Varun Recently I went on my first ever workcation (to Goa) finally after it became a trend for about 2 years now. It was such a pleasant experience. My lifestyle was completely different! I have been a night owl my entire life but during these 10 days, I would sleep by 12 and wake up early morning and go for rides. The Goan roads are such a delight to slow ride on <3.
Goa exceeded my expectations. Hearing stories from the people I’ve known or on the internet, I did not expect it to be this green and beautiful. The beaches did look beautiful, and the party vibe is on another level but damn, the roads are Goa’s real beauty! I’ve never had such peaceful and beautiful city rides.
The plan
How can a monsoon season workcation in Goa be over without witnessing Dudhsagar, the gigantic milky waterfalls? Okay sorry for hyping it up but I was about to skip it. The reason I was hesitant is that Dudhsagar falls is normally said to be closed from June when the monsoon onsets in Goa. Two days before I was returning back to home, I got to know that only the ‘Jeep safari is closed’. Hiking your way through the jungles or the railway tracks isn’t closed. It’s restricted but it’s legal to do it! So I decided. Let’s go!
The hiking day
We booked a package that included pickup/drop from Panjim, lunch, and the hike itself. It cost us Rs. 1900. The pickup would be around 7 AM and drop near about 7 PM so that makes it a 12 hours day trip!
We got to know that some people had booked the same package for Rs. 1500 near Baga beach. There are plenty of travel companies sitting out near Baga beach. Book with the cheapest one because all of them redirect to the same guide at the end (bonus deets at the end of this blog post so keep reading!).
The pickup points are generally in North Goa – Baga, Calangute, and last would be Panjim. Since we were in South Goa a day before, we came to Panjim and opted for our pickup and drop from there.
The pickup was scheduled at 7 AM at the Panjim bus stand but the traveler was running late by 30 minutes. Anyway, they came at 7:30 AM and we traveled for nearly 1:30 hour to reach the start point. I mostly slept on the way. We had our breakfast and they gave us packed biryani for lunch.
There were 15 of us in the traveler but only 10 of us got to start hiking. Why you ask? because apparently a family and a group weren’t informed that the jeep safari is closed and that they had to hike for 22 KMs! They backed out knowing that they wouldn’t be able to do it.
By around 9:45 AM, we started our hike to the majestic Dudhsagar Falls!
The hike
After a long wait, we finally got to start hiking! The road conditions weren’t good so the traveler dropped us a bit before the jungle. After walking a while on the dirt road, we finally entered the jungles of the Bhagwan Mahavir National Park! This time I remembered to turn on my GPS and start Strava to track my longest hike to date.
The initial hike took us deep into the forest. We were walking on wet patches of dirt and grass. After around 30 minutes, we reached the National park check post. There, our initial guide handed us over to 2 other guides who were actually the ‘official’ guide. The guy who came with us in the traveller wasn’t licensed hence he could not come past the check post! It was weird but it was a sigh of relief knowing that the other 2 guides were licensed ‘Nature Guides’. The forest officer gave us tickets to enter the national park and advised us to stay safe and follow the instructions of our guides.
We spent another 45 minutes trekking through the jungle trail. It would often start raining heavily for a few minutes but the sky was rather clear today. I switched between raincoats and umbrellas based on how dense the forest was.
The guides
The two nature guides – Navesh and Santosh have been guiding people on the Dudhsagar hike for the past 5 and 22 years respectively! It was nice talking with them. They spoke about their past experiences hiking in the forest with foreigners and how they would tip them generously (not sure if it was an attempt to make us tip them but ok).
A long way ahead
After covering 2.5 KMs in 1:15 hours (with breaks at the checkpoint etc), I was unsure of how we will complete the 12 KMs trek in 3 hours and again the same distance back in 3 hours. I was quite worried about how we will do it because we had to reach Panjim, take our rucksack to Vasco, return the scooter on time and catch our train back home :). If it rains, it will only make it more difficult for us. It was quite a hectic schedule but we had to do it for the Dudhsagar Falls!
The Jeep Trail
After a while, we came onto a flat muddy road and then got to know that this is the jeep safari route. Ideally, when the route is not waterlogged, the jeep would take you up until the waterfalls. But since the entrance is all waterlogged, the jeep cannot move and hence we have to now walk on the jeep path. But this was easier than the jungle trek. We were averaging 12 minutes per kilometer and now the 3-hour target seemed achievable.
We had to soak our feet in the waterlogged, slippery mud path but we didn’t mind it anymore. Our shoes were wet which sometimes caused irritation (thankfully I had rubber shoes!). The rains were on and off throughout but since the trail was open, using an umbrella was a better and handy choice.
Hiking on railway tracks
During the hike, the guide took us through a small clearing onto the railway track! Yes, there’s a railway track right inside the Bhagwan Mahavir National Park. We were often hearing the blaring horns of the trains and this is where it was coming from.
