Khasi Hills - A Tete a Tete with the City :

Location : North Eastern India, Meghalaya

Best Time to Visit : September to May

Places to See : Shillong

Souvenirs : Meghalayan handicrafts like sleeping mats, rain shields, baskets, and bamboo and cane articles.

Khasi Hills - The Tale of the City :

The tale of this region goes down many years. It is the largest Meghalayan district. It came out of the earlier Khasi Hills District. This happened in the year 1976. There was a merged unit out of the Mairang Administrative Unit which later became a complete working Sub Division. Thus the merged unit came to be known as the Mawkyrwat Unit. The district of Khasi was divided into the East Khasi Hills and the West Khasi Hills in the year 1976. In 1992, The East Khasi Hills was again sub divided into the Ri-Bhoi District and the East Khasi Hills. The headquarters of the East Khasi Hills is Shillong. It has seven Rural Development Blocks and Community divisions.

Khasi Hills - Down the Ages :

Down the ages, the divisions of the Khasi Hills have grown. The West Khasi Hills lying in Central Meghalaya has the Kamrup district in the northwest. Kamrup District lies in Assam. The Ri Bhoi district lies in the northwest of West Khasi Hills , Bangladesh lies on the south and the East Garo Hills and the South Garo Hills border the western side of the West Khasi Hills. The headquarters of the West Khasi Hills is Nongstoin. The Ri Bhoi district lies on the north of the East Khasi Hills and the Jaintia Hills lie on the east and the West Khasi Hills lie on the west. The East Khasi Hills today is a place with lot of river valleys and gorges and deep ravines. The ravines in Mawsynram and Shella Bholagani block are very beautiful.

Khasi Hills - A Rendezvous :

A rendezvous with the Khasi hills shows that the West Khasi Hills has four geographical divisions. The Western division of thick forests, the southern division of hilly slopes, the northern division of hills and mountain ranges, and the central division of hills running from East to West. ON the other hand, the East Khasi Hills is predominantly a hilly area with lovely ravines and gorges crisscrossing the area. The Shillong Plateau is the most beautiful region here with the river valleys enhancing the beauty. Added to this the ravines at Shella Bholaganj and Mawsynram and the Shillong Peak are favored spots visited by the tourists. The beautiful scenic beauty and the enthralling points with the lights of the city dazzling in the night offer a perfect feast to the tourist.

Khasi Hills - Travel Kitty :

The major travel kitty of the Khasi Hills is the ranges and mountains traversing the region. The Mawthadraishan range running from east to west , the Kyllang Rock made of igneous rocks, the hills of Lum Kyllai Longsgun all are the perfect reasons to have a great travel kitty. The tourist fills his travel kitty also with the locally available handicrafts which are so famous. Bamboo and cane articles are popular and colorful dresses, fans, and many more decorative items are the perfect travel kitty here.

Khasi Hills - Joie de Vivre in the City :

The joie de vivre in Khasi hills is the climate in this place. Being lightly tropical with interspersed rainfall, the climate is seen to vary in temperature from being warm to being cool towards the northern and southern regions. Monsoon begins in May and goes on till the month of September. Humidity and rains keep the area cool and the flora and fauna here are rich with orchids and pitcher plants. Sal, teak, and pines are found in abundance along with a rich fauna of elephants, tigers, monkeys , wild boars etc. Birds like hornbill, myna, duck etc are also found and the present day poaching problems and deforestation has resulted in a sad depletion of these fauna. A person coming here would see the following :

Fishing Spots :

Ranikor :

This is one of the preferred fishing zones of the tourists who come to Khasi Hills. The Jadukata River is the place where anglers team up and wait. The Rivers Kynshi and Rilang meet here and the golden Mahseers are the prized catch here. Besides this, the silver carp, the golden carp are also found here. The cliffs and the lovely sparkling water complement the already beautiful place.

Hot Springs :

Jakrem :

This is located around 45 km from the region of Nongstoin. One reaches this place crossing Mawthawpdah. Shillong lies around 59 km from this place. The hot springs here are made of sulphur water and people believe this to have medicinal properties. Tourists who come here take a dip and feel refreshed after this.

West Khasi Hills District offers a lot of scope for adventure tourism in terms of trekking, rock climbing, angling and the like. It has a number of peaks to be scaled, bridle paths to be trekked and water ways for canoeing and rafting. Besides, a number of cascades formed along the river courses add to the natural beauty of the district. There are also a number of attractive picnic spots and camping sites.

Water Falls :

Thump Falls :

This is located on the Kynshi River. With a height of 60m it is located near a village called Sangriang. This is a beautiful sight and the falls can be completely seen from the Mawpon village. The base of the waterfalls has a magnificent pool that has rocks surrounding three sides of this beautiful Falls.

Weinia Falls :

Lying on the River Kynshi, this is adjacent to the Thum Falls and is a perfect feast for the tourist’s roving eye. The lovely cascade down along with the foam and colors that it exudes makes these falls a lovely sight to behold. The sunlight falls on these falls and dazzles the eye with its myriad colors. Rocks surround these falls too and these rocks come in a variety of sizes and shapes. There are structures looking like gigantic steps on one side of the Weinia Falls.

Peaks :

Mawthadraishan Peak :

This lies on the way from Nongshillong village to Shillong. There is a mountain range which has lakes on its top. These lakes caused due to natural depressions are today 7 to 8 fish ponds. The tip of the peak has the best view of the entire region of Assam and one can also see the majestic Himalayas in a distance during the days when the sky is comparatively clear.

Rocks :

Kyllang Rock :

This is a very special feature as it is composed of a single gigantic rock . Located at a place called Mawnai it lies around 10 km from the region of Mairang. Incidentally Mairang is the sub divisional headquarters of this region. The apex of the rock has a flat surface which is a favorite picnic spot.

Picnic Spots :

Lum Symper :

This is a place that is located a little away from the village called Weiloi. It lies en route to Mawkyrwat. This place is favored by most of the tourists and is considered a very good picnic spot.

River Island :

Nongkhnum River Island :

This lies near the village of Nongstoin. It lies on the River Kynshi. It is known as the Nongkhnum. Formed like a plateau it is a nice expanse of 25sq kms. One can trek to this place. It is two hours from Nongstoin.

Other Favorite Spots :

Angler’s Delight :

This is a major attraction for tourists who like angling. There are a number of areas which are the confluence of rivers. Confluences like Wahblei and Kynshi, Syni and Khri Khri, Riland and Kynshi are places which are good angling spots. There are lots of species that are found here that interest the anglers. This place gives the amateur good chances for a good catch and sometimes a golden haul of lovely fish.

Trekking :

Khasi hills have good trek routes with a lot of paths that have been there since the time of the British. It was taken care of by the British and the tourists love experiencing the wild trekking atmosphere and they feel they have come closer to Mother nature.

Thus the Khasi Hills with their intriguing landscape, topography and magnificent scenery offer the perfect tour package for a tourist. It is a perfect spot for tourists interested in photography, people who are nature lovers, adventurists who like trekking and travelers who want complete rest and relaxation.

As a person leaves this place, he thinks,” High altitudes, high achievements.“