Meghalaya Backpacking Trip (6D/5N)

• Start the day early with Breakfast.
• Visit Laitlum Grand Canyon or Phe Phe Canyons, that offer spectacular views of East Khasi Hills. We can go down for some distance into the valley and explore.
• Head towards Jaintia hills of Meghalaya to visit most beautiful and lush bluish Krang Suri Waterfalls.
• Break for a quick Lunch at a local food joint on our way.
• Take a dip in the chilling water of Krang Suri with life jackets that are mandatory.
• The water is so cold that going in the water pool itself is a dare! But there are some crazy people in every group, who will take this challenge.
• Continue our journey to Shnongpdeng on the banks of the Umngot river.
• River side Camping with Bonfire and social gathering.
• Rest in your assigned Tents.

• Good morning at the crystal clear waters of Umngot river. The first rays of the sun reflecting on the flowing waters is mesmerizing. There is also an eye-catching suspension bridge to explore. 
• Finish Breakfast at our camp.
• Indulge in Shnongpdeng Water activities like Boating, Cliff Jumping, Kayaking, etc. based on their availability.
• Turning into a fully wet mermaid for a few hours under sunny weather of Shnongpdeng gives the best experience along with a rush of adrenaline.
• Take a pit stop at Dawki where the transparent Umngot river leaves our country, peek into the border areas, and say hi to our neighbors from Bangladesh 😉 
• Post another quick Lunch, we will give a visit to Asia’s cleanest village Mawlynnong.  This village boasts interesting things like a bamboo-made tower to peek into Bangladesh from a height, cleanest roads, sense of calmness and beautiful people.
• We will then head towards our next destination Cherrapunji by night
• Dinner with social hours.
• Rest on the cozy beds of guest house rooms assigned to you.

• Start the day with Breakfast in the misty town of Cherrapunji.
• Head to base village Tyrna and trek down to Nongriat Village Double Decker Living Root Bridges.
• The 3641 steps into the valley to the Nongriat village will take us to the most offbeat place of Meghalaya where we will spend the rest of the day and night.
• After marveling at the huge Double Decker Living Root Bridges structure constructed by generations of humans by carefully bending roots of Rubber trees for centuries, continue trekking into the jungle another 1.5 hours to reach breathtaking Rainbow Waterfalls. 
• Trekkers are expected to carry ample snacks like – Bananas/Dry fruits/Biscuits/Energy bars – today as there is no special place for Lunch at this remote place.
• A dip in the chilling water is absolutely delightful and refreshing after a long trek. If sun shines around 2 PM, there is every chance to spot a beautiful Rainbow in front of the Ranibow waterfalls!
• Trek back to Nongriat village, stay at village dorms overnight with basic facilities.

• Good morning from one of the remotest part of country!
• After having early Breakfast, trek back up towards the Tyrna village (the place where we descended from yesterday).
• Climbing up 3600 odd stairs will take it’s time, but your mind is full of amazing stories and colors of what you just experienced yesterday. This hike can be done in 2 to 3 hours easily with frequent breaks.
• Explore the breathtaking maze of caves formed of limestone called Mawsmai caves. Though the caves are quite long, only a small part of open for tourists. This magnificent natural wonder is the handiwork of years of natural erosion and underground water. The fun part is – there are some tricky paths in the caves where you have to sneak through.
• Dress up in Meghalaya special Khasi tribe traditional attire and pose for cameras.
• Have leisurely Lunch at a restaurant.
• Visit Nohkalikai Waterfalls viewpoint, one of the biggest falls in India.
  or
  Visit offbeat and 3 layered Wei Sawdong waterfalls (based on season).
• Note that there would be no time to cover both waterfalls as it gets dark very early in Meghalaya. More often by 4.30 PM the sun would have already set.
• Get back to the Cherrapunji homestay and gather around Bonfire one last time. Finish Dinner.
• Well deserved rest in the assigned rooms.

• Start the day early with a Breakfast at our stay. We are expected to check out before 8 AM.
• Move towards Shillong to visit very interesting Don Bosco Museum that showcases culture, colors, tools, clothing and artifacts of North Eastern states.
• One shouldn’t miss this wonderful museum on their Meghalaya trip. It will make you fall in love with North East and pull you back to explore other states like Arunachal, Nagaland and Sikkim.
• Finish Lunch enroute Guwahati.
• Stop over at Umium Lake in case it got missed on Day-1 because of local events/fests or delays.
• Journey towards Guwahati and try to reach by late evening.
• A strict timeline will be maintained today so that we can reach Airport on time to catch our return flights.
• You may book flights after 9 PM or we shall help you with a guest house contact in Guwahati for the night so that you could leave the next day.
• Note: Many travelers extend their holiday to visit Kaziranga National Park of Assam. You may check Kaziranga trip details for the same.

