Chunchi Waterfalls, Bangalore

Driving out of Sangam we were exhausted, hungry and thirsty. A nice bath and hitting the bed would have the ideal thing to do. But we had promised ourselves to go to Chunchi Waterfalls on the way back. Its not everyday you drive down 90 kms and not see the major attractions in the area. So we kept our promise and drove towards Chunchi. And ain't we glad we kept the promise!

So Chunchi Falls is nestled in the Chunchi Hills near the Chunchi Village. Luckily its not too far from Sangam. Some 5 kms after Sangam en route Bangalore, you need to take a right and then travel through the Chunchi Village to reach the Falls. I had not done much R&D on Chunchi on the net and had no clue of what to expect from this place. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise, since when I first set eyes on the waterfalls I had to hold my breath. The mouth made an extended Wow and the brain stimulated a million neurons. While walking down to the waterfalls I was praying for some water...lots of water. But after scanning the area I was pleased that there wasn't much water there. Tiny stream of water meant, we were able to get to the head of the falls for a breath-taking view. But sadly the pictures doesn't bring out the true breathtaking-ness of the place. You have to be there to believe what Im talking about.

From the head of the Falls its a big drop. Wikipedia tells me that the height of the Falls is 250 feet. The terrain is quite rocky and getting to this place is an adventure in itself. Another amazing sight adding to the view-from-the-top is the rock formations. The formations below your feet look as if somebody just picked up a giant ice-cream scoop and went to work on the rocks. And the side walls are as if the same person took a huge chisel and started hammering away in one direction. These rocky formations have been smoothened to perfection by the gushing waters.

After a while we realised that we could get down one tier and get a look at the Falls. Going down there is again an adventure in itself. But worth the effort in gold. From this lower tier you get a good look at the waterfalls. Looking at the hypnotic water dancing down the rocks makes you want to get up there. If you incredibly stupid you get actually climb one of those rocks and touch the water. But we decided against it and only remained an eager spectator as we saw one of those stupid morons do his thing up there. After literally standing on the edge of the cliff for some time, we deposited ourselves on the rocks at a safe distance from the edge. Now we could really feel the exhaustion creep-in. To fight the fatigue building over us, we lay on our backs for a few minutes in the blazing afternoon sun. The cool breeze kissing our body undermined the sun's vengeful rays. As if on cue, the clouds also took position to block the rays. You couldn't ask for more. Where in Bangalore could you lie on your back facing the sun directly in the blazing afternoon sun?

Like all good things we knew we had to bring this trip to an end. We climbed back the rocks and got to the place where we parked our bikes. By the time we reached there, we had been squeezed of every ounce of energy from our body. The coconut water vendor licked his lips as he saw his prey dragging their feet towards him. Two tender coconuts later our bodies started to show signs of life. As we started the ride back I give Chunchi one last passing glance and promised myself a second visit here, before I die.

Getting-there: 5 kms before Mekedaatu (see previous post) take a left and drive through Chunchi Village. Keep asking the villagers for Chunchi, and they will point their fingers in the right direction.
Must-Do: Take an adventurous trip down to the first tier of the waterfalls.
Must-Dont: Try to be too adventurous and get to the water or try to get to the bottom of the waterfalls. Littering as always.
Caution: Paramount on the agenda. Keep your self hydrated.
Extra-topping: Undertake a trip to an adjacent waterfall about a kilometer away.

My Rating: 7/10