Began to fight the shortage of job alternatives on this Meghalaya village, Traveller’s Nest is an ideal place for journey lovers who want to strive all the things from caving and canyoning to waterfall treks.

Amid dense forests and enchanting landscapes is a small village referred to as Mawlyngbna booming with life. Nestled within the East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya, the area is famend for its dwelling root bridges, the place nature intertwines with human ingenuity. Journey fanatics can partake in trekking, mountain climbing, rappelling, exploring the undulating hills and discovering hidden waterfalls like Kyntang. 

Whereas the world boasts wealthy landscapes and sweetness, it remained comparatively unknown for a few years. With restricted avenues for revenue, the youth of the village struggled to outlive. Except for farming, there have been few work alternatives.

In an effort to deal with this challenge and enhance tourism within the space, Bisharlang Kharnaior initiated Mawlyngbna Traveller’s Nest—a homestay that gives perception into the village’s tradition and affords a plethora of actions, together with tenting, canoeing, and wildlife treks.

“Mawlyngbna is a small village however it’s bursting with actions and life. Nonetheless, for a few years, it remained unknown to the world. We wish to open it to extra folks and convey extra tourism within the village,” Bisharlang tells The Higher India. 

‘Our homestay displays Mawlyngbna’

Born and raised in Mawlyngbna, Bisharlang, affectionately referred to as Bishar, grew up in his serene village, cherishing the simplicity of life.

As he navigated the complexities of maturity, he discovered contentment in his days as a beekeeper.

“I used to be glad with no matter my household and I had been incomes, however I might see that there have been quite a few untapped alternatives for the youth. Moreover farming, there have been nearly no different work choices,” he displays.

Observing the youth departing from the village, Bishar felt an pressing must take motion. “My sentiments had been shared by many within the village, and we got here collectively to discover a resolution,” he remembers.

With collective efforts from the villagers, the Mawlyngbna Multipurpose Co-operative Society Ltd was established. “Regardless of our breathtaking panorama, our existence was comparatively unknown to the broader world. The youth confronted the dilemma of both leaving the village or struggling for survival. The cooperative society aimed to create new avenues for revenue era,” he explains.

“Once we had been brainstorming, the primary thought that struck us was to advertise tourism within the village. Elevated tourism not solely advantages the village straight but additionally contributes to the expansion of native companies,” he opines.

“One in every of my buddies from Shilling who was within the tourism business was the one who gave us the braveness to take the leap. He helped us with organising the property,” he informs. 

Underneath the society’s umbrella, Bisharlang initiated Mawlyngbna Traveller’s Nest, a novel mixture of a homestay and tenting web site for vacationers.

“There may be a lot to see and discover within the space however most individuals flock to the mainstream hills station. We wished to do one thing that pulls vacationers and that is how the thought of an journey camp got here up,” he says. 

“Underneath the society, we’re 240 members who work in bringing new job avenues for folks. Via the homestay and camp alone, we’ve skilled 40 folks in numerous duties like hospitality, housekeeping and trek guiding and given them jobs on the homestay,” he says. 

Journey, nature and tradition

Speaking concerning the preliminary response of the vacationers, Bishar says, “We began again in 2014, whereas it was a superb dream, the preliminary response was not how we anticipated,” he says. 

Whereas there have been plenty of thrilling issues that the place needed to provide, a lack of understanding prevailed. “It was through Fb and Google search that just a few folks began to go to us. With phrase of mouth, we began getting increasingly more guests,” he says. 

“We’ve got hosted almost 300 folks this 12 months alone. The recognition has elevated and we get plenty of inquiries,” he provides. 

Speaking concerning the varied actions that the homestay affords, he says, “We’ve got just a few actions at our homestays. We’ve got divided them in keeping with the season — monsoons and winters. Most of them are associated to water sports activities like Cliff Leaping, River Canyoning, Kayaking, and so on. We additionally organise treks to discover the close by areas,” he says. 

There are two sorts of treks — quick and lengthy treks. “An extended trek is round 4 hours and a brief trek is about 2 hours lengthy. On these treks, you’ll be able to benefit from the landscapes, take pleasure in bathing in 4 waterfalls, you’ll be able to see the fossils and the magnificent rock formations,” he says. 

The homestay additionally arranges cave exploration for the friends on request. “We’ve got skilled almost 40 locals as trek guides to assist folks in these treks,” he informs. 

Moreover exploring the wilderness, the homestay additionally organises village excursions and cultural actions like consuming genuine meals. “We additionally wish to introduce folks to our tradition and heritage. We serve genuine Mawlyngbna meals to the folks at our homestay throughout their keep,” he informs. 

The property at the moment includes two cottages and a campsite, offering lodging for the friends. Bishar emphasises, “We’re dedicated to giving again to nature as it’s the very essence of our livelihood. We try to be environmentally accountable by guaranteeing that each one our treks are plastic-free. Moreover, we utilise bamboo for crafting storage areas for our friends.”

Reflecting on his journey to date, Bishar expresses, “I consider we possess immense potential for development, and it’s actually thrilling to witness the regular development of tourism within the village 12 months by 12 months. We’re optimistic that in the future the village will provide an abundance of alternatives, eliminating the necessity for anybody emigrate to town in quest of employment.”

(Edited by Padmashree Pande)