Highlight
Seven days, one route, and two regions most operators keep separate for a reason, they're genuinely different trips. This one refuses to pick.
The first half moves through Meghalaya's wet, green side. Cherrapunji, one of the wettest places on Earth, where Nohkalikai Falls drops 340 metres, making it India's tallest plunge waterfall. The Double Decker Living Root Bridge at Tyrna, grown from rubber fig tree roots by the Khasi community over generations rather than built in a single season. A night at Shnongpdeng on the Umngot River, water so clear it's regularly ranked among the most transparent in the world, best seen October through April, muddier if your batch lands in the tail end of monsoon.
Then the trip changes entirely. The road east into Assam trades hills and waterfalls for the open floodplains of the Brahmaputra, and Kaziranga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site holding roughly two thirds of the world's one horned rhinoceros population, alongside wild water buffalo, swamp deer, and over 400 recorded bird species. This itinerary includes the jeep safari, which covers far more ground in a single morning than the shorter, slot based elephant safari, which runs separately, needs advance booking, and isn't part of this package.
Most Northeast India group trips make you choose, waterfalls or wildlife. This one gives you a real answer to both, on a fixed departure with a dedicated trip captain, not a custom itinerary you have to plan yourself.
For the shorter version of this same Meghalaya circuit without the Kaziranga extension, our Meghalaya Backpacking trip covers the same waterfalls and root bridge over 5 nights instead of 6.
Itinerary
Land at Guwahati Airport before 12 noon, the group departs for Shillong at 12:30 PM. It's a 4 hour drive with a stop at Umiam Lake, a large reservoir ringed by pine forest that most travellers underestimate until they're actually standing beside it. Evening at Police Bazaar. Overnight in Shillong.
The drive through the East Khasi Hills takes you to Cherrapunji, stopping at Elephant Falls, a three tiered waterfall named by British officers for a rock formation nearby that has since eroded away, the Dympep Valley viewpoint, and the Garden of Caves. Towards dusk, Nohkalikai Falls, dropping 340 metres to become India's tallest plunge waterfall, named for a local legend about a woman called Ka Likai. Overnight in Cherrapunji.
The trek from Tyrna Village to the Double Decker Root Bridge is the physical centrepiece of the trip, a bridge grown from living rubber fig tree roots, guided across the river by the Khasi community using hollow betel nut trunks as scaffolding, a technique passed down over generations rather than something built in a single project. Roughly 3,500 steps round trip, followed by Rainbow Waterfall and Seven Sister Falls. Overnight in Cherrapunji.
Arwah Caves in the morning, then the drive toward Dawki, passing a viewpoint looking directly across the India Bangladesh border, and a stop at Mawlynnong, widely known as Asia's cleanest village. Overnight at Shnongpdeng, right on the Umngot River.
Morning boating on the Umngot, the river most people have already seen in photos without knowing its name, water clear enough that the boats appear to float. Best visibility runs October through April, batches closer to September will see a slightly muddier river in exchange for fuller waterfalls elsewhere on the route that same week. Afterward, the drive to Shillong stops at Phe Phe Waterfall for a swim. Overnight in Shillong.
A long, genuinely scenic drive out of the hills and onto the Brahmaputra floodplains. Check into your hotel and rest, tomorrow starts early.
The jeep safari covers significant ground through Kaziranga's grasslands, your best chance at the park's one horned rhinos, along with wild water buffalo, swamp deer, and, with some luck, one of the park's tigers, which exist here in one of the highest densities of any protected area in India. Afterward, the drive back to Guwahati and your onward flight home.
Other Info
Reporting and Return
Reach Guwahati Airport by 12 noon on Day 1, the group transfer to Shillong departs at 12:30 PM sharp. On Day 7, book your return flight after 4 PM to allow a comfortable buffer for the drive back from Kaziranga.
Jeep Safari vs Elephant Safari, and Why This Trip Includes Only One
Kaziranga actually runs two separate safari formats, and most tour pages blur the difference. The jeep safari, included in this package, covers substantially more ground and gives you the best overall chance of a rhino sighting across a longer stretch of the park. The elephant safari runs on a stricter slot system, typically two short morning windows, and needs to be booked well in advance directly through the park, it isn't something any operator can simply add on the day of your visit. It also isn't available before November 1 regardless of how early you book, since the park itself restricts it to specific months. If riding an elephant through the park specifically matters to you, plan for it separately and confirm current availability with the Kaziranga forest department before your trip, rather than assuming it's something this package can arrange.
