ever take off. In the end though, not only was it epic, but we learnt exactly why the best time to visit Cherrapunji is during the rainy season.
Table of Contents
What the Cherrapunji?
Located in the East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya, Cherrapunji, also known as Sohra, is a small hill town sitting about 55 kilometres from Shillong and roughly 150 kilometres from Guwahati. While it might look like your average hill town at first glance, it holds one rather incredible title. Cherrapunji was officially recognised as the wettest inhabited place on Earth for many years, before nearby Mawsynram eventually took the title. Regardless we’re still claiming Cherrapunji on all tour material! Mawsynram is similar except there is bugger all to do here.
On average it receives close to 11,000mm of rainfall every year. That is around 430 inches for those keeping score at home. During the monsoon the clouds roll in from the Bay of Bengal before smashing into the Khasi Hills, dumping absolutely biblical amounts of rain over the region. The result is waterfalls appearing seemingly out of nowhere, rivers bursting into life and landscapes so green they almost look fake.
Despite this, Cherrapunji is far from being some tourist trap, at least when it comes to foreigners, with us spotting one lone scouser during our whole trip. And while there are a lot of Indian visitors this is still a proper Indian village in the boonies that just goes about being itself.
Top 7 Things to do in Cherrapunji Guide
With the rainfall that Cherrapunji gets, unsurprisingly there are a whole load of waterfalls, caves, forests and, well, you know, general water based stuff to do. And it is because of this, or at least partly because of this, that you come in the rainy season. If you come when there is less rain (less, not none) then the waterfalls and the like are a lot less impressive, AND it is filled with local tourists. Ain’t nobody got time for that.
Therefore, with our newfound expertise in the area, we have put together our personal top seven things to do when you visit Cherrapunji. As always we count from seven to one, saving the best until last, at least in our own humble opinion.
7. Visit Arwah Cave
This is one of the lesser known caves around Cherrapunji, and personally I think it is better than some of the more famous ones. Hidden away in the forest, it feels far more like an adventure than a simple tourist attraction.
Inside you will find limestone formations, fossils and a proper cave experience without the crowds you get elsewhere. You will get wet.
6. Visit Dainthlen Falls
Named after a giant serpent from Khasi mythology, Dainthlen Falls is one of the more interesting waterfalls around Cherrapunji.
During the monsoon it really comes alive, with huge amounts of water crashing through the rocks. The surrounding area is also a great place to just stop, take in the scenery and enjoy one of Meghalaya’s many natural wonders.
5. Visit Mawsmai Cave
This is the area’s best known cave and one of Meghalaya’s many natural wonders. Filled with impressive limestone formations, it is also one of the easiest caves to visit, making it a very popular stop on any Cherrapunji itinerary.
4. See Seven Sisters Falls
This is one of the most famous waterfalls in Meghalaya and for good reason. During the monsoon the seven streams come roaring down the cliffs, creating one of the classic Cherrapunji views.
Here’s the rub though, outside of rainy season it is not worth visiting, while during rainy season and on the day we visited at least you could see quite literally nothing.
3. Explore Khasi Villages
The Khasi people are one of the most fascinating ethnic groups in India. Spend some time wandering through local villages, chatting with residents and getting a feel for life in one of the wettest places on Earth.
This is also one of the most Christian parts of India, giving the area a rather different feel to much of the country. Much of this can be seen on the main hike.
2. Visit Nohkalikai Falls
This is probably the most famous sight in Cherrapunji and one of the biggest reasons people come here.
At around 340 metres, Nohkalikai is India’s tallest plunge waterfall and during the monsoon it is seriously impressive. The weather can change every five minutes, but that is half the fun.
1. Hike to the Double Decker Living Root Bridge
This is what seals the deal. The famous living root bridges of Meghalaya are one of the most incredible things you will see anywhere in India. Built by guiding tree roots across streams over many decades, these natural bridges are still used today.
The hike down to Nongriat and the Double Decker Living Root Bridge is not exactly easy. There are hundreds of steps, humidity, mud and a lot of sweating, but that is all part of the adventure.
Oh and a quick FYI you can pay people to bring back up on a stretcher. I have no issue with this!
Eating and Drinking in Cherrapunji
Despite Meghalaya being India’s most Christian state, with around 74 percent of the population following Christianity, many of the best restaurants in the area are still fully vegetarian. Some of them though are absolutely banging, and when you couple these with the simple family run Indian restaurants and the small street food scene, you certainly will not go hungry in Cherrapunji. Better still, the food much like the rest of India is cheap and damned good.
There is not all that much of a bar scene here though, with many hotels not only not serving alcohol, but even not allowing it in their restaurants. Fear not though, this is India after all. There are liquor stores everywhere dishing out cheap Magic Moments vodka, which I can confirm goes great with Thumbs Up Cola.
Getting There and Away
This is front and centre of north east India and all the joys and travel opportunities it brings. This includes Shillong, Nagaland, the rhinos of Assam, the borderlands of Arunachal Pradesh and the wonder of Sikkim. If you have not been to Sikkim and Darjeeling yet, you are truly missing out.
There is no train station in Cherrapunji, but you are only around 150km from Guwahati, which is properly connected to the rest of India.
Click to read about traversing India by train.
Shillong sits around 55km away and takes roughly two hours by road.
Guwahati is around 150km away and usually takes between four and five hours depending on traffic and weather.
Kaziranga National Park, home to India’s famous one horned rhinos, is around 270km away, with the drive taking roughly six to seven hours.
Mawsynram, Cherrapunji’s great rival for the title of wettest place on Earth, is around 80km away and makes for an easy side trip if you want to visit both of Meghalaya’s rain giants.
Kohima, the capital of Nagaland, is around 360km away and can be reached in around eight to nine hours by road.
Itanagar, capital of Arunachal Pradesh, is around 380km away and usually takes eight to ten hours.
Gangtok, capital of Sikkim, is around 570km away and is best reached over two days. Perhaps the best place to travel in India.
Technically you can also get to Sunamganj (where I once lived) in Bangladesh, although this depends very much on the politics of the day.
So, should you visit Cherrapunji?
This will depend massively on you and just how well you deal with rain. Although, in fairness, even those on our trip who were not all that keen said it was worth the experience.
If though you love the beauty that comes with a water filled paradise, then it does not get much better than Cherrapunji. In fact if you’re English it might even make you homesick!
While Mawsynram might now officially hold the rainfall record, Cherrapunji remains the more famous destination and, with its caves, waterfalls and living root bridges, arguably has more to see and do.
And we certainly think so, hence why Assam, Shillong and Cherrapunji are now very much part of our yearly schedule.
Click to see our India Tours.
Click to see our tours to Sikkim.
