Trek to the Living Root Bridge, Ummunoi.

Duration: 3-4 hours from the Resort. Distance 4 km down and up 1000 feet approximately. Trek open throughout the year.

This trek starts from the Resort premises and goes down hill through village Sohsarat. The steps are relatively steeper in two short stretches. Half the distance is covered by steps going down hill. Then there is a jungle path going along the sides of the hill leading to the Living Root Bridge with a few steps after short stretches of sloping foot path. Moss thrives on these sandstone steps during the monsoon and makes them slippery. However, the steps can be negotiated easily with little care by locking the hind of your feet in the depressions between stones in the steps. Our walking staff comes handy to steady you. The path thru' the jungle and bay leaf gardens is quite interesting. As you near the bridge you hear the sound of water flowing by the stream. After admiring the Living Root Bridge and taking snaps, get down into the stream and take a refreshing bath in the stream. En-route you get to see snails, millipedes, butterflies and spiders in their webs.

After seeing the bridge you move ahead to a naturally formed Dolomite archway. Notice how the villagers tap the water from the stream by bamboo pipes running long distances to drip irrigate the betel leaf creepers during the dry season in winter.

Trek to Double Decker Root Bridge and Natural Swimming Pools

Duration: 9 hours involving 7 hours walking, down hill 2500 feet and up. Total distance of approximately 25 km of which 10 km is by a beautiful mountain skirting road commanding a beautiful view of the valley and through three interesting Khasi villages and can be done by vehicle if anyone wants to save time and energy. Trek open throughout the year.

This is one of the most beautiful and very popular treks. The high points of this trek are the Double Decker Root Bridge and the natural swimming pools in the river bed. The people of the gorge village Nongriat where the Double Decker Root Bridge is located are very friendly and very special. The trek down stone steps is steep for almost half of the trek down. This trek is open through-out the year and are being used by the villagers of Nongriat, Nongthymmai and Mynteng daily, when it rains and when the sun shines. The steps become slippery during the monsoon months and have to be negotiated with little care to avoid slipping. The rivers in spate and streams and waterfalls in full flow during the monsoon months add magnificence to the root bridges spanning these rivers and streams. Contemplate the raw force of nature standing on the Steel Rope bridges strung taut across the river 45 feet above normal water level, when the river is in spate after very heavy rainfall. You need to be strong willed and brave.

Before reaching the Double Decker Root Bridge you come across the more Living Root Bridges and Steel Rope bridges. The valley scenery is very impressive. Beyond the Double Decker Root Bridge you walk on level ground another 2 km (say 20 minutes) to reach Mawsaw Steel Rope Bridge. From here you access our famous natural swimming pools. The larger pool is deep and we recommend only good swimmers to attempt it. The smaller pool can be used by others. However, when the river is in spate please don't attempt swimming. When the flow is normal, you see the bottom of the pools very clearly, so clear is the water. The colour of the water is so inviting for a swim. After a refreshing swim, it is time for lunch. Please bring back the garbage for proper disposal.
Leave the pool side by 2:30 p.m. to reach the top before it is dark.

Trek to Mawsiekhriah / Khlieh Mawlong

Duration - 2 hours. Distance 6 km approximately. Open throughout the year.

This is a light trek on the top of the hill almost on level ground passing through the forests of Laitkynsew, passing by the vegetable gardens in winter, a vast natural rock garden and a steep rock cliff face dropping off a few hundreds of feet overlooking Mawlong village and the limestone mines of Ichhamati. Along the way you pass by a few mountain streams and can hear some flowing by underground channels. The Sylhet plains of Bangladesh spreads across to your south from the foot of the hills. You get a captivating view of the plains and can see Sylhet, Chhatack towns in Bangladesh from here. Now Border Area Development Authority is developing a road to this place for developing a new park in this area. This trek was earlier open only in the dry months. With the road being laid, this shall become accessible throughout the year. One can retrace the steps to return to the Resort or can take a foot path leading up a flight of steps to Village Sohsarat and reach the Resort by a different route. The view of the farm houses and farm lands from the top of the steps is impressive.

This trek can be extended in the dry months. Near the rock cliff face you look for three power lines going down to Mawlong village. Adjacent to the electric posts you can locate a foot path leading down Mawlong. It would be about a kilometer and a half to the village. Reach the road and walk back by the road to the Resort via village Mawshamok. This will make it a trek of 14 km.

Trek to Mawshamok by Lovers Road

Duration - 2 hours. Distance 8 km. Open throughout the year.

This is a light trek by road along a beautiful valley with fascinating formations of clouds sweeping through the pass between Mawshamok and Laitkynsew hills during the monsoon season. You see many waterfalls streaking the sides of the hills during the rainy season. Most of these waterfalls become much bigger when the rains are lashing the hills and thin out soon after. During the monsoon season one can walk in the rain admiring and soaking in the rains. Young couples would love to walk by this road and we call it the Lovers Road. Don't miss to do a rain walk by this road in the monsoons.

After reaching Mawshamok village take the road to the right leading to Mawlong village. From one km from there onwards you will get small waterfalls where you can enjoy a bath in waterfalls. Trek back to the Resort. The gradient uphill is steady till you reach the resort. Don't forgot to walk hand in hand. All you need is to be young at heart.

Short Village walk through Laitkynsew and Nongwar villages.

Duration - 2 hours. Distance 8 km. Open throughout the year.

