Amateurs trek to the double decker living root bridge

Amidst the lush Khasi mountains lies the small village of Nongriat, famed for its double decker living root bridge. The trek to the root bridge is approximately 2500 steps downhill, which takes about a couple of hours if you are an amateur trekker.

Double decker root bridge

My husband and I were set out to leave at 7 a.m. from our resort. The resort had booked us a cab to drop us at the trekking start point just 15 minutes down the resort, and provided us with a map to the root bridge.

Initially, we got to see a couple of houses along the trail but from then on it was just us. Very rarely we came across one or two souls here and there at some small shops that sold water, eggs and biscuits for trekkers. But apart from those, the trail was pretty much secluded. Come to think of it, it was a bit daring of us to venture into a forest with no guide, with a hand drawing from the resort that guided us as a map. Don't take me wrong, there were guides who offered to provide their service but we wanted to explore on our own so we called in our gutsy chits that day.

The trek downhill as you can assume was easy initially since it is downhill but after a point it got a bit tiring. I had so little exercise in city-life before, that my stamina didn't support my enthusiasm but nevertheless I went on. My husband despite being unhappy about the trekking in the travel plan, pursued relentlessly with all his might and motivated me every time I took a break.

A few minutes down the stairs, we came across the longest living root bridge in the world. You have to take a two-minute detour to Tyrna village to witness this sleek piece of living roots fashioned into a bridge by the Khasi tribes. The Umshiang river flowing under the bridge adds to the aesthetics of the scenery and compliments the elegant bridge giving the entire scene an elegant look.

View of the longest root bridge from the trail

World's longest root bridge as of 2017

After overwhelming our eyes with the world's longest living root bridge, we continued back on track. Along the way, we came across two steel bridges, really thin as in it looked like only one person can walk at a time lest it would give away at the joints and put us straight into the rushing river under it. While we were contemplating how to cross this without shaking it or landing straight in heavens, one of the villagers with a heavy load of cement on his head walked right past us on the steel bridge without holding the sides as if he was walking on a treadmill. He didn't bat an eye to our apprehensions. We simply followed him and tried to be brave and crossed the bridge only to find another similar but what look like a more dangerously rusty steel bridge. I crossed that too by comforting myself with the views of beauty surrounding me.

Steel bridge

Villager's day to day

Second (so-called) steel bridge

We kept following the steps with Khasi mountains at the backdrop listening to birds chirping around us, trees dancing with the breeze, Khasi mountains peering down at our lonely selves, crystal blue waters of the river gushing in the valleys gulping our echoing voices. After what seemed like an eternity of long hike amidst the dense forest and the fear of being attacked by a wild animal at any point, my legs were about to give up when we saw some civilization at Nongriat village.

Tempting blue waters

All the efforts, the exhaustion and the ordeal of trekking for 3000 ft vanished the minute we saw the double decker living root bridge hanging from one tree to another. This is human race's best work with nature. With no disruption to the ecosystem, the Khasi tribes managed to make this skill and passed it on for generations.

Live roots making the place look lively

The river made a small natural pool under the bridge where we had our picnic. We relaxed a bit, met with fellow travellers from the resort and headed back at noon. The steps from the double decker bridge led to rainbow falls and a naturally formed swimming pool but we saved that for another trip as we did not want to lost time on trekking back to base. It was a three-hour climb uphill and we did not want to do it in the dark.

The trek back was not as motivating and I took a lot of breaks in between which made it even more strenuous. The birds had stopped chirping, the trees stood still and the mountains bid us a sad goodbye as we went back to our resort, but not before turning back and clicking a picture of the path I left behind.

Where it all began

Look back and capture what you leave behind

Little things: Have a relaxed fish pedicure at the pool under the double decker root bridge. If you are not planning to trek further to rainbow falls, this is the best way to enjoy the serenity of the environment. Trust me, after a long trek this will feel very calming.

Fish pedicure at the tiny waterfalls

Eat out: Have boiled eggs in the small shops along the way to gear up for the trek.

Tip from the tip: Pack light. Drink less water, for obvious reasons. Even though there are restrooms in the villages on the way, they are so far apart during the trek and it consumes time to take a detour. Start early, around 6 a.m and make sure the return uphill is around noon or 1 p.m maximum. Don't push it further as Meghalaya is in the east and the Sun sets around 5.30 p.m. Carry bills of small denominator, you won't get change from the local shops along the trek.

Photo Credits: Srivathsan Ravi & Me
Visit: 27.02.2017