Umiam · Jongksha · Sakal A·duma
Live the cloudland.
Luxury tented camps in three of Meghalaya’s most beautiful landscapes. A lake at dawn, hills shaped by the wind, a forest that breathes mist. Opening December 2026, and open every day of the year after that.
India’s most special corner, lived slowly.
Meghalaya means the abode of clouds. Rain rolls across the Khasi and Garo hills, waterfalls appear overnight, and villages still keep their sacred groves. Living Meghalaya puts you inside that world in comfort that never gets in its way: canvas, teak, brass and bamboo, set where the view is best, run by people who grew up here.
The three camps
One state. Three worlds.
Umiam. Where the lake holds the dawn.
A pine-covered peninsula on Umiam Lake, the great blue reservoir below Shillong. Tents follow the shoreline on timber boardwalks, and the dining pavilion stands on stilts over the water. Mornings begin in mist; evenings end with the hills reflected in still water.
- Kayak out before sunrise as the mist lifts
- Walk the MEUM trail and museum of the lake’s story
- Dinner over the water as the lanterns come on
- District
- Ri-Bhoi, beside East Khasi Hills
- Landscape
- Lake, pine forest, islands
- Culture
- Khasi interiors and kitchen
- Keys
- 100: 25 Premium tents, 60 Deluxe tents, 15 curved-roof cottages
- Getting there
- Close to Shillong airport at Umroi; about 2½ hours by road from Guwahati airport
Stay
Canvas, made for keeps.
These are not seasonal tents. Every unit stands on a raised timber deck, is lined in hand block-printed cotton and has its own bathroom with hot water. Each one is built for monsoon rain and winter nights alike.
Also at Living Meghalaya
The curved-roof villa
A barrel vault of timber over a dry-stone plinth, opening through a full-height arched glass wall. Lie in bed and watch the mist lift off the water.
16′ × 32′ · king bed · private deck · arched glass façade
Request the villaPod
12′ × 24′
A round-roofed tent for two, compact and warm. Our way in for first-time campers.
Family cottage
Sleeps four
Two rooms under one roof, with space for children and grandparents to share a veranda.
Prince suite
One per camp
The best position in each camp, a butler, private dining and a fire pit of your own.
Whole-camp buyout
Weddings and offsites
Take a camp for a wedding weekend or a leadership retreat. We plan it end to end.
Made here
Every surface tells you where you are.
Fabric walls
Tent linings are hand block-printed on cotton from Khasi textile references such as Ryndia, Tapmohkhlieh and Dhara. Interiors at Sakal A·duma follow Garo patterns.
Woven bamboo
Screens, bathroom walls and the dining pavilion are woven bamboo, the material Meghalaya builds with. A living bamboo hedge forms the boundary of each camp.
Campaign furniture
Teak four-posters with strapped canvas canopies, chests with brass corners, leather sling chairs and hurricane lanterns. Made to be packed, built to last.
Experiences
Go further. Come back to a warm tent.
Dawn on Umiam Lake
Kayak or paddleboard out before the mist lifts. Guides and gear at the camp jetty.
Night-glow at Jongksha
Tethered balloons light up the hilltop after dark, a concert of fire and stars. For watching, not flying.
Umiam
- Kayaking and stand-up paddleOn site
- Sunrise boat with breakfastOn site
- MEUM Walk, a naturalist-led trail of eight stationsOn site
- MEUM museum of water, power and peopleOn site
- Shillong cafés and live music eveningExcursion
Jongksha
- Night-glow balloon eveningsOn site
- Teer, Khasi archery with local archersOn site
- Ridge trail runs and mountain bikingOn site
- Stargazing with telescopesOn site
- Living root bridges and waterfallsExcursion
Sakal A·duma
- Forest bathing and birding walksOn site
- River swims and tubing in seasonExcursion
- Caving in the Garo Hills, with certified guidesExcursion
- Nokrek biosphere day trekExcursion
- Canyon and waterfall rappellingExcursion
Adventure activities run with licensed operators, weather permitting. Some are seasonal.
Evenings
Lanterns, a long table, and the hills going blue.
Dinner is cooked from the hills around each camp: jadoh and dohneiiong at Umiam and Jongksha, Garo dishes such as nakham bitchi at Sakal A·duma, alongside a menu for every palate. Bonfires follow, and the in-tent radio carries the evening from dawn ragas to night stories.
