TADA FALLS (TREK): TAMIL NADU, INDIA

There is far too much to delve into regarding Tada Falls (aka.Ubbalamdugu Falls) which I found simply picturesque. I had heard about Tada Falls through my local contacts and learned it was a fantastic place for a nature-filled trek. Upon discovering this information, I had found myself waking up at 5 a.m. on a Sunday morning ready to embark on this trek despite being overly fatigued due to jet lag. Nonetheless, I couldn’t say no to a chance to visit the true nature of India.

En route to Tada Falls , I didn’t even consider the kind of wildlife that would await me there. I was indeed in for a surprise with the local animal encounters. Tada Falls must have been roughly two hours outside Chennai, which is reasonable for a day trip. In order to reach the entrance by car, you must drive through windy, dirt roads for what felt about an additonal twenty minutes. I have to admit, I was kind of nervous looking at the desolate land surrounding me and wondered why there were hardly any other vehicles here.

Passing through the entrance was a breeze as I strolled by the lake which locals were swimming in to reach the opening of the rocky trail to Tada Falls. At first, I didn’t feel challenged by the trail because I didn’t need that much agility to cross through the twisting trail nor did I have to cling to rocks. However, maybe a quarter of the way through the trail, I noticed the challenge grew from a basic level to intermediate. I was still excited even though, I never had to climb rocks and cross tiny streams previously.

The trail became one of strategic moves in which we had to contemplate certain crossings and decide the safest path to follow. Certain questions like, “should we climb this rock? or slide down the dirt trail?” became frequent. I actually enjoyed having to map out the route and test different directions in order to reach our final destination. For once, my body kept in tune with my endurance and together, I didn’t even find myself getting tired whatsoever.

In fact, one of the most surprising discoveries were the monkeys! I mean, I knew monkeys were common in India, even in urban environments and city outskirts. So, or course, I should expect them to be in the mountains…right? Well, it seems that fact totally slipped my mind until we opened an energy snack bar and I immediately saw a monkey trying to pounce on it (the snack; not us). I quickly jolted back and refused to eat the rest of the trail. Even the opening of a wrapper seemed to trigger these fiends. The monkeys are only after food, so be prepared on any trail or trek whilst in India if you do get desperate to snack.

Despite, the initial terrifying monkey encounter, we pressed on and on after a number of hours (close to four…I believe), we finally reached the “waterfall.” Except Tada Falls was not seen in its full glory because apparently it was during off-peak. The waterfall was quite minuscule compared to the lush photos we saw online. Still, I felt accomplished that after trekking this rocky terrain for multiple hours without food (except for half a snack bar) and had finally arrived! It felt extremely exhilarating to challenge myself to complete this challenging trail.

Therefore, it was a great moment of victory and such a beautiful nature experience of the green canopy of trees shielding the sun and the miniature streams throughout the trail. It was truly an awesome experience which I would definitely repeat again upon my next visit to Chennai. Tada Falls is highly recommended for nature lovers!