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The Living Root Bridges of Cherrapunjee

July 20, 2017 by AggieB 16 Comments

Driving out of Guwahati which has the main airport access for the States of Assam and Meghalaya in North Eastern India, it is the median strip on the highway that forms the border between the two States.

This is the road that will take us to the village of Cherrapunjee, famous for the living root bridges that are scattered in the dense bushland around it. Oh, and its also notorious for being the wettest place on earth – a title that it vies for with the nearby village of Mawsynram.

The whole northeastern region sits above Bangladesh. Locals joke that it is a one-hour flight from Kolkata to Guwahati and a 48 hour drive. Both because you have go around Bangladesh which takes a while, and because the roads are really bad. The area is bordered by Bangladesh, Myanmar, China, Bhutan and close by is Nepal and Tibet.

Living Root Bridges

These are bridges made from the roots of living trees, and there are a number them in the forests around Cherrapunjee.

The bridges are handmade from the aerial roots of a type of rubber tree. They take about 15 years to become stable and after that they could last as long as the trees supporting the bridge survives which could be more than 100 years.

The access point for the bridge is the village of Mawlynnong, outside Cherrapunjee, we drive there and go the rest of the way on foot. From the top of the path and back again should take approx. six hours depending on your level of fitness.

I thought I was fit but I’ve never been much good at stairs. I almost expired by the time I got back to the top. The only thing that kept me going was the fact that no one else was going to get me out of there and I’d ruled out rescue by helicopter because it is too eccentric. My crossfit friends will probably jog it.

I didn’t count it but the literature says that there are 3,500 steps down and the same back up again. I’d guess its about 3km of steps each way. And humid. Not hot. There are shops selling water along the way.

That’s the bad news, the good news is that this path takes you to the longest living bridge and the double decker plus a couple of others and two or three cable bridges as well. First stop is the longest living bridge, after that the double decker bridge is another 2km each way. It hurts even writing the words.

Wettest place on Earth

The views around Cherrapunjee are across rugged hills made more spectacular by the fogs that descend when it rains which seems to be almost every day. Not surprisingly, it has been called ‘Scotland of the East’.

In regard to the rain, Cherrapunjee has recently lost its title of ‘the wettest place on earth’ to Mawsynram which is just up the road. But still seems to be quite proud of the title and probably has high hopes of re-gaining the title. What this means in numbers is an average annual rainfall of 11,800mm. My home town of Perth, Western Australia has an average annual rainfall of around 800mm. If you want to imagine 11,800, Google the average rainfall of a place you know well and then compare it. For most people it will be mind boggling.

Nohkalikai Falls

The monsoon season lasts from June to September and the streams that flow through the state’s deep valleys become strong, rain-fed torrents. The rivers are impossible to cross by foot during the monsoon and make the living root bridges important.

Perhaps not surprisingly with all the mountains and the rain, Meghalaya also has the highest plunge waterfall in India – Nohkalikai Falls, plus a number of other scenic waterfalls to visit including the Nohsngithiang, or ‘seven sisters’ Falls named after the seven separate streams.

Shillong

The capital city of Meghalaya is Shillong, which is a hill station visited by the British as a respite from the heat in Kolkata. As its name suggests it is hilly and it is a station. Only kidding – there is some wonderful old architecture that I would describe as ‘hill station’. Large verandahs, bungalow style and with shuttered windows.

The Police Bazar is worth a visit in the evening. It is in the centre of the city and is the place to go to either eat street food or stop at one of the restaurants or bars along the pedestrian area.

Wards Lake is inside the botanical gardens which is a serene, green space in the older quarter. Outside the city is Umiam Lake, a man-made reservoir with a variety of water activities from kayaking, a sedate cruise or jetskiing. We arrive at 2 minutes after 5pm, I kid you not, and were told that under no circumstances could we enter. Bah humbug.

Elephant Falls are located just outside Shillong. Not as spectacular as Nohkalikai or the Nohsngithiang Falls, but easier to get to and with more tourists.

A quirk of the Meghalaya is that society is traditionally matriarchal. The local businesses are owned by women. I’m not sure if this makes society genuinely more equal, or if it means that women still do all the work but they get recognised for it ?

Dawki & Kaziranga National Park

One place that I didn’t get to was Dawki. It is on the border with Bangladesh and the attraction was because I’d seen photos of a river where the water was so transparent that boats seem to be floating on air. Also you can go fishing the river with Bangladesh on one side and India on the other. Who do the fish belong to?

Another place that I didn’t get to see was Kaziranga National Park. It is a national park in the state of Assam (Guwaharti) and is a sanctuary for one-horned rhinoceroses that are native to India and is a World Heritage listed site. Apparently there are elephants as well, but we missed it by about two weeks because it was shut to the public for the monsoon season.

