Have you ever visited a place and felt that you have come to a fairyland? A place that you had imagined while reading bedtime stories during your childhood? That is what we felt about Langkawet, a small village in Meghalaya. After our crazy trip to Cherrapunjee and completing the knee-breaking Nongriat Trek and Mawryngkhang Trek, we wanted a day to simply relax. We had initially thought that we would spend the day lazing around Cherrapunjee. But our host, Batista suggested that we should visit Langkawet. Believe me, we are so happy that we did not use our already fried brains and took his advice instead. It turned out to be the best!
That Meghalaya is an extremely beautiful state I keep iterating every now and then. Also, it is one of our favorite destinations. Every time we visit Meghalaya, we discover a new place that turns out to be as beautiful as the last one. Langkawet is truly gorgeous. I completely fell in love with the place, and fell hard. I do not know why I loved the place so much. It might be because a church there reminded me of the fairytale castles. It could have also been the fact that there was so much green everywhere that it soothed my eyes and soul. Or it might be because I saw one of the best sunset skies at Langkawet. In short, both Agni and I were extremely happy to be at this offbeat place in Meghalaya.
Where is Langkawet located?
Langkawet is located in Pynursla block in East Khasi Hill district of Meghalaya. From Shillong, Langkawet is about 60 km and is only 9 km from Pynursla, the nearest town. The beautiful village has about 48 houses and a total population of 229 people. You can include Langkawet in your Meghalaya itinerary on your return from Cherrapunjee to Shillong like we did.
Our Langkawet Experience
As I mentioned earlier, we came to Langkawet after our Cherrapunjee visit. This time, our Meghalaya trip was quite an active one. Unlike our last bike trip to Meghalaya, this time a lot of hiking and walking was involved. After a day in Cherrapunjee, we went for trekking to Nongriat and the Rainbow falls. We returned to Cherrapunjee the next day and visited the Wei Sawdong waterfall. That also involved a bit of hiking down. We walked a lot in Cherrapunjee that day and right on the next day, we went to the Mawryngkhang Bamboo Trail. This is another place in Meghalaya that blew away our mind. I am dying to tell the world about this place as well. Anyways, this one also involved trekking. After all these physical activities, our legs were almost like jelly and we walked with wobbly knees. We just wanted to relax and enjoy the beauty of the landscape.
On the advice of our host, we visited Langkawet instead of returning to Cherrapunjee after the Mawryngkhang Trek. A car was arranged for us and we left the limits of Cherrapunjee and continued our journey towards Pynursla. The scenery outside was pleasing to the eyes. Green mountains, a few waterfalls at a distance could be seen. Those who have visited Cherrapunjee might know what I am talking about. While the landscape form changed a bit, the beauty of the scenery was amazing. The hilly roads now gave way to plains and instead of the mountains, we could see the green fields. The cool breeze was caressing my face and gently talking away all my tiredness.
These are places where you do not put the AC on in the car. In these places, you simply put down the window, put your face out and enjoy the fresh and pure air that is so difficult to get in the cities. You do not even get this in Shillong. Soon it was the time for the sun to go down. The sky was all red, orange and pink. It was during this time we arrived at Langkawet.
As we took the road towards Langkawet from Pynursla, we saw a church at a distance. The church was set amidst the fields against the backdrop of a very colorful sky. It was blue, red, pink, orange and golden yellow. I had seen such colorful sky during sunset during our Kudremukh trek. Very soon, we reached the resort where we were supposed to stay for the night.
The place was a pleasant surprise for us. The place had a white colored wooden fence surrounding the area. There is a small office and the dining room and behind that, there is a small lake. An iron suspension bridge connected to the other side where we could see 3 sets of cottages in a distance. We were told that the cottages are our home for the night. So basically, we had to cross the bridge, walk on the concrete path for some time before we reached our “home”. The cottages were secluded from the rest of the world.
I felt so glad on seeing the cottages. Seclusion and nature were all that we needed at that time. I literally skipped and jumped to our cottage. That evening, we did not venture out and sat at the verandah looking at the lights and listening to the sounds of the insects and of course talking incessant gibberish with each other.
