Trip to Wei-Saw-Dong Waterfall In Cherrapunjee: Most Scenic Waterfall In Meghalaya

Meghalaya is known as “Adobe of Clouds,” and there is no doubt in its nomenclature. If you have ever visited Meghalaya, you will see the name stands accurately as clouds cover the state in its length and breadth. When I was traveling in Meghalaya during my ride to North-East India, I encountered the same. Every day in the mornings and evenings, the roads, valley, and peaks used to get covered under the dense fog, making them invisible. Apart from the clouds, the state is also famous for rainfall, and some of the wettest places in the world lie in Meghalaya. Not only rainfall but the state is home to nine longest caves in India and these reasons make Meghalaya an ideal place for the tourist destination. The abundance of rain and rocky topography is ideal for one natural thing to exist, i.e., Waterfalls and Meghalaya has plenty of beautiful waterfalls. During my trip to Meghalaya, I visited some of the famous waterfalls of Meghalaya and India. It included Dainthlen falls, Nohkalikai Falls, Seven Sisters Falls, Elephant Falls, Rainbow Waterfall, and Kynrem Falls. In this post, I will be describing one waterfall which I found most beautiful among all the waterfalls present in Meghalaya. I am talking about the Wei-Saw-Dong Waterfall of Meghalaya. In my short history of traveling, I have visited some of the beautiful and prominent waterfalls of India like Jog Falls in Karnakata and Birthi Waterfall in Uttrakhand, but the beauty of Wei-Saw-Dong Waterfalls is in a different league. The Wei-Saw-Dong waterfall is a three-tiered waterfall with water falling from one tier, filling up the pool below it and then doing the same for the next level. It looked like someone is controlling the flow of water, making it perfect, neither less not turbulent just enough to maintain balance. When I saw the Wei-Saw-Dong Waterfall for the first time, I couldn’t believe it, and I exclaimed: “It doesn’t look like the waterfall exists in India.” It doesn’t exist in India; this is the most commonly used sentence when we describe something exceptional and trust me Wei-Saw-Dong fits into this description. In this article, I will be sharing my encounter with the Wei-Saw-Dong Waterfall, how to reach the Wei-Saw-Dong Waterfall, and other travel tips necessary to view nature’s masterpiece.

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Wei-Saw-Dong Waterfall. The state of Meghalaya is one of the wettest place in the world and with Garo, Jaintia and Khasi Hills running throughout the state makes it the best place for natural waterfalls. The state of Meghalaya has numerous waterfalls including the highest waterfall in India but the beauty of Wei-Saw-Dong is beyond comparison. The waterfall is accessible after a 15 minute trek from the road. Date of Picture: 30th September 2018 Place: Cherrapunji Camera: Nikon D 5300 #northeast #northeastindia #meghalaya #cherrapunji #sohra #travelnortheast #guwahati #shillong #himalayas #waterfall #waterfalls #waterfallsofinstagram #jaintiahills #khasihills #nikon #travelphotography #incredibleindia #indiantourism #meghalayatourism #instaphoto #bikeride #royalenfield #sevensisters #wettestspotonearth

A post shared by Knowledge Of India (@knowledgeofindia) on Dec 14, 2018 at 10:11pm PST

Where Is Wei-Saw-Dong Waterfall Situated

Also Read: Travel Guide To Vantawng Waterfall and Tuirihiau Waterfall In Mizoram

Wei-Saw-Dong Waterfall is situated in the East Khasi Hills district in the Indian state of Meghalaya. The waterfall lies close to the town of Cherrapunjee, also known as Sohra locally. The waterfall lies 12 kilometers from the city of Cherrapunjee and 60 kilometers from the state capital Shillong.

How To Reach Wei-Saw-Dong Waterfall

The Wei-Saw-Dong Waterfall is easily accessible via road, and it takes hardly 15 minutes from the town of Cherrapunjee to reach the parking point of Wei-Saw-Dong Waterfall. You have to take the road going towards Dainthlen falls, cross the Waterfall and ride for another 2-4 kilometers to reach the location from where one has to trek to reach the base of Waterfall. The road is in good condition and hardly takes time to reach Wei-Saw-Dong Waterfall. In fact, for any tourist visiting Meghalaya, especially for the first time, Wei-Saw-Dong Waterfall should be his/her first thing to see in Cherrapunjee. Visiting Wei-Saw-Dong falls will raise your expectations and fill you with enthusiasm to explore the state/town more seriously.

