Ward's Lake

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Ward’s Lake is amongst the popular tourist attractions of Shillong which is a must-visit. It is also known as Pollock’s Lake (Nan Polok) because of a popular engineer during the per-independence era. It is said to be around a 100 years old. The establishment of this lake was planned by the then Chief Commissioner of Assam, Sir William Ward. Construction was done by Colonel Hopkins in the year 1894.

It lies in the middle of the city of Shillong and the lake is surrounded by a lush garden with flower beds and cobble-stone footpaths and a mesmerizing fountain. There is a wooden bridge in the middle of the lake where one can even feed the fish in the lake. Boating is also one of the activities that can be done in the lake. There is a cafeteria too with a variety of refreshments and beverages. It is equally popular amidst locals and vacationers.

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Ward's Lake Bridge
Ward's Lake Garden
Ward's Lake Scenery

How to Reach :

By Air

Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, formerly as ‘Borjhar Airport’, is the primary international airport about 128 Km from Shillong. It is located at Borjhar. It is connected to rest of India with regular flights. Shared cabs, STPS Airport Shuttle & Tata Sumos are available from Airport to Shillong. Helicopter service is available from Guwahati to Shillong. It takes about 20 mins. to reach Shillong from Guwahati. This means of transportation is faster and convenient. About 35 km from Shillong, there is also a small airport at Umroi. Currently, it is yet to be fully operational. Buses / Taxis are available from Shillong to Umroi and back.

By Train

There are no rail lines in Meghalaya. The nearest railway station is Guwahati. It is 104 km from Shillong and very well connected with all major cities of India. Meghalaya Transport Corporation (MTC) has bus services coordinated with train arrivals at Guwahati. The buses leave Guwahati beginning 6 am till 5 pm. Reciprocal services from Shillong also leave at the same time. Shared Taxis are also available at Guwahati Railway Station. National Highway 40, an all-weather road, connects Shillong with Guwahati. State’s Transport Corporation and private transport operators have services to various places in Meghalaya and to neighbouring states. Meghalaya Transport Corporation (MTC) and Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) operates bus services from Shillong to Guwahati and Guwahati to Shillong from 0600 hours to 1700 hours daily. Tourist Taxis, Tata Sumo Taxis, Tourist coaches are also available for travel between Shillong to Guwahati and vice-versa. In Shillong, the bus stand is located in Police Bazar for Government buses and for private buses it is located in Polo Grounds. The Sumos and Taxis leave from Police Bazar in Shillong. Buses usually take around 3 hours with a mid-way stop at Nongpoh. Sumos and Taxis take around 2 hours to reach Shillong from Guwahati.

By Road

In Shillong, one can travel by local taxis, buses or by booking a taxi to Ward's Lake.