7 days, 6 nights ยท Shillong, Cherrapunji, Dawki, Kaziranga
Seven-day Northeast tour package: the clear river, the cleanest village and the rhinos
The seventh day buys the far south-eastern corner of Meghalaya, where the plateau falls away to the Bangladesh border. Dawki's Umngot river runs so clear that boats appear to float in air over the riverbed, and Mawlynnong nearby has been called the cleanest village in Asia. It also gives Kaziranga a second full day, which is what turns one safari into a real chance at the park.
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The border country
Dawki, Mawlynnong and the edge of the plateau
The Khasi plateau ends abruptly above the Bangladesh plain, and the country along that edge is the most striking in Meghalaya. At Dawki the Umngot river runs over a bed of pale stone with almost no suspended sediment, and in the dry season the water is so clear that a boat on it photographs as though suspended in mid-air. It is about 85 kilometres from Cherrapunji and the road down is spectacular.
Mawlynnong, a Khasi village nearby, acquired a reputation as the cleanest village in Asia and has built a modest visitor economy around it: bamboo waste baskets on every path, a sky walk up a tree for the view over the plain into Bangladesh, and a living root bridge at Riwai a couple of kilometres away that needs no descent.
The clarity at Dawki is seasonal. From November to about March the water is at its clearest; during and after the monsoon it runs high and brown, and the boats are a different experience entirely. If the photograph is the reason you are going, go in winter, and the desk will say so rather than let you book a June trip on a January image.
The second Kaziranga day
Why one safari is usually not enough
Kaziranga has four ranges and they are not interchangeable.
Central range, Kohora
The most visited and the most reliable for rhino, with open grassland and good vehicle access. Almost every first safari goes here.
Western range, Bagori
Smaller, wetter and often better for birds and buffalo, with a good chance of rhino too. A popular second choice at dawn.
Eastern range, Agoratoli
Quieter and further out, strongest for waterbirds and with the best chance of seeing the park without other vehicles. Needs the extra day to be worth the drive.
The driving
Six legs, with one long transfer
About 950 kilometres across seven days, with the hill sections slow rather than long.
- Guwahati to Shillong — about 100 km, 3 hours South past the Umiam lake into the Khasi hills.
- Shillong to Cherrapunji — about 55 km, 1.5 hours Onto the plateau.
- Cherrapunji to Dawki and Mawlynnong — about 85 km, 3 hours East along the edge of the plateau, dropping towards the border.
- Mawlynnong to Kaziranga — about 330 km, 8 hours The circuit's long transfer: back up through Shillong, down to the plains and east along the Brahmaputra.
- Kaziranga to Guwahati — about 195 km, 4.5 hours West along the river for the flight.
Practicalities
Permits, borders and the things worth knowing
Meghalaya and Assam need no special permits for Indian or foreign nationals, which makes this the most accessible of the northeastern circuits. Other states in the region — Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland in particular — do require permits with real lead times, and the desk will say plainly if an extension you are considering needs one.
Dawki is a functioning international border crossing into Bangladesh, and the area around it is a border zone. Photography of the border infrastructure itself is not appreciated and the boat operators know where the line runs in the river; the sensible course is to follow them rather than improvise.
Mobile coverage in the Khasi hills is patchy and in parts of Kaziranga effectively absent, which matters if you are relying on a phone for anything. The coordinator holds the run sheet and the chauffeur carries a local number that works; the contact page has the desk line for anything that needs escalating while you are out of signal.
Booking
How to book the seven-day circuit
Book the transport direct on the booking page, fare fixed before payment. Safari slots at Kaziranga sell out in season and elephant-back rides have very limited capacity, so both are arranged with the booking rather than on arrival. For hotels, permits and safaris, ask through the contact page. Cancellation is free beyond 72 hours, then 10%, 50% and 100%.
Day by day
The seven-day itinerary, leg by leg
The six-day circuit with the Dawki and Mawlynnong corner added and a second full day at Kaziranga, so two ranges can be covered rather than one.
