Its crazy how some trips that are so very anticipated, start playing all over again once you are back home. Unsurprisingly, my trip to Meghalaya with 2 of my friends for 4 days was something similar, or even more. Ok lets just put it this way, it was an adventure filled journey with innumerable experiences, replaying in my mind over & over, that deserves to be inked and traveled over again through this blog!
We finally reached Tyrna village which is the starting point for trek to double decker root bridge at around 11 a.m, had some snacks and entered into the forest for our trek. There are no entry charges to be paid but there are many guides there on the entrance who charge you Rs 1000-1200 for the trek. We went on our own. The journey to double decker root bridge is quite straightforward and involves staircase majorly . There are few diversions in between which are confusing but you can always ask the locals around just to be sure!
With your very first step into the forest, your eyes are all set in witnessing the stunning prospects Meghalaya has in store for you! It seems as if you have entered into a paradise!!!! Most part of your trek involves descending through marvelously laid uneven cemented stairs surrounded by lush green trees on either sides. Meghalaya is well known for its rich flora-fauna and this forest already gave us amazing glimpses of this particular fact. On your way ahead, your eyes are bound to get tangled over the dense creepers tweaking around countless diverse trees. Ferns with leaves as the size of a squirrel ears and trees forming a thick canopy over you, makes your soul all-embrace with nature. Cheerapunji also called as the rainy desert is bound to be rainy mostly and if you are lucky and it happens to be a sunny day; you observe rays of sun struggling to touch you through these canopies. Ours was a humid and sunny day, but the views all around us were so breathtaking that we were hardly distracted by anything at all. Once you enter more deep into the forest, the chirping of birds get fainter, the rustling of leaves louder and your heartbeats racing faster as by now you have descended almost 2000+ stairs.
After visiting the living root bridge of Nongthymmai village, we proceeded further . It was then we heard the sound of water crashing against rocks at a distant . Soon we were near a man-made iron bridge present 20-25 feet above a running stream of water. The view of bridge of reminded me of movie "Barfi" - remember Priyanka Chopra crossing a rope bridge in song "kyon" . Ever since I saw that, it was dream to be on such a hanging bridge and it was coming true! Super-excited as I stepped on the bridge, it started to shake and it was then when I got my Adrenaline rush !!!! . Holding the ropes on the side,I started to cross the rustic bridge cautiously.
And then as soon I found myself on the other side of that bridge, we started to again climb and descend stairs to finally reach our destination. We encountered a similar bridge again on our way which was now even easier to cross. Finally after a trek of almost 3 hours, we reached Nongriat village which boasts the double decker bridge. I must mention that Nongriat is the only place in whole world to have roots of two trees entangled with each other to create two bridges placed just above each other. Seeing such things reminds you the power of nature! I was amazed to see how can the roots of two trees that are placed across a stream of river entangle with each other to create such a fantabulous structure. This root bridge is reported to withhold the weight of as much as 50 people !!! and is growing stronger and stronger with passing days.
There is a mini waterfall behind this double decker bridge which is not at all shallow and is a perfect place for swimming. After a crazy tiring journey of 3200 steps , all you need is to dip your feet into the cold water of this place. As soon as I saw the waterfall , I plunged myself into the water and all the weariness just floated out of my body into the crystal clear waters my feet were dipped into. There were fishes in the water and if you managed to stay calm for some time , they would come to wash away your dead cuticles from you. It was like natural pedicure with them !!!! I hope you realise by now, why I was insisting you to not give up and continue till the destination!!!!
Our journey in Meghalaya begins in Shillong from where we started to Cheerapunji what locals call as Sohra at around 7 in the morning. To make the most of the limited time as well as let our eyes perceive the breathtaking Landscapes of Meghalaya, hiring a car was the best option we found. It cost us around 3000 bugs per day. On our way we took a stopover at Elephant falls located around 12 kms from the capital city Shillong. Although these falls were named after one of the elephant shaped rock which was washed away by an earthquake, the name still does it justice as it leaves you awestruck by its exuberant might. We visited 7-8 waterfalls in Meghalaya and each one was beautiful in its own way. If you truly love nature and are passionate about travelling , you will notice even minor differences in the landscape which makes them unique in themselves. Meghalaya had plenty of these. We had our breakfast there and resumed our journey towards Cheerapunji for the "living root bridge trek".
There is just one village en route your trek -Nongthymmai village which hosts the single root bridge. We saw few families going back from this location but my heart leaped to witness more as my expectations kept going higher throughout this trek. I would personally urge you to keep up your determination because you are just some 1000 stairs from the real beauty of this place. The villages of Meghalaya have a natural signboard of "betel trees" !! Standing under these trees and gazing the clear blue sky gives you the happiest feeling of your life !!!
After reaching half way of the bridge, I dared to look below and what I saw tickled me but I was glad to do it. It was at that moment when I began enjoying this walk on the bridge. Up there, a clear blue sky with white clouds masking themselves to be painted on a blue canvas and down below, the rush of an aqua blue river flowing. The sight of flourishing vegetation around, the sound of water thrusting the rocks below and the gentle gasps of fresh air, made that walk - a walk to remember.
We enjoyed at the water fall for almost 2-3 hours and started our journey back to Tyrna village with memories and experience I always wanted to have. On our way back , we were offered for homestays but we had other plans for next morning and so we had to turn them down. It took us 3 -4 hours to hike back as this time we were climbing back the stairs now. Thats how unique this trek is. It turned dark on our way back to Tyrna village and the beauty of this place is no less when dark- the moon lighting your path and instead of birds you can hear crickets all your way. There is no electricity and it's not safe to wander in this forest when in turns dark, so I suggest you to complete your trek on time. Else you can plan to stay at Nongriat village and enjoy your Malgudi days without electrification!
Tips :
1) Make sure you start your trek as early as possible and return before it turns dark.
2) If possible carry some juice and snacks with yourself; There are only few food options available at the stalls.
3) Beyond double decker bridge, after some 1000 stairs there is natural swimming pool and rainbow fall which you can visit but you require a guide to visit this place.
4) If you plan to visit this place using public transport ; use Sohra instead of Cheerapunji.
PS: I would like to thank my friends for reviewing this article and capturing me in photos and videos! :)