Dawki, we were going there to experience the boat ride on the Umngot River. And what was so special about it? Well, we had read that it offers crystal clear waters and if there is sun, then it will almost look as if your boat is floating in the air.

My family and I were on the 5 day long family trip to the north-east state of Meghalaya in India. We had finished going around Sohra (Cherrapunji) and Mawlynnong. And it was time for us to visit Dawki.

We were going to Dawki from Mawlynnong. We did not take the usual route via main highway for this. Instead we took a road that is a bit off route. It was not the best of roads as it was still being repaired. But we got to pass beside a couple of majestic waterfalls. Watch the video later in the post to see them.

Another attraction of going through the route was that we were passing just besides the natural border between India and Bangladesh.

Do you think you can be in two places at the same time? No? Well we proved that one can be. Here is my son at two places at the same time; India and Bangladesh 😀 .

At the Dawki Boating Point, we walked down to hire our boat. Here is a view as we walked down the steps.

Once on the boat, it was time to head out upstream on Umngot river.

All the boats are manual row boats. So it was very peaceful as we went on the river.

All around us, both on stationary boats as well as on the banks, we could see adults and children fishing. Here is a picture of a woman on the bank fishing.

We asked our boatman as to why the water was not clear. He said that it is owing to the rains. The rains cause the current and flow to be stronger. This also causes the water to be muddy, possibly from upstream minerals being carried. If one were to visit in Dec to Feb, the waters would be crystal clear. Well, just our luck our guess. But we still enjoyed the ride.

As we returned to the spot where we had to get on, we saw lot of people on a rock in the river and a crowd beyond. The boatman said that the rock was a marker of the border between India and Bangladesh.

Here is a view of the border formed by hawkers from Bangladesh; free trade!

Before we headed back to our car, we spent some time enjoying the cool waters of the river.

Video

Here is a short video I made from our visit to Dawki. Look out of the magnificent waterfalls we saw enroute.

Recommendations

The place is certainly worth visiting. If you are expecting to see yourselves in a boat “elevated” in air, then you will need to visit some time between Dec to Feb.