After being in oblivion for years, Garo Hills have started to open up to a new era. An era of TOURISM. When one talks of Meghalaya, Shillong, Cherrapunjee or Mawsynram are the probable names that come to mind. But around 300 km west of Shillong lies this hidden gem. It is only lately that tourism has started gaining pace in the hills with better road connectivity and opening up of homestays and hotels. Frankly speaking, having born and brought up here even I haven't yet explored this place.
Garo Hills is one of the three hills besides Khasi and Jaintia Hills that make Meghalaya. Apart from clouds, these hills are home to the Garo Tribe. The blue-green hills are rich in biodiversity and houses two national parks and two wildlife sanctuaries besides several other protected areas. The National Citrus Gene Sanctuary within the Nokrek Biosphere Reserve is also the home to Citrus indica or Indian wild orange which is considered to be the most "primitive" citrus.
Garo Hills is divided into five districts with Tura being the most important/central place in the region. Politically speaking, Garo Hills is home to former Lok Sabha Speaker and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and National People's Party (NPP) founder Shri Purno Agitok Sangma.
With so much packed in this little place, Garo Hills definitely has a lot to offer to travellers and tourists. I here try to create a collection of what to do in Garo Hills and also provide link-out to some other resources on the internet that may be handy while travelling to Garo Hills. But before we begin, I would like to request you to practice responsible tourism. Let this untouched beauty remain as it is forever and not turn it into next Shimla or Nainital or Darjeeling or Ladakh where excess and irresponsible tourism is taking its toll. Bon voyage!
Accessing Garo Hills
The National Highway 217 (formerly NH 51 and 62) is currently the primary road link that connects the major towns in this western part of Meghalaya. It branches out from NH 17 that runs from Sevoke in West Bengal to Guwahati in Assam making a loop along Garo Hills. Another proposed highway NH 127B running from Srirampur in Assam to Nongston in Meghalaya would also pass through Garo Hills. This proposed highway also includes a 19.2 km bridge over river Brahmaputra between Dhubri on North Bank and Phulbari on South Bank. Currently one can avail ferry service to cross the river here to enter Garo Hills and I can bet this would be one different experience for many as it takes two to three hours to cross the river on a boat.
Though Garo Hills has its own railway station at Mendipathar (MNDP), it is not a recommended one yet as a single passenger train runs between Mendipathar and Guwahati (GHY) daily. Instead, one can take a train till Guwahati (GHY) or Kamakhya Junction (KYQ), both in Guwahati city, and then continue to Garo Hills by road. Scheduled buses and shared taxis are available from Guwahati to reach different parts in Garo Hills like Tura, Williamnagar and Baghmara. They can be availed from Paltan Bazar and Bharalumukh in morning and afternoon and from ISBT at night. The Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (GAU) at Guwahati is the nearest airport to reach Garo Hills. A helicopter service from Guwahati to Tura provides an aerial route to enter the blue-green Garo Hills. In addition to Guwahati, New Bongaigaon (NBQ) can also serve as an interchange point for travellers coming by train as there is a daily bus/taxi service from Tura. Daily buses are also available from Tura to Shillong, Siliguri and Coochbehar.
Travelling within Garo Hills
The major towns within Garo Hills like Tura, Williamnagar, Baghmara, Ampati etc. are well connected with each other by buses plying during day time. However, it might be difficult to find transport after sunset. For moving within the town, autorickshaws are easily available. Tura also has its own public transport system (TPTS) plying within the town.
As mentioned above, tourism in Garo Hills has just started growing and hence no conducted tours are available yet like those in Shillong to visit Cherrapunjee and Dawki. Hence, it is advisable to hire cars to get around.
Places to visit
- Mapta Dare
- Rongmeram Falls
- Asanangre
- Pelga Falls
- Tura Peak
- Nokrek Biosphere Reserve
- Chibragre
- Imilchang Dare
- Siju Cave
- Balpakram National Park
Accommodations
- Hotel Rikman Continental, Tura. W: www.hotelrikman.com
- Hotel Sundare, Tura.
- Hotel Polo Orchid, Tura. W: www.hotelpolotowers.com/tura
- Dongrama Home Stay, Tura. W: www.dongramahomestay.com
- Sasatgre, Daribok and Mandalgre campsites by A'chik Heritage Pursuits.
Additional resources
Here is a list of resources that may help in planning your trip to Garo Hills. I must also mention that these are the primary source of information for writing this post.
