A journey to find living root bridges and natural pools!
I visited Meghalaya this April with my friend Sujata. It was my first time backpacking on a strict budget and it was absolutely thrilling! We sampled local street food in Shillong, went on a group tour to Mawlynnong (the cleanest village in Asia) and Dawki, did local sightseeing in Cherrapunji and spent a night there before starting out to witness a bio engineering wonder, i.e., the living root bridges.
Living root bridges are a form of tree shaping common in the southern part of Meghalaya, devised by members of the Khasi tribe. A living root bridge is formed by guiding the flexible aerial roots of rubber fig trees across a stream or river, and then allowing the roots to grow and strengthen over time until they can hold the weight of a human being. The young roots are sometimes tied or twisted together, and are often encouraged to combine with one another. The root bridges provide a stable alternative to wooden bridges, which decay and get destroyed during the lengthy monsoon seasons.
It takes around 15 years for a new root bridge to become strong enough to bear the weight of people crossing it. However, it will continue to grow and strengthen even more over time. Some of the bridges are believed to be hundreds of years old, although no one knows their exact age!
Nongriat is a village in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya and is best known for its living root bridges, especially the Double Decker Living Root Bridge called Jinkieng Nongriat. The village has three functional living root bridges, each special in its own way.
We started from our homestay in Cherrapunjee at around 6:30 in the morning. A car dropped us at Tyrna (the point from where the Nongriat trek starts), which was around half an hour’s drive. After a light breakfast, we started the trek with a lot of enthusiasm and excitement.
We chose not to take a guide as the trek is supposed to have a clear route with 3200 steps. The path we took was quite narrow and steep and had broken steps. Moreover it was totally deserted. After almost half an hour of walking, we reached a point where there was almost no way further! Sujata was adamant that this cannot be the way and we should return with a guide. At this point I had to agree and we decided to head back. What happened was the road bifurcated towards the start of the trek and unfortunately we missed the path which the tourists were taking and took the wrong path!
But after returning to the point we met a few trekkers who were going to Nongriat and we decided to follow.
The trek consisted of steps downhill till a small village (which houses a popular single root bridge) and it was relatively easy. We passed by some people who had stayed the night in Nongriat and were on their way back to Tyrna and their condition gave us shivers about how difficult it’s going to get when we return the next day! We reached the Single Root Bridge within just half an hour.
We had a glass of refreshing organic lemon juice (which you have to try if you come here) from a local shop and started for the Double Decker Bridge.
The path from here on was alternating between uphill and downhill and thus became a little challenging.
We soon came across a narrow iron bridge which was wobbling as we walked along. There was also a natural pool below the bridge.
After a while we heard the sound of water gushing and were confident that we have finally reached. But after taking just a few steps forward we realized that it was yet another bridge! The view from the bridge was absolutely gorgeous. It was surrounded by hills all around with a stream of bluish green water flowing underneath. We could stand here forever and just admire the beauty!
The steps were mostly uphill after this and we started feeling exhausted. What kept us motivated were the smiling faces and encouraging words of so many other travelers we met on the way. One special mention is a group of tourists aged 70+ who were returning after completing the trek.
We finally saw a signboard of our homestay which was very close to the Double Decker Bridge. We decided to check-in first, grab lunch and then trek to a hidden gem of Meghalaya – the Rainbow Falls, which was around 1 and half hours from the Double Decker Living Root Bridge.
We crossed the Double Decker Bridge on our way to the Rainbow Falls but didn’t pause there because it was quite crowded at the time.
The way to Rainbow Falls was the most difficult part of the trek. This path didn’t have defined steps like before. Some parts were really steep, some were really narrow and the way seemed never ending! Also, we were already exhausted after walking for almost 4 hours (the usual 2 hours trekking time, the hour when we got lost and another hour because we were clicking lots of photos and vlogging on the way).
We met a lot of people on the way who didn’t complete the trek and were returning midway.
As we were almost near Rainbow Falls, we saw the rest of the tourists head back. It was near sunset when we reached so there was no sign of the rainbow. But the waterfall was immensely beautiful! The force of the water was very strong that day (possibly due to heavy rainfall the night before) and we could feel the mist hit us.
It was absolutely dark by the time we returned to our homestay.
We woke up during sunrise the next morning and decided to spend some time at the Double Decker Living Root Bridge before returning. Luckily we had the place all to ourselves for more than an hour, which definitely was the highlight of our trip.
Camera Gear Used For Photography:
- Canon EOS 77D 24.2MP Digital SLR Camera
- Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical [IF] Lens for Canon DSLR Camera
Check out my ‘What’s In My Camera Bag‘ blog post for more details.
Planning Guide
How To Reach Nongriat
Tyrna, the starting point of the trek, is around 30-40 minutes from Cherrapunji and the easiest way to reach is by hiring a car. Our homestay owner provided a car for Rs. 300 but drivers usually charge Rs. 400-500.
It takes about 2 hours to reach Nongriat village from Tyrna if you don’t stop much on the way.
Getting a vehicle on your way back from Tyrna is more difficult. There are shared cabs available which cost Rs. 70 per head till Cherrapunji but it’s not easily available. We had to book a car for Rs. 500!
Accommodation & Food
There are quite a few homestays now in Nongriat but the most popular one is Serene Homestay run by Byron. Dormitory beds are available at Rs. 300 whereas we got a twin bedded room for Rs. 800. There are also triple bedded rooms for Rs. 1200.
Note: The rooms were very small & none of the rooms had private bathrooms, although common bathrooms were plenty. But it was definitely manageable for one night.
They have quite a few options for breakfast and lunch. Dinner is a simple home cooked meal comprising of rice, dal and veggies.
Visiting other parts of Meghalaya as well? Check out Booking.com for great hotel deals or rent an Airbnb for longer stays (and get an amazing discount on your first trip – for new sign-ups only)
Additional Information
You can take a guide/porter if you are unsure of the way or have very heavy luggage. They charge Rs. 400-500 one way. You can bargain a little if you go and return the same day.
Note: Lots of tourists visit Nongriat as a day trip, but it isn’t possible to trek to Rainbow Falls if you have to return the same day.
I really hope you enjoyed reading this article and you’ll find the information useful whenever you plan the Nongriat trek.
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Also, don’t forget to check out my YouTube video from this trek!
Happy Travelling! 🙂
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