Laitlum Canyon

Laitlum means end of hills in Khasi, and the name fits: a grassy plateau runs out and drops away into a gorge with ridges falling in layers below, and on many mornings the whole valley is filled with cloud so that the rim stands above a white floor. From the edge a stone stairway descends several hundred metres to Rasong village at the bottom, and until recently it was the only access, so villagers carried everything up and down it, including supplies and building material. The grassland on top is open and treeless, cropped by grazing, and the wind across it is constant.

What you actually see

• The gorge rim - grassland ending abruptly above layered ridges.
• The valley cloud - mist filling the gorge below the plateau.
• The village stairway - a stone stair descending to Rasong far below.
• The open grassland - treeless plateau grazed and wind-cropped.

When to go

September to May; the monsoon brings cloud that hides everything but is also when the grass is greenest. Mornings give the best chance of the cloud filling the valley.

Honest expectations

The rim is unfenced with a long drop and there have been falls. Cloud can obscure the whole view. There are no facilities at all, no shade and constant wind. The descent to Rasong is very steep.

Nearby

Shillong lies northwest; Cherrapunji is southwest.