The Living Bridges and Waterfalls of Nongriat
(vero;2024-May-29)
Nongriat is a tiny village in Meghalaya (which means Abode of Clouds) and it's among the rainiest places on Planet Earth. The village lies at an altitude of ~350m, at the foot of a 1600m high cliff, not far from the Bangladeshi border, and can only be reached on foot. The way down is steep and can be dangerously slippery when wet... but we had perfect weather with blue skies and a relentless sun. The village itself is unremarkable but it's home to a unique attraction: the Living Bridges of Nongriat. These amazing lo-tech marvels are constructed from the roots and branches of Ficus trees on both sides of a river during a long and laborious process, taking more than 30 years from start to reliable bridge. Once finished, they will carry great weights and are absolutely safe (though they can be a bit shaky, not unlike the Nepalese rope bridges).
Another great attraction of the region are the massive waterfalls. Some of the highest waterfalls in India are in Nongriat's vicinity... given that there's this amazing 1600m cliff in the north and the low-level Bangladeshi plains to the south, some spectacular waterfalls are to be expected, especially during the monsoon season. We were a bit late for the super-spectacular falls but we still managed some decent photos.
The famous double-decker bridge of Nongriat: two Living Bridges for the price of one. This is a great place for people-watching as the bridges are famous all over India and many Indian tourists at least visit this set of bridges and its attractive pools. There's even some bathing going on... though Indians rarely actually swim in the water (and if they do they invariably sport oversized life jackets) and almost always keep their clothes on.
The Rainbow Falls, about an hours' walk upstream from Nongriat, and another spot with many Indian tourists. Why Rainbow? Well, see the next pic.
Yet another bridge. This one clearly shows the way these bridges are created from the roots of ficus trees on both riverbanks. Note the delicate, almost filigree way the left and right rails have been constructed out of ficus shoots.
These are the Nohkalikai Falls, the biggest in the region and the third-highest in India, with around 340m of free falling water.
Want to read more? Go back to People of the North East or go on to The Living Bridges and Waterfalls of Nongriat or go up to Photos
$ updated from: Photos.htxt Fri 16 Aug 2024 15:40:09 trvl2 — Copyright © 2024 Vero and Thomas Lauer unless otherwise stated | All rights reserved $