What are the major hill range of Garo Hills and where are they located?
Garo Hills, located in the North-Eastern part of India in the state of Meghalaya, boasts of its magnificent hill ranges. These ranges fall under the lesser Himalaya range, also known as 'Himachali' and the outermost range of Himalaya called 'Shiwalik'. The region is known for its unique mountainous landscape, with Nokrek Peak being the highest point standing tall at 1412 meters from sea level. The three major hill ranges in Garo Hills offer breathtaking scenic views and are a must-visit for any traveler seeking adventure and natural beauty. So, if you're looking for a unique travel experience, don't miss out on the opportunity to explore the majestic hill ranges of Garo Hills in Meghalaya, India.
1. DURAMA RANGE OR TURA RANGE
 |
| Between Mandalgre and Daribokgre village. The river Simsang originates from here. |
Durama range or Tura range, as the name suggested starts from Tura in West Garo Hills. The first thing you'll see when you come to Tura would be the Tura peak. The hill range extend eastwards from Tura Peak till Siju, in the district of South Garo Hills. The hill range is about 50km long. There are many prominent peaks in Durama range, the highest of them is The Nokrek Peak, in the district of East Garo Hills. Some of the names of the prominent peaks are Miminram Peak, Nengminjok Peak, and Chitmang Peak.
The whole range of Durama is under the management of Nokrek Biosphere Reserve or Nokrek National Park, and it has one of the highest population of elephants in the country according to the source taken from website (The Meghalaya Police- West Garo Hills). Moreover, diverse population of flora and fauna are found here, some of them are being endangered and protected. It is also said that there was a very small population of Red Panda (grudong/ gredong) living in the reserve. However, nowadays there aren't any reports of sighting the creature anymore. It is also a home of the species of citrus named Memang Narang or Citrus indica which cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
Did you know that Nokrek Biosphere Reserves is also a National Citrus Gene Sanctuary to protect the C. indica and C. macroptera (Memang narang and Chambil)?
2. RANGIRA RANGE
 |
Ganol river flowing along the foothill of Ranggira range. |
Ranggira range is located in West Garo Hills district of Meghalaya. It starts from Chibragre near the Town of Rongram and expands westward till Meghalaya-Assam border in Hallidayganj. The hill range is long but it's elevation is quite low- only 673m on average. The River Ganol runs parallel to this hill range until it diverge southwards in the state of Assam.
There are certain well-known landmarks like Rajani Chikong, Gurena Chikanram and some well known village like Babadam, Sadolpara and others located in the foothill of Rangira range.
Did you know that there was a place called 'Little Tura' on top of Ranggira hill? The British proposed to build a town there in 1827. Source: The Garo Jungle Book by William Carey (Garo translation). Ch. 6 (P-44)
3. ARBELLA RANGE
Arbella A.bri or Arbella Range is located in West Garo Hills. The range starts from Assanang, some 16kms away from Tura and it extends towards the East Garo Hills. The range ends near the village of Rangmalgre and Samanda in East Garo Hills. The village named Matchurigre-A is located in the highest elevation point of the hill range, being 900-950 metre from the sea level. The prominent location like A.dinggre and Gondenggre villages are situated in this hill range. Gondenggre village is one of the few remaining 'Songsarek' villages of Garo Hills.