Natural Wonders: A Trek to Double Decker Living Root Bridge in Cherrapunji

Born and brought up in Kohima, my fascination for the Northeast has only grown over the years despite the fact that I had left the region 20 years ago. So, when few friends came up with an exciting MakeMyTrip package for Shillong and Cherrapunji, I jumped to it.

We arrived at the Guwahati airport where a representative helped us board the cab. From there began our journey to the picturesque Shillong. Chatting our hearts out, we crossed the tranquil Umium Lake, whose beauty we tried to capture in our cameras. We soon reached Shillong and checked into the hotel. We spent the evening at the famous Police Bazar, and had yummy dinner of smoked chicken and rice.

Beauty at its best in Mwallynong Village

The next day, we left early for Mwallynong, a 3-hours drive from Shillong. Declared as the ‘Cleanest Village in India’, Mwallynong has a population of 400 people. As we neared the village, paved walkways, colourful flowerbeds, hilly rivulets and waterfalls welcomed us and we could see the faraway plains of Bangladesh. The beauty of this village has to be seen to be believed. We stayed on for some time interacting with the villagers, who made us realize that happiness still existed in the simple things of life. Then we began our drive to Dawki. En route, we crossed river Umgot, and were completely bowled over by the blue waters. At a distance, we could see people from Bangladesh working in the fields, making me ponder over the divisions that existed among human beings.

Being with the Self at Cherrapunji

The next day was reserved for Cherrapunji. We visited the three-level Elephant Falls and the Shillong Peak, from where we got a birds-eye-view of the entire town. There were other places to visit around, but we decided to call it a day, as we just wanted to sit silently and admire the beauty of Cherrapunji over cups of Khasi coffee.

Trek to Double Decker Living Bridge

This is what I had been specifically waiting for— a trek to the double-decker living root bridge. I had heard so much about it. After an early breakfast, we reached Nongriate village, from where we began our walk down the 3500 steps towards the bridge. The initial part of the descent was relatively smooth as the cement steps were neatly spaced. However, towards the middle, we began feeling the pressure because the steps decreased in size, requiring us to tread very carefully. We kept walking and passed villagers, with whom we exchanged pleasantries. Soon we reached the famous double-decker bridge. I cannot clearly explain what I felt. Awe-struck, I stood staring at the bridge, which is close to 500 years old and is made of roots of an ancient rubber tree. Over the years, the villagers have been diligently training and guiding the root with hollow beetle tree trunks, sticks, leaves, bamboos and other necessary support to form this 3 km-long sturdy bridge. Quite remarkably, the root continues to grow, making the bridge stronger and larger with each passing year.

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Rainbow on a Waterfall

After clicking numerous pictures of the bridge, we began our trek to Rainbow Falls which was an hour of ascent and decent through a not-so-cemented path. We also crossed two long iron bridges, which were swaying vehemently making us shout and laugh. And soon, we could spot the Rainbow Falls, where the water powerfully forced its way down to form a natural clear water pool. The pool water was so clear that we could see the river bed. My friend let out a shriek because she had spotted the rainbow pattern on the waterfall. We all stood there mesmerised.

Soon, it was time to return. Our journey was coming to an end. The days had just flown by but the peek into the abundance of nature that we had got is going to stay with us forever.

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