Experience the best of Shillong

Shillong sits on a plateau at about 1,500 metres in the Khasi Hills, the capital of Meghalaya. British administrators favoured it for its cool air and pine groves, earning it the name Scotland of the East, and colonial-era churches and a central lake still show that period. The Khasi people, whose society passes family lineage and inheritance through the youngest daughter, are the main community.

Ward's Lake, Elephant Falls, Umiam Lake and Shillong Peak are all close, and a museum devoted to the region's indigenous cultures fills several floors. Cherrapunji, some 55 kilometres south, has Nohkalikai Falls, one of India's tallest, and living root bridges grown from the roots of rubber trees. Mawlynnong village and the clear Umngot River at Dawki are further on.

Jadoh, rice cooked with pork, dohneiiong, pork with black sesame, and tungrymbai, a fermented soybean dish, are Khasi classics. Shillong calls itself India's rock capital for its guitar-playing culture. The monsoon is very heavy from June to September, and October to March is clear and cool.