Meghalaya in Depth — Shillong, Cherrapunji & Dawki

Three hours up from the Brahmaputra plain onto the plateau, past Umiam reservoir on the climb. Shillong at about 1,500 m was the British capital of undivided Assam and keeps the churches, the pines and the polo ground from it. Elephant Falls and Shillong Peak fill the afternoon, and Police Bazar the evening — Shillong has a music culture out of proportion to its size and it is worth asking where anyone is playing.

East into the Jaintia hills, which most Meghalaya itineraries never reach. Krang Suri falls drop into a pool of an improbable blue and are among the most beautiful in the state. Jowai and the Thadlaskein lake carry the Jaintia history, a kingdom distinct from the Khasi with its own monoliths standing in the fields. The day is quieter than anything around Cherrapunji, which is precisely why it is here.

Two hours south to Sohra on the plateau edge, and the point of staying rather than visiting is the light — the escarpment at dawn and at dusk is a completely different place from the middle of the day when the coaches arrive. Nohkalikai in the afternoon, falling about 340 m in one drop, and the Seven Sisters falls off the rim when there is water behind them. The view south runs out over the Bangladesh plain two thousand metres below.

Mawsmai cave first, a short lit limestone passage you walk through, and Arwah nearby with fossils visible in the rock. The rest of the day is the root bridges — the Khasi have trained ficus roots across streams here for generations and the results carry people. Nongriat's double-decker bridge lies around three thousand steps below and is a serious half-day walk for the fit; the shorter bridges near the road show the same technique without the descent. Which you do is decided on the day.

South-east to the border, where the Umngot river comes off the hills at Dawki and runs over a bed so pale that in the dry months a boat on it appears to hang above its own shadow. Boats are hired from the local association at the ghat. Mawlynnong and the Riwai root bridge are on the way and fill the earlier part of the day. The night is spent by the river, which is basic accommodation and the reason most itineraries only visit — the early morning water before the boats stir it is the reason to stay.

A long drive north, around five hours, climbing back over the plateau and down the escarpment to Guwahati. The Bangladesh border runs a few hundred metres from where you started and the plain on the far side is visible for much of the first half hour. Allow for the Brahmaputra crossing at the end — the airport is on the far bank — and prefer an afternoon or evening flight.