Visit Cherrapunji - The Home of Clouds

Cherrapunji is a little town in Meghalaya known for its heavy rainfall. Cherrapunji has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the North East India, for many reasons.

The hills come alive with waterfalls during the monsoon season in Cherrapunji. As you take a ride towards this magical land, you feel an overwhelming sense of taking a walk in the clouds. Anyone who's interested in trekking to the living root bridges, taking a dip beneath the waterfalls or explore natural caves must visit Cherrapunji.

Located in the abode of clouds i.e. state of Meghalaya, Cherrapunjee sits atop an elevation of 1,484 meters above sea level. Cherrapunjee was famous for its annual rainfall and was known as the wettest place on earth before the title was taken away by Mawsynram which is located at a short distance of 80 kilometers from Cherrapunjee. Recently the town has been renamed to its historic name Sohra which was changed to Cherrapunjee by the British during the 18th century. The town is known for its heavy annual rainfall which has held the record for the highest rainfall several times in the past and currently holds the record for the highest rainfall in a calendar year.

he terrain around Cherrapunjee is mostly covered with xerophytic vegetation owing to the washout of the top soil caused by the heavy rains and ironically faces winter droughts despite of the heavy rainfall. The valleys around Cherrapunjee are covered with the subtropical forests.

Climatic Conditions
Known to be amongst the wettest places on earth Cherrapunjee and the surrounding areas exhibit a subtropical highland climate and receive rains from the Northeast and the Southwest monsoons in a single extended monsoon season. The annual mean temperature is 17 degrees Celsius and hardly exceeds 30 degrees in the months of May and June which are considered as summer months throughout India. Rainfalls start from late March and last till mid-November which hardly allows the temperatures to rise. The winter months start from November and last till late-February with a dry cold montane winter with temperatures that can go as low as 3-4 degrees Celsius.

Best Time to Visit
With annual rainfall exceeding 400 inches, Cherrapunjee is best visited during the drier seasons starting from November till March. The temperatures during these months range between 11 – 5 degrees Celsius with a cool dry montane weather.

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