We were in search of few waterfalls near Kanakumbi in the Belagavi district. Sankara and I had travelled to Belagavi on an overnight bus and then hired a vehicle to explore the area. The drive from Belagavi was enchanting as the rainy season had just started with greenery all around. The road condition had dramatically improved from my last visit in 2011.
The first waterfall that we had on our list was near Kanakumbi. We took the deviation from the highway and travelled on a mud road. After travelling for some distance, we came across a forest check post. It was not a good sign. The guards did not allow us to proceed further unless we get permission from the forest department. They were unfriendly, and the conversation was difficult as they did not speak Kannada. Reluctantly, we had to return.
It was a bad start for our waterfalls trip. We decided that we should try our luck at the forest office in Kanakumbi. I had a mixed experience when it came to getting permissions from the forest department. Without much hope, we entered the forest office. The Officer in charge was a lady, and we told our plans and the issue we faced in visiting the waterfalls. She said that the restrictions were put in place recently due to some incidents. We need to get permission from the forest office at Belagavi.
It is an issue with the Karnataka forest department. Many such permissions are given at district level offices, and there is always a lack of information. Back to our case, we told that it was not practical for us to go back to Belagavi and get permission. She understood that and asked us to get permission from DCF over the phone. We realized that our phones were out of coverage area. She then called DCF herself and narrated our story. The outcome was that we were given permission. She also asked a guard to accompany us.
We were happy with the professional behaviour of the officer. It is not a common scene in Karnataka State Government Offices. I remembered my previous pleasant experience in a Government hospital for polio vaccine (needed for my Kenya trip) and in Endowment office to claim subsidy for Kailash Manasa Sarovar trip.
We went to the waterfalls with the forest guard. He was a nice person but spoke very little. The mist had covered the entire place when we reached the waterfall. We waited for some time to get a clear view. The area was so beautiful, and we spent a long time photographing beautiful sceneries.
We were on top of the waterfall and struggled to get a good view of the waterfall. As the mist cleared, we could get some nice views of the waterfalls.
We checked with the forest guard, and he mentioned that there was one more waterfall further away. Since our vehicle could not cross a difficult section, we decided to walk.  It was a  beautiful day – cloudy with little rains and greenery all around. We walked for about 20 minutes to reach the waterfall. It was bigger than the first one, and we could get some better views too.
Fully satisfied, we started walking back to our car. At one point, the trip seemed to be a washout, but things had changed during the course of the day. Back in Kanakumbi, the guard refused to take money from us but finally accepted. We went into the office, thanked the officer and continued further on our journey.
Veena
Wonderful photos Aravind!!!These look like a poster pic..beautiful
aravindgj
Thanks Veenakka.
ramanan
beautiful pictures
aravindgj
Thank you.
Sadananda Hegde
Nice photos.Excellent blog
aravindgj
Thank you.
Srikanth Manjunath
Superb pics..lovely narration..yes..there will be couple of good officers to explore the wonderful nature..nice post Arvind
aravindgj
Thank you.
Shailendrabandagadde
May I share u’r photo article in other medias to my friends ?
aravindgj
Thank you. No issues in sharing the article.
dpranita583
Super article in the rainy season.
aravindgj
Thank you.
radhaaariv
Wow that’s really great piece of information.Thanks for sharing with us. This blog post is exactly what i was actualy looking for. The photos you have shared here are amazing. I just loved it. I look forward to revisiting your site.
Siri
Is falls open now??
aravindgj
No idea.