Cheerapunjee, Gem of Meghalaya
Once fondly famous as the wettest place on Earth, Cheerapunjee is a picturesque and pristine little town situated amidst the Khasi Hills in Eastern state of Meghalaya. With its untouched natural beauty away from the chaos and hustle bustle of the busy city life, Cheerapunjee stands out as an apt destination for a long awaited vacation. Lush green pine forests, undulating hills, gushing waterfalls, foaming rivers, astounding beauty and most of all a rejuvenating climate with rains playing hide and seek throughout the year; is what attracts thousands of tourists to this mesmerizing place always covered with a veil of mist and clouds.
Cheerapunjee is a place that interests cavers from all over the world due to the presence of some of the most stunning caves in the Indian sub-continent. Some caves are not even known and mapped. Cavers come here to explore the hidden caves in the region. If you are also adventurous and the idea of caving thrills you, then you should not miss the awe-inspiring and claustrophobic cave, "Krem Mawsmai" that is located at a distance of around 6 KM from the main town of Cheerapunjee. These are the only caves that have been properly illuminated by the Meghalaya Tourism. A tour of these caves is an experience in itself and will leave you spellbound as you see the impressive formations of stalactites and stalagmites that have been formed over millions of years due to excessive rains.
Cheerapunjee is the only place where you can experience a walk over the living root bridges. You will be surprised to know that these bridges are not built but are grown from the roots of the rubber trees. The entire process of building the bridge takes many years as the roots are to be guided across the river through necessary supports. Talking about the live root bridges, the Double Decker Root Bridge is the most famous and one of its kind in the world. The bridge is over 200 years old and gets stronger year by year. Why is it called double decker because it has two bridges stacked one over the other that can take the load of 50 people at once. So, if you are in Cheerapunjee, do take a trekking experience to this bridge.
Another great attraction in Cheerapunjee is the breath-taking Nohkalikai Falls (fifth highest waterfall in India) that are located at a distance of around 7 KM from the main town. The place is a paradise for nature lovers, bird watchers and photographers.
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