Meghalaya in December: Cold, Clear and Booked Out by Christmas

December is one of the best months for Meghalaya if you want clear skies, dry trails and the Umngot river at its most transparent. It's one of the worst if you came for waterfalls. And the second half of the month books out early, so the decision you make in October decides what you get.

Here's what December delivers, what it doesn't, and how to plan around Christmas and New Year.

What the weather does

December is the driest month of the year. Sohra, which takes something like 2,700 mm of rain in June, gets around 15 mm in the whole of December. The days are clear and bright; the nights are properly cold. The state tourism department puts winter temperatures at 4 to 16 C.

That sunset time is the thing almost nobody plans for.

India runs on a single clock set far to the west of Meghalaya, so the sun goes down here more than half an hour earlier than it does in Delhi. From a 6am sunrise to a sunset before 4:45, you have roughly ten and a half hours of light. The Nongriat trek alone is five to seven hours of walking. In December you start it at 6:30am, or you don't start it.

What December is best for

The clear river. From November to February the Umngot at Dawki and Shnongpdeng runs clear enough that the boats appear to hang in the air above the riverbed. December is the middle of that window. Be on the water by 7am; the day boats arrive from Shillong around 10.

Nongjrong and the sea of clouds. On cold, still nights, cloud settles into the valleys below the Nongjrong ridge, and at dawn you stand above a white sea with hilltops poking through. December has plenty of those nights. It means leaving Shillong around 3am to be on the ridge by 5, and it's worth the alarm.

Treks and caves. In the state tourism department's own words, "the dry months from November to February throw open abundant trekking, camping and caving opportunities." The Nongriat steps are dry. The David Scott Trail, a muddy slog in monsoon, is a pleasure. River caves that spend the monsoon flooded are open.

Kaziranga. The park is open from 1 November to 30 April, so December is full safari season. Take the dawn jeep.

Krang Suri's pool is also at its bluest, though swimming in it in December is for the committed.

What December is bad for

Waterfalls.

Nohkalikai, the Seven Sisters and Elephant Falls are still there and still worth stopping for, but many run thin by December, and some of the Sohra falls shrink to a thread down the cliff. The famous pictures of Meghalaya's waterfalls at full roar are taken between June and September. If those are the photos that made you want to come, December will let you down. You should hear that before you book, not at the viewpoint.

The valleys also fade from green to brown through the dry months. The land is still dramatic. It just isn't the emerald version.

Christmas and New Year

Meghalaya is majority Christian, and Christmas is the biggest week of the year here. Shillong lights up, the churches fill, and it's a warm time to be in the town.

It's also the busiest stretch of the whole season. Prices for stays and cars go up, and the properties with views in Sohra and Shillong sell out.

The rule we work to: for travel between 20 December and 2 January, book 8 to 12 weeks ahead. That means deciding in October. Leave it to late November and you'll still find a bed, but not the one with the view.

Adding Nagaland's Hornbill Festival

The Hornbill Festival runs in Kohima from 1 to 10 December, and a lot of travellers try to pair it with Meghalaya. It works if you give it proper time. Kohima is a long day's travel from Shillong, and Nagaland needs an Inner Line Permit for Indian visitors from outside the state. Read permits for the Northeast before you plan it.

What to pack

The state's own winter list is thermals, a jacket, gloves and socks, and it's right. Add three things:

• A serious warm layer for the pre-dawn Nongjrong run. It's the coldest hour of the whole trip.
• Shoes with real grip for Nongriat. The steps are dry in December, but they're still stone.
• Sunscreen. Clear winter sky at 1,500 metres burns faster than people expect.

A December route that works

Lean into what the month does well. A week built on Shillong, two nights in Sohra for Nongriat, an early morning on the Umngot at Dawki or Shnongpdeng, and a pre-dawn run to Nongjrong shows December at its best. With eight days or more, add Kaziranga at the start or end.

Our Jaintia Hills route is built around Nongjrong and Krang Suri, and the itinerary guide has day-by-day plans. For how December compares with the rest of the year, see the best time to visit Meghalaya.