Talakona waterfalls

When our family plans to travel to western ghats were foiled due to unprecedented rains, we turned our attention towards Andhra Pradesh which had remained dry!! We did not wanted to drive for long distance and hence focussed our attention towards the places near to Bengaluru. The forest area around Tirupati seemed attractive with some nice places to visit. One of the place we visited was Talakona waterfalls.

Talakona waterfalls in Sri Venkateshwara National Park is the tallest waterfalls in Andhra Pradesh. It is about an hour drive from Tirupati. Locals know about this falls and can get crowded during Weekends and Sundays.

The drive to the falls was uneventful. Before entering the National Park, we had to pay entry fees at the check post. The next 8 km drive was in the forest and was really beautiful. The drive ended near a temple where people were collecting “hafta” from the vehicles. I could not understand the need to pay money again as we had already paid before. But since we were outsiders, I did not argue and shelled out the money.

Few cars has parked in front of the temple. The falls was still 2 km away and I was in a confusion whether the car can go further or not. A local woman told that we take our car further. The road was not good but still drivable for all cars but it could be challenging in rainy season. From the parking lot, we had to walk for about 15 minutes to reach the falls. The path was well constructed and does not offer challenge for a reasonably fit person. The thick vegetation makes the walk much easier.

The waterfalls was indeed tall but there was no much water. That was expected as August was still summer in that area. October to December is the time when the falls will be in full. We spent some time before climbing down. Lunch was at a local restaurant near the temple.