The root bridges of Meghalaya have attracted tourists from far and near. These bridges are a work of art, created almost 250 years ago by weaving the roots of rubber trees.
On our trip to the majestic Meghalaya, there were umpteen places that wowed us But the one that left us wanting for more was undoubtedly these bridges.
Where are these bridges located?
The village of Nongriat. houses these astonishing bridges and one needs to climb down close to 4000 steps to reach here. Nongriat has an interesting history behind it. “Nong” means village and “riat” refers to the ridges.
Nongriat is a village surrounded by the ridges and inhibited by the inhabitants belonging to the Khasi tribe. They migrated from the neighboring valley named Thied Dieng. Thied means roots and Dieng means trees.
Are the bridges natural or man-made?
These bridges are a collaboration between nature and humans. The ancestors of Nongriat inhabitants had the skill of weaving these magnificent root bridges. The whole process is called the Training of Roots, which starts with pulling the roots of a particular species of the rubber tree, across the bamboo to create a bridge. The first root bridge was created on Umshiang River, around 250 years ago.
How to reach Nongriat Village – The home to the double-decker root bridge
To visit Nongriat, one must reach Cherrapunji or Sohra. Find a taxi that’ll take you to Tyrna village. From Tyrna village, descending steep stairs take you Nongriat.
Where to Stay in Nongriat
There are very few homestays in Nongriat, some are not even on the map. The most popular among them is Serene Homestay. Most travelers chose to unwind overnight because of the trek. While we were staying in the Cherrapunji at Sa-I-Mika resort, we chose to check out and left our luggage there. We took the hike to Nongriat, stayed at Serene homestay and on our way back picked up our luggage from Sai Mika, which in our opinion is a wise thing to do as the hike is steep and tiring.
The inhabitants of Nongriat
The population in the village of Nongriat is slim, close to 250 and not increasing. These inhabitants belonging to the Khasi tribe live in harmony with nature and are well versed in English. Historically Khasis are a warrior tribe and adept at bow and arrow and Ryntie Patur- stone shooting gun. Like all Khasis, it is a matrilineal society, where the children take their mother’s surname and the property goes to the youngest daughter in the family.
How was Nongriat put on the traveler’s map
In the late 1990s when a traveler from South India came to visit the root bridges, he was so mesmerized that he built a resort here. Thereafter many homestays, hotels, and resorts came up in the area.
Things to do in Nongriat
- Single Root Bridge: Halfway to the double-decker you will land at Single Root Bridge. You can cross the bridge, click pictures and move on to the Double decker. From the single root bridge, Double Decker bridge will take you close to 2 hours of hike.
- Double Decker Bridge: Twice as awesome as Single Root Bridge, the bridge overlooks a green waterfall. The crystal clear water is. home to many fishes. We just couldn’t helo but admire its beauty.
- Rainbow Waterfall: Ahead of double-decker lies the rainbow waterfall. Though we skipped it. However many say it is worth the visit.
Stay at Serene Homestay
Though we had an option of returning the same day, our wobbly feet suggested otherwise. We parked ourselves at Serene Homestay instead. The place is run by Byron Nongbri and his family. The place is impeccably clean and Byron is a strict man. The homestay has a set of rules that one must follow. Wastage of food is strictly prohibited and one must adhere to few rules here.
Don’t expect luxury here, but the rooms are clean. Also, the food served here is simple but fresh. The washrooms are both Indian and Western, with the former more in number. It is advisable to book your stay beforehand as the rooms get booked well in advance.
The rooms allotted to us was simple and clean. We also met a couple of kids at the place who sold lemon juice by the day and played by the evening. The dining room of the Serene homestay transformed into a fun playground in the evening.
Post our dinner around 7, we retired to bed. The dinner was vegetarian with dishes like dal, rice, and veggies in the buffet.
The next day we started our return hike. The upward climb was naturally pretty exhausting.
But post two hours we reached our destination and picked our luggage and set off to Dawki and Mawlynnong – The cleanest village of Asia.
