What to Pack for Meghalaya, Assam and Arunachal
What to pack for Meghalaya, Kaziranga and Tawang by season: rain kit for Sohra, layers for Sela Pass, safari clothes, documents, cash and medicines.
Shillong Trip Travel Desk · Updated · 9 min read
ANKAN · Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0For Meghalaya, pack for rain in any month: a hooded rain jacket, quick-dry clothes, two pairs of shoes with grip and a warm layer for Shillong evenings. Add neutral colours for a Kaziranga safari, and thermals, a down jacket and gloves if Tawang or Sela Pass is on the route. Carry ID, permits, cash and a power bank.
Key takeaways
- Meghalaya is a rain destination all year; Sohra can see rain even in the drier months, so a rain shell is never optional
- Shillong sits at about 1,500 m, so winter nights drop to low single digits Celsius; pack a real fleece or jacket from November to February
- Tawang is about 2,700 m and Sela Pass about 4,170 m; winter trips need thermals, a down jacket, gloves and a warm cap
- Kaziranga jeep safaris start early and are cold and dusty in winter; wear muted colours and bring a scarf
- Carry printed ILPs for Arunachal and your ID; ATMs are thin beyond the towns, so keep cash
- One soft duffel per person travels better than hard suitcases in shared cars and small hotel rooms
On this page 13 sections
- Match the bag to the route and month
- The Meghalaya kit
- Rain, all year
- Safari clothes for Kaziranga
- Cold and altitude kit for Tawang and Sela
- Festival and camping extras for Ziro
- Documents, money and connectivity
- Medicines and small useful things
- Dress for temples, monasteries and villages
- Camera and phone gear that earns its space
- Packing for children and older travellers
- What to leave at home
- How we'd plan it
- FAQs
The item our guests most often wish they had brought is not a gadget. It is a second pair of shoes, because the first pair is still wet from yesterday. Meghalaya, Assam and Arunachal share a map but not a climate, and a single trip can run from 32 °C in Guwahati to below freezing at Sela Pass. Pack for the highest and wettest point on your route, not for the airport.
Match the bag to the route and month
Start with this table. Find the places on your itinerary, then pack for the coldest row.
| Place | Altitude (approx.) | Dec–Feb | Mar–May | Jun–Sep | Oct–Nov |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guwahati | 50 m | Mild days, cool nights | Hot, humid, 30 °C+ | Hot, wet | Warm days |
| Shillong | 1,500 m | Nights about 6–7 °C | Mild, some showers | Cool, drizzle | Crisp, clear |
| Sohra | 1,450 m | Cold, windy, mostly dry | Showers return | Very heavy rain | Clearing, cool |
| Kaziranga | 70 m | Foggy, cold mornings | Hot by April | Park closed | Park reopening |
| Dirang | 1,500 m | Cold nights | Mild | Rain | Cool |
| Tawang | 2,700 m | Below freezing at night | Cold, snow possible early | Cool, wet | Cold nights |
| Sela Pass | 4,170 m | Snow, well below freezing | Snow possible | Rain, cloud | Cold, early snow |
These are typical patterns, not forecasts. Look at the forecast for each overnight stop three days before you leave.
The Meghalaya kit
Meghalaya is the easiest state to underpack for, because people see "Shillong, 1,500 metres" and think of a mild hill town. It is mild, but it is also wet in every season and properly cold on winter nights.
Clothes
- 3–4 quick-dry T-shirts or shirts
- 2 pairs of quick-dry or synthetic trousers; leave jeans at home
- 1 light fleece (all year) plus a warmer jacket from November to February
- A hooded rain jacket or long poncho
- A modest outfit for churches, Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati and homestay dinners
Feet
- Trail or hiking shoes with deep rubber lugs
- Sports sandals with heel straps for streams and wet steps
- Quick-dry socks, plus one warm pair for winter nights
Rain and trek extras
- Compact umbrella for town days
- Dry bags or zip pouches for phone, cash and permits
- Salt or leech socks in the wet months
- A small towel that dries fast
If the Double Decker Root Bridge is on your list, read the kit notes in our root bridge trek guide. The descent from Tyrna runs to roughly 3,000 steps or more, and the climb back is where poor shoes hurt.
For June to September, add everything in our Meghalaya in monsoon guide, including a spare pair of shoes.
