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KAILASAKONA is a perennial 3 layered waterfall~ an Offbeat getaway within a beautiful untouched part of rural Andhra bordering Tamilnadu. About 90km/ 2.5hours from CHENNAI, it's an excellent getaway if you wish to Escape-the-City for a day.
On our return journey we stopped by KailasaKona falls, approx 50km/ 1.30hr from SRIKALAHASTI. I would strongly recommend skipping this place, if it weren't for a bit of unforgettable rural landscape.
Previous blog~ KANCHI, TIRUTTANI, TIRUPATI, SRIKALAHASTI~ Spiritual journey
Where to stay at KAILASAKONA
The sole stay option is a government rest house which is basic, but not too bad for 1 night.
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| Strange experiences during my travels |
What to see at KAILASAKONA
There are basically 2 attractions here. One is the waterfall after which this place is named, and the second are a few hiking trails amongst these rustic surroundings.
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| Kailasakona falls~ an easy getaway from CHENNAI (blog) |
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KAILASAKONA falls
Without much ado, we thought of checking out the falls. There is a small Shiva-Parvati mandir at the entrance. As you climb over uneven boulders a bit higher, there's a steady flow of cool water where one can bathe~ Such a thrilling experience! I believe there is a trekking trail further ahead from the falls.
Despite its proximity to the temple towns of Tirupati and SRIKALAHASTI the only people to drop by are those who love exploring new places~ ummm people like us, at least so I thought!?
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| Kailasakona waterfalls, Chitoor A.P. |
Sadly the bottom of the falls was strewn with soap wrappers and bottles which is quite an eyesore. "Why is this place so littered?" I asked a friendly couple who had arrived here on their bike. "Some men drop by for a drinks party 😉 far away from their wives... HaHaHa." ~ What a shame, I felt.
Tip~ Due to its course of thick forests and rare plants, the waterfalls have high medicinal properties and bathing with soap would be a shame.
Where to eat at KAILASAKONA
Sadly there are no great places to eat at KAILASAKONA, not even a decent restaurant. There is however a stall outside of the rest house, that offers simple meals,and small eats like omelet pav etc. The forest rest house is rather inefficient in providing food if required, so do carry some snacks etc if you plan on staying here.
Beyond the Void hiking experience at KAILASAKONA
After a simple meal of sabzi roti (vegetable gravy and bread) we set out to explore the area a bit further. It was 4pm and after a short spell of showers the smell of fresh earth was intoxicating, the leaves on trees glistened with droplets of rain and we were even lucky to catch a rainbow 🌈 along the road.
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| green leaves after rain shower |
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| Kone falls road, Chittoor Andhra Pradesh |
About half a kilometre ahead of the rest house, we spotted a Nature Orientation center. Such a forlorn place this is, that not a soul was in sight at the office or nearby. So we walked around and discovered a Do-it-yourself short nature hike with clearly marked directions. Now what could go wrong I thought to myself so we began a nice leisurely walk smelling the roses and daisies planted along the path. It was so refreshing to be in such rustic surroundings....
My thoughts strayed.. and they strayed. I wondered what Pj was upto these days. Pj was my friend, the last time we met was in Alleppey KERALA. He seemed fun, quite unlike the usual type of man. Neither of us was interested in getting married or settling down, but we were still happy to know each other. I got so lost in my thoughts and my legs just kept going...
Where's my Echo?!
When, all of a sudden I got a sound knock on my head, "Where are you going?!" said my dad walking behind me, raising his hard bony knuckles from above my head. "HUHH?!! OUCH that hurts" I screamed. Looking around, It was as if time stood still. My heart started beating at first wondering just how far we had strayed away from the path.
"Shhh, listen carefully" said dad. "Do you hear that?"
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A cavern amidst the mountains
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"Err.. I don't hear anything" I answered back, annoyed. "Exactly!" replied dad. I turned around and round, and realised we were suddenly in a sort of valley perfectly round in shape with even hills all around. The place echoed like a VOID. "ANGELAAAA" I called out my name, and in return got a faint sound "Aaa" back unlike the usual echo.
I have often written about my unexplainable experiences during my journey. But this time dad was with me as proof so I felt reassured this was indeed True. Without bothering to rationalize any further, we wanted to get away as quickly as possible so we began retracing our steps back~ and surely we did get back to the road. What a relief!!
Thanks for reading. I do hope you enjoyed this blog. If you have had any unusual experiences during your travels, do share them in the comments below.
We will head back to our spiritual base camp KANCHIPURAM tomorrow morning, so follow my Journey
Next blog~ VELLORE and TIRUVANNAMALAI pilgrimage tour
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