Wli Waterfalls: Journey into spirit, nature, balance

My journey to Wli Waterfalls was more than a hike; it was an encounter with the divine.

Each step from the entrance to the base of the falls was marked by physical effort, yet soul awakening.

The dense forest path, alive with birdcalls and distant whispers, tested my strength.

But when the waterfall finally burst into view, its mist catching the light, every ache disappeared.

It was as though the landscape itself whispered, “You’ve arrived.” 

In that moment, I didn’t just see the water, I felt connected to the realm of the divine.

And then, something extraordinary happened as the sun broke through the clouds, its rays met the fine mist rising from the waterfall’s drop, and there it was, a rainbow. 

The rainbow was no distant arc suspended in the sky.

At Wli, you don’t just see the rainbow—you can almost touch it.

It sparkled just above the spray, vivid and alive, as though the light itself was reaching out. 

I stepped closer, and the colours moved with me, wrapping the moment in a kind of sacred intimacy.

It felt like standing inside a promise.

A covenant not written in words, but in light and water. In that instant, the rainbow was more than a natural phenomenon—it was a benediction.

Bats of Wli

These bats are not just background noise; they are the heartbeat of Wli’s ecology.

They pollinate rare forest fruits and help control insect populations, allowing the forest to flourish. 

Beyond their ecological importance, they hold deep cultural and spiritual significance, deserving to be seen, heard and celebrated.

Locals tell stories of how these bats have coexisted with the falls for generations.

Their synchronised flight at dusk is not merely a marvel of nature—it is a symbol of protection, transition and blessing.

Christian reflection

In the Christian faith, nature is not random; it is revelation.

The Psalmist writes, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands” (Psalm 19:1).

The bats at Wli, gliding from the shadows into the night, echo the journey of faith: from darkness into light.

Just as God used ravens to sustain the prophet Elijah, perhaps He uses these small creatures to maintain the sanctity of this place. 

A visit to Wli can become a guided spiritual retreat, where believers meditate on God’s presence through the harmony of creation, finding renewal in the mist of the falls and the rhythm of wings overhead.

Islamic Perspective

The Qur’an reminds us that nature is full of signs for those who reflect: “And the earth, We spread it out and set therein firm mountains, and caused to grow therein every beautiful kind of growth” (Qur’an 50:7).

For Muslim visitors, the bats symbolise divine order, unity and the perfection of Allah’s plan.

A quiet moment of du’a (supplication) by the waterfall, while watching the bats emerge, can be deeply spiritual, reminding the heart of Allah’s signs in every wingbeat and every drop of cascading water.

Echoes, African spirituality

In many African traditions, birds like bats are viewed as messengers from the spirit world.

Their appearance at twilight, the threshold between day and night, mirrors the liminal space between worlds, when ancestors are believed to be closest.

Wli Waterfalls, with its flowing waters and untamed majesty, becomes a space for ritual and remembrance.

Visitors may offer libations, engage in symbolic cleansing, or simply sit in silence to reconnect with ancestral wisdom.

The soaring bats above and the roaring water below form a sacred chorus of renewal.

What if Wli were seen not merely as a tourist destination, but as a spiritual sanctuary?

Imagine twilight tours that blend ecological education with interfaith reflection.

Picture prayer points or meditation platforms, respectfully integrated into the landscape, spaces where Christians, Muslims and practitioners of traditional African spirituality can connect with the divine through nature. In doing so, Wli becomes more than a waterfall—it becomes a place of peace, unity and transformation. 

Wli Waterfalls tells a story—but we must learn to listen.

To see not only the water, but the wings above, the stories in the trees, the whispers of ancestors, and the fingerprints of God.

We must tell this story fully, from every perspective—with reverence and imagination, so that more may come, not just to see, but to experience.

Let Wli be a place where nature and spirit meet, and may all who journey there find not just beauty, but spiritual ecology, growth and divine blessings.

The writer is the Public Relations Officer 
Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts.