The Enthralling views of Jog Falls-By Sonal Jain

The epitome of beauty and the mesmerizing views of Jog falls were worth the wait my eyes longed for. Visiting waterbodies make me the happiest. I take it as an experience for a lifetime. Such an association has a special place in my heart.

I spent 13 years of my life in Karnataka but never visited Jog falls. Funny right? While in Karnataka, all our travel plans were for other parts of India first. 

I think this is how human life functions. We all wish for a far-sighted dream to come true first and forget about things around us. Well, not being extra philosophical that I am today because I am here to describe my experience of visiting jog falls through my lens and eyes.

The planning and plotting-

It was at the end of May 2019, when I was in my hometown. Most of my family members are into business so leaving their work even for a day is tough. But being the only family who lived far away from all, I had an upper hand to convince them all for a short trip to Jog falls. So, what is next then? Emotional blackmail began.

These are a few precious moments that I always look forward to every year. Living away from your loved ones can be hard and these moments stay with you forever. Most of our family short trips are overnight plans because, until the end of planning, it remains uncertain. 

About Jog falls-

Holding the title of 2nd highest plunge waterfall in India, jog falls is a scenic beauty one must not miss. It lies in the Shimoga district and originates from the Sharavati river in the western ghats of north Karnataka. Complimenting India’s monsoon season, jog falls are a true representation of the beauty of monsoons in India. 

Jog falls is said to be one of the most loved tourist places in Karnataka because of its geographical area. It is a perfect free-falling waterfall that is ranked number 36 in the world for its free-falling nature. Situated in a dense evergreen forest, this place is as picturesque as it can get.

The most astonishing part about this waterfall is that the western ghats are responsible for a huge rise of the Sharavati river and due to which it falls from a height of 829 feet and then forms 4 magnificent cascades. They are named Raja, Rani, Roarer, and Rocket.

 

Seeing the 4 beautiful cascades flowing together makes me feel like a child again who is amazed to see nature’s magic. The cascades are rock steps and the waterfall gushing through these steps in a series, one after the other.

What does plunge mean? 

Did you know there are different varieties of waterfalls? Nature surprises us in different ways and the researchers have minutely seen each of these surprises and named them. A plunge waterfall is described as a fast-moving or gushing waterfall that descends vertically and suddenly loses complete contact with the bedrock around. 

Image credit- Tripoto.com

The flow of this waterfall is so high that due to its velocity it does not touch the bedrock surface right below. Such a waterfall is called the Plunge waterfall.

 

All these plunges fall starts with a narrow stream but by the time it reaches the end of the surface, the velocity increases and it plunges from that rock. As viewers, we might not see this phenomenon, but I am sure it would mean a lot to nature researchers.

Jog falls make two different types of falls- A plunge and Cascades both. Pretty interesting, isn’t it?

Best time to visit jog falls-

Well, any waterfall fulfills its purpose post-monsoon and that is the best time to visit Job falls as well. June to September is the monsoon season. My visit to this waterfall was in the off-season due to time constraints and an unplanned trip. We visited in mid-May yet got a beautiful glance of the waterfalls and their cascades.

 

Mid-May is the monsoon that is about to set in, so it surprises you with little pours suddenly. The same happened to us, when we reached the spot, it began to rain and the best part about such weather was the mist that set in. It made my visit all worth it because I had not seen a better view than that waterfall there.

It felt like a dreamland and I wished to go closer. Earlier there were provisions to trek down this beautiful place but in a few years, it has been restricted due to the rocky nature of the mountains. They are steep and dangerous, especially during monsoons. This place is filled with dense forest and getting lost here is common. So trekking is not advisable.

HOW TO REACH? 

By TRAIN- Nearest railway station is Shimoga or Talguppa station. 

By ROAD- About 8 Km drive from Bangalore and 4.5 hours from Mangalore. 

By Air- Nearest airport is the Mangalore airport. 

 
Marwari being a Marwari-

There is no place that I have been to where some incident reminds me of being a true Marwari at heart. At times, these things save us from last-minute embarrassments for sure. All 25 people of my close family went for the trip, and it was a no-halt trip. We traveled for 6 hours, saw two places that include Jog falls as our last stop, and return home the same day.

 

All this while we planned of stopping for food nearby but still the ladies of the house prepared so much food, stuff bags with ready to eat stuff. We all asked them not to do so but mothers being mothers, did exactly what they wanted. But on that day, all of us thanked these superwomen because after visiting the jog falls in the evening, we learned that there are no restaurants nearby.

 

Jog falls is in a secluded area and to visit a restaurant we had to travel back into the town nearby. Having little kids on the trip made it even more important to carry food along. There was a little park in that area, all of us went and asked for permission to sit and have food.

Permissions were granted, bedsheets laid, food assembled, and alas, our stomachs were happy. We also offered food to the security and all of us ended up having much more fun than expected. Later we cleaned up the area and headed back home.

 

The trip to Jog falls was a memorable one. It is something I would never forget. 

Watch these two beautiful videos here. 

JOG FALLS

 

 WATCH THE VIDEO HERE