| Day | Where | What the day covers | On the road |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Guwahati to Shillong | Met at Guwahati and south past Umiam lake into the hills. Ward's Lake and the evening in Shillong. | Guwahati-Shillong ~100 km, 3 hrs |
| Day 2 | Shillong to Cherrapunji | The Don Bosco museum, then onto the plateau for Nohkalikai and Seven Sisters falls and the Mawsmai caves. | Shillong-Cherrapunji ~55 km, 1.5 hrs |
| Day 3 | Cherrapunji | The root bridges — the Nongriat descent for those who want it, or the roadside bridges — and the viewpoints along the plateau edge. | Tyrna ~12 km from Cherrapunji |
| Day 4 | Dawki and Mawlynnong | East to the Umngot river for a boat on the clear water, then Mawlynnong village, the sky walk and the Riwai root bridge. | Cherrapunji-Dawki ~85 km, 3 hrs |
| Day 5 | Mawlynnong to Kaziranga | The long transfer: back up through Shillong, down to the plains and east along the Brahmaputra. | Mawlynnong-Kaziranga ~330 km, 8 hrs; depart 07:00 |
| Day 6 | Kaziranga | A dawn safari in the Central range, then an afternoon jeep in Western range, with the tea estates around the park in between. | Range gates 5-20 km from the lodges |
| Day 7 | Kaziranga to Guwahati | A last dawn safari in Eastern range if the flight allows, then west along the river, with Kamakhya temple before the airport. | Kaziranga-Guwahati ~195 km, 4.5 hrs |
What it costs
The 7-day Northeast circuit: two ways to buy it
Seven charter days at the published rate, for the car rather than per person. Park entry, safari vehicles and guides are forest-department charges billed at cost.
Transport package — firm, published
Every kilometre of the 7-day circuit in a private chauffeured car: the chauffeur, the vehicle, fuel, and the driver's meals and accommodation on the road. Priced at the published charter-day rate × 7 days, the same figure as the rates page.
From $15,750 - $18,900 per car for the whole circuit
On the international card · Luxury SUV · GST extra · tolls, parking and state entry taxes at cost
All-inclusive — stays, meals and entries
The same itinerary with hotels, breakfasts, monument entries and a licensed guide arranged for you. Because we contract stays per departure date and per hotel category, this tier is quoted on request rather than published — we will not print a per-person figure we cannot hold.
Send the dates and the hotel category you want (3-star, 4-star, heritage or palace) through the contact page and the desk returns a written quote, itemised, within one working day.
| Vehicle class | Cars | Per charter day 10 hours / 300 km | 7-day circuit International card, USD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luxury SUV 5 passengers, 4 bags |
Toyota Fortuner, Land Cruiser & Mercedes-Benz GLS | $2,250 - $2,700 | $15,750 - $18,900 |
| Premium MPV 6 passengers, 5 bags |
Toyota Innova Hycross & Kia Carnival | $1,950 - $2,340 | $13,650 - $16,380 |
| Executive sedan 3 passengers, 2 bags |
Mercedes-Benz E-Class & BMW 5 Series | $1,700 - $2,040 | $11,900 - $14,280 |
| Group van 12 passengers, 12 bags |
Force Urbania & Tempo Traveller (executive) | $3,200 - $3,840 | $22,400 - $26,880 |
What the transport package includes
- A private, air-conditioned vehicle of the class you book, held for the whole circuit — the same car from the first pickup to the last drop, never shared and never re-assigned.
- One professional chauffeur for the whole circuit, holding a commercial licence and a state transport badge, police-verified and background-checked, in uniform and speaking English and Hindi.
- Fuel, the chauffeur's own meals and accommodation on every outstation night, and the vehicle's permits, fitness certificate and insurance.
- All airport, railway-station and hotel transfers inside the itinerary, with the flight tracked on the arrival leg and 60 minutes of waiting included after landing.
- A named coordinator at the desk for the whole trip, reachable on one number, who holds the run sheet and moves a leg when a day runs long.
- A written confirmation before departure carrying the chauffeur's name and licence number and the vehicle registration, so a security office or a hotel can check it against the operator record.
What it does not include
- Hotels, meals and anything consumed off the road — those are the all-inclusive tier, quoted on request rather than published.
- Monument and museum entry fees, which differ for Indian, SAARC and foreign visitors and change by notification; the desk quotes the current figures with the itinerary.
- Licensed local guides, which we arrange city by city on request and bill at cost.
- Tolls, parking and state entry taxes, charged at cost against receipts rather than estimated into the fare.
- Air and rail tickets into and out of the circuit, which the travel desk books separately.
- GST, added to every figure at the applicable rate, and any night allowance where a leg runs between 10 pm and 6 am.
- Airport transfers include 60 minutes of waiting after landing and meet-and-greet at the arrivals exit.
- The charter day (10 hours, 300 km) includes fuel and the chauffeur's meals and accommodation on outstation nights.
