The untouched and pristine beauty of the Northeast always charms people from all over the world. Simple men and women, rich culture and abundance of natural beauty are enough to steal many hearts. Shillong is a beautiful hill station in North East and it is also capital of Meghalaya State. Shillong derives its name from Lei Shillong, an idol worshipped at the Shillong peak. Shillong is surrounded by pine trees all over.
This dreamy city has surreal waterfalls, majestic mountains and soul-soothing greenery all around which is enough to bring bliss to your soul. Its breadth taking hidden natural beauty gives the feeling of heaven on earth. Everything is magical about this place. Rain is unpredictable here, so you have to carry an umbrella and towel all the time, clouds often play hide and seek here. People here are simple and very friendly you will often find lovely ladies leading all the shops and market. Because of its rich natural beauty, it is also known as Scotland of India.
Let’s explore some beautiful and interesting things about this amazing place.
Places you must visit
Here are some most beautiful places to visit in Shillong:
Ward’s lake
It is one of the popular places in Shillong. This artificial lake is very beautiful and charms its visitors with scenic gardens, spectacular lawns and serene environment. It is a perfect place to relax and unwind any anxiety. You can also enjoy boating here and feel the cold wind. Everyone gets fresh at this place. It is a beautiful lake with spectacular landscapes and full-bloomed orchids. Children will be thrilled to see swans in the lake which adds to its beauty. There is also a cafeteria in the lake which sells refreshments like sandwiches, noodles and juices.
Elephant falls
Shillong is also known for its amazing waterfalls. Elephant falls is one such fall which is pure delight; it is a three-step waterfall. There are three waterfalls at each step, tourists mostly find first and last fall as most impressive because of dense water. The steps are quite steep but it’s worth the journey. It’s an ideal place for clicking amazing pictures with gruelling water at the backdrop. You can also take a picture while adorning wonderful Khasi costumes. It’s a beautiful place to spend a happy time with friends and family, clean air, the thundering sound of the falls and greenery all over makes it an amazing experience to remember.
Umiam lake – It is a big clean lake with panoramic views of nature. It is appreciated for its scenic beauty and serene atmosphere; it is a beautiful place to spend some calm and peaceful time with friends and family. It is a manmade lake where you can also enjoy boating and other water sports like water skiing, sailing and rowing.
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Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians Church
It is a grand large Church with amazing surroundings. It has a very attractive architecture with beautiful colours. People of all faiths come here to spend a calm and peaceful time here. It also has a large campus with lovely flowers which makes it very picturesque. You can click wonderful pictures here.
Shillong viewpoint
It is an excellent place to view Shillong city. Shillong viewpoint stands at the highest peak in the province of Himalayas. You must visit this highest point of Shillong to enjoy the stunning panoramic views this beautiful hill station. From here you can see the 360 degree of entire Shillong city, its thundering waterfalls and ultra-rich greenery. It will give you an unforgettable experience. Clicking pictures in traditional attire is an additional attraction of this place.
Don Bosco Museum
Shillong is also rich in cultural heritage, art and impressive architecture. If you are curious to know more about North East people their history, their art and culture you must visit Shillong’s Don Bosco Museum. It highlights the rich and beautiful culture and lifestyle of Indigenous people of North East India. There are total 17 galleries; each gallery displays the different aspects of lives of North East people like their sculpture, paintings, weapons, clothes, artefacts, hobbies etc which is both very informative and interesting to know.
It makes you feel one with the North east culture and traditions. You can also click amazing pictures at the rooftop of the museum from where you can see the entire Shillong city They also have a small play area for children with awesome toys and colourful balls, children will simply love this. Be prepared to spend at least two hours in this awesome museum, it’s really thrilling to get a glimpse of rich north east culture and traditions.
Lady Hydari Park
Lady Hydari Park is one of the most picturesque parks you will find in Shillong which is also very well maintained. This exotic park is a beautiful combination of lovely gardens and mini Zoo. Here you will find fresh orchids and many colourful flowers which looks very fresh and soothing to senses. It is green, very neatly maintained which adds to its beauty. It’s one of the amazing parks of shilling made in traditional Japanese style Park is filled with colourful flowers, well-maintained lawns and dense green trees, it’s the refreshing environment and beautiful flowers fills the heart with peaceful bliss.
This place is especially loved by children as they have little zoo also here with Leopard, jackals, Himalayan black bear, hornbill and mynah. It is really exciting for children to watch their favourite animals and birds in a beautiful garden. They also have a small play area with swings and slides. So, if you with children you should visit this place. This park is sure to give fun and amazing experience to you and your little kids.
Police Bazar
Your visit to Shillong city will be incomplete if you did not visit its famous shopping joint called Police Bazar. It’s a small area but very popular because it’s a great entertaining place where you can shop for your favourite things like clothes, sweaters, traditional handicrafts, unique local jewellery, toys and the like with very affordable prices. At the evenings it gets very crowded as local people and tourists both come here to spend a fun time.
This place is loved by both shopping enthusiasts and foodies. You can enjoy here delicious dishes like spicy chicken cutlets, hot momos with tangy sauces, sandwiches, onion and potato chops, chowmein and so on. It’s really a foodies paradise. You can buy many interesting things while munching delicious snacks. Buy souvenirs for friends to give them as a gift or to decorate your house as a beautiful memory of Shillong. Visit city hut family Dhaba to enjoy exceptional food of all varieties, service is very extraordinary and Dhaba also looks very pretty decorated in traditional village style. Children will be excited to watch ducks in a small place. You must visit this place for delicious food and lovely ambience.
Air force Museum Shillong
Our defence forces are our pride and play a very important role in securing our safety and wellbeing. Indian Air Force is a small world in itself. So, if you are more curious about it, you must visit the Air Force Museum In Shillong. Here you will find sample models of different models of planes and aircraft, different uniforms according to ranks, details about various wars including Kargil wars which is very interesting, different models of missiles, there are different types of guns with various sizes which gives you real chill, their badges and many more.
You must carry your original identification card while visiting this place. It really gives you the real emotion of being part of this prestigious unit. They also wrote in detail about the courage and sacrifices of various Air force officers in protecting our country and its people. It fills your heart with full of patriotism towards our motherland India. Do visit this place especially if you are with kids it will be both fun and inspiring for them.
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Mawlynnong village
Last but not least Mawlynnong village also known as Asia’s cleanest village. Visit this village to know more about the Khasi tribe, their customs and traditions which is very interesting. The village is very clean with natural scenic beauty Natural living root bridge is one of the chief attractions of this place.