Elephant Falls was the British name of what the local Khasi people once referred to as Ka Kshaid Lai Pateng Khohsiew (or "Three Steps Waterfalls") since the falls actually consisted of three sections in succession. We learned from a sign here that the British renamed the falls because there used to be a rock resembling an elephant near the left side of the main falls (which I think was the bottommost one). However, that rock was destroyed in an earthquake back in 1897. Of the three waterfalls (all of which were easily reached by the same short and easy walking path), Julie and I thought the bottom tier was the most impressive. The walking path gently descended from the entrance, and I recalled it was practically almost completely paved with lots of stairs and a bridge traversing the stream between the 2nd and 3rd falls.

Directions: Elephant Falls is located about 12km from the busy city of Shillong, which is the administrative center of India's northeast. We even saw this area referred to as the Scotland of the East since it reminded the Brits (who once made Shillong the main center of this region during their occupation) of Scotland due to the tendency of this area to have misty and foggy weather.

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