Mawlynnong is a village that is located in the East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya. It was one of the spots that we had chosen to travel to and go around during our 5-day family trip to Meghalaya.

Well, Mawlynnong claim to fame happened when it was declared as the cleanest village in Asia in 2003 and the cleanest in India in 2005 by the Discover India magazine. Since then it has become an almost certain inclusion into the itinerary of most tourists. Its popularity also made us include it into ours.

We travelled to Mawlynnong on the third day of our trip. The previous days had been exploring around Sohra (Cherrapunji). You can read all about the sights and adventures here. The drive to Mawlynnong from Sohra is just brilliant; there is no other word to describe it. The scenarios it offers is just breath-taking, especially when you go through misty hills, cloud covered valleys and lush green forests. We could not resist stopping at several places enroute to enjoy the views. Here are a couple of photos taken when we stopped.

We reached the village towards evening. The most popular attractions here are the Single Decker Living Root Bridge and the Balancing Rock. There were lots of tourists when we headed to the Root Bridge. After having visited the pristine and isolated Umshiang Double Decker Living Root Bridge at Sohra, the Root Bridge here just paled. We did not enjoy the experience at all. But it was more easily accessible to people. So we could understand its popularity amount tourists. It was just not for us though. The Balancing Rock though was much more secluded; actually we were the only ones when we visited. It is essentially a natural rock formation where a large boulder balances on a much small rock. You can see both the Root Bridge and the Balancing Rock in the video later in this post.

We stayed the night in a cottage set amongst arecanut trees in a plantation just outside the main village. Next morning, me wife and I explored the Mawlynnong village the next morning. Here are some pictures from the walk.

  • Village Entry
  • Village Church

As we walked, we noticed at several locations, raised huts built with bamboo. They were look out spots from which one could see Bangladesh. Here is one of them.

I also saw a pitcher plant on the road-side; a sight not common for me.

Video

Here is a short video of the drive till Mawlynnong; a must watch for the beautiful landscape that we passed through.

Suggestions

So what do we think of our visit to Mawlynnong? The village was certainly clean. The locals were conscious about it and took pride in keeping in that way. But to us, the village itself did not offer anything that would stand out in our memories. If one has not seen a Living Root Bridge before, then this is one place where one can be more easily accessed. So that is certain plus. But if you have seen one already elsewhere, like we had, then skip this one.

The drive to the village from Shillong or Sohra is just fantastic. That is certainly worth experiencing.