Laitlum Canyon: When to Go, the Rasong Steps, and Whether It's Worth the Drive

Laitlum is a grassy ridge about 23 km from Shillong where the plateau simply stops and the land falls away into deep, forested gorges. The drive takes about an hour. The view costs nothing beyond a small parking or entry fee, and the only thing that decides whether it was worth the trip is the cloud.

Go in the late afternoon between October and February. At any other time you are betting.

What you actually see

The road ends near the top of the ridge. In front of you the hills drop away in folds, valley behind valley, with villages and terraces far below and the stairway to Rasong zigzagging down one face. The name is usually translated from Khasi as "end of the hills", and standing there it's hard to argue.

Much of the ridge is open grass right up to the drop, with no railing. In wind or rain, stay well back from the edge. With children, hold hands.

When to go

Time of day matters as much as month. Late afternoon to sunset is when the cloud tends to lift, and the low light is what turns the folds of the gorge into something worth the drive. A midday visit in harsh light is the most common way to come away unimpressed.

In monsoon, don't fix Laitlum to one afternoon. Keep it on a day with slack, and go when the sky opens.

The steps down to Rasong

From the ridge a stone stairway drops into the canyon to Rasong, a small village at the bottom. It's usually put at around 3,000 steps. Supplies still reach the village by an old ropeway; people walk.

Allow four to five hours there and back, including time in the village. As at Nongriat, the descent is hard on knees and the climb out is hard on everything else. If you want both Rasong and the sunset from the top, start down by late morning.

• Do it in the dry months, with a local guide, if you're comfortable with long stairs.
• Skip it with knee trouble, with young children or elderly travellers, or in monsoon, when the steps are wet and mossy.

Most people never go down, and that's fine. The ridge is the point.

How to get there

About 23 km from Shillong, roughly an hour by car, with the last stretch on narrow village road. There's no practical public transport to the ridge, so it's a private car or a taxi from Shillong that waits for you.

Most of our trips fit Laitlum into the Shillong to Sohra day, or into an easy afternoon from Shillong. There's little at the top beyond a few stalls, so bring water and a warm layer. The wind on the ridge is colder than Shillong.

Is Laitlum worth it?

In the clear months, yes. It's one of the biggest views in the Khasi Hills for almost no walking, which makes it a good choice for parents, for honeymooners who want a sunset, and for anyone who isn't doing the Nongriat trek.

In monsoon, only if your plan can move. If you only get one shot and the cloud is down, you've spent two hours in a car to look at fog. Sohra's waterfall viewpoints are the better monsoon bet; see the Cherrapunji guide.

Trips that include it

Laitlum sits in most of our Khasi Hills routes. Slow Meghalaya gives it an unhurried half day out of Shillong, and Meghalaya Highlights stops there on the drive to Sohra, from 25,300 rupees per person. For timing across the rest of the trip, see the best time to visit Meghalaya.