Caves
can be dark and frightening, but they can be a lot of fun too. Exploring
them provides a sense of excitement you can not relish unless you
are picking your way through their dark, murky interiors. The numerous
natural caves all over Meghalaya are a special attraction for tourists.
A few of them are even the longest you can find in the Indian Sub-continent
.You find them in the East Khasi Hills, Jaintia Hills and the South
Garo Hills. And you really don't have to go searching for them either
- Meghalaya State Tourism offers a packaged tour exclusively for
the caves. Take it up, and give vent to the explorer in you.
In Khasi Hills In Jaintia Hills In Garo Hills Package Tours
Caves
in Khasi Hills
KREM
MAWMLUH : The cave is situated approximately half a kilometre
west of Cherrapunji adjacent to the small hamlet of Mawmluh. This
cave interestingly has a five river passage with impressive proportions.
With a length of 4503m; it is currently the 4th longest in the Indian
sub continent.
KREM
PHYLLUT : Situated in village Mawsmai, south of Cherrapunji.
The cave has a large section of fossil passage, two stream ways
and three entrances. Length - 1003m.
KREM
SOH SHYMPI (Mawlong, East Khasi Hills) : It has a large pothole
entrance of 20m deep. The cave passage is very large with numerous
formations at one end. Length - 760m.
MAWSYNRAM
: Located at a distance of 58 kms from Shillong.
KREM
DAM : It is the largest sandstone cave in the Indian sub-continent.
It has a very large entrance with a stream entering the cave and
running down its main passage. Length -1297m.
Caves
in Jaintia Hills
Jowai a picturesque town situated on the Shillong - Silchar
national highway is circled by the Myntdu river. In the vicinity
of Jowai are numerous thrilling caves & caverns used as hideouts
during war time between Jaintia Kings and foreign intruders. The
villages of Amlarem, Pdengshakap, Syndai and Nongtalang are dotted
with such caves and caverns.
THE
CAVE OF EOCENE AGE - KREM UM-LAWAN : A beautiful cave of the
Eocene Age with an upper fossil passage and a lower active passage.
It has numerous cataracts and waterfalls. It is presently the longest
(6381m) and deepest (106.8m) cave in the Indian sub-continent.
KREM
KOTSATI : This cave has 8 entrances with the main entrance through
a deep pool. Portions of the beautiful river passage have to be
traverse by swimming or by using inflatable rubber boat. Length:
3650m.
KREM
UMSHANGKTAT : The entrance passage of 350 metres offers a comfortable
stroll on moist sand. The last stretch requires a mild climb across
fallen limestone blocks and debris to reach the collapse doline
of the upper entrance. By the collapse there is a belly crawl passage
which eventually terminates in a sizeable chamber. Length: 955m.
KREM
LASHINNG (Pdengshakap, 37 kms from Jowai): A massive cave measuring
50m wide and 40m high.) Due to the huge amount of sticky and slippery
mud in the cave, the best period to visit would be Feb/March. Length:
2650m.
KREM
SWEEP (Syndai) 47 kms from Jowai : The cave is situated just
a few minutes walk from behind the village school in a depression.
It has beautiful stalactites and stalagmites. Length: 970m.
Caves
in Garo Hill
Garo hills known for its abundance of wild life, should interest
naturalist and photographers to capture the facts of life of animals
and the flora and fauna. Two mountain ranges- the Arabella range
and the Tura range, passage through the Garo Hills, forming the
great Balpakram Valley in between. The headquarter town of Tura
is 323 kms via Guwahati, at an altitude of 657 metres. The highest
point is Nokrek Peak, 1.412 metres.
Tura has a picturesque landscape of hills against a backdrop of
low lying plains, with the mighty river Brahmaputra making sweeping
curves as it flows towards Bangladesh. A sunset view can be best
seen from Tura peak-1,400 metre, its summit can be reached by a
five kilometres trek, party by hiking and also rock climbing.
SIJU-DOBKHAKOL : The third longest cave in the Indian sub-continent,
it is situated on the bank of the Simsang river just below the village
of Siju. It contains some of the finest river passage to be found
anywhere in the world. It is the most researched cave in India and
is the home of tens of thousands of bats.
Length: 4772m.
TETENGKOL-BALWAKOL
(Cave of dwarfs with inverted feet): At Nengkhong village, 15
kms from Siju. The small and insignificant circular entrance of
1 metre diameter hides a large cave of 5334m long, which is currently
the 2nd longest cave in the Indian sub-continent.
DOBHAKOL
CHIBE NALA (Nengkhong): The cave is situated a few hundred metres
downstream from Tetengkol-Balwakol on the river Chibe Nala. It is
well hidden by a large rock. Length: 1978m.
BOK
BAK DOBHAKOL (Nengkhong, Rongdik Nala): A rather complex cave
which would seem to be an intermittently active river sink. During
wet weather the cave floods to the roof. Length: 1051m.
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