We woke up the next morning all fresh and rejuvenated. After breakfast, we went out to explore the village. Langkawet was beautiful, clean and extremely peaceful. We saw very few people on the roads. We walked around the resort complex, sat by the lake and walked around the village. It was a lazy morning.
We were supposed to leave Langkawet by noon for our onward journey to Shillong and then to Guwahati. We got a car from Langkawet that dropped us to Pynursla from where we got a shared jeep to Shillong. Our car driver was an interesting old person. He was quite happy that we had visited his village. He wanted to take us around when he heard that we had visited Nongriat. Apparently, there are a number of villages around Pynursla that has living root villages. The old man along with a few others are trying to preserve those root bridges. Unfortunately, we had our return train tickets that night from Guwahati and had to return. But before that, driver uncle extracted a promise from us that we would visit Langkawet again and explore the villages with him. We meet so many different people on the road and a few of them leaves an impression on us. He was definitely one of them.
Well, that was our experience in Langkawet. Now let us answer some important questions for you.
Langkawet Travel Guide
How to reach?
Pynursla is the nearest town to Langkawet. You can come to Pynursla either from Shillong or Cherrapunjee. From Shillong, Pynursla is about 50 km and Langkawet is another 8 km from there. You will get shared sumos from Shillong to Pynursla. The Sumo stand at Bada Bazar is the place where you should look for shared sumos to Pynursla. Bus services are also available from Shillong to Pynursla. But I am not aware of the timings. You can always hire a cab for your transfers.
There are only a few shared jeeps from Cherrapunjee to Pynursla. I think they leave at a fixed time which I am not aware of. If you are coming from Cherrapunjee, it is better to go to the sumo stand and do an enquiry. We had hired a car from Cherrapunjee to Langkawet.
From Pynursla, you have to hire a private cab for Langkawet. There is no public transport. The villagers usually walk the 8 km distance. They use a car if there are a number of them going out of the village. A car will take about Rs 400.00-500.00. It is only a 20 minutes’ drive from Pynursla.
Where to stay?
We had stayed at Lakeside Resort Langkawet. It is a beautiful property beside a lake as I have already mentioned. There are no restaurants nearby. So you have to rely on the resort for your meals. There are a lot of items in their menu. But I would suggest you stick to the simple ones. While our dinner was tasty, the cook had used a generous amount of oil. The breakfast was better though. So my suggestion is to avoid the fancy items and go for the simpler ones. Also, you have to order your food beforehand. Please understand that Langkawet is quite remote. Here five-star service cannot be expected.
There is another accommodation option known as the Langkawet Retreat. I have heard that this one is a good place to stay as well.
What are the things to do at Langkawet?
- The best thing that you can do is to relax and enjoy nature at Langkawet. The place is perfect for rest and rejuvenation. Enjoy the rural set up of the area and enjoy the hospitality of your host.
- However, if you are itching for some activities, then there is a waterfall nearby that you can hike to.
- Pynursla has a lot of villages where you can find living root bridges. There is one village that has almost 16 root bridges. So if you want to explore the area, get hold of a good guide and venture out. A lot of trekking will be involved in this endeavor.
- You can also delve into the culture of the local people. In days of yore, the village produced great drummers.
The homestays and resorts in the area are involving the local community in order to help them with sustainable tourism-related opportunities. Village women are involved in cooking and house-keeping jobs at these resorts. A certain amount earned from the tourism activities is used for the development of Langkawet. Hopefully, the place remains as pristine and beautiful as it is now and tourism is used for betterment, not for destroying the place.
A Few More Pictures of Langkawet
Hope you liked the photographs of Langkawet. Please let us know in the comments below.
Pin it for a later read!
Please share some love and keep in touch!
What a beautiful area. I love that you visited someplace that isn’t so touristy. Taking a tour of the villages with people like your driver would be so interesting. They are the living history. I love the picture with the little children at the end. They are so cute.
Thank you Kathleen!
Lovely post Amrita. I have to admit, this is the first article I’ve read about the Indian state of Meghalaya. Langkawet looks truly off the beaten path so I’d love to explore there one day. That sunset is fantastic!
Thank you Freya! Meghalaya is not known to may. But the place is absolutely delightful.
