Trek to Saribar fall in Gujarat

Looking for another weekend option to spend time in calmness with adventure, we were looking for options near Narmada river. I was thinking if there is a river then definitely there has to greenery and waterfalls. Researched and found few falls which are famous and few still unknown.

Saribar falls in Gujarat, India is located in Dediapada Taluk in Narmada District. It is approx a 6 hour drive from Ahmedabad. Surrounded by lush green forest it discharges water at the height of 60 feet gives a beautiful breathtaking site. This place is serene, pristine, and calm, making it a perfect place for relaxation and peace.

Route

From Ahmedabad there are two routes to reach to village Dediapada. After Vadodara, one is via Dadhoi, Rajpipla and other is via Bharuch. It is advisable to follow Dabhoi, Rajpipla road to avoid traffic. Conditions of road is very good even in the remote village location. Whether it is four lane or two lane, there is not a single puddle in the road and there are plenty of signages. Throughout the route, the road is surrounded with trees and green fields.

Dediapada is a small village in Narmada District with a sizable population of Adivasi communities.  Despite being remote in location, it is well connected by Gujarat and Maharashtra state transport Buses.

Location

Base camp was besides Dev river, at a distance of appro. 1.5 hr from dediapada. It is a reservoir of Narmada River. We parked our car at the other end of the river and had to cross the river to reach our base camp. Dev river is situated at border of Gujarat and Maharashtra state. Our car was parked in Gujarat state and our camp was in Maharashtra. We reached around 9.00pm Crossing the river under star light was an experience in itself. Crystal clear river, water flowing through rocks. City never lets you experience star filled sky. Spending time Lying down under starry sky and gazing at them made me feel what we are missing in the city. We were hungry so gobbled the Barbeque. Smoked paneer, capsicum, onion, steamed maize with light music all adding to my experience. There were good 2/3 seater tents on the riverside with sleeping bags. Toilets were also there, albeit far but still a great convenience.

Trek

This trek is not like usual where you keep walking on a similar terrains. This trek has lot more experience in itself. You can enjoy walking along the fields, river crossing, rock climbing, drenching yourself in water, swimming till the fall, various uphill climbs as well as downhill etc. Whole trek till the main fall i.e. saribar fall and back is aprox 14 kms and 21000 steps. There are many falls you come across on trek. Personally more than saribar fall I like the unnamed fall  just before the Saribar. Having a guide or localite is must in this trek and the trek route is not very intuitive. In fact, at many places, if someone gets left behind, he /she would have to shout to locate other people and get directions. This trek is steep and difficult. This trek is not for amateurs and is above medium level difficulty. There are near about five falls of which Saribar is highest.

Fields

Out of 14 hr trek, approx. 3-4 hr of trek is crossing through fields. The path was so narrow that from a distance we couldn’t gather that we have to walk thorugh the fields. Farmers were farming there field, village kids were looking at us giggling, laughing, but still making us feel welcomed. We crossed through different farms be it wheat, maze, pulses, lush green grassland. View was breathtaking and very picturesque.

River Crossing

In whole trek we would have crossed over 15 strems. Given the season these were not deep but we were required to be cautious of slippery rocks. If shoes become very slippery, its better toc ross the strems and slippery rocks barefoot. In monsoon it would not be recommended to trek in this area as the intensity of water will be high. Post monsoon is the best time for trek as the level of water makes it favourable. Further after a month the level of water will further go down making it very rocky and tiring to trek.

Rope Climbing

Part of the trek approx. 2 km was climbing steep hilly area. It becomes very difficult to climb bare handed. Soil is loose and it makes it difficult. At some places we used ropes to climb and come down. There are also some places where there is only a thin strip to walk on a hill with a steep downhill on one side.

Food

We were thankfully given a full course lunch to be packed in the morning. During the trek we carried our food with ourselves. Trek organisers walking with us carried garbage bag so that we can drop our leftover in it to avoid lithering of food and garbage. Cleanliness was given upmost priority to keep the nature intact. Also it is advisable to carry atleast 4 litres of water per person on the trek, I took only 2 litres and the end of the trek I was short of water and was losing my energy.

Fitness level

This trek is not for amateurs. It is better to build some stamina before trek. There are huge rocks to climb, steep climbs, slippery path and 14 kms of all this for over 10 hrs. Also river crossings make shoes wet and bit heavy and trekking with such heavy shoes anyways consume lot of energy.

Things to carry

For trek it is advisable to carry extra pair of clothes, torch, band aid and medical kit. Non slippery shoes are  a must. Slippers/sandals would be required to cross river on previous day to reach camp. This is to ensure that shoes don’t get wet before the trek itself. Water proof water.

Final comments

Overall a very good trek as it provides a mix of things to do which doesn’t let you get bored. But, be ready for a tiring day, though fun filled. The trek organisers were also very good and friendly. Would be happy to connect people to them for such a trek.