Ward's Lake, Shillong — the horseshoe lake and garden in the town centre
Ward's Lake, also called Nan Polok, the artificial horseshoe lake of 1894 in the middle of Shillong, with its botanical garden, wooden bridge and boating.
Meghalaya3 itineraries
Shillong
Shillong, capital of Meghalaya: Ward's Lake, Elephant Falls, Shillong Peak, Umiam Lake, the Art Deco cathedral and Mawphlang sacred grove, with road times.
Itineraries you can copy
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One day in Shillong — the peak, Elephant Falls, Ward's Lake and the cathedral
Day plan · First visit · Classic
A one-day Shillong plan: Shillong Peak, Elephant Falls, Ward's Lake and the Art Deco Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians, with road times. Free to copy.
Best Jan–Mar · Oct–Dec
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Day trip from Shillong — Umiam Lake and the Mawphlang sacred grove
Day plan · Slow travel · nature
A day trip from Shillong: the Mawphlang sacred grove, a Khasi law kyntang with standing stones, and Umiam Lake on the Guwahati road. Free to copy.
Best Jan–Mar · Oct–Dec
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Two days in Shillong — the town, the falls, the lake and the sacred grove
1 night · 2 days · First visit · leisure
A two-day Shillong plan: Ward's Lake, the cathedral, a museum and Elephant Falls, then Shillong Peak, Umiam Lake and the Mawphlang sacred grove. Free to copy.
Best Jan–Mar · Oct–Dec
See the plan →Going together
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Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya, is a hill town on the Shillong Plateau in the Khasi Hills, which the British nicknamed the Scotland of the East. Wikipedia says it became the capital of undivided Assam in 1874, kept that role until Meghalaya was made a state on 21 January 1972, and takes its name from the deity U Shyllong, who is believed to live on Shillong Peak.
In town the centre of a visit is Ward's Lake, a horseshoe-shaped lake of 1894 with a garden, and the Art Deco Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians. Outside it are Elephant Falls, and Shillong Peak, the state's loftiest summit at 1,966 m. A little further, Umiam Lake is a reservoir on the road to Guwahati, and the Mawphlang sacred grove is a protected forest of the Khasi tradition, about 37 minutes out. The border hills at Mawlynnong and Dawki are a long day trip.
Shillong has no railway. Its small airport at Umroi is about 26 km and 50 minutes away on our routing. Most visitors arrive by road from Guwahati, about 97 km and 146 minutes from the town centre; Wikipedia gives 100 km and two and a half hours. From Delhi it is about 1,869 km by road, with 22.5 hours of free-flow driving. Read how to reach Shillong and when to visit. Copy the one-day plan, the Umiam and Mawphlang day or the two days, and read things to do in Shillong.
Photos: ANKAN (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Prasanta Kr Dutta (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Prof (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Places worth the drive
Umiam Lake — the reservoir on the Guwahati road
Umiam Lake, or Bara Pani, the reservoir north of Shillong on the Guwahati road: how the 1960s dam made it, its power station, water sports and the silt problem.
Mawphlang Sacred Grove — the Khasi forest kept for the forest spirit
The Mawphlang sacred grove near Shillong, a Khasi law kyntang kept for the forest spirit, with standing stones: what Wikipedia says and how to visit.
Elephant Falls, Shillong — the tiered waterfall in the ferns
Elephant Falls near Shillong, a tiered waterfall in a fern-covered gorge: its Khasi name, the lost elephant rock of 1897, the steep steps and the best season.
Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians, Shillong — the Art Deco cathedral
The Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians in Shillong: an Art Deco church begun in 1936 after a fire, its sand foundation, stained glass and Grotto Church.
Shillong Peak — the highest point in Meghalaya
Shillong Peak, 1,966 m, the highest point in Meghalaya: the view over Shillong, the deity U Shyllong who names the city, and how to pair it with the falls.
On the map
Open the Shillong map →The places a Shillong day reaches, with the road time from town. Each opens on the map with its plans and pages beside it.
Before you go
All articles →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.
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.
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.
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.
Nearby destinations
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Questions people ask
How do you reach Shillong?
Shillong has no railway. Most visitors come by road from Guwahati, about 97 km and 146 minutes on our routing, and Wikipedia gives about 100 km and two and a half hours. Shillong Airport at Umroi is about 26 km and 50 minutes from the town, with flights to Kolkata and some north-eastern cities by Wikipedia's account.
What are the best things to do in Shillong?
Walk around Ward's Lake, see the Art Deco Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians, and drive out to Elephant Falls and Shillong Peak. Umiam Lake is on the Guwahati road, and the Mawphlang sacred grove, a Khasi forest kept for the forest spirit, is about 37 minutes out. Cherrapunji is a separate day.
When is the best time to visit Shillong?
Late autumn to early spring, when it is cool and dry. Wikipedia says the monsoon arrives in June and the rain continues almost to the end of October, and the IMD normals show November and December with only 24.7 mm and 7.2 mm of rain. Summers are cool and very rainy. See our best-time guide.
Photographs by Wikimedia Commons contributors (CC0, CC BY, CC BY-SA), resized; each picture is credited on its own page.