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.