Rain, all year
It is worth saying twice. In Sohra and Mawsynram, rain can arrive in any month, and fog is common even when it is dry. A rain shell weighs 300–400 grams and folds into a daypack corner. Of all the items on this list, it is the one we check with guests at the Guwahati pickup.
Two small habits help:
- Put tomorrow's clothes and your phone charger in a dry bag every night.
- Stuff wet shoes with newspaper; most hotels will give you some if you ask.
Safari clothes for Kaziranga
Kaziranga's jeep safaris run in open vehicles, usually in a morning and an afternoon slot. The morning slot starts early, and from November to February that means fog, 8–12 °C and wind from the moving jeep.
- Colours: khaki, olive, brown, grey. Skip bright reds and whites; they stand out to animals and look washed out in photos.
- Layers: thermal top, fleece and a windproof jacket in winter; breathable long sleeves and a hat from March.
- Face: a buff or scarf for dust, and sunglasses.
- Camera: a rain cover or a plastic bag, even in the dry season, because early fog leaves everything damp.
The park normally closes for the monsoon, from May until it reopens in stages in October. Check current status before you travel. Our Kaziranga safari guide explains zones and timings, and the Guwahati and Kaziranga short trip shows how the safari fits into three nights.
Cold and altitude kit for Tawang and Sela
This is where packing matters for comfort and safety. The road from Guwahati or Tezpur climbs to Sela Pass at about 4,170 metres before dropping to Tawang at about 2,700 metres. The Sela tunnel, opened in March 2024, now carries most traffic under the pass, but many travellers still drive up to the lake and the gate, and Bum La is higher still.
Winter (November to March)
- Thermal inner top and bottom, two sets
- Fleece or woollen sweater
- Down or padded jacket
- Windproof, water-resistant outer layer
- Gloves, woollen cap, neck warmer
- Thick woollen socks, three pairs
- Waterproof boots with ankle support for snow days
- Sunglasses (UV at 4,000 metres is strong and snow glare is harsh)
- Lip balm, moisturiser, sunscreen
Summer and autumn (April to October) Tawang days can be 15–20 °C, but nights are cold and the pass is windy all year. Bring the fleece and jacket anyway and drop the heaviest thermals.
Altitude Speak to your doctor before travel, particularly for children, seniors and anyone with heart or lung conditions. The best protection is the itinerary itself: sleep a night at Dirang or Bomdila on the way up, drink water, go slow on the first day in Tawang, and do not add Bum La on arrival day. Our Tawang travel guide covers the route, overnight stops and the permit for Bum La. If a family member struggles on the first evening in Tawang, with headache, nausea or breathlessness, rest, drink water and do not go higher the next day; if symptoms worsen, descend and see a doctor. Tawang has a district hospital, and Dirang is about 1,200 metres lower.
Festival and camping extras for Ziro
The Ziro Festival of Music is held in late September in Ziro Valley at about 1,700 metres. The site is an open field in paddy country and it rains often in that season.
- Gumboots or waterproof trekking shoes; the ground turns to mud
- A rain jacket, not an umbrella, for crowds
- A warm layer; nights are cool
- Headlamp and power bank if you are camping
- Printed Arunachal ILP
Documents, money and connectivity
Documents
- Government photo ID for every adult; birth certificate or school ID for children. Since June 2025, Meghalaya hotels and homestays must register every guest on the state tourism app, so keep ID handy at check-in
- Printed Inner Line Permit for Arunachal Pradesh, and for Nagaland, Mizoram or Manipur if they are on the route
- Foreign nationals: passport, visa and Protected Area Permit where needed
- Hotel and flight confirmations saved offline
Our Arunachal ILP guide walks through the permit step by step. Permit rules change; check current status before you travel.
Money UPI and cards work in Guwahati, Shillong and Tawang town. Beyond them, data drops and small sellers prefer cash. Keep ₹3,000–5,000 per person in ₹100 and ₹200 notes, and withdraw in main towns.
Phones Jio, Airtel and BSNL all work in the main towns. Expect gaps on the Sohra–Dawki road, around Sela and in villages. Download offline maps and your booking vouchers before you leave Guwahati.
