It has been a bone of contention, Cherrapunji or Mawsynram which is the world’s wettest place? Well, whatever the answer is, Mawsynram still witnesses an optimum level of rainfall through the year. Positioned in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya, Mawsynram is an enticing village surrounded by animated cascades and abundant greenery. Based upon the facts and figures, the rainfall experienced in Mawsynram is around 11,872m per year, which is marginally higher than 11,777m of Cherrapunji. According to meteorologists, such facts and figure favours Mawsynram to be the world’s wettest place. They believe that the location of Mawsynram plays an integral part, which leads this place to receive extreme rainfall every year. The village is situated around 15km west of Cherrapunji and 1400m above the sea level. Restless pouring of rain turned this enticing village to one of the favourite tourist destinations across the country.
According to myths, the first three alphabets in the word ‘Mawsynram’ are derived from Khasi word ‘Maw’, which indicates stone. It is believed that the village was formed of a stalagmite, which resemblances to the shape of ‘Shivling’. This stone represents the inimitable megaliths discovered in the Khasi Hill. Subsequently, the placed was named as Mawsynram. And today, it is famed as the wettest place on the earth. Being the paradise of rain, Mawsynram is blessed with galore of flora and fauna. Moreover, the astounding botanical garden, waterfalls and rousing caves are some other tourist pullers in Mawsynram village.
Some Interesting facts:
- Most of the women in Mawsynram use an umbrella, which is made of woven bamboo and leaves. The local inhabitants call this turtle shaped shell ‘knups’, which helps them to stay protected from rain. The best part of wearing ‘knup’ is that it remains wedged into their head and back, and they do not need to hold it from the back frequently.
- The local inhabitants cut the rubber tree roots to build permanent bridges due to flowing water caused by heavy rainfall.
- This place features a subtropical highland variety (Cwb) climate which causes intense rainfall, prolonged monsoon and short dry season.
- The villagers greet the visitors here by offering their local tea called ‘Kwai’.
- As per mythological saga, prehistoric monument and caves were formed here in the shape of Hindu deity.
Languages and People
Mawsynram is situated in the state of Meghalaya and the commonly spoken languages here are Khasi, Garo, Hindi, English, Nepali and Bengali.
The inhabitants of Mawsynram are of generous nature and they address the visitors by offering them tea and shelters for rest. So, it can be said that Mawsynram is not only rich by its natural splendour, but the people here are also very munificent.
As per the classification of climatologist Wladimir Köppen, the weather of Mawsynram features a subtropical highland variety (Cwb) climate. Due to such climatic features and high altitude, the place receives extreme rainfalls through the year.
Best Time to Visit
Despite of extensive rainfall and prolonged monsoon season, you can visit Mawsynram through the year. However, the best time to visit here is during monsoon when the lush greenery best reveals the natural beauty of the region. Due to unstoppable pouring of rain, the climate of Mawsynram always remains pleasing and tranquil. The region rarely becomes extreme hot and humid even during the mid-summer. In the month of January, an average temperature of 10oC can be felt here. However, during mid August, the temperature climbs up to 20oC, which is still quite comfy for the visitors.
The wettest place on the earth has galore of breath-taking tourist pulling sites. Some of the stunning tourist attractions are depicted here.
Botanical Garden: Mawsynram is well-blessed with natural exquisiteness and these can best be witnessed once you step into the botanical garden here. Affluence of bizarre and indigenous plants will amaze your stay in the garden region. You will also get noticed here by a mini-aviary consists of numerous exotic and colourful birds. Thus, a blend of flora and fauna will amplify the degree of your rejoice here manifold.
Dwarksuid: It is another stunning tourist spot in Mawsynram where the visitors often rush. Dwarksuid is an enticing pool with stony banks. One of the inimitable features of these stones is that they are lotus shaped stones.
The Symper Rock: This is a perfect site to hang-out with your besties. The Symper rock, Nongstoin is a place where you will love to get lost with its overwhelming natural layouts and thrilling rock yards. This place will plunge you into a different level of imagination. If you are accompanied by your friends and a guitar, believe me the Symper rock will emerge out your artistic persona right away. This is the place where tourists spend hours-after-hours and capture a perpetual moment in their hearts. You can have a hillock view of the surrounding valleys from the peak of the Symper rock. From the top you will also get a glimpse of the fleet flowing waterways of Bangladesh. The available merchandise in the nearby stalls will certainly add a new feather to your blissful voyage. Do not forget to carry your camera to freeze these wonderful moments spent on Nongstoin.
Mawsmai Falls: Visiting the wettest valley on the earth will remain partial unless you view the Mawsmai Falls. With an altitude of around 1,035 ft, Mawsmai Falls is considered as the fourth highest waterfall in the country. It rushes over the top of mineral face of the Khasi Hills. This waterfall is bit outlying from Mawsynram and flows merely in monsoon. Mawsmai Falls is also known as Seven Sisters Falls and Nohsngithiang Falls.
Mawsmai Caves: The 150m long cave is located in the Mawsmai village. Tourists coming from arid regions prefer exploring this cave through cave diving. So, if you are after any adventures site on the wettest land, Mawsmai cave is a must try for you.
