Meghalaya

From about November to April, the Umngot River at Dawki and Shnongpdeng runs so clear that boats seem to float in mid-air. During the monsoon, from June to September, the river turns muddy and fast. Those months bring Meghalaya's waterfalls to full flow, as Sohra and Mawsynram are among the wettest places on Earth, but treks get slippery and road delays are common.

Guwahati, in Assam. Its airport and railway station are about 100 km from Shillong, a three-hour drive through the hills. Shillong Airport at Umroi, about 30 km from the city, has a limited number of flights, and a helicopter service also links Guwahati and Shillong. Meghalaya's only railway station, Mendipathar, is in the Garo Hills.

The trail from Tyrna village to the double-decker root bridge at Nongriat descends roughly 3,000 to 3,500 steps through forest, with suspension bridges over rivers on the way. The round trip takes five to seven hours, and the climb back up is the hard part. Staying overnight at a Nongriat homestay lets you continue to Rainbow Falls the next morning without rushing.

The Khasi and Jaintia communities grow them by guiding the aerial roots of rubber fig trees across streams, a process that takes 15 to 30 years before a bridge can carry people. The bridges grow stronger with age, and some are believed to be centuries old. Meghalaya's living root bridge landscapes were added to UNESCO's tentative World Heritage list in 2022.

Mawlynnong's residents follow community rules: bamboo dustbins line every path, waste is composted, plastic is discouraged, and households share daily cleaning duties. The village drew national attention in 2003, when Discover India magazine called it Asia's cleanest village. Visitors can climb a bamboo sky-view tower for views across to the Bangladesh plains.