Based in the South Garo Hills of Meghalaya, this enchanting trek is based in and around Siju village, where the story begins. The Siju Wildlife Sanctuary is the first, and hence oldest, wildlife sanctuary in Meghalaya. Befitting its name and status, it protects elephants, deer, leopards, hoolock gibbons, and even tigers. But it is more popularly known as the Siju Bird Sanctuary, because it is home to rare species like hornbills and peacock pheasants, as well as host to migratory birds like spoonbills and Siberian ducks. A big reason why these species migrate here is the Goera Patal lake, a large water body deep in the sanctuary. Walk along its shore and you’ll spot the spoor of many wild animals that came down to the water to drink. But perhaps the experience that really gets the mind thinking is the encounter with limestone rock formations called Goera Rong’gat at the entrance to the sanctuary. Carved by the elements over the millennia, the intriguing shapes seem like the ruins of an earlier civilisation, almost like Angkor Wat but even older and more mysterious. Spend some time here and let your imagination run free as you channel your inner explorer.