How to Reach Cherrapunji
Cherrapunji is referred to as the most favorite destination within the northeastern region of India, as it receives the highest number of tourists every yatra due to its alluring sites. It is also termed the second damp place in the world. The best times to visit the location of Cherrapunji are post-monsoon time and winter months.
Cherrapunji Travel By Road
Roadways are the best way to explore all the scenic vistas which are situated next to the highways of Meghalaya. Travelers can visit Cherrapunji on their own by driving down through NH-40. If you don’t have your own automobile or if you don’t like driving then you can opt for an ASTC (Assam State Corporation) and MTC (Meghalaya Transport Corporation) buses that keep on running in between Shillong, Guwahati, and Silchar. From Shillong, a traveller has to hire a cab/taxi service to reach his/her desired destination in Cherrapunji. In terms of transferring travelers, these ASTC and MTC buses are quite comfortable. Even these buses are classified into many categories like A/C sleepers, Luxury, sleeper, and Volvo. Travelers can choose any of these buses according to their necessity and requirements. Road transportation is the major fulcrum of transferring in Meghalaya because It does not have any railhead of its own. Transferring goods and commodities from one place to another within the state of Meghalaya and outside the state is done through highways only. This is the only reason why a traveler can witness well-maintained highways within the state. Meghalaya is connected with its neighboring countries by highways only. The NH-40 plays an important role in adjoining Meghalaya with Guwahati, Silchar, Imphal, and Aizawl. The route that joins Guwahati to Cherrapunji is very scenic and a traveler can observe many lakes, viewpoints, waterfalls, and many more during his/her road trip to Cherrapunji. If you are planning to drive down to Cherrapunji, then the distance from some of the major cities of India to Cherrapunji is mentioned below.
| Distance in kilometers and time duration | From |
|---|---|
| 146 kilometers and about 5 hours | Guwahati to Cherrapunji |
| 1177 kilometers and about 30 hours | Kolkata to Cherrapunji |
| 493 Kilometres and about 15 hours | Agartala to Cherrapunji |
| 615 kilometers and About 16 hours | Siliguri to Cherrpunji |
| 735 kilometres and about 30 hours | Arunachal to Cherrapunji |
Cherrapunji Travel By Railways
In Cherrapunji you can observe no railhead as it belongs to Meghalaya which does not have its own railhead. The nearest railway station to Cherrapunji is situated in the state of Assam by the name Guwahati Railway Station. From this railhead, a traveler has to cover a distance of 154 kilometers by a rental cab to reach the destination of Cherrapunji. If you are traveling in a group then in Guwahati you can opt for a rental bike service and ride it down to Cherrapunji. The excursion of Meghalaya with a bike is simply awesome as it provides unwinding highways that challenge the riding skill of adventurous junky. But avoid these bike excursions during the monsoon-months or post-monsoon period. There are some trains named provides below which can assist visitors to arrive at the nearest railway station to Cherrapunji which is Guwahati Railhead.
| Train name and number | From |
|---|---|
| Lohit express (156510) | Jammu Tawi–Guwahati |
| Kolkata Garib Rath Express (12360) | Patna–Guwahati–Kolkata |
| Aroni Superfast Express (12507) | Thiruvananthapuram Central–Guwahati–Silchar |
| Agartala Rajdhani Express (20502) | Agartala–Guwahati–New Delhi |
| Avadh Assam Express (15910) | Dibrugarh–Guwahti–Rajasthan |
| Bangalore Humsafar Express (12503) | Agartala–Guwahati–Bangaluru |
| Tripura Sundari Express (14619) | Firozpur–Guwahti–Agartala |
| Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express (12423) | Dibrugarh town–Guwahati–New Delhi |
| Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express (15906) | Dibrugarh–Guwahati–Kanyakumari |
| Kanchanjunga Express (13173) | Kolkata Sealdah–Guwahati–Agartala |
Cherrapunji Travel By Air
Traveling by air is the only medium by which a traveler can arrive at the location of Cherrapunji. Woefully, you will not be able to observe any airport in Cherrapunji, the nearest airport to Cherrapunji is at a distance of 78 kilometers, and it takes about 3 hours to reach your desired destination from Shillong Airport. From this Umroi/Shillong airport, it is quite easy to get a cab service to reach the site of Cherrrapunji. The route that joins Umroi airport with Cherrpunji is quite alluring because you can observe some of the best places of your life in between your trip. Shillong/Umroi airport is a domestic Airline hence there is a possibility that you may not get a straight flight service to reach the location from your hometown. It has good connectivity with cities like Kolkata and Imphal therefore if are living in any of these two cities then you can easily get a straight flight service to arrive at this airport. Apart from Shillong/Umroi airport travelers have one more option as Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport. Because Shillong Airport has less connectivity, therefore travelers can opt for a flight to Guwahati International Airport due to its massive connectivity. It is well connected with major cities like Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, and lots more. It has also connected with some foreign nationals like Bangkok, Paro, and Bhutan. If you are living in any of these capital cities then you can get straight flight service to Guwahati International Airport. Some important airlines and their connectivity to guwahati are given below.
| Airlines | From |
|---|---|
| GO FIRST | Pune–Guwahati |
| IndiGo | Imphal–Umroi |
| Vistara | New Delhi–Guwahati |
| IndiGo | Kolkata–Umroi |
| AirAsia (India) | Jaipur–Guwahati |