Dear All,
Last Sunday was the ultimate day in the recent months and one of the excellent trips from our L&T Sangam…
Myself along with other 7 L&T sangam members went to (Trekking/Water falls near Tada) on last sunday.
We started here at 7.15 A.M in the morning from our office premises and taken the route of Koyembedu, Padi, Redhills, Puzhal, Tada, Varadaiyapalayam and reached Ubbalamadugu Falls base camp at 10.00 A.M. Tada falls is actually 95 kms from Chennai. We had breakfast (Idly,Coconut chutni & Tomato Chutni) and Lunch (Tamarind rice, Curd rice & Potato masala, murukku & chips) and also we had bought four 2 liter cans of water and 3 one litre can and snacks (Biscuits & Fruits) carried for this trek and We Carried some medication Painkillers, bandage, Dettol, Knife and a pair of scissors with some clean cloth.
Tada Falls

it is a beautiful waterfall not yet spoiled by the tourist crowd. Nature at its best. The pristine beauty is still undisturbed. Tada Falls is a great adventure spot located deep in the forests bordering Nellore and Chittoor districts in Andhra Pradesh

First we went to Tada which is on the border of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. We took NH-5 from Chennai and drive for about 85 kilometers to reach Tada. Just before we enter the town Tada, we hit the Kalahasti Road going west off NH-5. Take this road and went another 10 to 15 kilometers till we hit Varadaiah Palem. Asked local for directions to Ubbalamadugu Falls. That is the actual name of the Falls. In fact the falls are nearer to Kalahasti than to Tada. However since the approach is from Tada, outsiders call it Tada Falls.
The road from Varadaiah Palem to Ubbalamadugu checkpost is fairly OK. If you are traveling in anything other than an SUV or Motorbike, be very careful and drive slowly. Once we reached the checkpost, listened patiently to all the warnings from the ranger-watchman and pay 50 rupees per vehicle and 2 rupees for entry for adults and Rs 50 for camera.
Now the drama starts. There is no proper road. All we saw is an endless stretch of about two meters width comprising of small to medium sized rocks amidst dense vegetation. The locals call it as a road. Again, if you are not in an SUV or a bike, the safest speed on this road is 5 kilometers per hour. Anything more than that is going to break your axle into two if not three. Distance from Check post to Base camp(parking area) approx three kilometers.
We actually got down from the Tata sumo Victa at this point and started walking towards the hills. However this walk to Tada falls is around 3 to 4 kilometers. So it is better to be in your vehicle if you are not very trek-savvy.
On second thoughts, if you are not very trek-savvy, turn your vehicle back and go back to Chennai. Reaching Tada Falls is no childs play. Make sure you have no kids or elderly people in your group. They simply cannot make it to the falls.
This is Godforsaken land. You won’t get anything. In fact you won’t see a human face after the first two kilometers. So we packed our backpacks adequately. However believe us, Tada falls water is definitely much better and clearer than the so called mineral water we get in Chennai. It is best to carry a one-liter bottle of water in every backpack. You can fill it up all through the trek. There is a water stream running all along the trek path. The water is crystal clear.
We started trekking at 10.30 am. From base camp 2 till we reached the first rest point which is about two kilometers from the start, it is a fairly easy trek. we had to take the pathway which is mostly flat and straight. At the end of this phase, we reached a Siva Temple. we had crossed the water stream at this point. Depth varies from 5 feet to 2 feet. Be careful while crossing this stream. There are lots of submerged boulders. we had refreshed by swimming in these waters.
Once we crossed this point, there is no such thing as a path. We need to trek on the rocks/boulders/logs/trees etc to go upstream towards the water falls. Some rocks are taller than five meters and some are steeper than we can’t imagine. When we came to the stage where we are greeted with an almost formidable rock formation, we didn’t get disheartened. This is the best place of Tada Falls. We have seen a clear water stream and a small waterfall sandwiched between two boulders. We Climbed those boulders and sat under those falls. Heavenly! This is our second rest point.
We had Spend much time in this point. Then gather all your energy and climb that rock formation. Life is going to be easy once we conquered this formation. Once we reached to the top , we saw a beautiful area of still waters surrounded by big rocks. What is different from other falls here is you need to swim thru deep waters which is 10-20ft deep to reach the main area of falls. Depth from 5 ft to 20 ft for the distance of around 20m and again we will get 5 ft deep water and again depth increases…This characteristics is something different from other falls I have seen. Congratulations we had reached the Tada Falls. The time we took to reach the final point is around 2 hours. It is an wonderful Falls never I have seen in my life time. We had fun and start our journey home at 3.30pm. we need at least one and half hours to reach the base camp.we had reached this point before sun sets. This forest is home to Bears, Leopards, Foxes and Wild Boars (ok, Wild Boars are really less dangerous than stray dogs).
This is perhaps the best outing we have ever been a part of. The scenery is beautiful. The trek is soul satisfying and the adventure part is really great. However as we said earlier, the ideal age group is 15-40.
Wait till rainy days are over. Winter is the best time to visit this place. January/February is the ideal time.
Public transportation to reach this place is difficult better to reach the place by own vehicle/Travels.
A few things to remember when you plan for a trip to Tada:
Leave early to escape the mad rush in the afternoon. Shorts and T-shirt are a must. You have to wade through water to reach the biotopes so you don’t want your trousers or jeans to get wet. A spare change of clothes is great if you plan to get wet. Wear footwear that do not slip in water (canvas shoes are great). Carry a shoulder bag so that your hands are free to hold and balance. Carry lots of water to drink. Cell phones do not work, Carry cameras in waterproof bags so that they are not spoilt if they fall into water. Hats are a must. The sun beats down hard and there is very little shade except in a few places. If someone has a leg related problem, it would be better that they do not go to the 5th biotope and the falls. The ideal season to go to Tada falls is between December and mid of February.
Even though we cudn’t get the view of surplus water in this trip, we enjoyed the trekking..
Photos can be viewed here
Hope the post was useful
Thanks
C Sajeesh (Sajju Bhatiya)…