Jembatan Akar – Indonesia’s Amazing Tree Root Bridge

For the last hundred years , the residents of two small Indonesian village in West Sumatra used a 30 - meter - long bridge formed from the interconnected roots of two trees located on each side of a fast - flowing river , to reach one another and trade supplies . Now , the natural wonder known as " Jembatan Akar " has become a popular tourist attraction .

According to local wonderful tree root bridge was built in 1890 , by Pakih Sohan , a Muslim teacher from Lubuak glare , satisfied by the fact that students from Pulut - Pulut not to attend his classes in Islam and Quran recitations for Infant Travels river separated the two arrangements . He planted two small Jawi - Jawi - a kind of broad-leaf banyan tree - and began stringing their roots around the bridge made ​​of bamboo stem . In just a few years time reached two trees on each surface of the river , but the bridge will not be able to support the weight of passing Villagers ' for another two decades . It took approximately 26 years for Jembatan Akar to steady the bridge it is now , and with each passing year , it becomes more substantial , as we continue to grow the banyan tree roots .

A dangling about 10 feet above the fast - flowing water of rivers Hometown Boy , this masterpiece of organic architecture becomes quite dangerous to cross when it rains because of the slippery roots . To make it more stable and prevent accidents , Villagers added a series of wooden planks over the roots and reinforced the two trees with steel wire . Now it can support dozens of people at a time . The Jembatan Akar bridge has become an important link between the two villages of West Sumatra for almost a century , but soon the crop of heavy trading traffic will be diverted to a suspension bridge built not far from the root bridge . But that does not mean natural wonder is forgotten . More and more tourists , both Indonesian and foreign travel to this place just to take some pictures and walk over its roots interlinked .

Jembatan Akar is not the only tree root bridge in the world . The living bridges of Cherrapunji , India , fascinated with both tourists and scientists and eased the lives of the local for centuries .