Seven step waterfall

It is a well-known waterfall in western ghats. My previous attempt to hike to this waterfall was a failure, as we had timed it wrong. It was dark by the time we reached the 3rd stage and had to return. That was about ten years ago.

This time there was no such missteps. We had reached the nearest town in the morning. Relying on public transport meant that the last mile of the journey had to be either done by foot or private vehicles. There was no option but to take an expensive Jeep ride to the last village before the waterfall. The Jeep driver justified the price blaming it on the bad roads. Of course, if the road was good, there was no need for his Jeep at all. Anyway, we reached the last house without any incident.

Since the waterfall has gained popularity, the forest department had stepped in to maintain some discipline among trekkers. They checked our bags for alcohol. We were reminded not to throw any plastics on the path. It was the right approach by them to maintain the sanctity of the place. Also, they did not ask for any money.

It looked like we were the first ones to walk on the path that day. The initial part of the trek was on the paddy fields. With good rains this year, the villagers were busy working in the paddy fields. We took some time to enjoy the scenery of the place before entering the forest. Within few minutes, the first step of the waterfall was visible.

We had to walk on the stream to climb up. It was not slippery, and we walked quickly. The second step gave way to the third stage of the waterfall. The third stage was quite significant, and a person could return thinking that it was the main waterfall. This place demanded some time before we climbed up further.

The path ahead was a bit tricky. Climbing directly on the falls was not possible due to steep and slippery rocks. The only way was to climb the slippery rocks along the side of the waterfall. We had to be a little careful to ensure that we do not slip down. Climbing up is not difficult. It would be interesting while climbing down the slippery path.

The path after the third stage went inside the forest bypassing few stages of this waterfall. These stages were small. We crossed to the other side of the stream and the main stage of the waterfall was visible. With some boulder crossing, we reached to the base of the waterfall. 

Every waterfall is different, and this was not an exception. The waterfall jumping from a height of about 100 feet was simply beautiful. We spent time just enjoying the beauty of the waterfall. It started drizzling, and gradually it turned into heavy rain. That added to the beauty of that place.

We had the luxury of walking on our own while climbing back. The situation was different during the return journey. A large number of people (in hundreds) were climbing up, making our downward journey very slow. We congratulated ourselves for starting early before the crowds had arrived. But everyone was excited and in spirit. That was nice.

Back in the last house, we did a check on the leech bites. Surprisingly, there was none!!