Trip to Shillong, Cherrapunjee (Sohra), Kaziranga, Guwahati Darjeeling Part I

How I Planned my Trip to Shillong, Cherrapunjee (Sohra), Kaziranga, Guwahati Darjeeling within my Budget

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I had dreamt of going to North East especially Cherrapunjee during my school days when we used to read about the rainiest place on this planet earth. There was always a curiosity about these states which wake up early and sun rises almost one hour earlier than other states. Then we also studied about one horned Rhino in Kaziranga national Park. It was all there in the imaginations. I also used to think how the Scotland of India that is Shillong is like. Darjeeling Toy Train, Brahmaputra river, Assam Tea, Darjeeling Tea all these things were there in the mind with my own perception about the beauty of these places. Once I visited there I could understand the magic of the verdant greenery, pristine environment and salubrious climate of the place.

Now when my son is studying about the same places in his course books it reminded me of my yesteryears and school days. The dream of visiting all these exotic places was still there in the backburner but this time I decided to fulfill it for the sake of my son and wife who also yearn for the North east trip.

The first thing that comes to a mind for a middle class salaried person like me before traveling or planning a vacation is the budget. There are millions of people in India who have similar kind of dreams like mine but could not realize it due to budget constraint. We people are struggling day and night to make our ends meet and when it comes to spending your vacation we are stuck because of the financial limitations.

What should a person like me do in such a scenario? How should he plan his holiday to his dream destination?

After my wonderful trip to Shillong, Cherrapunjee, Kaziranga, Guwahati and Darjeeling I would like to share this experience with all who feel that such a long trip is beyond their budget.

The first step in planning a trip to these places within my budget was obviously internet search. I looked for various options like make my trip, Yatra, Clear trip and many others. I was shocked to see the package cost which was not at all within my budget. A trip for 2 adults and a child was costing about 1 lakh rupees including air travel, hotel, site seeing, and Breakfast dinner. A person like me who had saved about 50000 for a holiday and had also promised to my son was little disappointed and started looking for other options like exclude Darjeeling or one other place from the itinerary. I was also contemplating a train journey and few other options to cut the cost. Train takes around 35 hours from Delhi to reach Guwahati and from there you need to travel further to reach your destinations be it Kaziranag or Meghalaya. Total 4 days out of 10 would have been wasted in traveling. The confusion and frustration increased as I explored more hotels and packages. Despite all the exclusions and cost cutting it was not possible for me to plan a trip within 50000.

All of a sudden an idea struck my mind. Why not do all the bookings myself instead of going through the online travel portals? Why not call directly to the hotels and get good bargains. The hotels should not mind giving me discount because anyways he has to pay the commission to the hotel booking portals.

The first thing I wanted to close was our travel tickets. The travel portals and travel agencies were offering return air fare from Delhi to Guwahati for Rs 8500. However when I did exhaustive research I was lucky to get return air fare from Delhi to Guwahati at Rs 4000 per person. So that was my initial triumph and I sealed this deal then and there. Out of my 50000 that I bought the air tickets for Rs 12000.

My next challenge was to get a good hotel and site seeing packages. I spoke to numerous hotels directly and got an idea about the tariff and discounts they can offer. Most of the hotels were insisting on transferring the amount for the confirmed bookings but I was reluctant and settled down for few hotels that were ok with the telephonic booking. I did not book the taxis in advance because you can get very good bargains on the spot.

My plans were like this

Hotel Stay for 9 days – 13000 (excellent rooms)

Shillong – Hotel Eden residency

Kaziranaga – Kaziranga Guest House & Assam Tourism Lodge

Guwahati – Hotel Maitri (I had a bad experience here due to mosquito menace) I would recommend Bhargava INN at Paltan bazaar

Darjeeling – Hotel Broadway

Mirik – Hotel Ratnagiri

So I had already finalized my travel and hotels for Rs 25000. Now while you are traveling there are lots of other expenses that incur and should be taken into consideration when you plan your trip. Wherever you go you will find that all the site seeing places have an entry ticket. You also need to shell out money for availing Jeep Safari or elephant ride at Kaziranaga, Toy train journey at Darjeeling or ropeway rides etc. We need to get that information from the internet in advance so that our planning is right and we do not end up struggling.

