Mawlynnong, Meghalaya – Asia’s Cleanest Village
Located in the East Khasi Hills, which is about 90 kilometres from Shillong, Mawlynnong earned the title of Asia’s Cleanest Village in 2003 – and has held that reputation with fierce community pride ever since. Plastic is completely banned here. Bamboo dustbins line every path, smoking is prohibited. The villagers, predominantly from the Khasi tribe, maintain their environment not as a tourism strategy but as a cultural value. Visitors stay in wooden eco-lodges, walk trails through dense forest, and stand at a living root bridge As of January 2026, Mawlynnong has also introduced a Sunday closure to tourists, reserving one day a week for community life. This is a place that values itself. As a visitor, you should too.
