Private journeys in seven lands · a planner replies within one working day
Try "Udaipur", "tiger", "honeymoon", "Ladakh in July"
Ten nights combining the two halves of the North East most visitors want: the Khasi Hills of Meghalaya, with the double-decker root bridge, Dawki and Ri Kynjai on Umiam Lake, and the Assam plains, with rhino safaris from Diphlu River Lodge and a planter's bungalow at Wild Mahseer.
This journey starts in the hills and ends on the plains. We begin in Sohra, close to the trail to Nongriat's double-decker root bridge, so you walk it early on day 3 while fresh. Then come three nights at Ri Kynjai on Umiam Lake, with days for Dawki, Mawlynnong and Shillong's market and museum, before the long drive down to Kaziranga.
At Diphlu River Lodge, three nights allow drives in the Central, Western and Eastern ranges, with rhinos, buffalo, elephants and winter birds. The final two nights at Wild Mahseer, inside a working tea estate near Balipara, are slower: a garden walk, a tasting, and a forest walk or river float at Nameri before the drive back to Guwahati.
Highlights
Day by day
Your guide meets you at Guwahati airport for the climb into the Khasi Hills. Break the drive at Umiam Lake for lunch, then cross the plateau past Mawphlang to Sohra, arriving in the late afternoon. If the light allows, stop at the Mawkdok valley viewpoint on the way in. Your hotel is chosen for its position near the root bridge trail.
A gentle first day. See Nohkalikai Falls, India's tallest plunge at about 340 m, and the Seven Sisters falls at Mawsmai. Walk through the lit passages of Mawsmai cave and hear how a stalagmite from nearby Mawmluh gave its name to the Meghalayan Age. In the afternoon, drive along the rim to Thangkharang for views over Bangladesh and Kynrem Falls.
Start at Tyrna by 7 am with your registered guide and descend about 3,000 steps through forest and over suspension bridges to Nongriat and its two-tier root bridge. Swim in the pools in the dry months, then climb back up. After lunch, drive to Ri Kynjai on Umiam Lake, where the evening is for a long bath and dinner by the fire.
A full day to the Bangladesh border. Walk the suspension bridge at Shnongpareng and row the glass-clear Umngot at Dawki while the light reaches the riverbed. After lunch, visit Mawlynnong village and the single root bridge at Riwai. Return to the lake in the evening. This day is scheduled for Monday to Saturday, as Mawlynnong bars day visitors on Sundays.
A morning at the Don Bosco Centre for Indigenous Cultures and a guided walk through Iewduh market, followed by a Khasi lunch of jadoh and dohneiiong. In the afternoon, see Ward's Lake and the old town, or return to Ri Kynjai to walk the forest paths and watch the light over Umiam.
A long but easy drive down from the hills and east across the Assam plains via Nagaon, with a lunch stop on the way. The last stretch runs along Kaziranga's southern edge, where rhinos sometimes graze within sight. Arrive at Diphlu River Lodge in the late afternoon and settle into your stilted cottage by the river.
A morning jeep drive in the Central range at Kohora, where mist lifts off the wetlands and rhinos, wild buffalo and swamp deer graze in the open. After lunch and a rest, the afternoon drive is in the Western range at Bagori, with the park's highest rhino density and wide views over the grassland.
A second morning drive in whichever range has the best recent sightings, then a midday visit to the community-run orchid and biodiversity park near Kohora. In the afternoon, drive the Eastern range at Agaratoli for pelicans, storks and migratory ducks in winter, and the chance of otters in the channels.
Cross the Brahmaputra near Tezpur and drive north into the tea gardens at Balipara. Arrive at Wild Mahseer for lunch, then walk the Addabarie estate with the estate team, visit the factory in plucking season and finish with a tasting of the estate's teas. Dinner in the main bungalow.
Drive at dawn to Potasali, cross the Jia Bhoroli by boat and walk the edge of Nameri National Park with an armed forest guard, looking for hornbills and the white-winged wood duck. Float gently back downstream in an inflatable raft and picnic on a shingle bank. Return to the estate for a quiet afternoon.
After breakfast on the veranda, drive back to Guwahati airport for your onward flight, with a lunch stop on the way. If Tezpur flights suit you, the transfer is about 45 minutes and you can enjoy a slower final morning.
Included
Not included
Where you sleep
A lakeside resort on the wooded shore of Umiam Lake, about 20 km north of Shillong, with cottages built in the Khasi manner of timber and …
The leading safari lodge at Kaziranga, with stilted cottages along the Diphlu river on the park's southern boundary. Stays are full board, with park jeep drives …
A group of restored British-era planters' bungalows inside the Addabarie tea estate near Balipara, north of Tezpur. Rooms open onto lawns and tea gardens, the food …
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Questions travellers ask
Starting in Sohra lets you walk to the Nongriat root bridge on day 3 while you are fresh, then move to Ri Kynjai for three restful nights. It also avoids driving back and forth across the plateau. Shillong's sights are easy day trips from the lake.
Yes, about 270 km and 6.5 to 7 hours, down from the hills and across the Assam plains. The road is good, and we stop for lunch. It is the only long drive of the journey, and we place it between restful days.
November to March. Meghalaya is dry and clear, Dawki's river is at its clearest, and Kaziranga is fully open. October and April work too, with some limits. We avoid May to September, when Kaziranga is closed and Meghalaya is very wet.
Only the Nongriat walk on day 3 is demanding, with about 3,000 steps each way. Other days involve short walks. If you prefer not to walk to Nongriat, we substitute a gentler day and the Riwai root bridge near Mawlynnong.
From about ₹3,40,000 per person, twin sharing, including hotels and lodges, the meals listed, a private car and guide, safaris, local guides and entry fees. Prices vary with season and room category. Flights are extra.
Yes. Two nights on Majuli fit between Kaziranga and Wild Mahseer or at the end, flying out of Jorhat. That makes a 12-night journey and adds the Vaishnava satras and Mising villages of the river island.
Yes, it is one of our most popular first journeys. It covers Meghalaya's hills and root bridges, Kaziranga's wildlife and Assam's tea country without permits or very long drives. Our 11-night first-timer plan is a close alternative.
No. Neither state requires an Inner Line Permit or Protected Area Permit for Indian or foreign visitors. Meghalaya hotels register guests with the state, and park entry at Kaziranga and Nameri is arranged by us.
Yes. Children enjoy the boats at Dawki, the caves and falls at Sohra, the safaris and the tea estate. For younger children we replace the Nongriat walk with Riwai's easy root bridge. Both Assam lodges handle families well.
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