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P.C: George Hiles
The South Garo Hills in Meghalaya is one of the most underrated destinations in the country. The South Garo Hills shares its boundaries with East Garo Hills in the north, West Khasi Hills in the east, West Garo Hills in the west and parts of Bangladesh in the south.
South Garo Hills tourism is still in its nascent stage with a lot of rarely explored destinations here. The South Garo Hills, shall soon become the most sought after adventure destinations of this eastern domain, as the Government of Meghalaya has taken the initiative to make it a popular hotspot for travellers.
Here are some of the places you can sneak-a-peek into and definitely visit when traversing the South Garo Hills of Meghalaya.
How To Reach The South Garo Hills
By Air: The Guwahati Airport, makes for the nearest and most well connected airport to reach the place. Located at a distance of 200 km from the state of Meghalaya, it is well connected to all the parts of the country.
By Rail: The Guwahati Railway Station is the nearest railhead to reach the South Garo Hills destinations.
By Road: The Meghalaya Transport Corporation is well connected to other parts of the country with frequent bus services.
Best Time To Visit The South Garo Hills
The South Garo Hills has a pleasant climate all throughout the year; hence, making it a year-round destination. The summer months are more favourable than the winter months with an average temperature ranging from 15°C-20°C.
1. Baghmara
P.C: Elfduadelapan
Baghmara, the headquarter of the South Garo Hills district of Meghalaya, is a perfect melange of verdant valleys, rocky terrains and sparkling rivulets. Baghmara shares its border with Bangladesh in the south and is a perfect spot for all the nature lovers.
It is an avi-fauna hotspot and is home to many rare plant species like the Memang Koksi, the insectivorous pitcher plant. The Baghmara Wildlife Sanctuary is a major tourist hotspot with the picturesque Dilsa Hills and the free flowing Simsang river in the background.
2. Siju
P.C: Bruno van der Kraan
Nestled on the banks of the Simsang river, Siju is famous for its magnificent bat caves, Dobakkol. The spectacular natural formations of stalactites and stalagmites adorn the walls of the caves of Dobakkol. These caves also happen to be one of India's longest caves and have some of the most impressive river passages.
The beautiful limestone rock formations inside are bound to leave you speechless. You can spend the rest of your day by exploring the other amazing places to visit in Siju. The Siju Bird Sanctuary is one of them. It is home to several colourful migratory and non-migratory birds.
3. Dombeware
P.C: Zhifei Zhou
Dombeware, nestled in the South Garo Hills of Meghalaya, is located at a short distance from Eman Asakgre, a small village with a population of as less as 113 people. It is a mysterious lake perched atop a hill, surrounding which many stories have evolved over time.
The place is shrouded with mystery and the legends have it that the lake came into existence when a merman in love with a beautiful married woman saved her from the clutches of her arrogant and boastful husband and eloped with her.
The locals believe that, the lover of the merman is still alive and dwells in the underground water works. The mesmerising landscapes and vistas of Dombeware are sure to leave you breathless and speechless.
4. Balpakram
P.C: Tyler Lastovich
The South Garo Hills is home to many mysterious places and one such place is Balpakram. The sacred land of Garos, legends have it, Balpakram is shrouded with mystery and mysterious happenings, that cannot be explained by science or logic.
The place is also famous for its national park and a small pool named Chidimak. The Balpakram National Park is home to many endangered and endemic species like wild water buffalo, Bubalus arnee and has a small population of the red panda as well. The Chidimak is a hotspot for tourist attraction for its charcoal black water.
Other than these, Matchru, a vast stretch of rock, covered with animal foot-prints, where all the nearby rocks are completely smooth also makes for a great attraction in the area.
When in Balpakram, one must definitely visit the mysterious Areng Patal, a huge rock with a hollow surface, which is said to attract any living being that goes near it and from where there is no return.