Nohalikalai Falls: Nohkalikai is one more fabulous tourist puller in Mawsynram. It is considered as the fifth highest waterfall in India. Nohkalikai falls is merely 5km away from Mawsynram and the height of the fifth highest waterfalls is around 1,000 ft.
Well, travel gets fatigued in empty stomach. And when you are on the way to an elevated wetland, having some solid food will always boost up your expedition to a major extent. Therefore, it is imperative to know the availability of eatables in Mawsynram.
Food in Mawsynram
Mawsynram has limited eatables to offer you. Few small food stores can be found in Mawsynram village area where you can try some local foods. The inhabitants here mostly prefer eating red meat and rice. So if you are a pork lover, you can try the Khasi cuisine here. However, a variety of eating choices can best be tasted in Cherrapunji. Some of the popular dishes that you can try there are Sohra Pulao, red meat and pork. Sohra Pulao is a popular Khasi cuisine, which is a rice item cooked with vegetables and oil, and the dish does not contain any spicy ingredients. In Cherrapunji, some restaurants can be found that will offer you delicious Bengali, Punjabi and Chinese cuisines. Kwai (tea) is also a poplar aromatic beverage that you must try here.
You will find many villagers here involved in selling the local vegetables to the tourists. Few small stores can also be observed in Mawsynram where the vendors sell their local products and tribal jewellery.
It will take 1-2 days to explore the entire province of this magnificent wetland.
Places to Stay
Since Mawsynram is bit distance located wetland, so the place has limited staying facilities to offer. In contrast, Cherrapunji or Shillong could cater you a better staying option. There you will have plenty of quality hotels, cottages and rest houses for staying purpose. Some of the hotels that you can try in these locations are Hotel Pegasus Crown, Hotel Polo Towers and Welcomheritage Rosa Ville.
For your convenience, few more options are also listed here:
|Kutmadan Resort Standard Room 1Sohra, Meghalaya, IndiaCharge: ₹2812 Per Night||Meghalaya Kongthong Bamboo Hut AccommodationEast Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, IndiaCharge: ₹1234 Per Night|
|Emily and Sankrita’s Homestay at MawsynramEast Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, IndiaCharge: ₹1029 Per Night||Russet HomestayShillong, Meghalaya, IndiaCharge: ₹960 Per Night|
|Polo Orchid Resort Near Nohsngithiang Falls,Mawsmai- Nongthymmai, Sohra, CherrapunjiCharge: ₹6,900 Per Night||Nel Sedone – Vacation Rental in Upper ShillongShillong, Meghalaya, IndiaCharge: ₹4526 Per Night|
|Note: The charges mentioned above may vary|
You will find various cabs near the hotels to travel around Mawsynram. The cabbies are well-familiar with the sightseeing locations and they can reach you till your destination conveniently. Mawsynram is merely 12km away from Cherrapunji, and the distance between Shillong and Mawsynram is around 41km. From there you will find many cabs/taxis that will take you to Mawsynram. However, no direct buses are available to travel between Mawsynram and Cherrapunji.
Mawsynram is well-connected with its nearby cities and major towns. Hence, reaching there is no way a constraint for the travelers. Tourists can come across Mawsynram through various modes of transport like train, flight or car.
The distance between Guwahati and Mawsynram is around 150 km, which can be travelled by taxi or cab. You will also get private cars from Shillong that will take you till Mawsynram. Journey by road towards the wettest place is quite picturesque, and you can witness a breath-taking view of the captivating nature during your entire trip. On the other hand, the distance between Shillong and Mawsynram is around 41km, which can be reached in one and half hours. There are various connecting routes between Shillong and Mawsynram. However, depending on the route and the type of car you book, the fare may vary. Generally, most of the private conveyances will charge you around Rs.1500 or more. Please do not forget to negotiate the travel fare before you start.
If you are driving of your own, it is advisable to refer Google map as a convenient route guide. It will show you the availability of nearby petrol pumps, ATMs, hotels etc.
The nearest railway station is Guwahati, which is around 150 km away from Mawsynram. Once you reach Guwahati, you will find various taxis, cabs or sumo to take you till Mawsynram. You can also take a train till Kamakhya station and from there you can take a bus till the taxi counters to reach Mawsynram. Some of the preferred trains to Guwahati are New Delhi – Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express, Guwahati Jorhat Jan Shatabdi, Kanchanjunga Express, Kamrup Express etc.
If you are planning to reach Mawsynram by air, you have to book a flight till Guwahat and from there you will find plenty of private cars to travel till Mawsynram. Shillong airport is also there, but the connectivity to Guwahat airport from other parts of the nation is comparatively better than Shillong airport.
While returning from Mawsynram, visiting Cherrapunji and Shillong could be an excellent way of expanding your voyage plan. These two places are equally blessed with blooming nature and breezy climate. The capital city of Meghalaya, Shillong is renowned as the ‘Scotland of the East’.
Its time now to plan your next monsoon destination, and nothing could be as tranquil as visiting Mawsynram during intense rainfall. So, do not miss the chance to explore the natural landmark on the paradise of Khasi Hills, the wettest place on the earth, Mawsynram.