- A'chik Heritage Pursuits
- The Official Website of Meghalaya Tourism
- Travel blogger Harish Bali (Visa2Explore) explores Garo Hills
- West Garo Hills district portal
- WGH through the eyes of DC Shri Ram Singh, IAS
Easy locate: This MAP can be useful to locate the places mentioned above.
P.S: Suggestions on improving this blog post are always welcome. With new incoming information, this blog post will be updated. So keep rechecking once in a while to know more about Garo Hills. Till then, enjoy this beautiful film on Tura by Mr. Will Sangma.
Garo Hills is divided into five districts with Tura being the most important/central place in the region. Politically speaking, Garo Hills is home to former Lok Sabha Speaker and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and National People's Party (NPP) founder Shri Purno Agitok Sangma.
With so much packed in this little place, Garo Hills definitely has a lot to offer to travellers and tourists. I here try to create a collection of what to do in Garo Hills and also provide link-out to some other resources on the internet that may be handy while travelling to Garo Hills. But before we begin, I would like to request you to practice responsible tourism. Let this untouched beauty remain as it is forever and not turn it into next Shimla or Nainital or Darjeeling or Ladakh where excess and irresponsible tourism is taking its toll. Bon voyage!
Accessing Garo Hills
The National Highway 217 (formerly NH 51 and 62) is currently the primary road link that connects the major towns in this western part of Meghalaya. It branches out from NH 17 that runs from Sevoke in West Bengal to Guwahati in Assam making a loop along Garo Hills. Another proposed highway NH 127B running from Srirampur in Assam to Nongston in Meghalaya would also pass through Garo Hills. This proposed highway also includes a 19.2 km bridge over river Brahmaputra between Dhubri on North Bank and Phulbari on South Bank. Currently one can avail ferry service to cross the river here to enter Garo Hills and I can bet this would be one different experience for many as it takes two to three hours to cross the river on a boat.
Though Garo Hills has its own railway station at Mendipathar (MNDP), it is not a recommended one yet as a single passenger train runs between Mendipathar and Guwahati (GHY) daily. Instead, one can take a train till Guwahati (GHY) or Kamakhya Junction (KYQ), both in Guwahati city, and then continue to Garo Hills by road. Scheduled buses and shared taxis are available from Guwahati to reach different parts in Garo Hills like Tura, Williamnagar and Baghmara. They can be availed from Paltan Bazar and Bharalumukh in morning and afternoon and from ISBT at night. The Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (GAU) at Guwahati is the nearest airport to reach Garo Hills. A helicopter service from Guwahati to Tura provides an aerial route to enter the blue-green Garo Hills. In addition to Guwahati, New Bongaigaon (NBQ) can also serve as an interchange point for travellers coming by train as there is a daily bus/taxi service from Tura. Daily buses are also available from Tura to Shillong, Siliguri and Coochbehar.
Travelling within Garo Hills
The major towns within Garo Hills like Tura, Williamnagar, Baghmara, Ampati etc. are well connected with each other by buses plying during day time. However, it might be difficult to find transport after sunset. For moving within the town, autorickshaws are easily available. Tura also has its own public transport system (TPTS) plying within the town.
As mentioned above, tourism in Garo Hills has just started growing and hence no conducted tours are available yet like those in Shillong to visit Cherrapunjee and Dawki. Hence, it is advisable to hire cars to get around.
Places to visit
- Mapta Dare
- Rongmeram Falls
- Asanangre
- Pelga Falls
- Tura Peak
- Nokrek Biosphere Reserve
- Chibragre
- Imilchang Dare
- Siju Cave
- Balpakram National Park
Accommodations
- Hotel Rikman Continental, Tura. W: www.hotelrikman.com
- Hotel Sundare, Tura.
- Hotel Polo Orchid, Tura. W: www.hotelpolotowers.com/tura
- Dongrama Home Stay, Tura. W: www.dongramahomestay.com
- Sasatgre, Daribok and Mandalgre campsites by A'chik Heritage Pursuits.
Additional resources
Here is a list of resources that may help in planning your trip to Garo Hills. I must also mention that these are the primary source of information for writing this post.
- A'chik Heritage Pursuits
- The Official Website of Meghalaya Tourism
- Travel blogger Harish Bali (Visa2Explore) explores Garo Hills
- West Garo Hills district portal
- WGH through the eyes of DC Shri Ram Singh, IAS
Easy locate: This MAP can be useful to locate the places mentioned above.
P.S: Suggestions on improving this blog post are always welcome. With new incoming information, this blog post will be updated. So keep rechecking once in a while to know more about Garo Hills. Till then, enjoy this beautiful film on Tura by Mr. Will Sangma.
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