Around 1.5 months back, when I was feeling bored of listening to Corona related news, I set out for a visit to this place. I had read about it and suspected it would be nice to visit. So, having known a trip organizer who could arrange this, I set off.
ABOUT DUDHSAGAR FALLS
It is located inside Bhagwan Mahavir Sanctuary and Mollem National Park. Commonly referred to as the "Other side of Goa", being located at the Karnataka-Goa border, it reminds you of a river of "Doodh" / milk flowing down the mountains. That’s why the name - Dudhsagar! You can reach there by a jeep ride from Kulem or you can trek. If you trek, you reach an "over the bridge" point. If you go by jeep, it is "below the bridge" point. The trek used to involve a 100 m steep stretch before. But post monsoons, due to extreme muddiness and supposedly some accidents, that part is currently closed to visitors.
MY EXPERIENCE
I hopped onto a train from Bangalore and travelled to Kulem, which is close to Goa. On the way, some others were also picked up. I was doing the trek. I could see plenty of people also heading to Goa. Once at Kulem, we had a trek guide, who instructed us to travel light and keep our belongings locked up somewhere there.
Then we set off for the trek, through the jungle in the wee hours of the morning. It was a trek alongside or on the railway tracks full of small rocks and pebbles which made treading more difficult than it should’ve been considering the modest incline of the route. I took longer steps to make faster progress. We found several people along the way and had to go through 4 tunnels to get to the waterfalls. I noticed some people faced cramping and dehydration along the way. Quite possible.
Several times, we paused due to an approaching train. The guide spotted a dead snake on the tracks. I was told wildlife in this sanctuary were in a different part of the forest. So, it was ok to trek through these parts. I didn’t notice any prey in the waterholes there. So, no doubt the predators would also stick to better areas for their sustenance. We had stopped for breakfast somewhere along the way. Some people also carried their own food, I noticed.
Eventually, we reached the waterfalls after a 12 km trek. The views were definitely very good and made it worthwhile. After resting there for a bit and taking some pictures, we started making our way back. One also has the option of bathing in a place, on the way back. The sun had come up and we stopped for lunch after 4 kms of trekking back. There was an option to sit by the river, possibly bathe here too. Now, there was an option of trekking all the way back or just hop onto a train and fetch our luggage from the starting point. To save some energy for the next day’s plans, some who anyway wanted to go back, did and took care of the luggage so that we can head for our next destination.
After that, it was just a matter of a train trip back to Bangalore or another destination. Since my trip itinerary involved going to Dandeli next, that’s where I headed. All in all, the trek was different. Main challenge (if you want to call it that) is reaching the falls without significant damage to the footwear or straining your limbs owing to the cumulative reverse force exerted by the small rocks, during the course of the journey. Be sure to have nice people around you as these kind of outings are always more enjoyable with the same.
All in all, a different kind of trek, which rewards you with good views along the way. Definitely worth trying out, if you fancy this kind of stuff! #myopinion