A short trip to Tada Falls

An afternoon journey to the base camp

A two hours drive from Chennai will take you to Ubbalamudugu otherwise popularly known as Tada (water) falls. I wanted to go there since I first saw pictures of the place. It reminded me so much of the little "thodu" (small stream) we used to swim in during our summer vacations in our uncle’s home in Pulikurumba, Kerala. This October, when all the cousins had gathered under one roof, a plan was made to visit Tada out of the blue. The drive towards Chittoor, Andhra was a pleasant one. We knew the moment we entered Andhra because the scenery changed, it was lush green tress everywhere, After driving few kilometres on NH 5 we turned left and from there the roads were pretty narrow and without a sight of civilization. After taking many turns and driving through the mud roads we reached the entrance of the Siddulaiah Kona forest.

Visitors were returning back while we were travelling towards Tada. The forests guards shut the entrance after 5 pm, so we had roughly an hour to spend. After paying for the tickets to the forest guards we made our way into the falls area, everyone was excited. The guards let us go, asking us to leave by 6. We definitely did not have time to trek and explore more of the place. Arriving early morning would have been ideal.


A refreshing break

When we reached the base camp, it was crowded as October 2nd is a holiday. There were no canteens or any other shops, just a small tea shop with snacks. I was super excited as we walked towards the forest grove and crossed over the wooden walk bridge with monkeys trailing behind us. After walking few meters we found an empty spot. I got into the water and it was soooo much fun after sooo many years I was sooo happy. It was 9 of us and we had the most fun time, splashing water around and just floating happily. Reminded me so much of those heart-warming childhood summer vacations.

By 6 the clouds darkened and unlike Chennai were it always seems to rain but never does, we knew for sure that it was going to be a downpour. We hurriedly got out of the water, me not wanting to leave, when we reached the parking place, we could see majestic flashes of lightning. We left around 6.30 and it was raining heavily, it became dark soon and we could only see the road right ahead of us. We made our way to a hotel, but most of the places were closed and we ate an okish dinner and left for home.

For people living in Chennai who have ran out of places to visit, a 60 km drive will give access to unmatched natural beauty, trekking and camping opportunities, but be sure to travel in big groups. One must visit place is ticked off my travel bucket list, next is turtle walk in Besant Nagar beach.