Dancing forest and the ocean of milk ? Yes! We have seen that. The heavy clouds with torrential rains wreaked havoc into the forest. Yet the forest and mighty walls of Sahyadris are fully capable to absorb the blows. Forceful winds were whistling into the entire forest floor. Heavy and high trees were also swaying along with the rhythm of the wind. The complete forest floor was like a shallow lake. Bigger and small streams were everywhere. The forest was anything but quiet. But this made our experience unique. This is a typical scene in the month of June and July at Dudhsagar. The literal translation of Dudh Milk Sagar Ocean is Ocean of Milk.
River or a jungle path !
No doubt because of this heavy rain the waterfall looks like an ocean of milk. The region is heavily forested and hardly any open land to be seen. The forest is so dense that sometime it looks scary. But nothing can deter our excitement to visit the mighty Dudhsagar. This is 4th Tallest waterfall around 1027 feet high. Falling from such a great height creates kind of fog that lifts up from the waterfall. It looks like mini cloud. The force is very dangerous that is rarely seen anywhere except the sea storm & Himalayan rivers. Even the forest were dense we never encountered any wildlife. But that doesn't means they are absence. It's a part of one of the richest biodiversity hotspot in the world.
Panoramic view of the forest.
So you may feel to visit this place or at least drink the beauty in person through the train journey. Here are some tips for you when you will make up your mind and also the rules permit especially in the current situation it will take sometime.
Season :
Nothing like monsoon when you wish to see the waterfall in it's full glory. Nonetheless winter is also awesome time to visit. One can do treks, swim, do other activities and relax. Monsoon will wet you through and through. You may feel cold and itchy but if you can take proper care like poncho or a waterproof jacket then it's hardly any issue. The trek to Dudhsagar base is in the month of monsoon is slight difficult due to the rain and slush. Otherwise it is a pleasant experience to see how monsoon showers it's blessing in full force. And of course you won't be able to see the majestic fall in other season. So why not monsoon !
Passing train and the gigantic waterfall
How to reach :
The waterfall is nestled in the Bhagwan Mahavir Sanctuary & Mollem National Park region of Goa. The river Mandovi that falls from Karnataka cliffs and descend into the Goa to meet Sindhusagar Arabian Ocean. That's an interesting thing. Nature knows no boundary. One can see it either coming down from Londa junction Belgao Dist. Karnataka or from a train that goes from Mollem. There are couple of trains that follow this route.
Best part of travelling in Goa is it's really safe compare to the other states. Due to tourism people are tourist friendly. As far as our experience goes We ( Yogesh , Raginee & Anagha ) drove from Sindhudurg to Mollem in a day so it took lot of time. We reached to Mollem late in the night. The road was dark and raining heavily everywhere. It was looking like a horror movie scene. Roads were narrow yet smooth. Until we reach our destination we hardly encountered traffic. But the total travel was entirely safe. So a piece of advice to you travel in the daytime. But people are really nice so the roads.
Madgaon - Mollem : 42 Kms
Panji - Mollem : 61 Kms
Londa - Mollem : 51 Kms ( via Anmod Ghat)
Nearest Airport : Panjim
Stay : There are couple of stays over there but you can always go back to Madgao / Panjim if you wish. The food we had in local restaurant was very bad. So we do not have idea about any other join which is good. Better to enquire or carry your own food before hand. The town is really small so one cannot get many options. Majorly people visit this place for the waterfall.
Do's & Don'ts : Follow all the rules as per the location and time. Due to changing scenario rules may differ. Your safety, awareness towards environment and local culture is topmost priority.
Important update :
We have done the trek long back so we are not aware about the current status of the trek is unknown. Walking on railway track is off limit to the tourists. But one can surely see this majestic beauty from railway by booking tickets. And there are state run / locally run trails in the forest that take you to the bottom of the waterfall. And it's really amazing. Do check out Goa Tourism website for the same. Do not believe on any agent who promise to show you the waterfall. Go through the authorised agency or connect with local forest department office.
Before I say goodbye. I would like to share this archival image that was my first meeting of the waterfall. It's taken on a journey from Mardhol to Pune. The first month when we just finished our post graduation and celebrated it in Goa with friends in May 2002. That's an interesting story for some other time. Shot on Kodak KB10 my first film camera.
Shot on Kodak KB10 my first film camera.
By : Yogesh Kardile
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