New Canyon Discovered in Meghalaya, Explorers Name it 'Upper Shonghang Canyon'

SHILLONG: After a team of scientists from the Geological Survey of India (GSI) discovered fossilized bone fragments of sauropod dinosaurs dating back to about 100 million years in Meghalaya now trekkers discover a new canyon.

Notably, as per Duia Trailblazers' social media post, "Three hours drive from Shillong in Syntung village, there is a waterfall popular only among the locals.

Locals call it Kshaid Shonghang. There is a narrow gorge immediately above this waterfall. This beautiful section is 475 meters long and was carved out of sedimentary rocks by flowing water over millions of years. There is no documentation or local knowledge of any human traveling through this piece of earth.

Our team was the first set of humans to travel through this section. In technical terms, this is called 'first descend'. As per international canyoners protocol, the team that does the first descend gets to name the canyon. By keeping the local sentiments in mind, our team decided to name it Upper Shonghang Canyon. Because this is above the Shonghang waterfall and there is another technical canyon after the waterfall which is not descended yet.

Upper Shonghang is a technical canyon because it ends with a mandatory rappel of 40ft height out of which 25ft is an overhang. Also, one will need the knowledge of swift water techniques to travel through this canyon. However, we believe that we can make an exit path (steep climb) just before the waterfall. Once we set up such an escape path, we will be able to open up this canyon to the general tourists who do not have the requisite rappelling training or those who simply want to skip the rappel.

The beauty of Upper Shonghang canyon will fill anybody's heart with awe. It has lots of jumps and mandatory swims in cold water. That also means, those who want to experience it must be comfortable with water and it is important that you get guided by an able leader who has knowledge of swift water techniques."

This was a collaborated effort of Duia Trailblazers & Bangalore Adventure School (BASCOOL) and the team members.

Further, the team in October 2019 got a chance to visit Wahrashi waterfalls which is another beautiful waterfall in Syntung village.

After going back to Bangalore, Gokul (team member) was researching the terrain around Syntung using satellite images. That is when he noticed the possibility of a canyon from the topographic maps.

The Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, delayed our plans and finally, in April 2021 we were able to visit the place and descend the canyon. 

Also Read: 100 Million-Year-Old Fossil Bones of Dinosaur Discovered in West Khasi Hills