Goa, a small pristine state in western India with a 130km coastline along the Arabian Sea, is a very popular tourist hub. It has some of the finest beaches in India, attracting tourists who flock here to enjoy the clean sandy beaches, warm sunsets, and an environment with a relaxed, positive, joyful atmosphere.
I have visited Goa several times, well, almost once every year. Staying in Mumbai gives me the advantage to travel to Goa on short notice. Just like any trip to a new destination, my initial couple of trips were focused on covering maximum ground to visit the popular tourist places in North Goa and South Goa. I explored adventurous water sports, activities, shopped at the flea market, and then relaxed on the beach, watching the sea against a beautiful sunset. Gradually, the trips to Goa turned into a 3 to 5-day getaway from the hustle and bustle of city life, simply to relax, eat, drink, sleep, and unwind at secluded virgin beaches.
My most recent visit to Goa was early last year in Jan 2019. The stay, as I said, was more of a relaxed holiday since we had already visited most of the tourist places and popular beaches earlier. However, we felt a rush to experience some adventure and decided to explore the wilderness of the natural forest region in Goa on our last day – a visit to the gigantic Dudhsagar Falls.
Dudhsagar Falls is a waterfall worth visiting, especially during and immediately after the rainy season when the breathtaking views can be a treat to your eyes. This waterfall on the Mandovi River is the fifth highest waterfall in India, with a height of 1017 feet and a width of 100 feet. Located in the western Ghats at the Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park, Dudhsagar Falls forms a border between Goa and Karnataka and is surrounded by a dense biodiverse forest. The most spectacular views of the falls are witnessed during the rains when the water falls gushing down the 4 tiers, passing under a railway bridge mid-way, creating an illusion of milk flowing down from the top. Dudhsagar literally means a sea of milk.
The best time to plan a visit to Dudhsagar falls is between June and October. It seems that during the peak rainy season months, the jeeps are not operational. However, if you are an adventure buff, then you can experience a trek to Dudhsagar Falls during the rainy season. I did not have to worry about it since I was there in the month of January.
It is advisable to book a seat in the jeep safari to Dudhsagar falls in advance. Dudhsagar and the surrounding area fall under the jurisdiction of the Forest Department. For the safety of visitors, bookings, transportation, and crowd control at Dudhsagar falls are restricted and regulated. We did our bookings online the previous day to ensure we get the visit pass on arriving at the Kulem village closest to Mollen National Park.
We got to the Kulem village parking lot in the morning by 9 am. We were surprised to see a long queue to collect the details of the safari jeep that we would be traveling in. Within an hour, we had our jeep details and got introduced to co-passengers too. Along with the pass, each person is also given a life-jacket to be worn when entering the water at the Dudhsagar falls, which is, by the way, compulsory. Each jeep is allowed to carry 6 passengers only. Private vehicles are not allowed in the National Park area. Note that the officials are very strict about the things you carry into the forest. There are a couple of check-points at the entry of the forest where they check the jeep/driver permits, the passengers’ passes, and bags too. Any plastic bottles, polythene bags, etc., found are confiscated. So, travel light and leave what is not required in your cars in the parking.
Our jeep entered the Mollen National Park. There are no roads in there, just a path created for the jeeps to take tourists to the falls and back to the village. It is a very bumpy, yet exciting drive through the dense jungle, wading through shallow river waters. If you are lucky, then you may even be able to sight some wild animals along the route. We did not get to see any though! We reached the drop-off point after an hour-long drive. Beyond this point began our trek to the Dudhsagar Falls. It is an easy trek of approximately 20 to 25 minutes. You will get to see a lot of monkeys throughout this adventurous trek. This jeep safari route is closed for visitors during the monsoon as the trail crosses the Mandovi river, which flows wildly and is not safe. However, one can trek along the railway track to see the Dudhsagar Falls in its full glory during the rainy season.
After trekking through the rocky terrain over huge boulders, dodging the tree branches, we were treated to the spectacular view of the Dudhsagar Falls. I was not expecting to see the water falling down the 4 tiers in the month of January. To my surprise, there was not only a huge pool of water at the bottom but also the waterfall! Excited at this sight, we fastened our life-jackets and got into the pool and swam to get under the waterfall. I do not know swimming and was glad to see that there were lifeguards present around the pool, making sure no one went into the water without the life-jacket. The water was indeed quite deep. One of the lifeguards told me that it was nearly 15 feet deep. No wonder! With gallons of water falling down from a height of 1017 feet, the pool underneath had to be that deep.
As I mentioned earlier, the waterfall flows under a railway bridge. While we were enjoying our time in the waterfall, we were treated to an amazing sight of a train on the bridge passing by across the 100 feet wide waterfall. The thrilling Dudhsagar waterfalls trek along the railway line is what I am looking forward to on my next trip to Goa. I would love to see the scintillating and majestic waterfall during or after the rainy season. We got out of the water and trekked our way back to our jeep in the parking area. The sheer sight of the humongous waterfall made our day and experience even more memorable!
Upon reaching back to the Kulem village, we took a wonderful buffet lunch full of Goan specialties and a tour of the Dudhsagar Spice Plantation. This included a nature trail, a visit to the unique natural pool along with the elephant bath. The tour guide took us for a refreshing walk around the plantations, sharing a lot of educational information on various medicinal plants among others. He talked about their qualities, usage, and unique identifying features. Amongst the various spices were nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, chilies, coriander, black pepper, and many more. This tropical plantation tour was refreshing and made us feel one with nature.
After the tour of the spice plantation, we were taken to a nearby pond to enjoy an experience of a lifetime. Two elephants were on their way towards the pond, and our tour guide instructed us to step into the pool. We were asked to climb over the elephants. Excited to get an elephant ride, we sat on it, and to our surprise, the elephants started showering us with trunk-loads of water one after the other. The elephants were very well trained and friendly. They did exactly as their caretakers would instruct them. They seemed to be enjoying it as much as we did. We couldn’t be less thrilled to experience this moment of a lifetime with these beautiful creatures and take back home some unforgettable memories.