around 10a.m
the actual plan was to go to Dudhsagar via Kulem Station , but our
Tempo doesn't have permit to enter Goa.
Castlerock station is located in Karnataka State.
this is the entrance to trek to the Dudhsagar Waterfalls.
but we arrived late at Castlerock Station at 10.00 am.
but we were lucky because there is a train going towards Kulem
which en-route will pass through Dudhsagar Station.
We bought tickets which costs us Rs80 for return journey
( Castlerock-Kulem-Castlerock ) .
we were ' playing safe ' buy buying tickets , as normally
people will just hop-on the train to go to Dudhsagar illegally
without any tickets.
we saved a lot of energy and time by hopping on the train ,
or otherwise we have to trek along the railway track for 14 km ,
that will take about 5-6 hours of walking.
( previous trip : click here )
Dudhsagar Train Station. ( 5-6 Hours if by walking )
( previous 36 hours train ride Karad-Delhi : click here )
there is nothing much here , not even functioning ticket counter.
train tickets are only available at Castlerock / Kulem Station
on this route.
at the same place.
we have to trek along the railway track for about 40 minutes to reach
Dudhsagar Waterfalls.
of shoes are advisable to go trekking here.
And avoid walking directly in the middle of the track , otherwise
you'll end up stepping on faeces.
( as toilet in the train will drop the faeces directly onto the track while on journey )
we even had one situation where a train passed through the tunnel
while we're still inside ( with just 2,3 ft of clearance for us to avoid the train )
bringing torchlight is advisable as the tunnel is very dark.
from Dudhsagar Train Station.
it's around 12.00 pm , and as we have plenty of time now
( thanks to the train hopping instead of walking for 5-6 hours )
we decided to explore the area .
we decided to go to the bottom of the waterfalls, and have lunch and prayers there.
we have to walk passing through this tunnel with an opening
at the middle which splits the tunnel into two portions.
( I name it as Tunnel A : Tunnel A1 and A2 - because I Don't know the real name )
Tunnel A is split into Tunnel A1 and Tunnel A2.
near this tunnel there are trails to go to the bottom of the waterfalls.
one route ( route A1 ) is just on the right side of the opening
after passing through Tunnel A1.
another route ( route A2 ) is located after passing through Tunnel A2.
route A1 is steeper and more dangerous , but we took it anyway
because we didn't know about route A2 untill we found out about it
while coming back.
the legal and better built route to the bottom of the waterfall
is from the Goa side ( from Kulem Station ).
this place is also taken care by lifeguards.
trek further towards the Goa side of the trek.
this is because we see people coming from the other side ( Goa Side ) ,
even old people and children all with life jacket.
they came walking to the waterfall from a direction opposite to ours.
So we thought that there should be easier , better trek on the other side
rather than our side ( we came from Karnataka side ) .
we left the waterfall site at 2.30 pm
these jeeps are coming from Kulem Train Station in Goa.
a ride from Kulem to Dudhsagar Waterfall by jeep costs around
Rs700 per person , including life jacket.
but the jeep ride will not be available during peak monsoon season.
as compared to route A1 which we took earlier.
the viewpoint is located on the opposite side of the bridge .
about 15 minutes walk from Tunnel A2
to Dudhsagar Train Station , passing through Tunnel A1 and A2 again.
our return train to Castlerock Station ( Kulem-Castlerock via Dudhsagar )
was scheduled at 5.00 pm.
the train came from Goa and head to Delhi.
one is this rock formation , and another one is the old tunnel from
British era that looks like a castle.
Dudhsagar Waterfalls ( Dudh = Milk , Sagar = Sea )
is 6th tallest waterfall in India , about 310 meters
and located at the Goa-Karnataka State border.
the waterfall became more famous after one of the scenes
in the movie ' Chennai Express ' .
How to get there :
there are two routes : from Karnataka ( Castlerock ) or Goa ( Kulem )
both has options for trekking or train hopping ,
or jeep ride from Goa side.
from Karnataka : Castlerock Train Station
a) - walk to Dudhsagar Station on railway track for
14 km / 5-6 hours .
tiring , but can enjoy the scenery while trekking.
b) - train hopping from Castlerock Station to Dudhsagar Station
for 20 minutes. cost is Rs80 for return journey
Castlerock-Dudhsagar-Castlerock
time : 7.30am / 10.00 am train available on Sundays
from Goa : Kulem Train Station
a) - walk from Kulem Station to Dudhsagar Waterfalls on railway track
for 11km / 4-5 hours
b) - train hopping from Kulem Station to Dudhsagar Station
but i don't know the timing
c) - Jeep ride from Kulem directly to Dudhsagar Waterfalls
costs around Rs700/person including life jacket.
what to bring / tips :
( Panjim , Goa --> hire a cab to Kulem Station --> Jeep to Dudhsagar waterfalls )
- fun and adventurous way is from Karnataka ( Castlerock Station )
- bring food ( no restaurants along the track , only small snacks stalls occasionally )
-bring plenty of water
-bring torchlight ( to walk in dark tunnels )
-wear good shoes ( painful to walk long distance on rocky railway track )
- be cautious about timing.
Castlerock-Dudhsagar-Kulem train : 7.30am / 10.00am train also available on Sundays
Kulem-Dushsagar-Castlerock train : 5.00pm
Castlerock-Dushsagar trekking : 18km / 5-6 hours ONE-WAY . same route for return
Kulem-Dudhsagar trekking : 11km / 4-5 hours ONE-WAY . same route for return
- monsoon season is the best time to visit ( august-october )
but route might be closed during heavy rain
- for train hopping : only 7.30am train available if other than Sunday.
to be safe is to reach Castlerock Station before 7am to catch the 7.30 am train.
- toilet available at Goa side entrance of the watefalls , at the parking of the jeeps.
the toilet is actually meant for the paid visitors coming with jeep.
but we just said we came by jeep ( although not ) and used the toilet anyway.
What I did :
train hopping from Castlerock , then trek down to bottom of the waterfall
from karnataka side ,
then return trek up with different route from Goa side.
- 7.30 am : departure from Belgaum by Tempo
- 10.00 am : arrival at Castlerock Train Station
- 11.00 am : reach Dushsagar Train Station
walk from Dudhsagar Station to the bridge / Dudhsagar Waterfalls
for 30 minutes.
- 11.30 am : reach the bridge / upper part of Dudhsagar Waterfalls.
rest / sightseeing at the bridge
- 12.00 pm : trekking down to the bottom of the waterfalls
lunch , solat , bathing in the streams.
- 2.30 pm : trekking to the Goa side entrance.
- 2.45 pm : trek back up to the railway track
- 3.15 pm : reach the ' viewpoint '
- 3.30 pm : trek from viewpoint back to the bridge / upper portion of the waterfalls.
- 4.00 pm : trek from bridge back to Dudhsagar Train Station
- 5.30 pm : train ride from Dudhsagar Station back to Castlerock Station
- 6.00 pm : reach back Castlerock Station
return to Belgaum by Tempo
- 9.00 pm : reach back to Belgaum
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