Mawryngkhang trek – A trek to the legendary King of Stones in Wahkhen village of Meghalaya.
‘Wah’ means ‘river’ and ‘Khen’ means ‘to flow’.
The Mawryngkhang trek involves walking on bamboo bridges over broom stick farms and deep gorges.
Sounds exciting and unique?
Read on…
Where is Mawryngkhang?
The U Mawryngkhang Stone is in Wahkhen Village and trek is known as U Mawryngkhang trek / Bamboo Bridge trek of East Khasi Hills or as I like to call it – A Trek of Faith!! More on that in the coming paragraphs.
Distance from Shillong: Wahkhen village is located in the Pynursla Tehsil of East Khasi Hills district in Meghalaya, India. Wahkhen is 54km from state capital Shillong on the National highway Shilong-Dawki road.
Getting here:
Public Transport – Shared cabs or public buses can be taken from Shillong (Bada Bazaar) till Pomlum Village (will cost you around Rs 90). Wahkhen is 15 kms from Pomlum.
If you are hiring a cab and the name ‘Wahkhen’ does not ring a bell, tell the driver you need to go to the bamboo bridge of the East Khasi hills.
The road from this point onwards is not good but not so uncomfortable either.
It is best to hire a personal cab to this point.
What is Mawryngkhang Trek?
U Mawryngkhang is a legendary stone and its stories have passed through generations.
While, U is a mark of respect and is something similar to “Mr” in English or “Shri” in Hindi, Mawryngkhang means the King of Stones.
The LEGEND says that U Mawryngkhang won all the wars with other stones and was thus crowned the King of Stones!
But what is a king without a queen!?
As destiny would have it, U Mawryngkhang fell in love with a beautiful stone from another kingdom. The name of this maiden was Ms Kthiang which means ”tall, slim and beautiful lady’.
What is a love story without a villain!
U Mawpator another huge Stone (Mountain), was also in love with Ms Kthiang.
Left with no option, U Mawryngkhang and U Mawpator entered into a combat.
During the fight, U Mawpator broke U Mawryngkhang’s left arm.
Not one to be defeated, the king of stones hit U Mawpator with such immense force that Mawpator’s head fell off in the deep gorge below.
U Mawryngkhang won his love interest Kthiang who even today stands behind him with solid rock force!!
From the top of U Mawryngkhang, one can see the “Head” of U Mawpator in the deep gorge.
Why do Mawryngkhang Trek?
Be ready to be ‘Swept Away’ – both literally and figuratively.
How?
While the Wahkhen trek starts with a bamboo bridge over broomstick farm, it gradually takes you over beautiful blue water natural pools and eventually you find yourself on the bridge which is perched on the side of huge solid rock with deep valley down below.
Around 98% of the population of Wahkhen practices Niam Tynrai. The natives are dependant on broomsticks and orange cultivation.
The village is also attempting to preserve it’s culture through a One-Room school in a traditional Khasi Hut which offers training of indigenous tribal music.
With the hope of bringing in tourism and increasing livelihood of the indigenous people, the Tourism Trekking Team (TTT) developed the Bamboo bridge in 2017 and is hoping that the Government will help promote this place.
The sturdy and eco-friendly bamboo bridges have been constructed using bamboo and are tied with cane ropes. At very few places one finds that nails have been used for fixing.
It’s a marvel to see how the local engineers have mastered the art of making bamboo bridges over such deep gorge.
The only support to the bridge being the steep, smooth edge of the rock alongside which the bridge runs.
That is why I call this trek – The Trek of Faith – as you walk on the bamboo bridge having complete faith in the indigenous engineering of the indigenous people of Wahkhen.
Time taken to complete the trek
2 to 3 hours depending upon your physical fitness and the number of breaks you take en route. The youngest child on this family trek of ours was 10 years old and the oldest was 13. I should add here that the kids were at all points ahead of us while we followed huffing and puffing.
We were told that the locals can easily finish this trek in 4o minutes.
