It is one of the wettest places in Karnataka, in the Western Ghats and also in India. I am talking about Hulikal Ghat or Balabare Ghat, the monsoon giant that is nestled in the Western Ghats just south of Shimoga and Tirthahalli. Connecting the Shimoga district with the district of Udupi, this lush mountain and forest expanse of the Western Ghats attracts monsoon laden clouds like clockwork every year between May and November. Such is the quantity of precipitation here that it gives birth to one of the tallest waterfalls in India – the Kunchikal Falls. Not many know about it as it is part of a hydro electric project (Varahi project) and hence off limits for the general public. This Kunchikal falls is said to be taller than Jog Falls of Karnataka and the Noh Kalikai Falls of Meghalaya . But, Hulikal is not just about the Kunchikal Falls. The heavy precipitation (6000 to 10,000 mm every year) that it receives gives birth to many streams that travel in all directions to join different riv