Everything was planned and our excitement increased on the D day when we boarded our flight to Guwahati from Delhi.

Day 1, 2 and 3 Shillong and Cherrapunjee

We landed Guwahati at 8:30 am. I was aware that once you will land you will find numerous taxi drivers outside airport. Here you have the option to get a good bargain. The Shillong Taxi drivers who come to Guwahati to drop the passengers will take you to Shillong in a discounted fare but you need to bargain. Shared taxis charge Rs 500 per person from Guwahati Airport to Shillong. But did not find a good bargain there and so had a Plan B. Assam Roadways offers AC deluxe Airport Service from Airport to ULUBARI via Paltan Bazaar. A charge for this service is Rs 130 per person. They will not charge for the kids below 10 but you have to request the conductor for that. You can get down at Paltan Bazaar and from here you can get a share taxi to Shillong for Rs 150 per person. Meghalaya State Transport and Assam State Transport Buses are also available from Paltan Bazaar Guwahati to Shillong at around Rs 100 per person.

Finally we took a shared taxi from Guwahati Paltan bazaar to Shillong and reached there at around 12 noon. We checked in at Hotel Eden Residency after getting a good bargain within my budget. Most of the hotels are available at Police Bazaar Shillong. In Shillong you will find hundreds of Yellow and Black Taxis mostly Maruti 800s. They ferry the passengers within Shillong city and charge Rs 10 per person. I would recommend this option only when you have a severe budget constraint because they allow 4 persons in the rear seat and two with the driver in the front so not at all comfortable. Local Site seeing at Shillong is highly recommended by the tours conducted by Meghalaya Tourism Department.

The tours are very economical and will take to all the places with a guide. I opted for 2 of these tours. You can choose according to your interests and convenience.

Tours Organized by Meghalaya Tourism Development Corporation

MTDC organizes local and conducted tours by coach.

MAWLYNNONG: The tour covers the following places of interest

Rngain View Point, Sky View of Bangladesh, balancing rock, Riwai root Bridge

Rates:  Coach 27 seater – 300 per person

Tourist cab on hire basis – Rs 2200

Shillong: The Tour covers the following places of tourist interest:
Elephant Falls, Shillong Peak, Lady Hydari Park, Laitumkhrah Cathedral, Wards Lake, Golf Course, State Museum.
Tour Fares:
Delux Video Coach: Rs. 180/- per Person
Sumo/Mini Delux Coach: Rs. 200/- per Person
Tourist Cab: Rs 1400 on hire basis

Sohra (Cherrapunjee): The Tour covers the following places of tourist interest:
Mawkdok Valley, Ramkrishna Mission, Nohkalikai Falls. Mawsmai Caves, Eco Park, Nohsngithiang Falls, Thangkharang Park, Motrop (Giant conical rock).
Tour Fares:
Delux Video Coach: Rs. 230/- per Person
Sumo/Mini Delux Coach: Rs. 260/- per Person
Tourist Cab: Rs 2000 on hire basis

Mawsynram : The Tour covers the following places of tourist interest:
Mawjyngbuin Cave, Khreng Khreng (Cracked rock), Rit Mawksir (view point), Jakrem (Hotwater Spring).
Tour Fares:
Delux Video Coach: Rs. 270/- per Person
Sumo/Mini Delux Coach : Rs. 300/- per Person
Tourist Cab:Rs.2200 on hire basis

Nartiang: The Tour covers the following places of tourist interest:
Durga Mandir, Shiv Mandir. Monolith Park, Thadlaskein Lake, Thadlaskein Resort.
Tour Fares:
Delux Video Coach: Rs. 240/- per Person
Sumo/Mini Delux Coach : Rs. 260/- per Person
Tourist Cab: Rs. Rs 2200 on hire basis

For more details contact - Tourist Information Centre, MTDC Ltd., Police Bazar Ph. No: 0364-2226220.

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Cherrapunjee (Sohra), Kaziranga, Guwahati Darjeeling Part II
Trip to Shillong, Cherrapunjee (Sohra), Kaziranga, Guwahati Darjeeling Part III