Sohra, still widely called Cherrapunji, sits on a plateau that ends abruptly in a 1,000-metre drop to the Bangladesh plains, and that geography is the reason for everything here. Monsoon clouds sweep off the plains, hit the cliff, rise and dump their rain — for decades this was recorded as the wettest place on earth, a title it trades with nearby Mawsynram.
The result is a landscape of waterfalls in every direction: Nokhalikha, Seven Sister, Kynrem, Weisadong, Dainthlen. Below the surface, rain has carved one of Asia's largest cave systems, and Mawsmai and Arwah caves are both walkable with lighting installed. On the plateau edge, viewpoints look down onto cloud rather than up at it.
Sohra makes the better base than Shillong for anyone who came for landscapes — two nights here puts the root bridge trek, the waterfall circuit and the caves all within an easy morning's drive.
