Plan your weekend: Water meets forest in Nagalapuram

Painted in green with flora or unimaginable kinds, it serves as the ideal locale for a two-day trek into the wilderness during daylight and camping under a starry sky at night.

The best time to visit is after monsoon before the summer starts. Try to reach Nagalapuram by 8 am; it’s a 3 km walk from the parking lot to the first level from where the trek will begin — since the terrain is uneven and elevated, the trek will be divided into four levels with the fourth being the toughest. Completing all four levels requires nearly 10-12 hours, so it’s best you split your trek. 

If you are camping travel as a group and not solo for safety purposes. Set up your base camp at the lower ones and since there aren’t any eateries available, carry a portable kerosene stove and some ready-to-eat food. 

Carry the right kind of shoes and a first-aid kit. There are many jagged rocks in the pool and on the trails so watch out for that. Carrying an insect repellent would be advisable and some water bottles that you can fill up with sweet, clean water upstream. If you wish to get into the pool, carry extra clothes with you that’ll dry quickly — there are no changing rooms or toilets in the vicinity.

Location: Nagalapuram, Andhra Pradesh

Distance from Chennai: 70 km

History: Nagalapuram is a temple town that was built at the time of Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagara Empire in memory of his mother Nagala Devi, which is how it earned its name.

Must-do: Frolic in the waterfalls, enjoy a picnic lunch (beware of the monkeys), admire architecture of Vedanarayana Swamy Temple