Further afield –

With the knowledge that I have now I would stay in the north east of India for three weeks rather than three days. Also in this region are Darjeeling – a hill station with the Himalayas as backdrop; Tiwary, where it snows and from here even Bhutan is a hop step and a jump.

Access – the main access point for Shillong and Cherrapunjee is Guwaharti, which has a decent sized airport. From Guwaharti we had pre-arranged a car and a driver and he stayed with us for three days.

The best time to visit would be at the end of the monsoon when all the rivers would be full and the waterfalls at their best. March / April / May is also fine but coming out the dry (ish) season.

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Filed Under: Asia, India, India

Comments

  1. Tanja (the Red phone box travels) says

    July 20, 2017 at 12:30 pm

    stunning! #farawayfiles

    Reply
    • AggieB says

      July 29, 2017 at 2:48 am

      Thanks Tanja!

      Reply
  2. Keri | Ladies What Travel says

    July 20, 2017 at 4:21 pm

    Wow, they’re so beautiful! Not sure if I’d be brave enough to cross them though lol! #FarawayFiles

    Reply
    • AggieB says

      July 29, 2017 at 2:49 am

      Ha! For sure you would cross them – they are super stable, just have to be careful because the roots are a bit uneven. Thanks for commenting #FarawayFiles

      Reply
  3. Ruth | Tanama Tales says

    July 21, 2017 at 2:57 am

    This is an incredible place. Many years ago I read about about the living trees on a Lonely Planet Magazine. Good you were able to see them. #FarawayFiles

    Reply
    • AggieB says

      July 29, 2017 at 2:53 am

      Hi Ruth, yes its seems like a bit of a secret place and I’d only heard of them because I had friends who were living up in Tripura who convinced me I should visit. They talked mainly about the rain and the views, which are also worth seeing. Thanks for commenting #farawayfiles

      Reply
  4. Katy says

    July 22, 2017 at 6:47 am

    What an interesting area of India. A friend of mine is headed there this week for several weeks actually as she also realised it warranted a lot more time. The natural attractions look incredible – especially the waterfalls. Thanks for sharing on #FarawayFiles

    Reply
    • AggieB says

      July 29, 2017 at 2:54 am

      Yes, its interesting for all sorts of reasons. I’d love to get back and go a bit further north. Thanks for commenting #farawayfiles

      Reply
  5. Kat says

    July 22, 2017 at 2:14 pm

    I have been to Kolkata, Darjeeling and Sikkim – that has given me a taste of North East India and I want more! I hope to travel to Meghalaya, Shillong and so on sometime next year. Thought of heading there at end Feb/early March but you mentioned about the rivers and waterfalls being full towards the end of monsoon, then I might reconsider for Sept instead. Glad that you had a great time in North East 🙂 #FarawayFiles

    Reply
    • AggieB says

      July 29, 2017 at 2:56 am

      Yes, I think it would be better to go in Sept / Oct to see the waterfalls. Check the dates for Kaziranga National Park as well, to make sure its open – if you want to take a chance to see the rhinoceroses. I’d love to take the train to Darjeeling like you did! Thanks for commenting #farawayfiles

      Reply
  6. beatravelling says

    July 23, 2017 at 11:13 am

    Wow, those bridges are super cool!!

    Reply
    • AggieB says

      July 29, 2017 at 3:11 am

      Yes, when you are there its almost as if you’ve stepped into a movie set. thanks for dropping by #farawayfiles

      Reply
  7. Clare (Suitcases and Sandcastles) says

    July 23, 2017 at 2:03 pm

    This is amazing! Those rope bridges are fascinating and makes all that exercise worthwhile. What a wonderful part of India to explore. Adding to my list. Thanks for sharing on #FarawayFiles

    Reply
    • AggieB says

      July 29, 2017 at 3:13 am

      I was really pleased that I had the chance to get up to the North East. It came about because I was working in Kolkata and its an easy trip from there. A bit more difficult from other others places, especially when there are so many other places to visit ! Thanks for dropping by #farawayfiles

      Reply
  8. Nina says

    July 26, 2017 at 3:14 am

    Those tree bridges look amazing. I’ve seen pictures of them before but never knew where they were. Thanks Agatha!

    Reply
    • AggieB says

      July 29, 2017 at 3:14 am

      Hey Nina, the bridges and the whole area was a bit of a revelation for me. At one point I was on the phone talking to someone in Japan about work, and looking out over Bangladesh. Very surreal. Thanks for commenting 🙂

      Reply

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