the cottages cultus lake was a princely exercise in aesthetics; the finest craftsmen building a summer palace of luxury in a

was a princely exercise in aesthetics; the finest craftsmen building a summer palace of luxury the cottages cultus lake in a blend of Hindu and Islamic architectural styles. The delightful waterborne approach by speedboat (passenger/boat 20/400) or fancy rowboat (boat 100) is the most enjoyable part of visiting.

Air India (%2264420, Ganeshguri), IndiGo Airlines, Jet Airways (%2633252; Tayebullah Rd), Kingfisher and SpiceJet fly to Guwahati from most major Indian cities (often with a stopover in Kolkata). Getting into town from Guwahati s orderly Lok-Priya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport costs 500/100/70 for taxi/shared taxi/airport bus.

The surrounding grassy moors justify Meghalaya s over-played Scotland of the East tourist-office soubriquet, although they re dotted with Khasi monoliths and scarred by quarrying. Much more impressive is the series of grand canyon valleys that plunge into deep lush chasms of tropical forest sprayed by a succession the cottages cultus lake of seasonally inspiring waterfalls. The Nohkalikai Falls, fourth highest in the world, are particularly dramatic, especially in the monsoon when their capacity increases 20-fold. You can see them easily enough without quite entering the official viewpoint (admission/camera 10/200; h8am-5pm), the cottages cultus lake 4.4km southwest of Sohra market.