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| Sural Waterfall from the view point in the village of Sural |
It was a search for Heaven that led us to Belgaum. The spark came from a set of photos posted on FB . Temptation overcame us and a trip for the immediate weekend took shape. We wanted to hit the place before the end of October. Lack of rains can change a landscape into something else altogether. Without enough time to plan, road blocks had good luck finding us. We couldn't get reservations in a resort called Wildernest. Heaven was supposed to be en route to the resort. So the infinity pool plan sunk with it. It was decided that it should be a trekking + sight seeing trip instead. Trekking on Saturday and scouting on Sunday (armed with the approximate location of the place from Vatsa's friend, who was the lucky soul who posted the photos). Bangalore was left behind for a weekend.
Day 1 : Kalsa Waterfall (Barajanancha Vazar) To Sural Waterfall (Ladki cha Vazar) Trek
The only interesting part of the journey from Bangalore to Belgaum was the Bangalore round trip given by SRS travels. We boarded the bus at 8:30 in the evening from Anand Rao circle. We were back at Anand Rao circle at around 10:00. Talk about value added service. At seven on Saturday morning the bus ground to a halt near Hotel Ramdev in Belgaum. Belgaum is a popular night stopover for travelers to Goa and Maharashtra and it is very difficult to get rooms. We did manage to find a couple of rooms at Sai Sangam (Opp. Hotel Ramdev), which is right about where the buses stop.
The trek was organized by Sanjay from Infinity Adventures based out of Kankumbi. Kankumbi is near Belgaum (40 Kms) . The nearness ends there. The ride to the place is tougher than the trek. The roads didn't have potholes, the potholes had roads in them. A two hour cumbersome journey deposited us at the resort where Sanjay runs his operations from. [ You can do the trek on your own provided, you are able to find a way to Kalsa waterfall. The advantage that Sanjay gives is the no-headache of cab booking and FOOD.]
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| Kalsa Waterfall |
We had a second breakfast and started on the trek with our guide Pandu. The trek starts at Kalsa Waterfalls which is 200m from the resort. There is a roundabout way to the waterfall from the top of the Kalsa river, but a bit of adventure never hurts, does it? We rappelled down to the base of the waterfall. Kalsa waterfall is locally known as Barajanancha Vazar. It has something to do with a local lore. The villagers on one side of the Kalsa river invited the villagers on the other side for a festival. Twelve people set out to the village. But before they arrived, the festivities had begun. Humiliated, the twelve people (barah jana) committed suicide by cliff diving off the waterfall. The place was thought to be haunted till very recently. Silly people, na, us Indians?
The trek is roughly 3.5 KM. It takes one through the rocky river bed till one reaches Sural Waterfall. From there it a steep climb brings one to the village of Sural,in Goa. There are shallow pools where you can take a dip to beat the heat and have some fun. Humans will always have a never ending fascination for water bodies. May be because its hard to fathom, for a creature of the land, how life thrives in it and obviously the fun that water alone can provide.
The trek kept us engaged in tripping, slipping, splashing and clicking. When we reached the destination, we were overwhelmed by the beauty of the valley, the depth of the fall and the ravishing landscape.
We started our climb to Sural, a narrow path on the right just the before falls. A steep climb with occasional stops for leech removal, brought us to the village of Sural. On the way we passed some villagers and a harmless cobra. Sural reiterates that it is in Goa by the lone shop in the village. No ordinary shop that. A liquor shop. We were guided from there to a view point. From here you can see the whole valley and the water fall from the other side.
We thanked Sanjay and made our way back to base camp. We ate a late lunch back base camp and were soon on our way on the treacherous bloody shit of a road back to Belgaum. We asked the cab driver Patil to pick us up the next day for a trip to Tilari nagar, the real reason we came to Belgaum.
Back at the hotel we were equally tired and excited at the prospects that Sunday had to offer. We woke up very early according to Sunday standards and were already on out way to Tilari Nagar by Nine.
Tilari Nagar is around 60 KM from Belgaum and is in the Kohlapur district of Maharashtra. Our First destination in Kohlapur was the Swapnavel view point and the road to heaven near the view point. Swapnavel view point is a treat. There are a couple of streams which form waterfalls at the edge of the property. You see infinitely stretching peaks and valleys, rivers and waterfalls adorning their sides and lush greenery.
