Solo Travel in Meghalaya: What It's Like, What It Costs, How to Plan It

Meghalaya works well for solo travellers, and what makes it harder than somewhere like Himachal is transport, not safety. The sights sit along roads with no buses between them, and a private car costs the same whether one person is in it or four. Solve the car and the rest is straightforward.

What it's like on your own

English is the state's official language and widely spoken, which makes a hundred small things easier than elsewhere in the Northeast. Shillong has cafes and a live music scene that are comfortable to sit in alone in the evening, with a book or without.

Khasi, Jaintia and Garo society is also matrilineal. Lineage, property and the family name pass through the mother, and women run a large share of the shops, markets and homestays. For a lot of women travelling alone, that changes how the whole place feels.

What it isn't is a backpacker circuit, with a hostel in every town and a bus to every sight. Outside Shillong you're relying on drivers, homestays and some planning.

The transport problem, and three ways round it

A private car is the easiest way to see Meghalaya and the most expensive way to do it alone. You have three realistic options.

Join a small group

A group departure splits the vehicle, the driver and the guide between everyone. It's the cheapest way to cover the full circuit without planning any of it. The price is the schedule: you move when the group moves.

Shared Sumos between towns, local taxis for the sights

Shared Sumos and buses link Guwahati, Shillong, Sohra and Jowai for very little. From each town, hire a local taxi for that day's sights. It takes more organising and more time, and the saving shrinks once you add up the day taxis, but it suits slow travellers with no fixed dates.

A private car, with fewer bases

If you want the freedom of your own car, keep the trip to two or three bases so the driver isn't racing between towns every day. Our solo women's route does exactly that: two bases in six days, Shillong and Sohra, and one named driver for the whole trip whose details you get before you land.

What a solo trip costs

More per head than any other way of travelling here, because the biggest cost, the car, doesn't split.

A group tour is the cheapest complete option. Our group departures start at 22,000 rupees a head for six days on twin sharing, and a single room adds a supplement on top. Going solo in a private car costs noticeably more. Shared transport between towns is cheapest of all, if you have the time and don't mind arranging day taxis yourself. Meghalaya trip cost explains what drives the number.

Staying safe on your own

• Finish long drives in daylight. In winter the sun is down by about 4:30pm.
• Get your driver's name and number before you arrive, and send it to someone at home.
• Do Nongriat with a guide, and never alone in monsoon.
• Carry cash. ATMs outside Shillong are unreliable.
• Expect no signal in the valleys, and tell someone your plan for the day.

There's more detail in is Meghalaya safe.

Where solo travellers tend to go

Most solo trips follow the main circuit: Shillong, then Sohra for Nohkalikai and the root bridges, then Dawki and Mawlynnong. With a week or more, the quieter additions are worth the time. Stay a night at Shnongpdeng on the river instead of day-tripping it, and head east to the Jaintia Hills for Nongjrong at dawn and the pool at Krang Suri.

Meghalaya rewards going slowly more than most places. Seven to ten days across three bases lets you actually sit somewhere, which the standard five-day rush never allows.

Adding Nagaland

Many solo travellers combine Meghalaya with Nagaland, usually for the Hornbill Festival in Kohima (1 to 10 December) or the Dzukou Valley trek. Both need a Nagaland Inner Line Permit for Indian visitors from outside the state. Give it real time: Kohima is a long day's travel from Shillong. The permits guide covers what you need.

If you'd rather not be entirely alone

Our solo women's route has an optional small group: you travel alongside a few other women, but nobody is pushed into group plans. We use women-run homestays wherever they exist.

If you're planning alone and want a second opinion on your route, send it to us. We'll tell you where it's overpacked.