By Shobha Rao Smilemaker
Jan 9: It was a sudden decision to go off Mangalore-Bangalore highway and take a left turn at Mundaje village in search of Didupe Waterfalls. The roads were in excellent condition and we admired the majestic Charmadi ghats silhouette in the distance till we reached a signboard direction towards the waterfalls.
The board mentioned charges for tourists, but there was no official to collect any. We parked our car where the road almost ended, near a stream.
And we enjoyed the refreshing walk amidst the many low level ice cold water of the streams. Two more bridges also to be crossed and we found ourselves walking amidst smooth rocks. Thankfully it was not rainy season otherwise it would have been a slippery, sticky, muddy trek pathway.
Luckily there were signages at regular intervals to keep us on the right track. The sounds of the gushing waters, the chirping of the birds, the feel of fresh water, the fragrance of some wild flowers, the sights of raw, wild natural flora and fauna around us were a treat to all our senses.
The 2 kms trek with our umpteen photo stops and slow pace took us almost an hour to complete and we made it interesting by pointing out to unusual sights on the way - creepers clinging to rocks, leaves with chicken pox kind of bumps, stones scraped to reveal shiny mica like insides, an almost white bark tree, a maze of dried twigs, unusual mushrooms on deadwood, huge cobwebs, big beautiful, white insect eaten leaves.. the trek itself felt as if nature was putting up a spectacular show only for us.
And that is the beauty of this hidden place. We saw no other tourist for all the 3 hours we were there…it was just us in the midst of the lap of nature. Finally we reached the actual waterfalls also called Kadamagundi falls by the locals.
And it was a majestic sight to behold. Clear waters gushing from a great height into the cool water body below. The pristine clean and clear waters beckoned me to the pond below the falls as I got sprayed with millions of tiny droplets from the bounty of Mother Nature.
What abundant blessings we have! This was my thought as I decided to lie down on a large wet rock on the pond, surrounded by the bounty of the five elements - the muddy earth, the gushing water, the warm sunlight, the fresh air, and the open skies around me…it was a moment under the Didupe falls that I would cherish for a lifetime!
Our return trip to the car was comparatively faster, as we decided to pick up every single wrapper of plastic cover that was carelessly thrown on the way..thanks to lesser tourists this place is comparatively quite clean and free of litter.
Do make a day trip from Mangalore to Didupe falls and smile in gratitude for the amazing raw natural beauty that our South Kanara district is blessed with!
Shobha Rao Smilemaker has a vision of living in a world where people use their ability to find and make smiles in any situation. She is a lawyer by qualification, a soft skills trainer by passion, a motivational speaker, a freelance journalist, a bestselling author, an avid traveler and founder of 'Smilemakers Trainings'. She can be contacted at www.shobhasmilemaker.com.