Fees To See Wei-Saw-Dong Waterfall

Also Read: Bike Ride On Lumding-Haflong Highway: The Best Highway In North-East India

Out of all the famous waterfalls in Meghalaya, Wei-Saw-Dong is relatively less famous (don’t know the exact reason but might be due to rough terrain). While I was making my itinerary for the list of waterfalls to see in Meghalaya, I never heard its name, nor the Meghalaya State Tourism Website mentions it. I got to know about the waterfall from locals, and they insisted it is a must-see place in Sohra and they were 100% right. Since the waterfall was less visited in the past, it lacks the necessary infrastructure in terms of parking space and shops, and I saw a local boy collecting an entry fee of 15 rupees per person. He was sitting in a makeshift hut erected just for collecting the entry fees. I am assuming this is the only fee one has to pay to see the Wei-Saw-Dong Waterfall.

How to Reach the Wei-Saw-Dong Waterfall

Once you have reached the Entry point of Wei-Saw-Dong Waterfall, you have to trek down for 15 minutes to see the first glimpse of the waterfall. Khasi people have made a trek route amid dense jungle and marked a “Wei-Saw-Dong Waterfall View Point.” From the viewpoint, you can see the waterfall in its full length with water falling in the three tiers. To see the waterfall more closely, you have to trek further down on bamboo shafts tied with rope. It looked like the whole path is paved by locals as they utilized nature’s gift in the best possible way. A five minutes further trek will lead you to the base of the waterfall, and from there you will get a good idea of the waterfall height and the flow of the waterfall.

My Visit To Wei-Saw-Dong Waterfall

As mentioned above, I was not aware of the Wei-Saw-Dong Waterfall, and I only got to know about it from the local people. When I heard I had to trek to see the waterfall, I was a bit hesitant to go there as I didn’t want to opt for any trek in a solo ride. When they informed me that the trek is only 15 minutes, I thought of giving it a try and thus rode to the point where a vehicle can go. After parking my bike and paying the entry fees, I started my trek to the Wei-Saw-Dong Waterfall. In the initial five minutes, I was walking down the jungle, and I clicked one or two photos. As soon as I reached the Wei-Saw-Dong viewpoint, I was astonished by its beauty. I trekked up and then again started trekking down to shoot a better video of the waterfall with GoPro.

After shooting a short video from the viewpoint, I moved further down towards the waterfall. From the viewpoint, there is no direct trail to reach the base of the Wei-Saw-Dong waterfall, and therefore the locals have created a path on bamboo. It took five more minutes, and finally, I reached the bottom of the waterfall. Two girls from Guwahati also came to see the waterfall with their four dogs, and I was surprised how they managed to bring their dogs down. After looking at the dogs, it looked like they were enjoying the waterfall more than the humans. Initially, I thought of taking a dip in the greenish water of the waterfall but dropped my plan due to two reasons. One, my swimming is not so great, and second I was not sure of the depth of the water. I didn’t want my trip to end on its first sightseeing and hence dropped the plan. While I was taking photos and enjoying the waterfall, I saw local Khasi people came for fishing in the waterfall. I joined them for ten minutes, and they caught everything apart from fish. Being a vegetarian, it was not a pleasant thing for me to see, but as I was on my journey to North-East India, I thought I should get myself accustomed to this. I stayed near the waterfall for around 45 minutes and then started hiking up to reach the entrance of the Wei-Saw-Dong Waterfall. I had many more places to cover today and derailing the plan was the last thing in my program.

My Verdict on Wei-Saw-Dong Waterfall

By reading the intro of the article, you will have a fair idea that my review is going to be positive. I will recommend every traveler visiting Mehglaya to visit Wei-Saw-Dong Waterfall without hesitation. The government of Meghalaya should make it mandatory for all the tourist to visit this waterfall. I think Wei-Saw-Dong Waterfall should be mentioned in the Meghalaya Tourism Website and I have already dropped a mail for adding it into the list of the waterfall to see in the state.