How to get from Guwahati to Shillong and Cherrapunjee

A quick guide on how to get from Guwahati to Shillong and Cherrapunjee. This guide focusses on getting from Guwahati to Shillong and Cherrapunjee by public transport or by car. If you are driving your own car, scroll down for a route map. 

 

Here’s a quick guide on how to get from Guwahati to Shillong and Cherrapunjee.

How to get from Guwahati to Shillong by public transport

Although the Meghalaya Tourism website state that regular buses to Shillong leave from the Inter State Bus Terminal, there were no buses from Guwahati to Shillong when we arrived there. Apparently, there are two private buses, one at 6:00 and one at 17:00, but these times are terrible. If you want to travel from Guwahati to Shillong outside of those times, you have to travel by Sumo.

A shared Sumo at a snack stop on its way to Shillong

Our shared Sumo at a snack stop

Sumos are basically shared Jeep taxis. They’re the most common form of travel between cities and villages in the northeast. Sumos from Guwahati to Shillong leave from Khanapara bus stand. To get there, jump on a bus leaving from G.S. Road near the train station. Most buses going from here, driving away from the train station, will pass here. Just ask the hawker. A ticket to Khanapara is 10 Rs. per person.

Looking for accommodation in Guwahati? Check out the best deals on Booking!

At Khanapara, you’ll be accosted by plenty of Sumo hawkers. It’s good to walk around a bit, since Sumo’s don’t leave until full. So if you enter an empty Sumo, you might have to wait for a while. Some drivers will try to get you to charter the whole Sumo. Friendly but firmly decline their offer (unless you want to, of course).

Getting from Guwahati to Shillong by shared Sumo costs 170 Rs. per person. In our experience, drivers are honest about the fare, but this being India, be wary of shysters. 170 Rs. is the standard price. It takes 2-3 hours to get from Guwahati to Shillong.

Note: There might be Sumos leaving from Guwahati’s train station to Shillong. From here the price is 10-20 Rs. per person more. If bus services resume, a bus to Shillong from Guwahati should cost 100 – 130 Rs. per person.

 

The Sumo stand in Shillong for rides to Sohra, AKA Cherrapunjee

How to get from Shillong to Cherrapunjee (Sohra) by public transport

Most people travel from Guwahati to Shillong to visit Cherrapunjee. To get from Shillong to Cherranpunjee you’ll have to take another Sumo. There are several Sumo stands in Shillong, making finding the right one a bit tricky. Taxi drivers aren’t helpful, since they’ll just want to drive you to Cherranpunjee themselves.

Shillong is a nice place to visit for a couple of days. Check out the best hotel deals here!

Girl walking in the shared Sumo stand in a parking garage in Shillong

The Shillong to Cherrapunjee Sumo stand is located on the second floor of a dark parking garage. It’s marked on Google Maps. There will be a written sign saying Sohra (another name for Cherrapunjee) above two parking lots.

A ride from Shillong to Cherrapunjee costs 70 Rs. per person. The first driver wanted to charge us more to put our luggage on the roof of the car—which is BS—so we waited about half an hour for another Sumo to go. Sumos from Shillong to Cherranpunjee go when full. It takes 1.5-2 hours to get from Shillong to Cherrapunjee.

Not sure about heading to the Northeast? Check out our post on why you need to visit Northeast India!

A path and some houses in Cherrapunjee

Cherrapunjee is one of the wettest places in India. Wise visitors (unlike us) bring umbrellas and rain covers for bags.

Staying in Cherrapunjee and visiting Nongriat

Most people visit Cherrapunjee as a jumping-off base for visiting Nongriat and various root bridges. Nongriat is a small Kashi village in the jungle, home to several living root bridges, of which one is a magnificent double-decker. Nongriat can only be visited by walking for about 1.5-2 hours from nearby Tyrna, and the surroundings are absolutely gorgeous. We highly recommend it.

Double Decker Root bridge in Nongriat

There are several cheap sleeping options in lower Cherrapunjee/Sohra, about 20 minutes walking downhill from the main town.

By The Way Hostel charges 250 Rs. per person, and D-Cloud charges 300-350 Rs. per person. Accommodation is simple, and a little overpriced if you’re not alone, but you don’t have many other options. There are a handful of nondescript restaurants on the “main” street near By The Way.

Check out Booking.com for more places to stay in Cherrapunjee!

Sunset in Cherrapunjee, Meghalaya, India

Sunset in Cherrapunjee

To get from Cherrapunjee to Nongriat, you can take an early morning bus from near By the Way, which leaves around 9:30, or a taxi to Tyrna.

A taxi should cost 250 Rs., but don’t be surprised if you have to pay 350-400 Rs. The owner of By the Way can give more information on how to get to Tyrna by bus. You can also walk to Tyrna, which will take a couple of hours. From Tyrna, it takes about 1.5-2 hours to reach Nongriat by way of 2,500 steep stairs through the jungle.

The cement stairway to Nongriat

The steep walk to Nongriat

There are several basic sleeping options available in Nongriat, of which Serene Guest House is the most well known. It’s best to just show up. Even if they’re full, the owner, Byron, will arrange something for you. Serene charges 300 Rs. per person, and a scrumptious all-you-can-eat dinner is available daily for 130 Rs. per person.

Getting from Guwahati to Shillong with your own car

The road from Guwahati to Shillong is in reasonable condition. National Highway 6 (NH6) goes directly from Guwahati to Shillong. The distance is roughly 100 km and it will take about 3 hours to get from Guwahati to Shillong. NH6 is a toll road.

To get from Shillong to Cherrapunjee, take NH 206. Shillong to Cherrapunjee takes roughly 2 hours, and the total journey will be about 5 hours. Below you can find a route map for getting from Guwahati to Shillong and Cherrapunjee.

 

So there you have it, a quick guide on how to get from Guwahati to Shillong and Cherrapunjee. Let us know in the comments if anything changes so we can update the post!

Alex Reynolds profile picture

Alex Reynolds

American by birth, British by passport, Filipina by appearance. Addicted to ice cream. Enjoys climbing trees, dislikes falling out. Has great fondness for goats which is usually not reciprocated.

More about Alex

61 thoughts on “How to get from Guwahati to Shillong and Cherrapunjee

    Imtiaz Hussain says:

    Liked your blog. Its helpful ?

    Taxi Booking says:

    Useful piece of information about Assam. Very well described and the pictures are extremely beautiful. Thank you for sharing this kind of valuable and some unique information. If you have any requirements for a cab then you can book a cab from Bharat Taxi.

    Harvinder says:

    Hi, please advise how can i reach meghalaya from Gowhati railway station in cheapest way.

    ADITYA says:

    Hi,

    Do you suggest to rent a 2 wheeler? (I am used to travel 200-300km in a day)
    and if yes, from where should I rent it? (from Guwahati to from Shillong)

    I’m not sure where you can rent bikes, but a motorbike would certainly be perfect for exploring the area! Just make sure to be careful, the roads can get muddy and slippery in the rain.

    ca scgupta, faridabad,Haryana,इंडिया says:

    great guidence, awesom, thnx

    Lipi Bag says:

    Hi Alex, thank you so much for a detailed explanation for travel. However, the train I’ve booked the destination is Kamakhya junction. Would you know any route to reach the destined Khanapara?

    Balagopal says:

    Do these sumo car drivers issue any receipt for the taxi journeys undertaken, for the purpose of my LTC bill submission?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *