Unchalli Falls - Wild and Beautiful

Waterfalls are the natural wonders on the earth. They emphasize the beauty of the nature. Some water falls are tall, some are small. Some are plain, uninterrupted and some have beautiful cascades. Some are narrow and some are broad. Some falls have breathtaking views and some form beautiful landscapes. Every waterfall is unique and beautiful in its own way.

I always enjoy and admire beauty of waterfalls. But walking kilometers into the thick forest to see the waterfall is tiring and painful for me. I am scared of insects, wild animals, leech, reptiles etc. I would love to go if falls is reachable by vehicle or  just by walking a short distance. Unchalli falls is one of those where we can reach easily.

Uttara Kannada district is also known as district of water falls. It has numerous big and small waterfalls. Unchalli falls is in Siddapura taluk and it is also near to Sirsi. We visited the falls this year in the month of January when we were at our native. This time my father in law joined us as he was scared we might do some crazy things near the falls :) As he had already seen the falls, he advised us to carry enough water, food etc. Unchalli falls is located in the outskirts of village Unchalli and there are no shops nearby. Just 40 minutes drive from our home took us to village Unchalli. Here forest department collects small fees to see the falls.

We parked the vehicle and from here we have to walk almost 1.5 kms on the rough mud road. As we started walking, the roaring sound of falls can be heard. While walking you can see the amazing views of nature.

Road which leads to Unchalli Falls

Our destination arrived!!! A beautiful falls sandwiched between lush green western ghats. It falls from a great height making a stunning sight. My innocent son asked me "Amma why milk is flowing down?" :) River Aghanashini forms this falls. There are couple of view points at different levels with lower one being more closer to the falls. While we went to the lower view point, my father in law was happy doing baby sitting for my son. Falls plunges over black rocks pooling into deep waters. We are lucky to see the spectacular rainbow in its mist. If you are adventure and trekking lover you can reach the end of the falls. But it could be risky and dangerous as no one will be available if something happens. 

School children from Raichur had come to see the falls as part of their educational tour. They were shouting, cheering and running all over the place. Waterfalls are not new to us. But for people of Raichur forest, falls, greenery etc are definitely a scene of wonder :) My father in law warned teachers about students safety. 

Unchalli falls is one of the best falls I have seen. It is less crowded and silent because there is no public transport to the falls and lack of awareness about the falls. But there is no proper maintenance near the site. We cant see a single warning board though the place is very dangerous. During heavy rainy season falls will be covered with dense fog hence we cant see it. Rainy season is the season of blood sucking leeches too which are plenty in this area. There is a very small shop near the parking place which sells tea, coffee and some biscuits. This shop is also closed during rainy season. 

One more interesting fact about the falls - It is also known as Lushington falls, named after J.D.Lushington who was a DC in the British Government and discovered this falls. But localites are not at all aware of this name :)