Description
In the depths of northeastern India, within sight of the India-Bangladesh border, in one of the wettest places on earth, bridges aren’t built—they’re grown.A living root bridge is a type of simple suspension bridge formed of living plant roots by tree shaping. ... They are handmade from the aerial roots of rubber fig trees (Ficus elastica) by the Khasi and Jaintia peoples of the mountainous terrain along the southern part of the Shillong Plateau.
Overview
While there are dozens of root bridges, which can be found all throughout the valleys between (very roughly!) the towns of Mawsynram and Dawki, few of these are easily accessible, or have nearby tourist facilities. To visit the bridges in the more remote areas, a local guide is an absolute must! A number of these bridges can be reached from Cherrapunjee Holiday Resort. Local maps to the bridges are available from the Resort. The "Umshiang Double-Decker Root Bridge" is located in the village of Nongriat. Visitors can walk here from the small village of Tyrna. The village is accessible from Cherrapunjee by shared or private taxi. From the village, 2500 steps must be traversed to reach Nongriat. The walk takes about 1.5 - 2 hours each way. Nongriat offers basic accommodation to visitors, so it's possible to stay overnight for a more relaxed experience. Serene Guest House is the best run establishment in Nongriat. From Nongriat, short hikes can lead you to several nearby root bridges, include several upstream from the village, a small, nice one, in the village of Mynteng, and several spectacular examples in the village of Nongthymmai. A large number of living root bridges are known to exist in the jungles around the town of Pynursla. To reach these, many of which are deep in the jungle and require several hours of tough hiking, make sure to find a reliable, local, guide. The Rangthylliang Eco-Tourism society comes highly recommended, and can arrange your stay while in the area. Another option for visiting root bridges is the beautiful, remote, village of Kongthong, which has several in the near vicinity. The Kongthong Travelers Nest is a great base to explore the area from, with several spectacular root bridges within a few hours walk. There's also the village of Shnongpdeng, in the West Jaintia Hills, near Dawki, which can be used as a great staging area to explore several villages with root bridges. Recommended are Kudeng Rim, Padu, and Burma. All of these villages have very little in the way of tourist facilities, so make sure to ask for help planning your visit in Shnongpdeng! Please respect the area's natural surroundings.
Destinations
• Nongthymmai Village
• Nongriat Vilage
• Rainbow Falls
• Nohkalikai Falls
• Mawlynnong Village
• Rewai Village
• Cherrapunjee
Inclusion
Camping and Homestay.
• All the mentioned activities.
• GST, all toll and driver fee.
• All transfers and sightseeing by AC vehicles.
• Meal includes – 3 (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner).
Itinerary
We will receive you from the pickup point and then leave for Tryna Village which is the starting point to the Nongriat Village Trek(Double Decker Living Root Bridge Trek). The trek is about 2hrs. On our way to Nongriat, we will also visit the first village – Nongthymmai, home to the longest living root bridge. We will have our lunch in the Nongriat Village. After lunch, we will visit the famous double Decker root bridge. We will camp in the village for the night.
Next morning after breakfast, we will trek to the Rainbow falls for an ultimate experience and mesmerizing beauty of the Natural ponds. We will spend the evening with bonfire amidst the jungles of the Khasi hills. We camp near the Rainbow Falls.
After breakfast, we will trek to Nohkalikai falls and then drive towards Cherrapunjee. The trek is a bit longer and takes about 5 hours to reach the top. After lunch, we will start our journey to Asia’s cleanest village – Mawlynnong. Stay overnight in the pre-booked homestay.
After breakfast, we will head towards Rewai village – home to another living root bridge. The root bridge is a popular tourist attraction. After exploring the village, we will leave back for Guwahati. Drop at preferred location.
Cancellation Policy
Life is unpredictable and we understand that sometimes you have to cancel or change your trip dates and it is our endeavor to make it as easy as possible for you. However, please understand that we plan everything including guide fees, permits, accommodation, and ration in advance. Therefore, any cancellation means inconvenience and certain losses to the people involved in various stages of the program. Keeping that in mind, our cancellation charges are as below,
- Cancellations prior to 30 days from the start of the event: Full refund as cash.
- Cancellations between 30 days and 15 days to the start of the event: 50 % refund as cash.
- Cancellations less than 15 days to the start of the event: No refund.
- Cancellations will be accepted only by email.
Note: We reserve the right to cancel a program before departure in the event of logistical problems arising due to natural calamities, strikes, wars or any other circumstances that make the event inadvisable. In this case, we will refund 50% of the event fees.
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