We sat on the tracks but it was time for a train to pass by. It was a freight train and we moved aside maintaining a safe distance. For the first time, I was standing on a track in nowhere looking at the train zoom past us. Well, for us the city people it’s quite rare a sight, and that too in the middle of a National Park? Damn yes!
After a brief refreshing stop, we continued on our trail. The weather was pleasant and at times it was sunny too. Hiking for so long did make us feel the heat but hey, a little sunshine during the monsoons doesn’t harm, does it?
The trail had fairly same scene for the next 7 KMs. After a long time, we reached a hut cum cafe where we took a halt and freshened up. It was a short break of around 10 minutes. We headed in a new direction branching off from the jeep trail onto the jungles!
After spending nearly 3 hours hiking our way, we finally saw the first glimpse of the Dudhsagar Falls and it was breathtaking! Through the bushes, the upper tier of the falls was visible and I froze looking at that scenery. Suddenly it all made sense as to why we have been hiking for the past 3 hours and it felt refreshing!
Also read: Solo Trip To Himalayas | Kedarkantha Trek.
Gates of Dudhsagar Falls
Finally, after spending 3 hours, hiking for 11 KMs, we were at the gates of the ‘Dudhsagar Falls’!
When we entered in, there was a viewing gallery at a distance. The 2 tiers of the waterfalls came into the picture when we climbed up and oh man, what a sight. I just stood there admiring the beautiful falls. Since we were the first to reach (in our group), we got plenty of time at the viewing gallery before others arrived. We quickly snapped a few pictures before the crowd comes in.
Later after spending like 5-10 minutes at the deck, we hiked further. We crossed river streams and the water current was quite strong. We had to be extremely careful so as to not break any bones or our heads. After 15 minutes, we reached the base of the waterfalls. The current of the water was frightening but the water spraying onto our faces made it feel quite refreshing.
Each of us took a seat somewhere on the crooked rocks facing the falls. After such a long hike, sitting in front of a 310-meters tall waterfall felt rewarding. Scenes like this make us feel weak in front of the mighty nature. There were few people around us but it didn’t disturb much. The sound of the gushing water and the water spraying from the sheer fall felt calming.
Looking up, somewhere in the middle, we could spot the famous railway bridge of the Dudhsagar Falls. A freight train was just passing by in front of the falls which captured our attention for a long time.
There were people standing on the bridge but when we asked our guides about reaching there, they said that it was a route from the Karnataka border and that we are not allowed to go there :(.
The famous Dudhsagar Bridge
Bingo! After spending around 15 minutes at the base of the falls, the guides announced that they will take us to the bridge for an additional cost of Rs. 200 per person :). Yep, surprisingly we are allowed now.
At that moment I checked my foot and saw that there was an awful amount of blood. It was a leech bite but it had stayed on for a very long time and sucked out a lot of blood. It kept flowing for some time before it clotted.
Since we were short on time we quickly started to trek up. The group would anyway go home together so even if we had decided not to go up to save time, it wouldn’t have worked that way. Around 6 of us went ahead and it took us 30 minutes of a proper trek in the jungles to get onto the railway tracks again.
We came onto the railway tracks and started walking towards the bridge. The monsoon had its charm with the dripping waters over the tunnels and greenery all around. The tunnels were quite dark too. The moment we exited the second tunnel, the falls and the railway bridge came into sight. And what timing! Just at that moment, a passenger train was about to cross the bridge!
The sight was spectacular. An old bridge in front of arguably India’s most beautiful waterfalls and a passenger train crossing it. Sets the scene just right!
After that, we got to spend time at the bridge and admire the waterfalls. From the base, we came close to the center part of the falls and it looked spectacular and gigantic!
We spent around 10 minutes and started our hike back. We trekked through the jungle and reached the hut where we had 10 minutes to rest and have lunch. While returning, we took the path of the railway track and it was relatively shorter and quick. The guide said that since we had to take the entry pass for the national park we entered through the jungle route.
The end
We finished our entire 22 KMs hike in nearly 5 hours (excluding the halts at the falls and the rest points).
Our hike ended at 5:30 PM and then the traveler took us back to Panjim by 7:30 PM. We returned safely to Vasco on time and ended our Goa trip on a very high note!
Finally, the Strava record –
The experience was surreal. I know many would say that on weekends it would be crowded but I didn’t feel disturbed by people around me. Sure, I want to travel and so does everyone! My only request is that all of us be responsible travelers and take care of our beautiful nature.
Leave behind footprints and nothing else.
A small piece of advice would be to carry sufficient water and an extra pair of socks. Hike with breathable shoes so that your feet don’t stay wet for a long time.
PS: I booked my Dudhsagar hike with Atlantis Water Sports (Calangute). And, these guys refunded me the extra Rs. 200 that the guides charged for the bridge. So all in, it was a good experience! Also, if you want to save cost, drive up to the Dudhsagar entry point and contact the guide (Navesh) at 8007422488. He will charge Rs. 300 per person for the trek. If not him, you will find many other guides there too. This way, you’ll save a lot of money.
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