Cherrapunji

Cherrapunji — known by its Khasi name Sohra — sits on a high plateau in the East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya and is celebrated worldwide as one of the wettest inhabited places on Earth, drenched by the monsoon that sweeps up from the Bangladesh plains and breaks against its cliffs (its neighbour Mawsynram holds the all-time rainfall record).

• The result is a landscape of staggering drama: deep green canyons, mist-filled valleys, and some of the most spectacular waterfalls in India.
• The Nohkalikai Falls, plunging about 340 metres into a turquoise plunge pool, is the tallest plunge waterfall in India and is wrapped in the haunting Khasi legend of Ka Likai; the seven-segmented Nohsngithiang (Seven Sisters) Falls and the Dainthlen Falls add to the spectacle.
• Cherrapunji is also the gateway to Meghalaya's most famous living root bridges — footbridges that the Khasi have trained over generations from the aerial roots of the Indian rubber fig — including the extraordinary double-decker living root bridge at Nongriat, reached by a steep descent of around 3,500 steps into the canyon, a strenuous but unforgettable trek.
• The Mawsmai Cave (a short, well-lit limestone cave of stalactites and stalagmites), the Arwah Cave with its fossils, the Mawkdok Dympep valley viewpoint, and the Eco Park complete the circuit.
• The clearest waterfall views come just after the monsoon.
• The Mawkdok Dympep valley viewpoint on the drive from Shillong, the cliff-edge Eco Park, and the Khasi monoliths at Nartiang in the neighbouring Jaintia hills round out the wider Sohra circuit.
• For vegetarian travellers, Sohra serves simple Khasi vegetarian fare — rice with seasonal greens, bamboo shoot, and vegetable preparations, plus the local oranges, pineapples, and honey, and hot tea against the perpetual damp.
• The best season is October to May, while the monsoon (June-September) brings the waterfalls to their thundering peak.