Exploring Siju Cave (Dobakkol): Route, Timings & Visitor Guide


Most travelers stick to the waterfalls around Sohra, but making the long trek into South Garo Hills brings you to a completely different world. Siju Cave—known locally in A·chik as Dobakkol (literally "Cave of Bats")—isn't a manicured show cave with boardwalks and colored LED lights. The moment you step past the mouth, you are ankle-to-waist deep in a freezing underground river, navigating by flashlight.

​ The Story Behind Dobakkol:

For generations, local Garo folklore treated these cavernous depths with cautious respect, viewing the pitch-black tunnels as home to subterranean spirits. It was rarely explored far beyond the reach of natural daylight.

That changed in 1922 when an expedition led by Dr. Stanley Kemp from the Zoological Survey of India mapped roughly 4 kilometers of passages, making Siju the first cave in India to be systematically researched. Kemp’s team documented rare troglobitic life—tiny blind fish and aquatic organisms adapted completely to total darkness. Look up at the ceiling cracks with a good beam, and you will see thousands of roosting microbats packed tightly against the rock.


The Underground River & Cave Experience:

The River Trek: you are not walking along dry paths. The cave floor is an active riverbed made of smooth, submerged pebbles and slick limestone shelves. The water starts cold enough to take your breath away, ranging from shin-deep riffles to waist-deep pools in the lower chambers.

The "Diwan-e-Khas": Deeper inside, the narrow passages open out into an enormous natural cavern dubbed the Diwan-e-Khas. The ceiling vaults upward out of torchlight range, lined with massive limestone pillars, hanging stalactites, and rippling flowstone draperies carved over millions of years.


Quick Travel Guide

​Location: Siju Village, South Garo Hills (~130 km from Tura, ~220 km from Shillong via Nongstoin).

​Getting There: The roads through South Garo Hills have rough, unpaved patches. A sturdy vehicle with decent ground clearance from Tura or Williamnagar is recommended.

Best Time to Go: November to April. The underground river runs low, clear, and safe to wade. Completely avoid peak monsoon (June to September) when the Simsang River rises and water floods the cave to the roof.

​Timing: 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM daily.

Entry & Guides: Entry is ₹20–₹50 per head. Hiring a local guide at the gate is mandatory for safety (usually ₹300–₹500).

Cave Realities: What You Actually Need to Know

Dress to Get Soaked: Do not wear jeans or heavy cotton. Wear quick-drying shorts, synthetic tees, and secure strap-on river sandals with aggressive rubber grip. Regular sneakers will stay heavy and waterlogged, while flip-flops will instantly get sucked off by the silt.

Bring Your Own Headlamp: The cave has zero artificial wiring. Guides carry torches, but having your own high-lumen, waterproof headlamp keeps your hands free to steady yourself against wet boulders.

The Bat Factor: The air inside is humid, with a faint earthy smell of guano and the constant high-pitched chatter of bats overhead. They stay high in the ceiling vaults and will not bother you, but keep your light pointed low so you don't disturb them.

Remote Logistics: Siju is rural and quiet. Fill your tank at Williamnagar or Baghmara, carry basic snacks, and arrange basic eco-lodge accommodation in advance if you aren't doing a day trip from Tura.


To search and book accommodation or hotels near Sohra, you can click here.


Location: South Garo Hills, Meghalaya, India

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