Garo Hills

Description

The Garo Hills were a single district of British India. The region now comprises five districts namely East Garo Hills, North Garo Hills, South Garo Hills, West Garo Hills, South West Garo Hills. It has a total population of 1,103,542. Tura is the largest town with a population of about 74,858 located at the foothills of often cloud-covered Tura peak. The town is centrally located to other popular game and wildlife sanctuaries in the district such as the national parks of Balphakram and Nokrek, and several natural limestone caves (the Siju Cave is among the longest in Asia). These places are rich reserves of natural flora and fauna and a refuge for endangered animals.

Places of interest

Garo Hills, known for its abundance of wildlife, attracts naturalists and photographers to capture the multifaceted sights of a unique range of flora and fauna. Two mountain ranges - the Arabella range and the Tura range, pass through the Garo Hills, forming the great Balpakram valley in between. The headquarters town of Tura, at an altitude of 657 m, is 305 km from the state capital Shillong. The highest point in the Garo Hills is Nokrek Peak with elevation of 1412 m.

Tura has a picturesque landscape of hills against a backdrop of low-lying plains. A sunset view can be best seen from Tura Peak at 1,400 m and its summit can be reached by a 5 km trek, partly by hiking and also by rock-climbing.

These are the locations in and around Garo Hills which are tourist spots. These include:

• Nokrek Peak
• Tura Peak
• Imilchang Dare
• Balpakram
• Napak Lake
• Siju Cave
• Wari Chora

References

References

1. "Garo Hills-The Ecological Canvas of Meghalaya".
2. (2003). "The anthropology of North-East India". Orient Longman.
3. Joshi, H.G.. (2004). "Meghalaya: past and present". Mittal Publications.
4. (2006). "Horticulture for sustainable income and environmental protection". Concept Pub. Co..
5. "Population by religion community – 2011". The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India.
6. ORGI. "C-16: Population by Mother Tongue". Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India.
7. {{Cite EB1911
8. . ["Districts"](https://meghalaya.gov.in/districts).
9. Karlsson, Bengt G.. (2010). "Unruly hills: a political ecology of India's northeast". Berghahn Books.
10. (9 November 2024). "Directions: Tura, West Garo Hills - Shillong, East Khasi Hills".
11. (2006). "Meghalaya". Kalpaz publ..
12. (2010). "West garo hills". General Books.
13. "Places of Interest for Tourists {{!}} Shillong.com".
14. "People of Meghalaya".