Hey guys, the weekend is here! So, today’s post will be the last one from our Meghalaya Trip for this month. And, I’ll be sharing our first ever camping experience with our toddler – Riverside Camping with Kids at Dawki.

Dawki is the last village of Meghalaya situated at the India-Bangladesh border. It is famously known for boating in crystal clear water of Umngnot river. While planning our itinerary, we came to know about Dawki and without any second thoughts, we added it to our trip.

However, we were not sure whether to stay overnight at Dawki or move to Mawlynnong village. Hence, we didn’t book accommodation for that night & kept our plan flexible. And, I am happy we kept it like that since we got to experience our first camp life with our toddler.

Sometimes, unplanned trips turn out to be the best! And, Meghalaya was one such trip out of many.

It was our 6th day in Meghalaya and it took us 2 hr 30 min to reach Dawki from Cherrapunjee. The road was not so good and after a point, there were a lot of trucks continuously coming from the opposite side. Dawki was relatively warm since it lies near the plains. But, it got really hot around noon. At that time, we were actually not very happy with our decision to visit Dawki.

The first look of the Dawki river from inside the car

When we finally saw the big Dawki river and the India-Bangladesh border on our right, we felt good. But the road was jam-packed with all the vehicles parked on that small lane. The sight was not very impressive. We were approached by many boatmen who wanted to book us a boat ride. We said no to them since we had other plans!

While on the way, our driver had promised to take us to a much better and quieter place which was 9 km ahead of Dawki. I must say the driver was quite proactive and definitely very smart. In such a short time, he understood our preferences very well. If you remember he even told us about the offbeat Arwah cave in Cherrapunjee. And, this time, he recommended camping to us.

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Dawki to Shnongpdeng – Riverside Camping with Kids

We were quite panicked when we saw the rush at Dawki & were totally turned off by that sight. Not many people know about this another place which is truly a hidden gem. And, a treat for nature and adventure lovers. So, when you reach Dawki, just ask your driver to take you to Shnongpdeng. It took us another 15-20 mins to reach there.

We were very much impressed by the place. Its perfect location amidst the forest, the beautiful river, greenery, and peace all around. Now the task was to find a decent place to stay. Our driver had already suggested camping to us but we still wanted to check another place just in case. You always want to be well prepared when you have kids with you.

Luckily, we found a nice room overlooking Umngnot river obviously overpriced but we were happy to have some option. Next, we wanted to check the Shnongpdeng camping area. The same person who showed us the room, accompanied us to show his camps.

Now, to reach the camping area, we had to cross a narrow suspension footbridge built over the river. And, that was the only way to reach to the other side.

Suspension bridge over Umngnot river

It looked scary at first & once on the bridge I just froze, couldn’t even feel my legs, it was nerve-wracking. I looked up and saw the man was about to reach the other end. My husband & son were almost in the middle when the bridge started shaking badly. I looked at my husband and missed a beat to saw the terrified look on his face.

Crossing the bridge

It was a test of my love, No! not for my husband but for the adventure 😛

I had to do it & after much struggle, I reached in the middle and took Nemit’s hand. Now, we all 3 were walking together, Nemit in between us. Woah! that was one spine chilling experience. And, we had to do that not once or twice but every time we had to cross that river.

Camping with Kids – Shatsngi Homestay And Adventure

When we reached the camping area, we knew we had to stay at the camp only. Once again we made a trip to the other side, packed our backpacks with essentials for 1 night & left our suitcases in the cab.

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Yay, we were finally camping with our toddler. We chose a big family tent for us and talked to the manager for activities that we could do.

We booked camp from  – Shatsngi Homestay And Adventure

Shatsngi Homestay And Adventure Camps

He suggested going for a boat ride which was already in our to-do list. We decided to have lunch and then go for boating. The sun was setting and the temperature was going down. Everything was so perfect. There were only a few boats in that part of the river at Shnongpdeng, the whole setting was quite charming. And, we loved the boating experience.

Boating in Umngnot river

It became cold and dark around 6 pm. We changed into warm clothes and sat outside our tent. It was so serene and beautiful.

Happy Nemit outside our tent

We got to know that there were no charging points in that camping area and there was only 1 lightbulb. Soon our phone batteries died and we realized we were in a true nature camp setting. We just surrendered ourselves to nature that evening.

Dinner at camp

It was then time for dinner and bonfire. It always amazes me to see the most delectable food served in such rustic settings. The food was super yum.

It got quite cold at night and bonfire did a great job at keeping us warm. We were having a gala time, later our driver and camp manager with his wife also joined us. We talked & laughed, they shared their stories, we shared ours and with that, we called it a night.

Nemit enjoying a bonfire at camp

It was a perfect camping experience!

We woke up fresh and happy. Then went to the river bank for some fun family time. The water was cold but it couldn’t deter Nemit from enjoying.

Morning at camp

Morning at Umngnot river

Umngnot river

Ok, let me tell you, that day there was only 1 more couple staying at that camp. So, we were a little worried too for our safety. That night, we left everything to the almighty. And, we realized faith still works, there are still good people. We were quite vulnerable that night & anything could have happened considering we were a family. Our phones were not working and we were totally alone in that part.

As per our experience, we found all the places we visited in Meghalaya to be quite safe and traveler friendly. I would still suggest going well prepared, keep a torch and power bank with you.

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So, this was our wonderful camping experience at Shnongpdeng near Dawki. I highly recommend riverside camping with kids to all parents.

That’s all for today, see you guys on Monday with another travel post. And, if you liked reading this post, do comment below and don’t forget to share it.

Today is Day 18 of #BlogchatterA2Z and the letter of the day is ‘R’. My theme for the challenge is ‘Traveling with kids’ & I have chosen R for Riverside. 

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