Greenery calls…

View of the falls from Belkal village.

When my knee was creaky and hamstring aching, I relished the thought of a wonderful lazy day at home on Thursday (owing to dasara holiday). Little did I know that its going to be right opposite of what I imagined. Wednesday evening Sindhu called me up asking of a trek and before I could blink I said yes..

Good things happen when you least know it. There I was, ready on Thursday morning 6 in front of STP(Mangalore) waiting for others to join in. TT was ready and this trek was with people I really don’t know personally. The “Gypsy Gang” they call themselves is from Infy Mlore SEZ. A group that gets together and they explore places and have pure uncontaminated fun!

The trek was to BELKAL teertha. The Belkal Theertha also known as Govinda teertha is located in the deep Western Ghats at a distance of 50 Km from Kundapura.It lies near Kollur and Madur and it is situated in the lush green forests of Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary. The water falls 300 feet down from a mountain called Korshi Betta, which is an extension of Kodachadri. It is believed that the water of this waterfall is sacred and people come here to take a holy dip.

The breathtaking falls!

We folks jelled really well and it was an amazing experience pulling each other’s legs, singing in the bus, introducing ourselves in front of all, playing Mafia-villagers game (awesome!). The lush green paddy fields, breathtaking view of the falls from belkal village, a green snake and numerous bugs and leeches that took our attention once in a while, the very narrow and support less bamboo bridge that we had to cross was scary. The trek wasn’t an easy one. The slope was 60 degrees to the horizontal and we panted and sweat as we made our uphill journey. But To end with the waterfalls was amazing. You feel you have reached the zenith.

Moments re-visited

The lengthy (I could not capture the entire length of the falls in my camera in one snap ! )  white water making a spectacular fall piercing the green black rocky mountain, the splash of water particles all over your face, hmmm….didn’t feel like leaving that place. uff! All are worth mentioning. I will never forget this trek experience.

Forest and the Bamboo Bridge 🙂

In case you wish to visit this place:

Things to carry: Dettol, salt, water, oranges/apples, packed lunch, towel, extra pair of clothes and your CAMERA 🙂

Road: From NH-17 one can go towards the Kundapur – Kollur Road, taka a diversion towards Madur near a place called Jadkal, from Madur you can drive for about 3 Km till a shop in Belkal village, from here a trek of about 3 hours will take you to the Belkal Theertha waterfall.

All in all , this was an unforgettable week! Loved it and lived each moment of it!