Mawryngkhang trek in Photos
We were here in End May and that was the start of Rains in Meghalaya.
As we started the trek it started to drizzle. Light weight ponchos that we were carrying came in handy.
Slight drizzle, pleasant wind and a sight to behold, this trek started like a surreal experience.
Where the Bamboo bridge ended, began a muddy step downwards. The steps were made with well laid bamboo sticks.
This muddy path leads to river Wahrew, one of the cleanest river in Khasi Jaintia Hills. Wahrew flows to Bangladesh.
There wasn’t much water in the river at the time of our visit.
Three bridges help you cross over to the other side of the river.
As one proceeds, the path gets trickier here after.
At many places bamboo railing for side support has been made.
And at many places there isnt’ any support.
The entire path has intermittent bamboo bridges and muddy path.
After we crossed the river, the path was all uphill.
Rain can make stones slippery so be firm footed.
Soon we found ourselves walking alongside the moutain ridge. The bamboo bridge is supported by bamboo sticks which take support of the mountains.
Deep gorge underneath.
Look at the mountain face on which the bamboo bridge is supported.
A small gate has been made midway to stop trespassers from reaching Mawrynnkhang.
Post this little gate starts the route to the first mountain called Mowmoit.
“Mowmoit” is a title given to a lady.
The trek becomes tougher here onwards.
Be ready to duck your head..
and crawl through narrow spaces…
The scariest being the steepest one …
The Tourism Promoters Trekking Society, Wahkhen has constructed bamboo ladder to reach to the top of the Stone which is about 100 meter tall. The Skywalk made of bamboo is 150 metre long and the bamboo bridge along the Mawryngkhang rock is 70 metre deep.
which ultimately takes you atop Mawryngkhang.
On our way back we refreshed in the natural pools of river wahrew.
EcoTourism : Contact Details
You may contact the above given numbers for guide and more details on the trek.
I am thankful to Mr. Dmuising Khongjirem, Secretary Tourism Promoters Trekking Society, Wahkhen for giving valuable input.
He can be reached at +91 9863473572 / Email: kik.thohdieng@gmail.com
Mawryngkhang Trek Tips
- Wear comfortable shoes (not necessarily trekking shoes). Even running (sports) shoes will work well.
- Wear quick dry T-shirts as it does become humid during rains.
- Keep water + light snack as there is no provision for the same. You can refill your bottles on your way back in river Wahrew.
- During rains keep a light weight poncho and during winters keep a light weight wind cheater in your day backpack.
- This trek is not recommended for those who are physically unfit.
- Leave the trail clean. There are dustbins made of bamboo in the trekking path.
Eco friendly Dustbins
- On the other side of the village Wahkhen, about one hour by foot, there is a long suspension living root bridge at a place called Kynroh, under Shyngngi River. This living root bridge has two parts. The first one is the mother bridge (main) and the other one is a small bridge. The root living bridge is about 37 meters long and the smaller one is about 8 meters long.
Hope Lighttravelaction’s extensive Guide to the Mawrynkhang trek helps you plan better. If you have any questions or suggestions for us (or not) we would like to hear from you in the comments.
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Amazing, Richa! This sounds like one helluva experience. I would love to take this trek with my hubby and daughter 🙂
You will thoroughly enjoy it Anjali. I just can’t get over the exciting terrain and the awesome experience!
What an adventure!! I have to admit I’m not sure if I could walk across the bamboo bridges. That looks terrifying. I also love the stories about the sacred stones. Very lovely article!
Thanks Lindsey, even I like Legends attached to places. It makes travel so much more interesting 🙂
This trek looks great although some of those bamboo bridges look a bit scary and I’m not sure about squeezing through small spaces lol. But love this kind of trek. Great photos!
Haha I will agree Sarah, the bamboo bridge does give scare thrills but it’s very exciting and beautiful trek 🙂
Wow! You came across some incredible views – how fantastic!
The views were amazing and so very refreshing!!
What an incredible experience and the story that goes with it! Would love to go to Eastern India and do this hike in particular. I am guessing you need to have a tour guide to complete this trail?
