My real Experience at Umngot River, Dawki
Umngot River in Dawki near Shillong, Meghalaya is a must-visit place. Next to the Bangladesh border, Dawki is also known for trade between India and Bangladesh. The small city is famous for its tourism, with many people flocking to the city to experience a boat ride in the pristine water of Umngot River and enjoy the sightseeing.
The river is acclaimed for its clear transparent water and the artistic background. It is also popular for the water exhibiting multiple colours during different points of time in a day. This makes Umngot river as the best tourist spot of Meghalaya.
Talking about tourism in India fills us with excitement. Dawki River working as a soft border between India and Bangladesh is one of the places where you see an entirely different view of India.
Best part of Dawki
Happiness is not a state to arrive at,but a manner of Travelling
~Margaret Lee
Umngot River, the area you see beyond that boat is Bangladesh.
The Dawki city becomes a hot spot of tourist activities especially during the spring season as it hosts the boat riding competition on the Umngot River. read here from source
During our trip to Assam and Meghalaya, after visiting places like Kaziranga national park in Assam, Living Root Bridge in Mawlynnong, we commenced for this wonderful place. To visit Umngot River, you may need a complete day. We started at Mawlynnong and it took us around 3 hours by road to reach there.
Condition of roads is not very good, therefore be ready for some intermittent roller-coaster rides. Although if you have time and can drive at the speed of 30km per hours then you won’t have any problem. The route is filled with fine betel nut farming trees. The view is breathtaking for someone coming from the north of India.
Meghalaya Tourism
With such a beautiful landscape and many natural places, if you are looking for hotels in Meghalaya or hotels in Shillong, I will only recommend homestays. There is some genuine reason behind this :
- You get to live amidst nature and local folks.
- Homestays are more organized and are no less than a hotel these days.
- Most of them lie in locals of the village.
- You have the maximum opportunity to know the local culture.
- They are very cheap in comparison to hotels.
So if you are looking for a hotel in Shillong India, I would recommend homestays.
The jungles of Meghalaya are thick and dense. Forest in the Jainti District is one the major source of income for villagers. So be ready to smell the betel pre-processing odour while you pass these hills.
Cost of Boat Ride at Umngot River,Dawki
It seemed to us that the management of the boat booking is with some local agency or any village body, as the price of the boat ride was not fixed and was not even organized. So do not forget to negotiate when you book a ride. Ideal cost for 4 people in one boat riding for one hour would be 1200 INR Approx. They also have the option of the short route and medium route as well, at the cost of 1000 and 800 INR respectively.
Things to do at Dawki
During the boat ride, there is nothing else to do other than relishing the serenity of the surrounding. You will get immense satisfaction because of the surroundings and the pristine water of the Umngot river. Do not waste your energy in clicking the picture. You may get many pictures on the internet but the experience that you will miss by getting occupied in clicking pictures would never return. Just relax, observe the pristine river water flowing, watch the mountains and appreciate.
Overall Experience
A perfect place to spend your evening. We didn’t find a boat ride as pleasant anywhere in the country as it was there. India is a land of diversity, where the culture and language change every 100 km. Such a diverse place is Dawki. You will notice a tremendous difference between the people of Assam and Meghalaya i.e. states which are geographically just a few km apart. Although one thing is common among every Indian is that they are always very helpful.
The main reason to go for a trip is that it helps you to reinvent yourself. A trip gives you a break and reboots your energy by refreshing it. Sitting on the Umngot riverside, makes you realize the actual reason for living.
With a note of thanks to Meghalaya, we travelled back to Shillong for next day Trip. To read about our Shillong Day trip visit us again.
