Things to do in Shillong — lakes, falls, the cathedral and a sacred forest
Things to do in Shillong: Ward's Lake, Elephant Falls, Shillong Peak, the Art Deco cathedral, Umiam Lake, the Mawphlang sacred grove and the museums.
ArticleVerified 2026-10-14
Mawlynnong and Dawki from Shillong — a long day to the border hills
Mawlynnong, a Khasi village known for cleanliness, and Dawki, the border town on the clear Umngot River: road times from Shillong and what we cannot verify.
Mawlynnong and Dawki lie in the hills along the Bangladesh border, a long way from Shillong: on our routing about 123 and 144 minutes by road, so we give them as an article, with no timed plan.
Photos: ANKAN (CC BY-SA 4.0) · ANKAN (CC BY-SA 4.0) · ANKAN (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Mawlynnong
Mawlynnong is a Khasi village in the East Khasi Hills, in the Pynursla block, about 90 km from Shillong by Wikipedia's figure. Discover India named it Asia's cleanest village in 2003 and India's cleanest in 2005. By the villagers' own rules, as Wikipedia lists them, waste goes into bamboo bins and then into a pit for manure, every resident joins in the cleaning, smoking and polythene are banned, and rainwater harvesting is encouraged.
The people are Khasi, mostly Christian, with three churches, and property passes from a mother to her youngest daughter. Areca nut is the main crop, and pineapples and lychees grow in summer. You are a guest in a working village, so follow its rules, take your litter away and ask before photographing people.
Dawki and the Umngot
Dawki is a small town of West Jaintia Hills on the Umngot River, at the foot of the hills, on the Bangladesh border. Wikipedia says the river is known for being clean, with a transparent bed visible through the water, and is a fishing spot for local people. A suspension bridge built by the British in 1932 hangs over it. The town is a trade route and has a road crossing used mainly for coal; we have no verified rules for visitors near the border, so ask locally and follow any instructions.
Getting there
Wikipedia says buses run the 70 km from Shillong to Dawki, and that some shared transport leaves from Iewduh in the morning. By our routing, Mawlynnong is about 69 km and 123 minutes from the Shillong hub, and Dawki about 82 km and 144 minutes, on slow hill roads. Start early, and ask your hotel to confirm the road.
Next reads
Read things to do in Shillong and how to reach Shillong, and copy the two-day plan for the closer sights. For Cherrapunji's waterfalls see the Cherrapunji guide.
Places around Shillong
The Shillong guide →
Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians, Shillong — the Art Deco cathedral
Ward's Lake, Shillong — the horseshoe lake and garden in the town centre
Elephant Falls, Shillong — the tiered waterfall in the ferns
Shillong Peak — the highest point in Meghalaya
Mawphlang Sacred Grove — the Khasi forest kept for the forest spirit
Umiam Lake — the reservoir on the Guwahati road
Nohkalikai Falls, Cherrapunji — India's tallest plunge waterfall
Nohsngithiang Falls, Cherrapunji — the Seven Sisters waterfall
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Best time to visit Shillong — month by month, from the rain figures
The best time to visit Shillong, month by month from the IMD normals: a cool dry winter, a rainy spring and monsoon, and when the falls and views are best.
How to reach Shillong — the Guwahati road, Umroi airport and the rail gap
How to reach Shillong, Meghalaya: the road from Guwahati past Umiam Lake, the small Umroi airport, why there is no railway, and distances from Delhi.
The best time to visit Nahan
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When to visit Ranikhet: March to October suits most, winters are very cold with snow from December to February, and the snow peaks show best in clear weather.
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Questions people ask
How far are Mawlynnong and Dawki from Shillong?
Mawlynnong is about 69 km and 123 minutes by road from the Shillong hub on our routing, and Dawki about 82 km and 144 minutes, both beyond the radius we plan a normal day trip in. Wikipedia gives 90 km for Mawlynnong and 70 km for the bus journey to Dawki. Treat it as a long, early-start day.
What is Mawlynnong known for?
Cleanliness. The travel magazine Discover India named this Khasi village Asia's cleanest in 2003 and India's cleanest in 2005. Wikipedia says the villagers follow a community rule: waste goes into bamboo bins and becomes manure, smoking and polythene are banned, and rainwater harvesting is encouraged.
What should you know about Dawki?
It is a border town on the Umngot River, a river known for its transparent water, with a suspension bridge built in 1932. Wikipedia says the town has a road border crossing used mainly for coal. We have no verified visitor rules for the border, so ask locally and do not photograph security posts.