One can reach the West Jaintia Hills district in Meghalaya via Jowai by taking the NH 6 and NH 206 and one of the best attractions here is the Krang Suri waterfall.
Kolkata: It was barely a week after I had returned from Meghalaya when social media posts on a small district of the state mesmerised me so much that barely a month later, I was back to Meghalaya and this time, to the West Jaintia Hills district for the serene Krang Suri waterfalls and the experience of ziplining.
One can reach the district via Jowai by taking the NH 6 and NH 206 and one of the best attractions here is the waterfall. Once at the waterfall, a lady at the parking lot said, “You need to hike down to the falls.”
I have experience of hiking but only if I knew how difficult this one would be on crooked steps carved out of stones and railings made of bamboo. However, every pain was worth it when at one glance at the waterfall took my breath away.
Falling not from a great height, the Krang Suri waterfalls us fed by a river which them meets a turquoise blue pool of water and further flows down as a stream. The natural colours, the beauty and the serenity of the place was at a different level and I could not stop myself for long. With a hired life jacket I plunged into the cool water and floated from one end to the other. While talking to a few from the state who were there in the pool, I found out that during the monsoon, the water drops down gustily, creating the illusion of a mist and even coming down the gravelled path becomes risky.
Also Read: Shillong — The Scotland of the East and its waterfalls
After a while at the pool, I was up for my next adventure — ziplining — and even before I could reach the spot, I started having goosebumps. Here, ziplining can be done in the Mawk Dawk Dympep Valley view point enroute Cherrapunjee. For those who haven’t tried it yet, do it at least once to feel the sheer thrill of zipping from one hill to the other by being tied to a rope that connects the two hills.
My trip this time was a very short one, barely three days, so I quickly toured around the district a bit more, went to unnamed caves, interacted with the locals (one of my favourite things in each trip), tried out local cuisine and drank ‘ka kiad Um’, a local spirit which has 70 per cent alcohol and to the tipplers out there, this is a must try.
Also read: Icche Gaon — In the abode of cinchona plantations and leopards
The Jaintia tribe is also known for the Behdienkhlam, the annual dance festival celebrated in July. I would suggest, if you can, do visit the district around the festival to see how beautifully they decorate the villages and immerse in a soulful dance form.
(Victor Das is a businessman and a passionate solo traveller, in his words peshe se baniya, dilse banjara!)