Langkawet looks amazing! I thought the iron suspension bridge was really cool. I like bridges and architecture, so it caught my eye immediately! Good tips on the food, wouldn’t want to order something and not want to eat it. Keep it simple right?
Yes! Langkawet is truly amazing. Thanks Joe.
Loved the photos. I have never heard of Langkawet. It is a beautiful destination. The church does look like one straight out of a fairytale. What beautiful sunsets and you captured them so well.
Thank you Jane!
What a beautiful destination. I can understand from your great photos why the church looks like it has come straight from a book of fairy tales. I have never heard of Langkawet and now I would like to visit. My favourite time of the day is sunset and your photos are amazing.
Thank you Jane. Sunsets are amazing!
Langkawet looks like a wonderful village to visit. I’ve never been to India, so it’s lovely to read about new places I’ve never heard of. Those colorful sunsets are everything, and I really like the peace and remoteness of it all. A must see I think!
Thank you Lisa! Langkawet is so offbeat. Infact we had not heard of this place before we visited.
I’ve been to India three times, but I don’t know this Meghalaya region. I am planning to return to India. The place seems delightful, so peaceful, so charming. So, maybe I will add to my travel plan. I like the idea that homestays and resorts in the Langwet area involve the local community to help them with sustainable tourism-related opportunities. It is excellent that village women are involved in cooking and house-keeping jobs at these resorts.
Thanks Agnes! Meghalaya is an absolute delight. Do visit the place when you are in India.
You definitely got my attention when you said that this place is like a fairyland and I agree with you that it looks really beautiful. The place looks so calm and peaceful. Thank you for sharing this. Would love to visit sometime in the future.
Thanks Clarice! It was a fairyland at least for me!
This looks like a WONDERFUL place to escape from a big city and enjoy nature. I loved the part about you being so happy to be in nature that you skipped all the way to the cottages. I love those feel good moments. What a great post about a little known place!
Thanks Stephanie! Langkawet was truly a magical place.
Langkawet is certainly the place I would like to explore on my own. he nature seems stunning and the village has a very peaceful atmosphere. The only thing is that I have to include it into a more extended trip. Thank you for sharing this awesome place with us.
Totally true! Its a place for self exploration!
Langkawet in Meghalaya is just so beautiful. The scenery is stunning. And you are so right about that sunset. It is magical. I could not take my eyes off that picture where you have the silhouette of the church. I would love to travel here one day and see those root bridges too. Thanks for the inspiration.
Thank you Soumya! I wish we had gone to the root bridges but did not have time. May be next time!
I was not aware of Langkawet in Meghalaya. Good that I read your blog. Honestly, I haven’t traveled much in Meghalaya except a few places. But this place seems like my kind. Secluded and away from chaotic shillong. I must plan a trip for sure. Thanks for the post.
Thank you Parnashree! I am also an admirer of your blog.
Wow, I know I would enjoy a visit to Langkawet because I love off-the-beaten-path destinations and rural settings like this. It’s so authentic and picturesque! And your cottage looks really cozy, too. I especially love how the stars light up the night sky without all the light pollution from the city. In fact, I can almost hear the insects humming at night. Thank you for sharing this unexpected leg of your journey. I’m so glad you went, too!
Thank you Jackie! Langkawet is a true gem. We absolutely loved it.
Meghalaya is known for rains and I always want to visit this beautiful state. But I never knew about Lankawet in this tate. This place looks very peaceful and serene. That pink sunset looks stunning. I would love to visit this place for lazy holidays with full of natural beauty.
Langkawet is just perfect for relaxed holidays. Thanks Yukti!
This looks like a piece of heaven. Your photography is wonderful. Will go there the next chance i get after this lockdown
Thank you Sinjana!
Wow I was supposed to go to arunachal pradesh in April ya the Meghalaya was in list too this place looks so wow.thanks for sharing
Thank you Anish!
i have been to Meghalaya only once and that was for a trek. I did not go to Langkawet but it looks so beautiful. I will surely visit it for my next time. The sunsets look spectacular.
Thank you Raksha! I am sure you will enjoy Langkawet!
Hi , Read your blog about this place . Do you have any contact details to book this riverside resort ?