Autumn cherry blossom in Shillong

What it is

Most of the world sees cherry blossom in spring. In Shillong it comes in autumn, because the tree here is the wild Himalayan cherry, which flowers as the cold sets in. Through November the pink trees line roadsides and fill the grounds around Ward's Lake and the Polo area. The state holds a cherry blossom festival in the middle of the month, with music, food stalls and evening lighting. The exact timing varies from year to year. Away from the festival, the roads into the Khasi hills around the city have many flowering trees and far fewer people.

Before you go

• Mid November is the usual peak. Ask locally in the week you arrive.
• Walk around Ward's Lake in the morning before the festival crowds.
• Book rooms early for the festival weekend.

The flowers you will see

Wild Himalayan CherryA cherry tree with pinkish white blossoms from the Himalayas and Southeast AsiaCherry blossomThe spring-blooming flower of ornamental cherry trees, central to Japan’s hanami custom

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