Hear Living Meghalaya
Read the radio script
0:00Music: plucked strings in a pentatonic motif, soft rain, a low drum.
0:01Her: “Khublei. Above the clouds, India keeps its most beautiful secret. A lake that holds the dawn, at Umiam. Hills shaped by the wind, at Jongksha. Forests that breathe mist, at Sakal A·duma.”
0:13Him: “Kayak at first light. Walk the living root bridges. Dine by lantern, under a sky full of stars.”
0:21Her: “Living Meghalaya. Luxury tents in the cloudlands of India. Opening this December. Book at livingmeghalaya.com.”
0:28Music: the motif resolves an octave up.
Community
Hosted by the hills, not just in them.
Spend time with the people who make Meghalaya.
- At the loom. Sit with Khasi weavers working Ryndia, the warm Eri silk, and with Garo weavers of dakmanda cloth.
- Bamboo and cane. A morning with village craftsmen, making something you take home.
- Cook-along. Market walk and lunch in a family kitchen, with the recipe written down for you.
- Festivals. Join Wangala, the Garo harvest festival, and Khasi dance festivals in season, as guests and with the community’s invitation.
- Root bridges and sacred groves. Visits led by the villages that look after them, with entry fees paid to them directly.
Our commitments: we hire and train locally for every camp, buy produce and craft from nearby villages, keep the camps single-use-plastic free, and treat water on site.
Journeys
Stay at one. Or see all three.
2 nights
Cloud weekend
Umiam only. The easy escape from Guwahati or Shillong.
- Day 1Arrive by lunch. MEUM Walk, sunset on the jetty.
- Day 2Dawn kayak, MEUM museum, cook-along supper.
- Day 3Sunrise boat breakfast, depart.
4 nights
Lake and hills
Umiam, then Jongksha. Water, then wind.
- Day 1–2Umiam: kayak, trail, museum, lakeside dinner.
- Day 3Transfer to Jongksha. Teer archery, night-glow.
- Day 4Root bridges and waterfalls. Stargazing.
- Day 5Ridge run at dawn, depart.
7 nights
The Tri-Scape
All three camps, Khasi to Garo hills.
- Day 1–2Umiam. Lake mornings and the MEUM Walk.
- Day 3–4Jongksha. Archery, night-glow, root bridges.
- Day 5–7Sakal A·duma. Forest, caves, Garo kitchens, looms.
- Day 8Depart, with a guest book of your own.
Questions.
When is the best time to come?
Any time. October to April brings clear skies and cool, bright days. June to September is the monsoon, when the hills turn their deepest green and the waterfalls are at full strength. The camps are built for both and stay open all year.
How do I get there?
Fly into Guwahati, or into Shillong airport at Umroi, which is close to Umiam. We arrange private transfers from either airport and from Guwahati railway station, and between camps for multi-camp journeys.
Is a tent comfortable in the rain and cold?
Yes. Every tent stands on a raised deck under a weatherproof roof, with insulated linings, a proper bed, warm bedding and an ensuite bathroom with hot water.
Do I need a permit to visit Meghalaya?
Indian citizens do not need an Inner Line Permit for Meghalaya. Local registration rules for visitors can change, so we confirm what applies to your trip when we confirm your booking.
Are children welcome?
Yes. Family cottages sleep four, and the naturalist walks, craft sessions and archery are popular with children. Some adventure activities have age limits.
Can I hold a wedding or a company retreat here?
Yes. Each camp has dining and gathering spaces, and a whole camp can be reserved. Tell us your dates in the booking form and our events team will call you.
The partnership
Built with Meghalaya.
Living Meghalaya is a public–private partnership between the Government of Meghalaya’s tourism department and Evoke Experiences, created to give the state a year-round luxury stay worthy of its landscapes.
Meghalaya Tourism
The Department of Tourism, Government of Meghalaya, selected the three sites at Umiam, Jongksha and Sakal A·duma and awarded the concession through an open tender. The camps are part of the state’s plan to bring travellers deeper into Meghalaya, with benefits shared by the communities around each site.
Evoke Experiences
Evoke Experiences designs and runs experiential luxury stays across India, including Evoke Rambagh, a five-star resort in Ayodhya. Evoke builds, operates and hosts Living Meghalaya, from the tents and kitchens to the guides and the adventure programme.
About Evoke ExperiencesThe clouds are waiting.
First guests arrive in December 2026. Request your dates now and our reservations team will call you to confirm.