Shillong: Base Camp for Meghalaya, and a Place in Its Own Right

The town itself

Shillong has a long-standing live music culture that is genuinely part of daily life rather than a tourist attraction, and the local rock and folk scene is worth an evening.

Police Bazaar is the commercial centre, and the Don Bosco Museum is a surprisingly thorough introduction to the cultures of the whole Northeast — useful early in a trip rather than at the end.

As a base

Shillong sits within reach of Cherrapunji and, at more of a stretch, Dawki and Mawlynnong. Roads are mountain roads and slow, so basing everything in Shillong means long days out and back.

Splitting nights between Shillong and Cherrapunji reduces the driving considerably and is the better structure for most trips.

• Two nights gives the town its due
• Split nights with Cherrapunji rather than day-tripping everything
• Umiam Lake is on the road in from Guwahati — worth the stop