Nongriat Travel Guide: Inside The Double Decker Root Bridge Village

Deep in a forested gorge in the East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya sits Nongriat, a village of just 34 households reachable only on foot. It's famous for one thing above all else — the Umshiang Double Decker Living Root Bridge, grown by hand over generations by weaving the roots of rubber fig trees across a river gorge, a structure so unusual it's been filmed for BBC's Human Planet and Japanese television documentaries.

It’s one of the bucket-list destinations on any Meghalaya trips among trekkers and offbeat travellers looking for a genuine digital detox. Reaching Nongriat means several thousand stone steps down into a valley and the same climb back up whenever you leave, so it’s definitely not for quick sightseeing. It has no roads, patchy phone signals, and an evening routine built around shared meals and the sound of the river below.

This Nongriat travel guide covers everything that decision requires: what the village is actually like, where to stay, whether Rainbow Falls is worth the extra climb, and if spending the night is worth it at all.

Nongriat at a Glance

• Location: East Khasi Hills, Meghalaya (roughly 65 km from Shillong)
• Population: ~130 people across 34 households
• Main attraction: Umshiang Double Decker Living Root Bridge
• Trailhead: Tyrna village (last point reachable by road)
• Ideal for: Fit trekkers, offbeat and nature travellers, digital-detox seekers
• Less suited to: Limited mobility, young children, travellers wanting comfort or quick sightseeing
• Recommended stay: 1 night minimum; 2 nights if adding Rainbow Falls and Nongthymmai
• Connectivity: Little to no mobile network; limited electricity via community hydro power
• Best time to visit: October–April for safer footing; June–September for lush, dramatic scenery

What Is Nongriat Village?

Nongriat village, Meghalaya sits at the bottom of a deep valley in the East Khasi Hills, connected to the outside world only by a steep trekking route as there's no road access. A few verified facts worth knowing:

• Home to roughly 130 people across 34 households
• The main local livelihood is bay leaf cultivation, sold to traders from the surrounding hills
• Neighbouring villages — Nongthymmai, Tyrna, Mawshamok, and Nongkroh — sit along the same trekking network
• Best known worldwide for the Umshiang Double Decker Living Root Bridge, a structure that's taken generations to grow into shape

The village itself has slowly modernised — a small community-run hydro setup now powers basic street lighting and phone-charging points — but it remains fundamentally off-grid compared to anywhere else on a typical Meghalaya trip.

How to Reach Nongriat Village from Tyrna

The journey from Tyrna to Nongriat is a steep, stepped descent through forest — several thousand stone steps down into the valley, which means an equally steep climb back up whenever you leave. Tyrna itself is the trailhead village, reachable by road from Cherrapunji, and it's the last point private vehicles can take you.

How to Reach Tyrna

• From Shillong: Roughly 65 km via the Cherrapunji road, about 2.5–3 hours by shared taxi or private cab
• From Cherrapunji (Sohra): The shorter, more common route — about 12–15 km, roughly 20–30 minutes by taxi, typically ₹250–400 one way
• Nearest major airport: Guwahati, around 170 km away; Shillong's smaller Umroi airport is closer but has limited flight connectivity
• At Tyrna: A small parking area and a couple of tea stalls mark the trailhead — there's no taxi stand here, so arrange for your driver to wait or return for pickup in advance

How to go from Tyrna to Nongriat

• Distance: Roughly 3 km on foot, almost entirely downhill on stone-cut steps rather than flat trail
• Steps: Several thousand steps cut into the hillside — estimates vary by source, generally between 2,500 and 3,500
• Time: Budget 1.5–3 hours going down at a comfortable pace; the return climb takes longer for most people
• Route: Cemented and largely well-marked, crossing a couple of suspension bridges along the way

Things to See in Nongriat Village

Once you've made it down, the village itself is compact and walkable, with most sights within a short distance of each other.

1. Single Decker Root Bridge A smaller living root bridge you pass just before entering the main village — often overlooked in the rush to reach the double decker, but worth pausing at.
2. Umshiang Double Decker Root Bridge The main event: two tiers of living root bridge, woven from rubber fig tree roots over generations, spanning a river gorge a short walk from the village homestays. A small entry fee applies, which goes directly to the community that maintains it.
3. Natural pools beneath the bridge Clear, cold pools sit right under the double decker structure — a popular spot to cool off after the descent, with locals and travellers alike swimming here through the day.
4. Nongthymmai village The next settlement over, quieter and far less visited, worth a short walk if you want to see Khasi village life without the crowds that gather at the main bridge.

