Nohkalikai Falls

Nohkalikai drops in a single unbroken column off the edge of the Meghalaya plateau near Sohra, one of the wettest inhabited places anywhere, and lands in a pool that holds an odd green colour from the minerals in the rock. The viewing terrace stands across a gorge from the fall, so you look at it head on with a drop of several hundred metres below you and forested slopes running away towards the lowlands beyond. The water is entirely rain-fed off a small plateau catchment, so it responds fast: heavy overnight rain produces a thick column, and a dry spell in winter thins it to a thread.

The landscape

• The single-drop column - one unbroken fall off the plateau edge.
• The green plunge pool - the mineral-coloured basin at the base.
• The gorge and plateau edge - the view down the escarpment towards the plains.
• Cloud moving through the valley - mist that closes and clears the view within minutes.

When to go

September to November is the sweet spot: rain is still falling but the cloud lifts often enough to actually see the fall. At the height of the monsoon from June to August the volume is enormous but the gorge is usually filled with cloud. Winter gives clear views and a thin, unimpressive stream. Mornings tend to be clearer than afternoons.

Before you go

The most common experience here is arriving to find solid white cloud and waiting for a gap that may never come. The viewpoint is a small paved terrace with railings and souvenir stalls, and there is no trail down to the base. In winter the fall is disappointingly thin. Roads on the plateau are slow and often affected by rain and roadworks.

Nearby

The living root bridges around Tyrna and the caves near Sohra are within an hour.

Key facts