Tad Lo: The Scenic Waterfall Town in Southern Laos

Laos is a country that is possibly the most easy paced in Asia and it has a lot of places where one can unwind and relax a long while. Tad Lo, located in the Bolavan plateau of the South of Laos is one such place. It is one place where you can find a swift flowing river and lots of water in its waterfalls in the peak of summer. And it is also the place where you can get some of the best coffee in Laos as most of Laos coffee is grown in the Bolavan Plateau.


Generally, tourists give the Bolavan plateau a miss and visit the more touristy places of 4,000 islands, Pakse and Champasak in the South Laos, but if you are a traveler, you will hire a motorbike in Pakse and do either the short loop (Pakse –> Tad Lo –> Pakxong –> Pakse) or the long loop (Pakse –> Tad Lo –> Salavan –> Seekong –> Pakxong –> Pakse). The short loop should take you 2 days, while the longer one will take you 3-4 days.


It is during this journey that you will come across Tad Lo, a sleepy town located next to a fast flowing mountain river and a lovely waterfall that is perfect for a shower in the summer. All the guest houses are either located close to the river or the waterfall and thus provide easy access. The cost of stay and food here is possibly the lowest in Laos and the people are very nice, making it a perfect place to enjoy a long countryside holiday. The dense green cover, the fast flowing rivers and the umpteen number of waterfalls close by make it a hot favorite for me in Laos.

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Thomson’s Falls: A Stunning Waterfall at Nyahururu, Kenya

Thomson’s Falls or Nyahururu Falls is a stunning waterfall that is located close to the equator near Nyahururu in Kenya. I saw this waterfall enroute from Samburu to Lake Nakuru. The Thomson’s falls plunges about 74m (243 feet) on the Ewaso Narok river, a tributary of the Ewaso Nyiro river on the far northern end of the Aberdare Mountain Range.


One of the biggest hippo pools of Kenya is located up stream from the falls. The Thomson’s falls gets its name from Joseph Thomson, a naturalist and geologist from Scotland who discovered it in 1887 when he walked all the way from Mombasa to Lake Victoria.


The Thomson’s Falls is a very important landmark for the Nyahururu town as most of its revenue comes from the tourism industry associated with this waterfall. A whole bunch of curio shops make their livelihood from the stuff they sell to tourists coming here.


As a tourist, one can get different views of this single plunge waterfall. There is a tourist trail that leads to the bottom of the ravine and thus to the bottom of the waterfall. There are multiple view points along this trail that provide stunning views of the waterfall.

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Athirapally Falls: The Niagara of Kerala

Athirapally falls is said to be a sight to behold in late July/early August. However, I was here in early May, but still found the experience captivating and the flow in the waterfall quite decent. The Athirapally falls is the largest waterfall in Kerala and forms on the Chalakudy river deep in the Vazhachal forests of the Western Ghats.


This waterfall, which is dubbed as the ‘Niagara’ of Kerala in peak flow is quite a popular scenic tourist spot with hoards of tourists coming to visit it every weekend and especially during national holidays. The tourist infrastructure here is pretty decent here with great trekking trails both to the top and to the bottom of the waterfall. Each of these trekking trails should take you about 10 minutes one way. The only things to watch out for here are the monkeys, your footing during the rains and proximity to the waters while you are at the bottom of the falls.


Otherwise, this place offers a stunning natural spectacle. If you drive down from Valparai, you will also notice the smaller Vazhachal falls, about 5 kilometers upstream on the Chalakudy river. The treks within the theme park do not offer great shots of the waterfall. In fact, I realized this after I completed the circuit. I wanted to go downstream and explore around the forests to find for a good spot, but unfortunately was running short on time and hence could not do that. Though, I have plans to visit this beautiful place and waterfall during the middle of the monsoons and hopefully then, I will have enough time to explore for good photography spots.

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Abbey Falls near Madikeri in Coorg

The Abbey (also known as Abbi and Abbe) falls is one great looking waterfall situated in the Western Ghats of Coorg. This 70 foot waterfall is situated about 7 kms from Madikeri town on the Galibeedu road. This is one waterfall that brings together large crowds all year around and especially in the monsoons when the waterfall is massive and envelops its surroundings in a misty cloud.

 
This waterfall carries water throughout the year, though the water content diminishes quite a bit during the rainy season. This waterfall, which is fed by numerous streams before cascading down joins the Cauvery river a little downstream. The Abbey Falls is located between private coffee plantations with stocky coffee bushes and spice estates with trees entwined with pepper vines.

 
The Abbey (kannada for waterfall) fall used to be be known as the Jessie waterfall during the British era in memory of Jessie, the daughter of Madikeri’s best captain. To reach this waterfall, one has to weave their way through coffee and cardamom plantations and steep turns. The short journey from the highway to the waterfall can be quite an adventure.

 
A hanging bridge constructed just opposite the waterfall is a great place for photographing this waterfall. This bridge also leads to a Kali Mata temple that is surrounded by coffee and pepper plantations. A board near the bridge mentions that nobody is allowed to get close to the waterfall as a lot of people have lost their lives here, but there are few people who throw caution to the wind and play the stupid daredevil act.



Everything about the place, including the waterfall is vintage nature, but I somehow don’t like the obscenely large crowds that turn up here. These large crowds coming with the intention of picnicking here destroy the serenity of this place and have no regard for cleanliness or for the environment. This can be a complete turn-off and that too especially in the weekends and/or on other national/state holidays. Personally, I would not visit this place again, but would not ask you to do so. You can definitely plan a short visit from June through December to see the Abbey Falls in full flow.

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Tropical Trek to Chingara Falls, Coorg

The Chingara falls is one of the bigger waterfalls in the Virajpet side of Coorg in Karnataka. This waterfall, tucked between coffee estates and tropical forests is an ideal place for a tropical trek and that too especially in the monsoons. But, for those who are not in the mood for a trek can still enjoy this waterfall by taking the small concrete road that turns left from Kabinnakad junction on the Virajpet – Madikeri road.

 
When I was here with my friends sometime back, we preferred to do the tropical trek in the rains from Honey Valley to Chingara Falls. The total round trip for the trek was about 5 kilometres. One side of the journey is a steep descent, while the other one is an ascent that will send the heart racing for even the fittest. The trek is fairly straight forward except for a knee deep stream that needs to be crossed to reach the waterfall. This stream crossing adds some excitement and variety to the trek.

 
And as is norm in the Western Ghats, a lot of leeches gave us company during the trek. One can get a lot of views of this waterfall during the trek. At certain points, the waterfall will look like a mighty dam of milk that is falling amidst dense greenery. And equally synonymous with this beauty is the thundering roar of this waterfall, which carries excess amounts of water during the monsoons.



The special part about this waterfall is that it offers the trekker the opportunity to go right under it apart from the tropical trek, a spectacular sight and the ability to take a dip in the mountain stream. So, if you are carrying your swimming trunks, you can have a great time at either the stream or the waterfall, both of which will give you a refreshing experience.

 
If you wish to indulge in photography here, do remember to carry some plastic covers or other rain protection gear for your camera lens as the waterfall spray can carry quite a distance. And if you do not wish to get drenched in the rain, do remember to carry your rain wear. This is one waterfall I would definitely recommend for a high energy and fun-filled half day trip around Virajpet.

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