Waterfalls in Udupi district: List, Planning info, Details - eNidhi India Travel Blog

Waterfalls in Udupi district: List, Planning info, Details

Udupi district has a dozen plus waterfalls, but they are not promoted well and tourists don't really plan a Udupi visit because of waterfalls. I have explained in my previous post various challenges w.r.t visiting waterfalls in Udupi district, Karnataka. Past one year I have managed to personally visit a few of them- Belkal Theertha, Koosalli, Thomabattu Falls, Haklamane falls, Arbi falls etc. A few more I tried to visit but they were either closed or access was too complicated hence had to be kept for future. A few more I am aware of their existence but haven't visited yet. In this post I am giving a list of all the waterfalls in Udupi district, their locations, complexity of access and other additional details I have. You can use these information to plan your Udupi trip or include a few waterfalls in your Udupi itinerary. 

A brief summary below in tabular format, detailing waterfalls of Udupi district.

#

Name

Distance from Udupi

Complexity of access

Nearest town

Remarks

1

Belkal Theertha

82 kms

Difficult

Kollur, 25 kms

3 kms walking 1 way, 100 Rs entry

2

Koosalli Falls

90 kms

Difficult

Baindoor, 20 kms

4 kms walking 1 way

3

Kudumari falls

83 kms

Difficult

Baindoor, 18 kms

 

4

Kudlu Theertha

56 kms

Difficult

Hebri, 20 kms

Often remains closed

5

Jomlu Theertha

36 kms

Easy

Hebri, 12 kms

Often remains closed

6

Tombattu Falls

63 kms

Easy

Tombattu, Haladi

Small falls, not worth going all the way, visit if around

7

Haklamane Falls

80 kms

Moderate

Gangolli, 15 kms

Bit of offroading & hike, small falls

8

Durga Falls

50 kms

Easy

Karkala, 6 kms

 

9

Maddina hole falls

65 kms

Very Difficult

Tombattu (3), Haladi (25 kms)

7 km trek one way, need local guide

10

Arasinagundi Falls

80 kms

Very Difficult

Kollur, 5 kms

Guide recommended

11

Arbi

6 kms

Easy

Manipal

Small stream near town

12

Parappadi falls

40 kms

Easy

Karkala, 10 kms

Banned by local authorities 

13

Gulnadi falls  

 

 

Gangolli

 

14

 

 

 

 

 

15

 

 

 

 

 


Brief details about these waterfalls of Udupi district:
Waterfalls I have visited so far:

1. Belkal Theertha Falls: 25 kms from Kollur, accessible with 3 kms uphill trek, 100 Rs entry fee per person + 300 to 1000 Rs camera fee depending on lens. Amazing falls and great adventure hiking all the way. Will take half a day (from nearby towns like Kollur or Kundapura etc) to reach, climb and return. Good extension to Kollur trip. Beware of leeches. Read a more detailed post about Belkal Govinda Theertha falls to plan your trip.

2. Koosalli falls: 15 kms from Byndoor is the Koosalli falls, accessible with a 4 km easy to moderate trek. A detailed post on Koosalli falls trek here. Koosalli and Kudumari falls are visible from main road, so if you don't have the inclination to trek all the way you can view from a distance and proceed to your next destination.

3. Thombattu falls: A small waterfall. Not worth going all the way but if you are in Haladi/Siddapura region you might deviate and spend some time here. Easy to access though a few kms of bad road driving is required. Metkalkatte Vinayaka temple is nearby and Maddinahole falls, which needs 7 kms trekking is also nearby

4. Durga Falls: Durga falls is just a river flowing over rocks. Because of wide area and small height of the rocks it feels like a waterfall. Worth a quick visit if you are visiting Karkala and have an hour to spare. Durga falls is 5 kms from Karkala, just by the roadside and easily accessible. Relatively safe for kids and elders as well.
5. Arbi Falls: A small waterfall in Manipal. Vehicle road available till a temple near the falls and a small hike uphill. Not a great experience but popular because it is close to city and easy to access. If in Manipal and have an hour to spare plan a visit.
arbi falls manipal

6. Haklamane falls: Small falls some 2-3 kms from main road. Can be reached on car if you are confident and comfortable to handle a bit of bad roads. If not feeling confident or not willing to take risk or if your cab driver refuses to proceed, then you will have to trek. Had great gust of muddy water gushing all over when we visited in September and a much smoother, clean and miniature version in October. Detailed post and video on Haklamane falls here.

7. Jomlu Theertha:  1.2 km walking from parking area, water flowing over rocky terrain giving falls effect. Remains closed for most of the time for reasons best known to authorities. Visit if access is confirmed or go with a plan B.
Not safe to take a bath at the falls area. If you walk a bit you may find a safe spot in the river to dip. No facilities available. Hebri is nearest town (12 kms). More detailed post available here...

8. Kudlu Theertha: 
Amazing falls that is closed to public during most of the year. Lucky if it is open during December/Jan and you manage to visit. 15 kms from main road, 2kms/30-40 mins trekking needed, 100 INR per person+ 300 INR for camera+ parking fees. Need to be back by 4 PM, so plan for morning visit. Detailed post available here.

Waterfalls of Udupi district I am yet to visit

1.Parappadi falls near Nitte, Karkala: 
Banned by local authorizes. Very small falls, nothing exceptional. Last 1 km is bad roads.

2. Maddina Hole: Lesser known falls near Tombattu. Made an attempt to visit, but there is no clear path. Checked with few locals if they can guide us but they were busy with work to guide us. Marking this off my list for now. Will replan if situation permits.

3. Kudumari falls: Could see from a distance but couldn't go closer. Need to plan.
4. Arasinagundi falls: Close to Kollur town but need lots of trekking and may be a local guide to ensure we don't get lost. Leeches are a big problem during monsoon.

5. Gulnadi falls: Was closer to Haklamane but approach path was not clear. Need to explore

You should plan your visit to Udupi waterfalls keeping in mind the season..

Season

Months

Pros

Cons

Rainy

July-Sept

Maximum water

Lots of leeches

Slippery road

Slippery rocks

Restricted access

Live rainfalls complicating access

Post monsoon

/Pre winter

October-Nov

Easier access

Fair amount of water

Less risk of leeches

Little less water

Max Crowd

Unpredictable rains

Winter/Pre Summer

Jan-Feb

Not the best time but better now than summer

Pleasant weather, easier to trek

No live rains

Minimum water

Summer

March-June

No leeches

No water either

Hot weather, hard to trek

 

 

 

 



Let me know if you have any questions on waterfalls in Udupi district, or if I have missed any falls. Will keep updating this post as and when I visit more waterfalls or get updates.

Map reference for your usage [link]

 

Waterfalls in Adjacent districts:

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