Monsoon trek in the rainiest Cherrapunji

The story of my first trek ever!

I was in my hometown in Assam, with a newly launched craft business, working out of the work desk that I captured from my dad! A friend from college called out of the blue saying she is passing near my hometown for a work trip. To cut a long story short, my friend crashed at my place for a night and that’s when she said she was going for a trek to the famous living root bridges of Meghalaya after a week! I needed a break, so I decided to tag along!

Somewhere around the Double Decker Root Bridges

Make me walk as much as you want - uphill and down but adventure is not my middle name!

The difficulty level of the trek to the Living Root bridges will be different for everyone but it is surely not an easy one. It is not risky, but this was during the monsoons! The region we were in was Cherrapunji, which has the record for the highest annual rainfall in the world! It was raining at frequent intervals and the mist was heavy throughout. I was continuously worried about slipping!

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I love Meghalaya!

Umiam Lake in Borapaani, Meghalaya

I have lost count of how many trips I have taken to Meghalaya because as a child brought up in Guwahati (Assam), trips to Shillong, Borapaani and Cherrapunji were a yearly thing for my family. I remember doing winter shopping from there, as a child too!

But this time it was a different experience with a trekking bag, raincoat, plastic covers, etc. - Thank God I had a friend who was a pro!

Being on a budget trip, we crashed in the cheapest homestays available in Cherrapunji, and used the most affordable local transport!

The trip to Nongriat

We started from Guwahati in a shared taxi to our first stop in Shillong. After staying for a night in a dorm room there, we went to the township of Cherrapunji and stayed at a basic homestay there for one more night. The whole time there we were literally engulfed in thick mist!

The next morning, we asked our homestay owner for directions and following them, we reached the starting point of the famous Double-decker root bridges trek.

While there are multiple root bridges in Meghalaya, the double-decker one is situated in a remote village called Nongriat.

According to Google, it takes 3 hours on foot to reach Nongriat but it took us 5 hours! Maybe we took too many detours and quick breaks to rest our tired legs.

The entrance to Nongriat

The detours took us to other smaller root bridges & waterfalls and the whole path of rocky steps was surrounded by lush greenery and the smell of wet soil. The highlight of the path was also the two hanging bridges that we had to cross to reach. It did not feel much scary to me were quite a few travellers as well as locals who were crossing it responsibly one or two at a time.

I instantly connect with responsible, well-behaved travellers!

The bliss of a different world!

If you google the root bridges of Nongriat, you’ll mostly see pictures of the place during the drier seasons - blue water, bright skies, and people swimming near waterfalls. But we could not get down in the water as the rivers were gushing because of the monsoon.

Top view of The Double Decker Root Bridges

However, the place was as magical as you see it on the internet and social media!

When we finally reached Nongriat, fully drenched, I fully soaked in the entire experience.

I just did something outside my comfort zone and reached a world away from all the noise that I was so accustomed to. It wasn’t as filmy as they show it in movies but I was feeling “different” - good different - relaxed, at peace amidst an environment I was not used to!

We stayed at a simple homestay there called “Serenity”, run by a lovely couple with five little kids and met a few fellow travellers from across the world.

I’m finding it hard to narrate the warmth I felt there with a group of strangers in a simple home away from the urban life I am used to. Being an introvert and somewhat unsocial, I was not used to being in an unknown place with unknown people. But I felt happy, at peace in the quietness of doing nothing!

Somewhere near our homestay in Nongriat

We had planned to stay only for a night but I asked my friend if she would like to stay back for a couple of more days and she immediately said Yes! We stayed there for 3 nights, just reading, chatting, and walking around the village!

Our homeowner told us how climate change is making smaller root bridges fall. They were protesting against the government which was planning to build a road to reach their village easily. That would have meant destroying a large area of forest cover, making the region dangerously vulnerable due to all the negative effects of over-tourism!

The beginning of the search for responsible travel

Today, I know the meaning of the terms - “experiential travel”, “authentic experiences”, “regional food”, “community-led tourism”, “planet-positive trips”, etc etc.

I’m not sure if these terms were used during that time but this was the trip that kind of introduced me to all the terms mentioned above and that’s when the bug of travelling “offbeat” to lesser-known places started.

I identify myself as a responsible traveller. Whether one chooses a commercial, offbeat or adventurous path, as long as we try our best to be a part of a responsible route in our travel plans, we are good. (More on this later).

My first trek did not make me adventurous or an adrenaline junkie, but it shaped me as a slow and experiential traveller who loves to explore a region through the eyes of the local community there. I'm not perfect but I'm definitely on a journey to make myself a better responsible traveller!

Is there a trip in your past that shaped the traveller you are today?

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I am Namrata Gohain, a designer-turned-storyteller, writer and content producer. I document stories on responsible travel, crafts, cuisine, slow living and my creative journey.

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