Why Kaziranga Closes for Part of the Year
The park sits directly on the Brahmaputra's floodplains, and monsoon flooding, roughly mid-May through September, makes the safari trails genuinely unsafe and impassable, not just inconvenient. It reopens for jeep safaris around October 1st most years, though the exact date shifts depending on how quickly the floodwater recedes and the trails get repaired. September and early October batches on this itinerary land right at that transition, which means Meghalaya at its greenest right after monsoon, but Kaziranga only just reopening, worth knowing if a longer, deeper safari matters more to you than the greener hills.
Best Time for This Specific Combination
November through March gives you dry weather across Meghalaya and full, settled access to Kaziranga. If you want both halves of this trip at their absolute best simultaneously, this is the window to book. For more detail on how Meghalaya's seasons shift month to month, our best time to visit Meghalaya guide breaks it down further.
Connectivity
Network coverage is reasonably strong through Shillong and Cherrapunji, BSNL and Airtel both work in most areas, though signal thins noticeably around the Tyrna root bridge trek and inside Kaziranga itself, plan for a day genuinely offline rather than a quick photo break from your phone.
What to Pack
Comfortable trekking shoes with real grip for the root bridge trek's uneven, sometimes slippery steps. Light, breathable clothing for Meghalaya's humidity, paired with something warmer for the early morning safari start in Kaziranga, mornings on the floodplain run cooler than the hills the day before. A rain jacket regardless of season, and binoculars if wildlife spotting genuinely matters to you, the jeep keeps a reasonable but not close distance from the animals.
Planning Around New Year
If your dates land near December 31st, the Meghalaya Kaziranga (New Year Special) runs this same combined circuit on a dedicated year end batch, worth checking before locking in a standard date instead.
- 6 nights hotel: 2 in Shillong, 2 in Cherrapunji, 1 in Shnongpdeng (Dawki), 1 in Kaziranga
- 6 breakfasts (Day 2 to Day 7), 6 dinners (Day 1 to Day 6)
- 30 minutes of boating at Dawki, shared 4 to a boat
- Jeep safari at Kaziranga National Park
- Trip captain for all 7 days
- Driver charges, toll and parking
- Guwahati airport pickup and drop
- Medical kit carried through the trip
- Food and drinks outside the fixed meal plan, alcohol, bottled water, highway meals
- Personal spends: driver tips, monument entry tickets, camera fees, rafting, laundry, phone bills
- Elephant safari (not part of this package, and not available at all before November 1 regardless)
- Costs from landslides or roadblocks, payable on the spot
- 5% GST, added separately
No Refund shall be made with respect to the initial booking amount for any cancellations. However,
- If cancellations are made 30 days before the start date of the trip, 50% of the trip cost will be charged as cancellation fees.
- If cancellations are made 15-30 days before the start date of the trip, 75% of the trip cost will be charged as cancellation fees.
- If cancellations are made within 0-15 days before the start date of the trip, 100% of the trip cost will be charged as cancellation fees.
- In the case of unforeseen weather conditions or government restrictions, certain activities may be cancelled and in such cases, the operator will try his best to provide an alternate feasible activity. However, no refund will be provided for the same.
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Testimonials
Sudeep Ray
My trip to meghalaya was amazing. Our tour guide sam was very good and helpful. He managed our trip very well. I would love to travel with TTS again.... Thank you for this wonderful trip.
Meghalaya Kaziranga Expedition
7 January, 2026
Annmariya Roy
I recently went on a trip to Meghalaya arranged by The Travel Story, and I have to say it was a fantastic experience! From start to finish, everything was perfectly planned, and the entire journey was seamless.
Meghalaya Kaziranga Expedition
8 March, 2025
Vasantha Raj Murugan
I had an incredible experience on my recent trip to Meghalaya, all thanks to The Travel story and especially my dear brother Arabind (captain). The itinerary was thoughtfully curated, allowing us to explore stunning locations like Wei Sawdong waterfall, phe phe falls and immerse ourselves in the natural beauty of the region.
Meghalaya Kaziranga Expedition
21 February, 0205
Manisha Rathod
This is our third trip with TTS team and they are quite more friendly and clear in execution of trip. We can feel quite more safe while travelling due to clear instructions for places and arrangements.
Meghalaya Kaziranga Expedition
25 January, 2025
