Shillong Peak

At 1,965 metres, Shillong Peak is the highest point in the state and the standard sunrise pilgrimage. The viewing platform takes in the whole city below — a basin of red roofs and pine — with the Bangladesh plains visible to the south on a clear day.

Access is via an Indian Air Force checkpoint; you need to leave ID at the gate and the peak occasionally closes without notice for military reasons. Most visitors hire a taxi up; the road is steep and not pleasant to walk. Go early — by mid-morning the mist usually closes in.

things to do sight viewpoint
A story
Khasi tradition holds that the peak is the home of U Shyllong, the guardian deity who gives the city its name. Local elders still perform rituals at a small shrine near the summit, though it sits inside an Indian Air Force base that controls all access.