Dawki River expectation vs reality | Shnongpdeng | Umngot River | Is Dawki overrated | Meghalaya

Описание: What are Dawki river expectation vs reality | Is Dawki Worth Visiting? | Is Dawki overrated? Well, I did boating in Umngot River and explored Shnongpdeng and I didn’t enjoy it despite the beauty. Here is why:

The Dawki River was one of those places where my expectations and reality collided hard. I had imagined silence, mist, and slow boats gliding over crystal-clear water—and to be fair, the river itself was exactly that. Boating on Dawki felt surreal. The water was so transparent it looked like the boat was floating in air, and for a few moments, everything felt magical.

But that calm was constantly broken by unruly crowds, blaring DJ music, shouting tourists, and people treating the river more like a picnic party zone than a fragile natural wonder. The overtourism was overwhelming. Litter, chaos, and zero respect for nature really took away from the experience.
I loved the river, but I hated what tourism has turned parts of Dawki into. If you plan to visit, avoid weekends at all costs. Go early on a weekday if you want to actually feel Dawki’s beauty—otherwise, the noise and crowd can ruin what should have been a peaceful escape.

Here is the timeline of what happened with me
I drop my plan to visit Cherrapunji and Shillong because I am already frustrated with Meghalaya.
I head to Shillong from Cherrapunji and from Shillong I travel to Dawki
*I decided to stay near the gorgeous Umngot River in a tent overnight.
It turned dark by 5 and I had nothing to do there after. Even my phone network was not working. No time pass. I tried to make use of time by walking for 2-3 hours with aching thighs (I had just done 3000 steep steps at Nongriat root bridges)
I just realised its 26th January long weekend. A huge noisy group from Kolkata were in the same camp.
*I tried to sleep in my tiny tent 🎪. In North East India I can easily sleep by 9pm and wake up at 5am. I could not sleep that night. Drunk men falling on my tent while I was half asleep, kids crying, people from Kolkata singing loudly and obnoxiously. It was hell. A beautiful place but hell.
The next morning the same Kolkata people were hoisting Bangladesh 🇧🇩 flag (what?) at the Shnongpdeng camping side (In India). An elderly man scolded them and snatched the flag. (What do you think this means?) I rubbed my hand in glee and did a small victory dance.✌️
*I was told that it's 26th January and then Sunday the next day (27th). Till 28th there are no shared taxis till Shillong. I was horrified. I didn't want to spend more time at Dawki. A huge crowd started coming (more crying babies, tiffin boxes, people decked up and roaming in packs) as I planned to leave.
I waited for a long time. There was no cab from Shnongpdeng to Dawki.
I walked with 15kg bags. It was 10 kilometer long walk under sun. Took me 2 hours. I asked for lift. People didn't give. Someone did offer me a ride but it was overpriced. People in Meghalaya are too good when it comes to take advantage of your situation. Like a pro.
I arrived at Dawki to see that there were no shared taxi to Shillong.
*My flight was on next day. I decided to stay in Dawki. The cheapest hotel was Rs. 800. Still better as people told me cheapest room in Dawki is Rs. 3000. No end to lies in Meghalaya.
*I boarded the first shared Sumo on the morning of 27th January. Yes there were shared cabs available on Sunday. Don't trust people of Meghalaya with anything. Do your homework. And he charged locals Rs. 120 and charged me Rs. 200 because I look like Leonardo D Caprio.
I arrived at Shillong and left immediately because the best thing to do in Shillong is watch Bollywood movies and eat momos.
I had a relaxed day in Guwahati. I just wanted to leave Meghalaya asap and found my peace in #AwesomeAssam. Though Guwahati has so many exciting things to do but I wanted to take it slow. I watched two movies back to back.
*My amazing 3 months long trip to North East India came to a frustrating end. But it's ok.. Travel is not always lalalalala and tururururu. My visit to Dawki/Shnongpdeng was more of a 'How to escape from Meghalaya?'

My Dawki Blog: https://asoulwindow.com/dawki-river/

Click #Asoulwindow for more

Blogs: Google Asoulwindow.com

Watch other Vlogs in Meghalaya Playlist
   • Garos Tribe perform Wangala dance from Nok...  

Contact for collaboration: [email protected]

► Follow on Instagram:   / asoulwindow  
► Follow on Whatsapp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va5u...
► Like on Facebook:   / asoulwindowtravelblog  
► Follow on X/Twitter:   / asoulwindow  
► Follow on Blog: https://asoulwindow.com/
► Threads: https://www.threads.net/@asoulwindow
► LinkedIn: @Asoulwindow
► Pinterest:   / asoulwindow  

#dawki #dawkiriver #shnongpdeng #jaintiahills #meghalaya #meghalayavlogger #meghalayatour #meghalayatourism #meghalayatravel #umngot #umngotriver