A recent hike through the David Scott trail in Meghalaya, India
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I recently went on a hike through the historic David Scott trail with my girlfriend. Although the trip was planned with a bunch of friends of ours, everybody backed out at the last moment. Well, this happens a lot.
About the trail
Anyway, the trail starts from a quaint little village called Mawphlang, 30 km south of Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya. The trail connects Mawphlang to Lad Mawphlang, another village en-route the popular tourist destination Sohra. The length of the trail is about 16 km through quaint Khasi villages, ancient sacred groves, lush green meadows, sparse fields, rolling mountains, rushing streams, stone bridges, and natural pools. The hike is pretty easy and can be completed within 4-5 hours at an easy pace. Halfway through, there is a small settlement of Khasi people where the hikers take a rest and can have instant noodles or some other light food. One can also go for a swim in the pools with the most crystal clear water in the world.
The history
David Scott trail is named after the British administrator David Scott posted in north-eastern India during the early 1800s. Today, it is one of the oldest trekking routes in Meghalaya. He worked for over 30 years in this region. He tried to establish trade with the tribes of Khasi hills and hence a short connecting route between Sohra and Sylhet (now in Bangladesh) was created. It was originally a horse track. This route once even resulted in a war between the local Khasi people and the British where the Khasis fought tactics guerrilla with the colonialists who had superior firepower. Nowadays, David Scott trek is registered with the United Nations as an Indigenous Community Conservation Area.
If you want to go
The best time to visit the trail is in autumn or spring. Carry sufficient warm clothes with you. Mawphlang offers many homestay options and everyone from the village is super-friendly. We stayed at Balari Homestay hosted by Bonn (+91-87876-00624). He also arranged a trekking guide for us. They are fluent in English. Do not forget to visit the nearby sacred grove, which is an ancient forest tied to the history of the Khasi people.
