Girafall Waghai : Gujarat’s Most Popular Waterfalls
Gira Waterfall Waghai – you will always hear this name if you hear conversation regarding waterfalls in Dang, Gujarat area. Gira Dhodh, located in Wanarchod village near Waghai is one of the best places to visit in Gujarat during monsoon season.
Related: List of Waterfalls in Gujarat
Drone Video
Here’s a cinematic drone video of Gira Dhodh.
Girafalls are often misunderstood with Girmal falls. Both are in Dang but located far away from each other.
‘Gira’ falls are near Waghai, on Waghai Saputara state highway.
‘Girmal’ waterfall is in Girmal village, near Ahwa.
An excellent place for relaxing from busy city life.
Sign board at Wanarchod on Waghai Saputara road
Most Popular
Gira Falls are undoubtedly the most popular waterfalls in Gujarat. The reason being, it’s on the way to Saputara hill station.
Saputara attracts lacs of tourists every year. Thus, most of the visitors visiting Saputara get down at Girafalls.
Saputara attracts lacs of tourists every year.
Monsoon Is The Best
It goes without saying that waterfalls are best enjoyed during monsoon season.
July – October is the best time to visit.
Gira falls in monsoon. Image: Pandya Dhaval
The photos in this post are of December end. The fall was almost dried up when we visited.
Though, this could be good in other way. If you’re the kind of tourist who love to visit places which are less crowded then non-monsoon season is best for you.
When I visited, it was dried up
Location
Gira falls are located in Wanarchod village, near Waghai in Dangs.
The place is easily accessible. 4 km from Waghai town, on Waghai Saputara road, take right turn and you’ll reach at your destination.
Bamboos
Gallons of water from Ambika river crashes from 30 meter. The scene is worth — in monsoon.
You can dive (well, not dive. Just bath 😉 ) in Ambika river, keeping distance of 100 meters from falls. There were fatalities in past so you’ll see sign boards telling you not to be superhero. Yeah, be Batman if you wish 😀
You can bath in this safe area
Distances & How to Reach
Distance Matrix:
| From City | To | Distance in km / Approx. Time in hr |
| Surat | Gira Waterfalls | 120 km / 2 hr |
| Ahmedabad | Gira Waterfalls | 350 km / 6 hr |
| Mumbai | Gira Waterfalls | 280 km / 5 hr |
| Saputara | Gira Waterfalls | 50 km / 1.30 hr |
| Vadodara | Gira Waterfalls | 260 km / 5 hr |
Shacks are closed in off season
Bus:
State transportation buses are available. Board any bus going to Saputara and drop off at Wanarchod village after crossing Waghai town.
Train:
Get off at Bilimora (or Valsad or Surat) and take bus to Saputara.
Air:
I wonder who would come via air to see Gira Dhodh! 🙂
Sunset here is worth
Nearby Attractions
Food
No high end restaurants or hotels nearby. Though, reasonably good food can be found in Waghai town.
You’ll get tea and snacks at the Gira waterfalls.
Tasty corn in monsoon season.
Tasty corn in monsoon season.
Accommodation
You can stay at:
A. Kilad Campsite
B. Saputara
C. Guest Houses in Vansda
A good place for photography too!
Ambapada – Crafts Village
At Gira falls, you’ll see shacks selling handicrafts made from bamboo. (And other wooden items.)
Handicraft store
Ambapada village – small village near Gira falls is the manufacturing center of those handicrafts.
If you get a chance to visit Ambapada, don’t miss it. You can walk around the village and get a good understanding of how those crafts are manufactured.
Workers there are welcoming.
I tried to take long exposure from phone. Didn’t work out well 🙁
It’s a good place for photographers too, if you’re carrying a DSLR, try to bring f/1.8 50mm lens with you. You’ll get awesome portraits.
These are made from bamboo
Escaped Lunatic 60 Second Improve the World Challenge
Escaped Lunatic has written fantastic post about Girafalls on his blog: here
He has proposed a 60 seconds challenge for everyone visiting Girafalls, Waghai. Here it is:
”
Be the change that you wish to see in the world. – Mahatma Gandhi
Enjoy the magnificent view, but do 2 more things.
First, do not throw any trash on the ground.
Deliberately polluting a place of such natural beauty should be viewed as a sin by anyone capable of appreciating nature.
Second, grab a bag from the ground on your way out.
Then spend up to 60 seconds picking up some of the trash and restoring the park to what it looked like before some unfortunate people forgot what trashcans were for. If anyone asks what you are doing, explain that you are taking one whole minute to help keep the park beautiful.
If you don’t do it, how much garbage will continue to accumulate? How long until Giradhodh eventually becomes nothing more than a large garbage dump, visited not to view the magnificent waterfalls, but only to dump more garbage?
The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems. – Yes, Mahatma Gandhi again.
”
Please do it and help preserve the place!
Signing Off
It takes half an hour to reach to Gira falls from my home. So I could take dinner in sight of Gira falls at every night if I wish — Theoretically! 🙂
Escaped Lunatic
Glad you liked it. Brainless Monks and Escaped Lunatics need to stick together! 🙂
Escaped Lunatic
Hi Darpan!
I was actually pretty impressed with myself that I managed to not even get out of Gira without a bruise. Once I start taking pics, I often manage to make catastrophic mis-steps. Smacked the heck out of my shin last week taking pics of a statue in my wife’s hometown in Jiangxi Province. 🙁
Ah well, if it’s not worth bleeding over, it’s not worth doing. 🙂
You can read about my trip to Gira and see my favorite pics (including the sun behind the falls) here:
http://escapedlunatic.com/lunacy-around-the-world-travels-outside-of-china/holy-cow-india-2015/giradhodh-falls-long-challenging-day-challenge/
I also included a small challenge to all visitors to Giradhodh. It will only take them 60 seconds.
Now I just need time to write up and edit the pics from that India trip, a US trip with the Chinese in-laws in 2014, and to get caught up on everything currently going on inside of China.
EL
Darpan Dodiya
Bookmarked your website, I will be checking it time to time to read about your experiences.
Would you mind if I post your 60 seconds challenge here in this post? It’s a great initiative and I wish every visitor should spend their 60 seconds for the same. (With link and credits to you, of course.)
Escaped Lunatic
Please do share the photos and especially the 60 second challenge. The more people who know about the 60 second challenge, the better it can work. If we can make it work for Giradhodh, then we can make it work in other places that need this kind of attention.
Darpan Dodiya
Thanks, updated article and added a section. 🙂
Escaped Lunatic
Hi Darpan!
Looks like you also visited a little late in the year. I was there in December 2015 and the waterflow was a bit less than shown in your pics. I did managed to get some nice shots of the sun behind the falls without breaking my neck on the rocks or falling into the water. 🙂
EL
Darpan Dodiya
Hahaha, loved your last line punch!
I too was there in December 2015.
Yesterday, a traveler sent me latest photos of Girafalls to me, I shall be uploading them soon.
Would you like to share your shots of the sun behind falls? 🙂
Darpan Dodiya
Hey, just visited your website and read article of Gira Waterfalls. Awesome writeup!
Kudos man!