Dudhsagar Waterfalls: The Heart of the "Chennai Express" Movie.

Actually, right now I do not want to leave "my" beach in Goa at all. Too relaxed here is the "work-life balance".

Dudhsagar Falls Safari Video:

Sometimes you can lure me away here. For example to the Dudhsagar waterfalls, which are known since the Bollywood movie "Chennai Express".

Railroad and waterfall? An interesting mixture for me. So go to Collem!

In the morning at the train station in Madgaon.

At 6:30 clock the arrival of Canacona even works by train. Once in Margao change and the contemplative journey between lagoons and rice fields to Kulem (Collem) continues.

Rice fields and lagoons are on the way to ...

From Collem we go with the "Jeep Safari" to the waterfall.

... to see Collem (Kulem).

I am a little restless and under time pressure. The Dudhsagar waterfalls impress even by their total height of 310 meters. A railway bridge crossing the waterfall makes the picture even more interesting.

And what's the most interesting? Right: When a train drives over it. According to my timetable, this should happen around 10:35.

As soon as we leave, we put in the first water crossing the first photo stop. No, with constant stops it will not work with my train photo on the bridge over the Dudhsagar waterfalls.

With the SUV, the bumpy ride ...

When the two families come back I ask if they also want to have a picture of the "Chennai Express" on the bridge? The eyes of the man next to me begin to sparkle. Of course, he knows "Chennai Express", the Bollywood movie. Parts of the film were filmed at the waterfall and on the bridge. The man from Mumbai starts to sing and bobs in time: "Chennai-ai-ai-ex-press!" In the Bollywood movie, the scene on the bridge is a key point, the two main characters Rahul ( Shah Rukh Khan ) and Meena ( Deepika Padukone ) get off the train on the bridge and meet Meena's gangster father.

Once a week he drives through the Western ghats and the waterfall, the Chennai Express. In fact, it is the "Chennai - Vasco Express", because he drives towards Vasco da Gama. In the opposite direction, the train passes every Thursday at 16:20 clock the bridge. It is not the only Chennai Express in India, many trains that connect the former Madras with other cities, so called.

... the last 10 kilometers to the Dudhsagar waterfall.

Anyway, the prospect of taking a photo with the Chennai Express motivates my fellow passengers and our driver shows that he can handle his off-road vehicle well. On the bumpy road dusted the red soil, the water splashes at the river crossings and washes the tires clean again.

Then the waterfall can be seen from a distance, it is already after 10:30 clock. The last piece to the waterfall, described with about 10 minutes walk, must be put back on foot. I sprint, the honking of the locomotive is already audible.

I leave so many monkeys to the left ...

I am overtaking Indian travel groups who have already strapped on their red lifejackets. They are here for everyone, in recent years, some visitors have drowned in the lake. Mainly Indians, the least of them can swim.

Russian tourists are, after the Indians, the second strongest group of visitors by the waterfall. They can swim, so the women have the life jackets worn by their men. The plump vests do not fit the beauty ideal of the young ladies, they destroy the overall appearance of skin-tight tops, short pants, perfectly combed hair, and makeup.

... and hang in the tree ...

All I have to do now is pass the monkeys, who are looking forward to food from the tourists. The honking is louder, will I make it in time?

At the entrance, it is pointed out that bananas are forbidden in the park. Obviously, very few visitors do not understand it or simply do not understand the tour guide's English.

... and I'm not impressed by the bickering over a banana over me either.

A monkey sits in the tree and eagerly eats a banana. One tries to make the banana off the other and begins to shake the branch. Yelling, showing teeth. The shaken monkey holds on with one arm and tries to push the banana as fast as possible.

Slippery banana peels should not put the monkeys in my path now. It is well known from comics, what happens at a careless kick on the yellow waste.

Too fast on the way. He's just looking after me ...

The honking of the locomotive is now very close and the waterfall is already in sight. I step out of the narrow jungle path on the rocks of the waterfall, in the moment is already the locomotive in sight.

... as I walk the last few meters towards the waterfall.

I have no time to worry about the composition and keep the camera on it. At 10:37 clock, the "Chennai Express" rolls slowly on the bridge over the Dudhsagar waterfalls.

At the last second I arrive at the Dudhsagar waterfalls ... (click to enlarge)

Now, in January, they already run less water. During the dry season, the amount of water continues to decrease.

Particularly spectacular here must be the visit to the monsoon season, when a wide stream shoots down the slope and the bridge wrapped in a wet cloud.

... to photograph the "Chennai Express". (click to enlarge)

In Konkani, the language spoken in Goa, Dudhsagar means milk lake. Like a white veil, the water over the black rocks, the train on the bridge seems to constrict the flow of water like a blue ribbon, before it flows again.

No wonder that this landscape also impressed film producers and served as a backdrop for a romantic and fast-paced Bollywood action comedy across southern Italy. The "Chennai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai Chenn-a-ai Express". Get on the train, baby!

Tips for a visit to Dudhsagar Waterfall in Goa:

The " Chennai Express " is always to be photographed on Saturday and the bridge happens at 10:35. There are other passenger trains that pass the bridge during the day.
Arrival from Margao (Madgaon) to the waterfalls is possible by train eg at the following times:
From Madgaon at 7:50 am (Tue, Thu, Fri, Sun) or 8:15 am (daily)
to Kulem at 8:20 am Clock or 9:05 clock
Return:
From Kulem at 12:20 (daily), 13:00 (Mon, Wed, Thu, Sat) or 17:15 (daily)
to Madgaon at 13:10, 13:55 and 18:08 clock
Arrival / return by bus from Margao to Collem with change in Sanguem. The bus stop in Collem is located in the center, seen from the SUV rental the next parallel road west. Travel time Collem - Margao about 2 hours, the buses Sanguem - Margao also stop right on the main road in front of the train station in Margao. Timetable unknown.
Off-road vehicles with drivers can be booked in the center of Collem, on the opposite side of the station (via the pedestrian bridge). The - unfriendly - manager puts groups together so that solo travelers and couples can travel together.
According to drivers, the journey to the bridge over the Dudhsagar waterfalls is also possible by train , with each train stopping a few hundred meters in front of the bridge. I did not try it myself - so information is not backed up!
The waterfalls are among the popular attractions in Goa, there are also day tours with other program offered.