- Night driving between 10 pm and 6 am carries the night allowance per night; a second chauffeur is added on days over 12 hours.
- Tolls, parking, state entry taxes and permits are charged at cost against receipts; monument and guide fees through the travel desk are itemised.
- No gratuity is expected. GST is shown separately on every invoice. Cancellation terms are on the cancellation policy page.
- Vintage cars and stretch limousines are quoted per event.
- GST at 5% on chauffeured hire (18% where input credit is claimed) is added to every figure. The full international card is on the rates page; the charter builder prices a circuit of any length live, and the booking page takes the payment direct.
- Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before the first pickup, then 10% inside 72 hours, 50% inside 48 hours and the full first day inside 24 hours or for a no-show — the schedule on the cancellation policy page.
Questions
The 7-day Northeast circuit: frequently asked
When is the Dawki river at its clearest?
November to about March. During and after the monsoon it runs high and brown, and the boats are a completely different experience from the photographs.
Why two days at Kaziranga?
Because the park has four ranges and they differ. Central is the most reliable for rhino, Western is better for birds and buffalo, Eastern is quiet and good for waterbirds. One safari sees one range.
Do we need permits for Meghalaya or Assam?
No, for Indian or foreign nationals. Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland do require permits with real lead time, and the desk will say so if you want to extend into them.
Is Mawlynnong worth the drive?
It is a short detour from Dawki and the Riwai root bridge beside it needs no descent at all, which makes it the practical alternative to the 3,000-step Nongriat trek.
How long is the transfer to Kaziranga?
About 330 km and eight hours from Mawlynnong, which is the circuit's one long day. It is scheduled with an early start and a lunch stop.
Is mobile coverage a problem?
Patchy in the Khasi hills and largely absent in parts of Kaziranga. The chauffeur carries a local number that works, and the desk line covers anything needing escalation.
Same circuit, other lengths
The The Northeast: Meghalaya and Assam in a different number of days
On the route
Chauffeur service in the cities this circuit runs through
Other circuits
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Book
Book the seven-day Northeast circuit direct
Seven charter days price live by vehicle class, fare fixed before payment. Kaziranga safari slots are arranged with the booking.
Weddings, film units, multi-day chauffeur hire, outstation journeys and anything with more than one vehicle are quoted by a person: call (877) 860-3388 or send the outline and a coordinator replies with a written quote.
Offers through BookingWorldwide.net
Hotels and flights for this itinerary, through BookingWorldwide.net
The stays along this route are on BookingWorldwide.net; reserve them there or ask our desk for the all-inclusive quote, and the chauffeured legs are lined up against whichever you choose.
Flight + hotel packages
Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Goa and Kerala bundles for festival weeks, school holidays and long weekends, with the airport transfer added to the same itinerary.
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Delhi, Agra and Jaipur hotels on one booking, and the RUTZ.IN chauffeur for the whole circuit quoted beside it.
See current offers on BookingWorldwide.net →Palace and heritage hotels
Udaipur, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Hyderabad palace hotels, chosen with the transfer distance from the airport in mind.
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Beach and backwater resorts for the weeks a chauffeur is only needed at each end of the stay, with Dabolim, Mopa or Cochin airport pickups timed to the flight.
See current offers on BookingWorldwide.net →Hill-station stays
Shimla, Manali, Mussoorie, Darjeeling, Ooty, Munnar and Coorg hotels, with the SUV from the gateway airport quoted on the same plan.
See current offers on BookingWorldwide.net →Wildlife and safari lodges
Ranthambore, Jim Corbett, Kaziranga, Periyar and Bandhavgarh lodges and safari permits reserved before the car is dispatched.
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Taj Mahal entry, Kerala houseboats, Jaipur hot-air balloons, city walks and festival tickets reserved ahead so the chauffeured day runs to the plan.
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Fares into every airport on the airports page, so the car is timed to a confirmed arrival rather than an estimate.
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For the middle days of a trip, returned to the airport where the RUTZ.IN chauffeur collects you again.
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See also, and where the facts come from
On RUTZ.IN: India tour packages · 6-day Northeast tour · 7-day Darjeeling Sikkim tour · Cities · Charter · Rates · Tourists.
Official references used on this page:
- Ministry of Tourism, Incredible India Official destination guides and tourist statistics.
- Ministry of Home Affairs Police verification and character-certificate procedures used in chauffeur onboarding.
- India Meteorological Department Forecasts and monsoon warnings we check before hill and coastal journeys.
- National Highways Authority of India Expressway and toll information for the intercity routes we drive.