• Toiletries, moisturizer, light towel, lip balm, wet wipes, toothbrush, toothpaste etc.
• A lightweight large Backpack for the entire trip (50-60 liters). Strictly no trolleys. Please remember this is a Backpacking trip.
• A small backpack for basic items (to carry valuables, water bottle, snacks, etc. for outdoor activities).
• Photo identity proof with address (Aadhar/Passport/Voter ID).
• Thermal inners and warm clothes in winter (cold climate).
• A rainproof jacket with a hood during monsoons (to protect from cold winds, sudden rain).
• Thick socks, track pants, full sleeve t-shirts (to keep your body warm).
• Cap/Hat/Sunglasses (to protect from harmful sun rays).
• Sunscreen (SPF 50 or more).
• Power bank, charger, camera, binoculars (if you wish to).
• Hand sanitizer and liquid hand wash for Camping and outdoors.
• Proper water bottle for your trip. You may fill at our stays.
• Disposable garbage covers (To separate used/unused, wet/dry clothes).
• Water-resistant good grip shoes for travel, extra slippers to use at stays.
• Personal medications, any drugs that you may feel necessary (remember ghat roads, cold climate), basic first aid kit.
• No need to carry snacks/chocolates. You may buy at local shops to support local people in Meghalaya.

• Organizers will get in touch with you, or vice versa.
• Once minimum number of people book this trip (at least 4 members), Organizing team will give a green signal to book your flights.
• A Whatsapp group will be created for all the registered folks 5 days before the event.

The best part of the year to travel to Meghalaya is from the post-monsoon season – mid-September to mid-Feb. Winters are refreshingly cold in Meghalaya (unlike the extreme climate of Himalayas) and because of the huge rainfall it receives, water remains till mid March.
It starts raining again from the month of April, which is also considered a good time to travel. 

• The itinerary is fixed. No special requests to change itinerary/schedule shall be entertained. Travellers are not allowed to advice/instruct the Organizers (Driver or Trip Leader or Operations Manager) to change the itinerary.
• Cooperate with the Organizers in following the schedule set for the day (especially getting up and getting ready in the morning). This will ensure travellers won’t miss out on the real fun part that is traveling and visiting all places in itinerary.
• Every traveler is responsible for his/her for your own safety. Do not indulge in any illegal or silly activity that causes harm to self or fellow travelers.
• Do not wander into the forest away from the designated trail for treks. There may be snakes, scorpions, and dangerous animals.
• Unexpected situations: In rare scenarios, we might not be able to cover all the places mentioned in the itinerary because of unpredictable reasons like bad weather, landslides, wild animal presence, abrupt blocking of sites by the police/forest/local authorities, delay in travel because of an issue with our group itself, traffic conditions, etc. In most cases, if the time permits, the Organizers will take travelers to an alternative place. But in some cases, we may have to skip places altogether.
• No alcohol & smoking during travel, treks, and other outdoor activities. There would be a separate window and space (usually at night) to have these at the stays for interested people.
• Travelers are expected to respect each other and help one another. Avoid discussing sensitive matters like sex, politics, and religion/caste/race.
• Using foul or abusive language, eve-teasing, arguing with fellow travelers/Organizers, and/or involving in the physical assault will not be accepted and will stand a chance of being deserted by the group then and there.
• Every traveler is expected to digitally fill & submit a liability/waiver form given by the Organizers before the trip. This liability form will discharge Muddie Trails of any unexpected incident like injury/death/theft etc.

Cancellation by Traveler

• 80% refund if a cancellation request is sent 30 days before the trip start date.
• 50% refund if a cancellation request is sent between 30 to 15 days before the trip start date.
• An email has to be sent to muddietrails@gmail.com to raise a cancellation request.
• No refund within 15 days of the event start time whatever is the reason (Health, COVID, Accident, Family crisis, Office issue, or anything else).
• No refund during/after the event.
• No refund on the partial payment (advance) done to block your seat for the trip.

Cancellation by Muddie Trails

Muddie Trails may decide to cancel the event if there are less than 3 travelers signed up for the trip/trek.

What if we don’t get the minimum number of people for the trip?
We have 2 options in this case:
Option 1: Complete refund.
Option 2: Switch to any other long trip of the same dates or future dates. The difference amount will be collected from you or paid back according to the new trip cost.

Note: We do not recommend to book flight tickets until the trip is confirmed with atleast 3 travelers signed up.

Cancellation due to external factors

Muddie Trails may have to cancel the event in case of external factors that are beyond our control like Natural Disasters, Extreme Weather Conditions, Red Alerts, Political Disturbances, Bandh/Curfews, Local Issues, Road Blocks, Train cancellations, Covid-19 or any other disease outbreaks etc.

In these scenarios:

• No Refund is allowed.
• 100% trip amount can be used for any other new trip of the same weekend or future weekends. The difference amount will be collected from you or paid back according to the new trip cost.
• Once you confirm your participation on the new trip, all the above Cancellation policies will apply for the same.