Dawki

Dawki, a small town in the West Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya on the India-Bangladesh border, has become one of north-east India's most photographed destinations for a single, astonishing reason: the Umngot River, whose water in the dry winter months runs so utterly transparent that the boats drifting on it appear to be floating in mid-air, their shadows printed sharp on the pebbled bed metres below.

• A ride in one of the long wooden country boats along the Umngot — gliding over submerged rocks and pebbles in water of impossible clarity, framed by forested limestone hills — is the signature experience, best in the clear-water season from November to February.
• A few kilometres upstream, the village of Shnongpdeng has grown into an adventure hub, offering riverside camping, kayaking, cliff-jumping, snorkelling, and zip-lining over the glassy water — a quieter and more active alternative to the busy main boating point.
• Dawki itself sits at the international frontier, where the single-span Dawki suspension bridge (built by the British in 1932) crosses the river and a viewpoint looks out over the Bangladesh plains; the daily cross-border trade at the frontier is a fascinating sight.
• The drive from Shillong (about 95 km) winds through the betel-nut country of the Jaintia Hills past the village of Pynursla, pairing naturally with Mawlynnong.
• The contrast is striking — within an hour you pass from the high green Jaintia hills to the edge of the flat Bengal delta — and a riverside camp night at Shnongpdeng, under clear star-filled skies, is the quiet highlight for many.
• For vegetarian travellers, the riverside dhabas and camps serve simple Khasi-Jaintia vegetarian fare — rice with dal and seasonal vegetables, bamboo-shoot preparations, vegetable Maggi and momos, and the local oranges and honey.
• The best season is November to February, when the Umngot is at its clearest.