Unchalli Falls – Hidden treasure of Sirsi

When you hardly know anything about the place and expect a least out of it and then if it turns out to be extraordinary, then the feeling that goes through your minds would be very special. We experienced that special moment when we visited Unchalli Falls.

Unchalli Falls

Date: 29-Aug-16

After visiting Banavasi, we straightly headed towards Unchalli Falls which is about 50 km from Banavasi. The weather was very pleasant and the road was not in bad condition either. There was hardly any vehicle on the road and the green forest continued to give us company. We parked our car in the parking lot and followed the very few tourists who came there. I had not read or seen any picture of Unchalli Falls till then and was absolutely blank about the place. I was expecting it to be just another waterfall.

Into the wild

We had to walk downhill through the thick forest for about half a kilometer to reach the view point. As we started walking into the forest, we could hear the roaring sound of water. As it was raining, we got confused if it was really the sound of waterfalls or was it the sound of rain. But, after some time, the rain stopped and the roaring sound started to increase and we reached the first view point. At first, we could not see anything from the view point as it was completely covered with clouds. But, the sound of waterfalls made us wait there till the clouds could clear. After few minutes, though they did not clear completely, we could get the glimpse of the waterfall through the clouds. It was magnificent, huge, and beyond words. After seeing it, we were in no mood to go back, we waited patiently for the clouds to disappear. The clouds were playing hide and seek showing us the beautiful waterfalls in between.

Waterfall hiding behind the clouds

This waterfalls is called as Lushington Falls named after J. D. Lushington, a District Collector for the British Government, who discovered the falls in 1845. The river Aghanashini flows through the thick forests of Western Ghats and spreads near the base forming a kind of triangular shape making this falls a unique one. The sound of it is so loud that sometimes this waterfalls is referred as Keppa Joga (deafening Jog falls). Though the waterfalls can be seen from a distance, the view is breathtaking from the view point. We walked few steps down and reached the second view point. From here, we got a slightly closer look of the waterfalls. It looked gigantic and the sound of it made it more intriguing. It is risky to go beyond this point as there are no well carved path and since it is situated in dense forest, better to be safe from wild animals and poisonous snakes.

After spending some time in the view points, we returned to the parking lot at 2.30 PM and started our journey towards another majestic waterfalls, Jog, which is about 52 km from Unchalli Falls.

• Route travelled: Banavasi > Sirsi > Unchalli Falls
• Photos: Unchalli Waterfalls Album

See also:

• Mesmerizing Malenadu
• Sahasralinga and Marikamba Temple
• Banavasi
• Jog Falls

Route Map: