Meghalaya's Living Root Bridges – Off the Beaten Path
If you're reading this article, you've probably heard of Meghalaya's famous Living Root Bridges, an ingenious innovation devised by the Khasi tribe to enable them to move swiftly between villages in the dense jungles and valleys that they call home, in India's far Northeast state of Meghalaya.
Meghalaya's Living Root Bridges have gained attention in recent years, and tourists are flocking in increasing numbers to live out their Jungle Book fantasy and traverse these magnificent creations, made from the Ficus Elastica tree and known locally as jing kieng jri.
That being said, it is not too late to see the Living Root Bridges away from the crowds and off the beaten path, as long as you read this article first, so you know where to go and where not to go!
CONTENTS
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About Meghalaya
Meghalaya is a state in the Northeast of India, a region that comprises seven states that consider themselves separate from 'mainland India', known as the 'Seven Sisters'.
This part of the country is relatively undiscovered, with very few tourists venturing to these mainly tribal lands nestled between Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan, and Tibet. With less tourism, the art of the scam and relentless hassle has not reached Meghalaya, and it officially joins my list of hassle-free states along with Kerala, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh.
Meghalaya, "the abode of the clouds", is the rainiest place in the world, and it is one of the least developed states in India, with more than 70% of the land still being natural, primary forest.
It is in these emerald jungles filled with deep gorges that surge with water during the monsoons that the Khasi tribe have developed an ingenious way to link their isolated villages using the roots of the Ficus Elastica tree.
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About the Khasi Tribe
The Khasi are an indigenous ethnic tribe that live in Meghalaya, as well as some parts of Assam, and Bangladesh. They speak Khasi, and they have a matrilineal society. I thought it was really interesting to learn that it is the youngest daughter who inherits everything, as opposed to the oldest son, and the woman's family name is taken and continued, not the man's!
Nowadays the Khasi are mostly Christian, and their main form of income is agriculture. Almost every Khasi person I met was chewing Betel Nut and had red-stained lips and decayed teeth. Driving in from Assam the increase in poverty in Meghalaya is immediately noticeable, which surprised me, as of all the Seven Sisters, Meghalaya has the most visitors - so I wonder where all those tourist dollars go...
Something else that is very apparent is the Khasi people's respect for nature. There are bamboo trash bins everywhere, and litter is basically nonexistent in the smaller villages - everyone is responsible for safeguarding their environment. When I did my trek, my Khasi guide carefully moved spider's webs to the side of the path and reconnected them out of the way - rather than thrashing straight through them. I liked and respected this very much.
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So back to the bridges! There are around 100 Living Root Bridges in Meghalaya, and they are made over the course of around 30 years, by winding the young roots of the Ficus Elastica around a bamboo framework. Unlike modern materials, these organic bridges tend to get stronger and more resilient over time, and some of the more mature bridges, upwards of 100 years old, can carry 35 people at a time!
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How to See the Living Root Bridges Off the Beaten Path
The most famous of the Living Root Bridges is the 'double-decker root bridge' in the village of Nongriat, not too far from Cherrapunji. It would be fair to guess that 99% of tourists to Meghalaya wanting to see the Living Root Bridges head to this one, which is sadly leading to its destruction.
If you want to hike down to the bridge with the crowd and fight for your place for a selfie on the bridge – then go there.
Doesn't sound great, does it?
Well, luckily for us there are loads of other Living Root Bridges in Meghalaya and I went to the longest one of all at Rangthylliang, near to the town of Pynursla, and I was the only person there.
Here is how I did it...
I contacted a local community leader, Morningstar (+91 93667 47383), who is the founder of the Living Bridge Foundation, and asked if he could arrange a guide for me to do the 3-hour trek to the longest Living Root Bridge, which is part of a trail that has 5 other forest bridges too.
