The tale of two waterfalls in Tillari

Tillari 1 waterfalls

We were not sure about visiting this waterfall as it was not on our “list”. Locals mentioned this place, and automatically it was added to our itinerary but as the last place of visit on that long day. It had rained heavily, and the mist covered the entire area. Since we had to see the waterfall from the viewpoint, we were not hopeful. But our luck changed as we reached the place and we saw the beautiful view of the falls.

A closer look at the waterfall revealed few people at the base!! We had not planned to reach its base, but the sight of the waterfall made us think again. Sankara mentioned that it was worth going down to see the waterfall.

But it was a difficult way to the base. The path was continuously going down and slippery. The heavy rain that had pounded the area a few minutes ago made the journey more difficult. Sankara decided to return as the path was too difficult for his knees. The going was difficult due to the slippery trail. I had returned on many such occasions. Now, I was in a dual mind but decided to continue the hike down to the base. But this time, I was determined not to do that again!! At one place, a rope placed supported me to go down the slippery path. I came across a lot of slippers that were torn or placed on the side of the trail.

I reached the stream without any incident. I had to cross the stream and walk upstream over boulders to reach the waterfall, which I did that in a jiffy. A nice pool had formed at the base, which had turned muddy due to the rains. The crowd was significantly low, which I think was due to the slippery track. Few people were playing in the water. I sat there for few minutes.

I decided not to spend too much time as Sankara would be waiting for me at the top. The rains were also promising to strike again which make the climb difficult. Some times we suddenly have burst of energy and I experienced the same on that day. I climbed back without stopping at all. Sankara was quite surprised to see me back so quickly.

Tillari 2 waterfall

We were visiting a viewpoint, and I casually asked a local about the other waterfall that I had in mind. He told me the directions on how to proceed to that place. I asked him to explain it to our driver. Some conversations happened between our driver and the local in Marathi, which I did not understand. But the outcome was that suddenly both the local and driver told that it is not feasible to visit that place in monsoon!! I found the conversation between them fishy though I could not understand the language.

The driver was not interested in going to that place. The road was rough, and he wanted to take it easy. I had none of it. I asked him to drive as far as his car could go, and then we will try out best to reach the waterfall on foot. No amount of excuses from him convinced me. He cribbed a bit, but he had no option.

The road was indeed rough and deserted, but it passed through forests, and the scenery was beautiful. But we were in for a surprise when we came near the waterfall. The place was bustling with people and vehicles. So much so for the driver telling us that it was not feasible to reach this place in monsoon. He was speechless.

We had to walk a bit to reach the waterfall. While the waterfall was beautiful with a pool formed at the base, the sheer number of people disappointed me. The scene looked like a mall in the forest. Like many places in that area, people mainly visit to consume alcohol and throw bottles. There is no way you can walk barefooted. Too risky. Of course, the garbage was also thrown by people liberally. 

While the drive to that place (one hour from the nearest village) was beautiful, the state of the waterfall made us sad.