We got out of Swapnavel and drove ahead trying to find the place that we had actually come looking for. A short drive ahead brought us to a bridge but there was no sign of the place. The birdge was an aquaduct. There was a river flowing lazily underneath and light green grass grew over the rocks on the banks of the river. There was a waterfall here as well. We made our way down by the side of the bridge. We explored a bit. It was already lunch time and we decided to abandon our search. Disappointed, we had to go back to Tilari Nagar. We reached Tilari and had home made food at Dhawale's. The food was awesome and that was the highlight of the day. After lunch we bade a sad good bye to Tilari Nagar and followed the road to Pargad.
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| The Trek |
We started our climb to Sural, a narrow path on the right just the before falls. A steep climb with occasional stops for leech removal, brought us to the village of Sural. On the way we passed some villagers and a harmless cobra. Sural reiterates that it is in Goa by the lone shop in the village. No ordinary shop that. A liquor shop. We were guided from there to a view point. From here you can see the whole valley and the water fall from the other side.
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| Fauna |
We thanked Sanjay and made our way back to base camp. We ate a late lunch back base camp and were soon on our way on the treacherous bloody shit of a road back to Belgaum. We asked the cab driver Patil to pick us up the next day for a trip to Tilari nagar, the real reason we came to Belgaum.
Back at the hotel we were equally tired and excited at the prospects that Sunday had to offer. We woke up very early according to Sunday standards and were already on out way to Tilari Nagar by Nine.
Day 2 : Exploring Tilari Nagar, Swapnavel Viewpoint and Pargad Fort
Tilari Nagar is around 60 KM from Belgaum and is in the Kohlapur district of Maharashtra. Our First destination in Kohlapur was the Swapnavel view point and the road to heaven near the view point. Swapnavel view point is a treat. There are a couple of streams which form waterfalls at the edge of the property. You see infinitely stretching peaks and valleys, rivers and waterfalls adorning their sides and lush greenery.
We got out of Swapnavel and drove ahead trying to find the place that we had actually come looking for. A short drive ahead brought us to a bridge but there was no sign of the place. The birdge was an aquaduct. There was a river flowing lazily underneath and light green grass grew over the rocks on the banks of the river. There was a waterfall here as well. We made our way down by the side of the bridge. We explored a bit. It was already lunch time and we decided to abandon our search. Disappointed, we had to go back to Tilari Nagar. We reached Tilari and had home made food at Dhawale's. The food was awesome and that was the highlight of the day. After lunch we bade a sad good bye to Tilari Nagar and followed the road to Pargad.
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| Tilari Nagar and Swapnavel View Point |
Pargad fort was definitely a waste of time. It might have been good at sunset but we arrived at three with no possibilities of a sunset for two hours. We did make up a story regarding an old well in the fort and the pleasant possibility of a treasure tunnel which opens up when you find and fix the fourth pulley which was missing from the well. But overall, dejection was the emotion called for. May be we should have spent more time at Tilari.
We returned to Belgaum. We walked around , bought a box of Kunda, ate our dinner and boarded our bus back to Bangalore. A weekend of mixed emotions came to an end when we got down from the bus and ran to escape Bengaluru's auto bhaiyyas who mobbed us at Anand Rao Circle.
The guys who made this wonderful trip possible : Mrs. Nair, Miss. Nair( My sister), Binu, Manju and Vatsa.
Trip Summary
Travel : Bangalore -> Belgaum -> Bangalore
Duration : 2 Days
Some Useful Contact Info:
Sanjay (Infinity Adventures) : +91 9901498878
Cost comes around Rs.650 per head ( we were a six member group). It might decrease if the group is of a bigger size.
Entry fee at Swapnavel View point (for Sumo) : Rs. 20
Dhawale (food at Thilari Nagar): 02320236075
You need to place an order in advance(morning) for food. It cost us around Rs.80 per person (veg).
If you are booking a cab for a whole day they usually charge for 300 Kms @ Rs.7/km. You can work out a deal with them depending on the distance. (Check with Patil - 09880166947)
Disclaimer: This blog nor I are in any way associated with Infinity adventures or any of the contact people mentioned above. This is just for providing helpful Information. I cannot be held responsible for any cancellations or untoward incident that may happen. And of course the prices are indicative. I am bloody good at writing disclaimers, ain't I?
P.S.: Just to remind you in case you forgot, this weekend is my birthday. You have ample time to buy me gifts. I have lots of Lungis at home, so don't even think about it.
nice one dude :)! and very good pics: )
ReplyDeleteWe missed you on the trip dude... But you don't come without your awesome friends na!!!
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