I think to boost the employment of the local tribe it is encouraged to hire a guide! North East is beautiful – also consider visiting Ziro Valley in Arunachal Pradesh where there are tribes with tattoos on their faces.
This hike looks like quite an adventure and nature is so beautiful on your pictures. You inspired me and now I really want to visit!
Anya, this Bamboo Trek is in Meghalaya state of India and the state is absolutely Mesmerising!!
Great guide! That trek looks like quite an adventure, I’d love to do it! The landscapes are also fantastic!
The Trek is absolutely picturesque Lyne, I am sure you will love it 🙂
The trek seems so adventurous and thrilling! The pictures are superb. I am already looking forward to visit meghalaya soon. Would love to go for this hike.
Anjali, I am sure this trail will give you a lot of reasons to be cheerful about 😉
I am currently in India and had no idea that this bamboo bridge trek was even a possibility. We have some weekends free from work so hopefully will head up there. I imagine my boyfriend will be obsessed!
Aww Amber this trail is absolutely thrilling and Meghalaya, of course, is mesmerizing. I hope you guys have a great time 🙂
I really need to check out India. It looks beautiful from these photos. What an amazing day you had.
India is beautiful and Meghalaya state is like an abode in clouds 😉 We had an amazing time as a family on this trek!
As someone who is terrified of heights, I will enjoy the view from these bamboo bridges through your photos and this post! 🙂
Ha Ha I hope the view from the photos is good 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
This is such an amazing article/guide. This trek is unlike anything I have seen or read about. Doing this trek on the coming 1st of November!
Richa, I usually keep reading the articles and keep moving. But for the first time, i’m leaving a comment. This article is just what i like it to be. I mean in perfect detail with prices, photos. Everything just made me feel very comfortable and most importantly the feel..
Thanks for your time in sharing your views.
Heyyy Anup I am jumping with Joy reading this – I am highly motivated to write more after reading your comment 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Your article was very informative, thank you for sharing all the details on the taxi and what to expect. One thing I would like to know is whether or not you had to pay for a guide for this trek or were you able to do it entirely on your own? We’re planning a trip to Meghalaya in March and would love to do this trek but preferably as cheap as possible. Thank you in advance.
Hey Jess, you do need to pay the guide. It is a way of creating employment opportunities for the locals. If you are worried about the guide charges then it is not much so don’t worry about your budget going wrong. You can very well do this trek on your own but you will still need to pay for the guide. Also midway there is a gate which is locked to keep the trespassers away. The guide has the key to open the lock – “Open Sesame” 😉 so you will need the guide. Hope you have a lovely time in Meghalaya in March! Lemme know if you have any more questions.
Is it advisable to do this trek in june?
do we require a guide or can it be done on our own?
looking forward to visiting this place!!
Priya frankly I would advise against doing this trek once the monsoon sets in – so if you are planning to go in the first week of June I guess then it should be fine. It is a very straight forward trek but to help the locals YOU HAVE TO PAY for the guide. The guide will also come with keys to open a door which is midway the trek.
1) Don’t forget to carry your rain ponchos.
2) Wear Non-slippery footwear (NO FLIP FLOPS)
3) Keep a good first aid kit handy just for emergencies.
You may contact Mr. Dmuising Khongjirem, Secretary Tourism Promoters Trekking Society, Wahkhen for more details. He can be reached at +91 9863473572
Don’t forget to mention you read about this trek on Lighttravelaction.com 🙂
Stay safe and enjoy the beauty of the trek!!
Wow, It’s a great adventure. Most of these bridges are look in Meghalaya. The famous bamboo bridge trek is a really awesome task. I like your blog and after reading your blog is very excited for this trek. Great blog. Helpful for trekking guide. Thanks for sharing.
This sure was a unique and exciting trek 🙂
Is this trek open on Sundays as well?
Yes, Meghana the trek can be done on a Sunday as well. Just call on the numbers given in the post and confirm before you leave for the place.