We arranged for me to meet my guide, Mangkyrpang (+91 97741 49654) in Pynursla to begin the trek, so I took a shared Sumo from Shillong. The price was 250rs and the journey took 2 hours. The Sumo station in Shillong is opposite the Anjalee Cinema – it is a bit of a rough-looking area, but people were kind and guided me to the right Sumo and did not overcharge me.
Once in Pynursla, my guide collected me and we drove 15 minutes to Rangthylliang to start the hike.
The trail down to the longest Living Root Bridge has been restored, so it is in good condition, and the bridge itself has been reinforced with bamboo. To cross the bridge is still fairly treacherous so be ever so careful with your footing, as the gorge below is DEEP.
It really is a beautiful site and we spent a while taking some photos and enjoying the views.
I felt adventurous so I requested to do the full hike across the other bridges, where the trail is not kept well so was slippery at times. I actually preferred the later bridges as they were older and more gnarly with less bamboo scaffolding, so I really felt like Mowgli clambering through the forest.
The end of the hike is a lot of uphill, and the forest is bloody humid, so bring enough water and take regular breaks, I did not have enough h20 and I felt really sick by the time the hike finished, but luckily Morningstar's house is not far from the trail end, so we tramped over there and rehydrated and had a delicious Khasi meal served in banana leaves – which was included as a part of the 1200rs price I paid for the guided trek.
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Morningstar's house is actually being turned into a guesthouse, and by the time this article is published it will be finished, so rather than heading back to Shillong or Pynursla, I would definitely sleep at his place, Rangythilliang Eco camp, if I went again.
I learnt a lot from my guide about the Khasi and their Living Bridges, I truly hope they can protect this forest and its bridges from turning into another Nongriat/Double Decker fiasco.
Morningstar is already starting initiatives to stop plastic coming into the forest, and his team works to bolster the structure of the bridges by winding new roots of the Ficus Elastica to preserve this truly unique organic architecture.
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Getting Around
The cheapest way to get around Meghalaya is by Sumo, which is a shared jeep that squeezes in about 10 passengers, and they only leave when they are full. They also only leave at certain times of day, as being a wide vehicle they can't afford to get stuck in traffic on Meghalaya's narrow and poorly built roads, in fact, this state has some of the worst traffic I have ever seen due to the roads not being equipped to deal the amount of people driving.
For this reason, even though driving gives you more flexibility, I really do not want to endorse self-driving, as the traffic is bad-bad-bad and more tourists with more private vehicles do not help.
There are also shared taxis, which are a bit more expensive than Sumos but take less time to fill up, and of course private taxis. For short distances, you can use Rapidos via Uber which are motorbike taxis. Meghalaya is not well connected by bus in the slightest.
Where to Stay Near the Living Root Bridges
In Shillong, I stayed at Crossroad Guesthouse – which was about a 35-minute walk from Bara Bazar (the sumo stand) and Police Bazar which is where all the best restaurants and bars seem to be (check out Shad Skye).
The area was quiet and I liked it, the manager of Crossroad Guesthouse was extremely helpful to me with planning my trip to the Root Bridges and my onward travels.
If you hike to Rangthylliang Living Root Bridge it would be awesome to stay at Rangthylliang Eco Camp after your hike, it is a beautiful setting and you can learn a lot from Morningstar about the Khasi and the bridges – he is creating something very special there.
Other Things to Do in the Area
Almost every Meghalaya travel guide covers the same itinerary: Shillong – Cherrapunji – Double Decker Root Bridge – Mawlynnyong – Dawki
The traffic to all of these places, especially Dawki, is an utter nightmare, although admittedly the Dawki area is beautiful - but it has been ruined by the crowds.
If you want to stay away from the crowds, just go anywhere else! Here are some other suggestions:
Mawphlang Sacred Forest
Nohwet Village
Wahken Bamboo Trek (Mawryngkhang)
Bangladesh! (I actually crossed on to Bangladesh from Dawki, it was fantastic and I will be writing about it soon! If you're into off-the-beaten-path travel, Bangladesh is for you!)
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Happy Travels
xx
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