This 6-day Northeast tour package is a private-car circuit from Guwahati to Shillong, Cherrapunji and Kaziranga National Park and back, with one chauffeur throughout. The car is charged per kilometre with a 250 km daily minimum; at roughly 850 km, this trip bills 1,500 km. Hotels and safaris are quoted separately by our travel desk.
Two landscapes in six days
Few circuits in India change scenery as completely in a week. The first half is Meghalaya: the rolling Khasi hills around Shillong, then the high Sohra plateau, where some of the heaviest rainfall on earth has carved waterfalls, caves and gorges, and villagers have trained fig roots into bridges. The second half drops to Assam's Brahmaputra floodplain and Kaziranga, whose tall grass shelters the largest population of greater one-horned rhinoceros anywhere.
The six-day length gives two nights on the plateau and two at the park, which is the minimum that does both justice. It suits couples, families with school-age children and small groups of friends who are comfortable with one long driving day. If you want a slower pace, a riverside night at Dawki and a second full day at Kaziranga, the 7-day Northeast package adds exactly that. Keen trekkers who plan to walk down to Nongriat should consider the longer version too, because the descent eats most of a day.
Paperwork: short and simple
Neither Assam nor Meghalaya falls under the Inner Line Permit system, so Indian citizens need only photo ID for this route. That permit regime applies to Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur, none of which this package enters. Foreign visitors travel on their passport and visa without a special permit for these two states; hotels register guests at check-in as they do everywhere in India.
Kaziranga safari bookings ask for the name and ID of each passenger, and foreign nationals pay a different entry and camera fee from Indian visitors. The lodge or the travel desk collects these details in advance. If you later want to extend to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, an Inner Line Permit becomes necessary for Indians and a Protected Area Permit for foreigners; see our Tawang road guide for what that trip involves.
Plateau roads and the long valley run
Driving here is easier than many people expect. The Guwahati to Shillong highway is a wide four-lane road through Jorabat, Nongpoh and past Umiam lake, and the only slow part is Shillong itself, where Police Bazar and the one-way loops jam at school and office hours. The Shillong to Sohra road is two lanes across the plateau, with cloud rolling in fast from the south; your chauffeur slows right down in fog, which can arrive within minutes.
Day four is the long one: about 290 km and seven hours. The route runs back down the Guwahati highway to Jorabat, then turns east through Nagaon towards the park. Near Kaziranga the highway runs along the southern edge of the reserve, and speed limits there are enforced strictly because rhino, deer and elephant cross, especially when the park floods. Food stops are easy along this corridor. Leaving Sohra by 08:00 gets you to the lodge before dark.
Distances in Meghalaya look short on the map, but hill roads, villages and market days slow averages to 35 or 40 km/h. The chauffeur plans each day around daylight, since plateau roads have few lights and much traffic walks along the verge after dusk.
Root bridges: pick your version
The living root bridges of the Khasi hills are grown, not built: villagers guide the aerial roots of rubber fig trees across streams until, over decades, they thicken into walkways strong enough for dozens of people.
- The Nongriat double-decker: the famous two-tier bridge sits deep in a valley below Tyrna, reached by several thousand steep concrete steps. The round trip takes most of a day and it is genuinely hard on knees; do it only if you are fit and the weather is dry. Guides are available at the trailhead.
- The Riwai bridge near Mawlynnong: a single-span bridge reached by a short path from the road, easy for children and older travellers. Combine it with Mawlynnong, a neat village with a bamboo sky-walk, and the startlingly clear Umngot river at Dawki on the Bangladesh border.
The plan gives day three to one or the other; tell the travel desk which when you book, because it changes the kilometres driven that day. Our Cherrapunji road guide covers the plateau sights in more detail.
Kaziranga: safaris, ranges and opening months
Kaziranga opens to visitors for the dry season, roughly November to April, and closes through the monsoon when the Brahmaputra floods much of the grassland; the forest department announces exact dates each year. The park is divided into ranges, each with its own gate: Central at Kohora, Western at Bagori, Eastern at Agaratoli, and Burapahar further west. Jeep safaris run in the morning and afternoon in licensed vehicles, and elephant rides are offered at some ranges in the early morning when available.
Your own car takes you to the gate and waits; private vehicles do not drive inside the park. Safari slots, jeep hire and entry fees are quoted by the travel desk and paid separately from the car. Wikipedia's Kaziranga National Park page gives the background on its wildlife and its status as a World Heritage Site, and our Kaziranga road guide covers the drive.
Choosing the car
For two travellers, a sedan at Rs 72/km handles the good highways well. For a family of four with luggage, an Ertiga at Rs 84/km or, better on the long transfer day, the Innova Crysta at Rs 114/km, whose seats and suspension make seven hours noticeably easier. Groups of eight to sixteen fit a Tempo Traveller at Rs 156/km; see the 12-seater Tempo Traveller on rent or browse the fleet.
The fare table above is computed the same way for every class. Actual driving is about 850 km, but the minimum is 250 km for each of six days, so billing uses 1,500 km. Driver night allowance of Rs 3,000 per night, tolls, state entry charges and parking at cost, and 5% GST are added on top. All cars are within four model years.
Where you will sleep
- Shillong, one night: hotels around Police Bazar are central but noisy; Laitumkhrah and the quieter residential roads suit families.
- Cherrapunji, two nights: resorts and guesthouses along the plateau edge, several with valley views towards Bangladesh, plus simple village homestays nearer the root bridges.
- Kaziranga, two nights: lodges and resorts cluster along the highway near Kohora, handy for the Central range, with a few near Bagori for the Western range.
When to travel, and what else is happening
November to April is the window, because Kaziranga is open and the Meghalaya roads are dry. December and January bring cool, clear days and occasional fog on the plateau; March and April warm up, with the first pre-monsoon storms. From May to October Cherrapunji's falls are at their most dramatic, but the park is shut, so the package is not offered in full then. Shillong's cherry blossom season in November draws visitors, Rongali Bihu in mid-April fills Assam's towns with music and dance, and the Ambubachi Mela in June closes Kamakhya temple to worshippers for several days. Meghalaya Tourism lists current events.
How to book
Reserve the car for all six days through the online booker and pay by card or UPI; a GST invoice follows automatically. For an all-inclusive quote covering rooms, safaris and the Nongriat guide, write to the travel desk. Cancellation is free until 72 hours before pickup, 10% within 72 hours, 50% within 48 hours and 100% within 24 hours or for a no-show, as detailed on the cancellation policy page. Comparing other circuits? See all tour packages and read Shillong by road.
