The rain arrives in Dapoli some time in the second week of June, and it does not arrive politely. One afternoon the sea goes the colour of slate, the wind turns, and by evening the first squall has come up the slope and over the plateau. After that the coast is a different place for four months.
What the plateau does in the rain
At 800 feet, with the Arabian Sea on one side and the Sahyadris behind, Dapoli spends much of the monsoon inside the cloud rather than under it. Cloud moves across the ground here. It comes over a ridge, fills a valley, and lifts again twenty minutes later, and while it is passing you can watch it arrive from a long way off.
The land answers immediately. Ground that was red and bare in May is green within a fortnight, and by July it is green in a dozen registers at once — paddy in the low fields, thick forest on the slopes, moss on every wall and roof tile. Streams that were dry all summer run hard. Waterfalls appear where there was no waterfall in April.
Waterfalls within an hour
Most of the falls near Dapoli are seasonal and unmarked, and the good ones are usually a short walk off a road rather than a destination with a gate and a ticket. A few worth asking us about:
- The falls on the Dapoli–Dabhol road. Close, easy to reach, and busy at weekends. Best early in the morning.
- The forest streams towards Panhalekaji. Quieter, and the caves at the end of the drive are worth the trip on their own.
- The small falls above the Jaalgaon side. Ten minutes from the property when the rain has been steady for a few days.
We will tell you which of these is actually running the week you are here. That changes constantly, and a fall that was full on Monday can be a trickle by Friday.
Getting it right
The monsoon rewards people who plan for it and punishes people who do not.
- Rock near water is lethal. Wet laterite grows algae and behaves like ice. Stay out of the pool at the base of a fall — the current under it is stronger than it looks and the depth changes with every storm.
- Shoes with grip, not sandals. The single most useful thing you can pack.
- Leeches, in the forest. Harmless, easy to remove, unpleasant if unexpected. Salt in a pocket, socks over trousers.
- Drive in daylight. The ghat roads flood in patches and visibility drops to nothing inside a cloud.
- Bring a second set of clothes for the car. You will need it.
The case for coming anyway
Most people book the Konkan for the dry months, and the monsoon is the season they never see. It is the one time of year the coast is green rather than gold, the beaches are empty, the rates are lower, and the whole plateau smells of wet earth. Sit out under a roof with tea while it comes down in sheets on the courtyard, and the argument for the season makes itself.