Laitkynsew and Nongwar villages are located on the ridge tops of Laitkynsew hill. They are ancient villages and command a beautiful view of the valley between Laitkynsew hill and Mawsynram hill on one side and the Sylhet plains of Bangladesh on the other. You can see over two dozen waterfalls including Nohkalikai, Daiñthlen and Laipateng Khohsiew from here after good rains. These two typical Khasi villages were some of the earliest to receive education. The people are friendly and you can expect to be greeted and enquired about. This walk is by the road built along the top of the ridge. At the end of the road at Nongwar you see the Ramakhrishna Mission school established in 1928. Go down the flight of steps to reach a road that leads to a new valley viewpoint constructed by the Border Area Development Authority. Walk up by the new road to the Mot I Love viewpoint and walk back to the Resort.

David Scot Pony Trail Trek - Laitkynsew Hill portion

Duration - 2 hours. Distance - 7 km. Open from November to March.

David Scot the then Political Agent of the British Empire constructed a pony trail from the Sylhet Plains in present day Bangladesh to the Brahmaputra Valley in Assam across the Khasi hills. This trail starts at the foot of Laitkynsew hill reaches the top, proceeds to Sohra, Ladmawphlang, Mawphlang, Mairang on to Boko in Assam. The trail consists of stone paved paths and steps. The trail from the Resort by the pony trail takes one uphill and proceeds to Mawshamok. The last portion is descended by steps. The return is done by the PWD road that has a steady gradient. You can do some bird watching in this trek.

David Scot Pony Trail Trek - Ladmawphlang to Mawphlang

Duration : 6 hours. Distance approximately 18 - 20 km. Best done from November to March.

This is an interesting trek taking off from the PWD road at Ladmawphlang. The trek starts off downhill along a new road being made along the pony trail, crosses a small stream the climb uphill starts. The stone paving is well preserved here. At the top of the hill you pass through a pass and the trail is almost on level ground for quite a distance till you reach Village Laitsohma and Village Mawbeh. En-route you cross a stream by a typical arched stone bridge built by the British that is held together without mortar. After that the trail starts downwards by a narrow path along a ledge leading to the bottom of the valley doing a semi circle of the valley below. From the start of this descent the trek becomes more interesting. At the start of this descent you can see the houses and a Mobile tower in a distant hill top which will be your destination - Mawphlang. As you reach the bottom of the valley you wade through tall withered grasses and duck under jungle growth keeping yourselves to the stone paved trail. In some parts of this trail there is no stone paving but usually you can make out that it is part of the trail. You cross a stream by walking through the water or doing a hopping act over the rocks. The trail is dead after this for some distance. Take to your left going downstream on the opposite bank. It skirts a hill and enters another valley through a pass which brings into view a large river. The path leads you to a old dilapidated steel frame and timber bridge held taut across the river flowing deep down about 50 feet. The timber looks heavily weathered and some of them that are missing and had been replaced by undressed logs. Walk along the frame holding on to the railing. After crossing the river the trail proceeds to run along the river upstream and then takes off in a winding climb up hill. From here onwards it is a climb all the way. As the trail nears the top there are short cuts to reach the upper parts of the winding path by stone steps. The climb is not that laboured as is in the trek to the Double Decker Root Bridge or the Trek to the Warm Swimming Pool.

Trek to the Warm Swimming Pool and Angling Spot

Duration: 8- 10 hours. Distance: 14 km approximate. Good from November to March.

This is a trek to the river bed at the western end of Laitkynsew hill. After walking to Nongwar village by road this trail takes off downhill by steep stone stairway. At the start the steps are steeply inclined. Later part proceeds along the top of a spur till it reaches the steep banks of the river. It takes about 2 hours to reach the river bed. There are nice angling spots around here. One can venture walk upstream. In winter the river flows along one side of the river. On the other side you get stagnated pools of water left behind as the water level receded. These pools get warmed faster by the winter sun and the water is warmer to swim here than in the flowing water. It is nice to cook your simple meal here using the jungle deadwood after few swims in the pool. If you are lucky with your angling, fish fresh out of water is great to taste. Start back on to the trail by 2:30 p.m. or so to reach the top before it is dark. You will be needing your torchlight for the return journey in case you take more time climbing back. Please take back up batteries and spare bulbs for the torchlight.

Trek to Shella -The ancient trading route to the Plains

Duration: 7 - 9 hours. Distance: 26 km approximate. Open throughout the year. Best from November to March.

This was the route that people of the hills of this area and from Cherrapunjee town used to reach their produce to the plains. Boats from the plains sail up the rivers to barter rice, fish, dry fish, vegetables, salt etc. for the produce of the hills such as oranges, fruits, bay leaf, betel leaves, betel nuts, pepper, citron fruits, timber, the iron implements and nails of highly malleable steel then produced at Cherrapunjee for the boat industry in Sylhet and of course limestone. We follow this ancient foot path leading downhill through Mustoh village, Shella village and Sholab situated along the Umiam river. It is an interesting trek of about 13 km through betelnut gardens, limestone karst areas and tropical rain forests. On reaching Sholab one can take a conveyance to return to the Resort by vehicle or have to retrace their steps. You can notice the change in the people's attitudes and behaviour as one reaches the foothills. The people at the foothills are more exposed to the plains people and are more business-like than the village people of the hills. One can notice the change in the vegetation as one goes down in altitude. The return climb can take upwards of 3 hours.

Trek through Village Siej to Ladumrin

Duration: 6-7 hours. Distance: 20 km. Best from November to March.

This trek takes off from the Resort goes downhill through village Sohsarat, Village Siej, through betelnut and betel leaf gardens and tropical rainforests to reach Ladumrin. One reaches the limestone mining areas of Mawlong and has to follow the road back to the Resort on foot or vehicle a distance of about 15 km, most of which is through tropical rain forests. It is an interesting walk through War Khasi villages where you can also meet migrant labour families working in the limestone quarries.