How to Visit Rainbow Falls Near Nongriat?

Rainbow Falls Nongriat sits about an hour's walk beyond the double decker bridge, through denser jungle with noticeably fewer people than the main trail. What to expect:

• A more remote, in-the-jungle feel compared to the main village stretch
• A powerful waterfall with a pool at its base that's swimmable if you're willing to scramble down the bank
• Best visited earlier in the day, since the return climb back to the village adds meaningfully to an already long day

If waterfalls are the main draw for your Meghalaya trip, Rainbow Falls is one stop among several worth knowing about — the region's other cascades are covered in more depth on our page on waterfalls in Meghalaya, and this specific extension is one of the more rewarding stretches of trekking in Meghalaya precisely because so few day-trippers make it this far.

Nongriat Homestay Options

A nongriat homestay is generally basic by design — simple rooms or dormitory beds, shared bathrooms, and meals cooked and served communally. A few names travellers consistently mention:

• Serene Homestay — run by Byron, widely credited as the person who started tourism in Nongriat; dorm beds and private rooms, meals included
• Nongriat Village Guest House (Community Guest House) — the first stay you reach entering the village, simple and inexpensive
• Shipara Homestay and a handful of smaller family-run guesthouses — similar basic setup, often chosen simply on availability

Expect to pay roughly ₹250–1500 per person depending on dorm vs. private room, usually with dinner and breakfast included in that price. None of these are bookable much in advance — most travellers simply arrive and ask around, so having a backup option in mind matters more than a confirmed reservation.

A proper Nongriat village stay typically means one night, occasionally two if you want to add Rainbow Falls and Nongthymmai without rushing both in a single day.

How is Nongriat at Night?

Nongriat at night is quiet in a way that's genuinely hard to find elsewhere on a Meghalaya trip. A few things to expect:

• Mobile network is patchy to non-existent — treat this as a digital detox rather than a temporary inconvenience
• Basic solar and small hydro-powered lighting covers the main paths, but it's nowhere near city-level brightness
• Dinner is usually a shared, simple affair — rice, dal, vegetables — eaten alongside whichever other travellers are staying that night
• Many homestays have a common area where guests end up talking, playing carrom, or just listening to the river below

It's this after-dark stretch, as much as the bridge itself, that travellers tend to remember longest.

Is Nongriat Worth Staying Overnight?

For most travellers, yes. Here's the honest trade-off:

Reasons to stay:

• Doing the descent and climb back up in a single day is genuinely hard on the knees and leaves no time to enjoy the village itself
• An overnight stay lets you add Rainbow Falls without rushing
• The evening atmosphere — dinner, conversation, the sound of the river — is a real part of what makes Nongriat worth visiting at all

Reasons a day trip might work instead:

• If you're short on time and only want to see the double decker bridge itself
• If basic, no-frills accommodation genuinely isn't for you

Most people who've done both agree the overnight version is the better experience, even with the extra climb it requires the following day.

Best Time to Visit Nongriat Village

• October to April: Drier conditions, safer footing on the stone steps, and comfortable temperatures for the climb
• June to September (monsoon): Waterfalls and the surrounding jungle are at their most dramatic, but steps get slippery and leeches are common — manageable with the right footwear, but worth knowing in advance

Expert Travel Tips for Your Visit to Nongriat Village

• Wear proper trekking shoes — grip matters far more than cushioning on wet stone steps
• Start the descent by mid-morning so you're not still on the stairs after dark
• Carry cash in small denominations — no ATMs or card payments anywhere in the village
• Bring your own water and snacks — there's little to buy along the trail itself
• Pack insect repellent and a basic first-aid kit, especially during monsoon months when leeches are common
• Carry a power bank — electricity is limited, and charging points aren't guaranteed
• Don't count on a confirmed homestay — arrive with enough daylight left to check a second option if your first choice is full
• Carry your trash back out with you — there's no waste collection in the valley
• Base yourself in Cherrapunji the nights before and after rather than attempting this as a same-day trip from Shillong. Our list of hotels in Cherrapunji covers options nearby.
• Pair it with Nohkalikai Falls: The falls are around 8 km on foot and 16 km via road from Nongriat, so combining them together can be a good idea.