Dudhsagar Falls

Doodhsagar Falls is on the Goan part of Goa – Karnataka border which is accessible by road upto Castle Rock (which is the only link to Doodhsagar, that too by rail, from Karnataka side,) from Dandeli, Hubli, and Belgaum and from Collem (Kulem) Goa side. The train runs through the high altitude (elevation of around 2000ft above sea level) mountain ranges of Western Ghats. Passing through several tunnels, thick forest and heavy cover of mist during monsoon, across several mini waterfalls, the train journey by itself is a great experience. Here, I was travelling from Bangalore to Doodhsagar by Chennai – Madgaon Vasco Express which runs on Fridays and reaches Saturday morning at around 11.00am. One has to make reservations well in advance for the train journey as Goa being a famous tourist destination, trains always run full and cancellations are least expected. Usually one can hitch-hike any of the several goods trains cris-crossing every now n then but in weekend they will not oblige as there will be too many visitors wanting to do the same.

The Dudhsagar looks literally like a sea of milk plummeting down the cloudy sky. There is a railway station near Dudhsagar and even though none of the trains are scheduled to stop here, for the benefit of enthusiasts, they actually stop for 2-3 minutes. It is a sight to behold to watch the trains running across the downstream with a grand display of waterfall at one side and spectacular spread of ghat ranges on the other. Even though there are some shelters built, during monsoon, it is difficult to stay here for the night as rainfall in this region is agonizing even in daytime. The best time to visit the fall is undoubtedly during monsoon. Water flow will be in full strength and the splash hits right on to the tracks showering everybody on the tracks and even the trains passing by. As there are no facilities, one has to carry all essentials. Only in the weekend there will be an impromptu canteen set up in an abandoned station shelter serving tea, coffee and idlis. Anyways, there is presence of RPF personnel and other railway work force, should you need any help in extreme situations.