Medicines and small useful things
A compact kit covers most problems we see on the road:
| Item | Why it matters here |
|---|---|
| Motion-sickness tablets | Hill roads to Sohra, Dawki and Tawang have constant bends |
| ORS sachets | Heat in Assam, exertion on treks |
| Stomach medicine | New food, long drives, spicy pickles |
| Insect repellent | Kaziranga, Majuli and lowland Assam evenings |
| Blister plasters | Root bridge steps and new boots |
| Personal prescriptions, double quantity | Pharmacies are sparse beyond towns |
| Power bank, 10,000 mAh+ | Storm power cuts, long drives |
| Headlamp | Homestays, early starts, power cuts |
| Reusable bottle and a trash bag | Many villages discourage plastic and littering |
Carry your own sanitary supplies, lens solution and baby products; small-town shops stock basics only.
Dress for temples, monasteries and villages
The Northeast is relaxed about clothing in towns, and nobody in Shillong will look twice at shorts. Religious sites and villages are different, and a single change of clothes in your daypack saves awkward moments.
- Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati: shoulders and knees covered; you remove shoes before the inner areas, so wear something easy to slip off. Leather items are best left in the car.
- Tawang Monastery and other gompas: covered shoulders, no hats inside prayer halls, shoes off where asked, and walk clockwise around stupas and prayer wheels.
- Churches in Shillong and Khasi villages: Sunday is a church day across much of Meghalaya; many shops and some sites open late or not at all. Modest clothes are appreciated if you step inside.
- Satras on Majuli: the Vaishnavite monasteries ask for modest dress and shoes off in the prayer halls.
- Homestays: ask before photographing people, and bring slippers for indoors; many homes keep outdoor shoes at the door.
A light scarf or stole solves most of these in one item.
Camera and phone gear that earns its space
Most visitors shoot on phones, and that is fine for 90 per cent of the Northeast. A few extras make a real difference:
- Lens cloth, several: fog and spray at the falls leave constant droplets.
- Rain cover or a simple plastic bag with a hole for the lens.
- A zoom lens of 300 mm or more if Kaziranga is on the route; rhinos are often 50–200 metres from the track.
- Spare batteries: cold at Sela drains them fast. Keep them in an inside pocket.
- Silica gel sachets in your camera bag during the wet months.
- A small tripod for Nohkalikai, Laitlum and long exposures at Wei Sawdong.
Carry memory cards in a waterproof pouch and back up to a phone or laptop every evening; mobile data is too slow for cloud uploads in many places.
Packing for children and older travellers
Families and seniors need a slightly different list, mostly around warmth and comfort in the car.
| Traveller | Add to the bag | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Babies and toddlers | Carrier instead of a pram, familiar snacks, diapers for the whole trip | Steps everywhere; small-town shops stock few brands |
| Children 5–12 | Spare set of clothes in the daypack, rain poncho, travel games | Wet falls and 3–4 hour drives |
| Teenagers | Headlamp, grippy shoes | They will want the root bridge trek |
| Seniors | Walking pole, knee support, pill organiser, a cushion for long drives | Uneven steps, bends and long sitting hours |
| Anyone with asthma | Inhaler within reach, extra doses | Cold dry air at Sela and Tawang |
Our guide to a Meghalaya trip with kids covers pacing and which sights suit which ages.
What to leave at home
- Hard suitcases over 23 kg: car boots are small and homestay stairs are steep
- Heavy denim and cotton hoodies: they never dry in the wet months
- White sneakers: red mud stains are permanent
- Drones, unless you have checked local rules; flying near border areas and defence sites in Arunachal is restricted
- Expensive jewellery
How we'd plan it
For a combined Northeast trip, we suggest one soft 55–65 litre bag per person, packed as three layers you add or remove as the route climbs and falls.
- Base layer for Guwahati and Kaziranga: quick-dry shirts, trousers, hat, sunscreen.
- Mid layer for Shillong, Sohra and Dirang: fleece, rain jacket, grippy shoes.
- Cold layer for Tawang and Sela: thermals, down jacket, gloves and cap, packed in a compression bag at the bottom of the duffel until Bomdila.
That system works for our Northeast in a Week route through Guwahati, Shillong, Dawki and Kaziranga and for Meghalaya-only trips like the four-night Shillong, Cherrapunji, Dawki and Mawlynnong plan, where you can simply leave the cold layer at home outside winter.
For Arunachal, add the full cold layer. The six-night Tawang route via Dirang and Sela needs it from October to April, and the winter Tawang and Sela snow trip needs every item on the winter list.
Want us to check your list against your dates and route? Send it to our travel desk.
