The Wild Goa – Beyond the Beaches

“Let me tell you a story,“ said my driver as our jeep suddenly plunged into the waters of a small river. We were in Goa, driving down the lesser known wild tracts of this coastal state when the mud roads opened into a vast expanse of waters. Before we knew it, we were crossing the river, rolling over pebbles and rocks. The jungle roads took us through many rivulets as we drove down the Bhagavan Wildlife Sanctuary and Mollem National Park to see Dudhsagar Falls, one of Goa’s well-kept secrets.
As we hiked our way up through boulders, the driver told us this story. The jungles were once home to a king and his beautiful daughter who lived in a palace made of ivory. The princess’ regular haunt was a lake where she sipped honeyed milk before having her bath. One day, a prince happened to pass by and the princess immediately shrouded herself behind a cascade of milk that she poured from the jug. The milk, symbolic of the chaste maiden is said to have fallen from the mountains, plummeting down as the waterfalls.
And as he finished his narration, I found myself gazing at one of the most dramatic scenes in the jungle. This is where the Mandovi plunges from a height of 600 metres, forming a milky cascade on the Karnataka–Goa border. A railway line cut in the middle of the cascading waters as the roar of the falls silenced that of the moving train. Bare bodied men and women were swimming around in a massive pool of blue green waters.
I stood there, taking in the scene when the driver interrupted us. “If you like tales of princess and kings, then you must believe in the devil as well,” he said with a grin. We followed him as he drove us back through the forest until we reached a deep gorge where a turbulent river raged through the rocks. There was not a soul around us, not even a monkey or a bird. The silence was rather ominous. And our driver told us about the Devil’s Canyon which was haunted by a Devil. Apparently the story goes that a local who wanted to taste the fish in the river asked for the devil’s permission saying he had guests at home. When the devil saw through the lie he cursed the canyon and the river. Locals say that no one comes here anymore because many have drowned in these treacherous waters.
It was late afternoon and the sun was setting. But my tryst with wild Goa was not yet over. We drove back to a small village called Tambdi Surla, named after an 800 year old Mahadev temple hidden amidst the forest. Lost in the midst of wilderness and surrounded by the Anmod ghats, locals believed that the temple was built by Pandavas in a hurry and that a cobra was housed in its premises.
It was dark and dense when we got there, but our rendezvous with the wild was just starting. Walking through the forests in the dark, looking for snakes, we tiptoed our way silently until we heard a huge thump.
The waters of a nearby stream rushed through the pebbles as we heard a splash and we stopped dead in our tracks in the darkness. Our flashlights were out as we saw the massive outlines of the retreating gaurs who had disappeared into the woods.
We continued walking in the darkness, until our guide pointed to a slender green creeper coiled in the branches of the tree, adjacent to me. As he pointed the flashlight on the plant, I followed it until it curved out and the ends opened into a small eye. Suddenly I realized that I was looking at a green vine snake, thin as a tape and although it is believed to be non-venomous, many stories of it falling over people’s heads and biting them were heard. We moved on until another poisonous snake, the golden Malabar pit viper interrupted us curled around a branch, pretending to be asleep only to dart at us, as we inched closer for a photograph.
The night stars beckoned us as we returned to our retreat in the forests. I woke up to realize that here was a Goa that was yet to be explored. Wild and mysterious with its own dark secrets and legends, it was home to several birds, reptiles and animals. The closest beach was at least an hour away. And the only sounds I had heard from morning were the chirping of birds and the occasional call of the langurs. And it is a Goa I would love to come back to soon.
Fact File
If you are a wildlife enthusiast and birder and are planning a visit to South Goa, then the Bhagavan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park should be on your agenda. The other sanctuaries are Bondla, Cotigao and Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary. While it is great to visit any time, the best time to visit for birds is between October and March, while for snakes, it is just before and during the monsoons.

Emerald Odyssey

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