Shillong National Park 2
National park; tigers if you are very, very lucky.
Shillong National Park 2 is a cramped patch of evergreen bracken on the outskirts of Shillong that most travellers gloss over in favour of Umiam Lake, but if you have a half‑day and a penchant for damp, moss‑slick trails it can be worth the detour. The park opens at 9 am; arrive early, park your rickety motorbike at the gate opposite the Shillong Hospital and walk the 2 km loop that snakes past the Khasi‑tribe‑named Laitlum‑pukri ridge before the heat of the day drives the ever‑present cloud‑burst down the slopes. October to March is the only window when the foliage is bright enough to spot the occasional feathery pheasant, and when you might, with a pinch of luck and a kilometre of quiet, glimpse a tiger prowling the low‑lying grassland – a rarity more in the realm of anecdote than expectation. Skip the over‑touristed viewpoint at the western edge; it’s crowded, the signage is in Hindi, and the view is no better than the one you’ll get from the unmarked clearing near the old tea‑plantation bungalow, which also gives you a decent spot for a portable tea break. Stay the night in a modest guesthouse on Laitlum Road; the air cools to a pleasant bite after sunset, and the chorus of cicadas makes up for the lack of any genuine wildlife sightings.
- Go early; crowds peak by 11am
- Local guides charge ₹500 — worth it for the stories