Hogenakkal, having the iconic waterfalls originating from the Kaveri river, is one of the most popular one-day trips from Bangalore. Its popularly known as the “Niagara Falls of India”, and rightly so.

This roadtrip was special - I was going with my mother. She is super cool (to the extent that she did a solo Europe and US trip some years back!), and hence it’s always a pleasure to go on trips with her :)

Duration and Time of Visit

1 day
December beginning (best time to visit is October to February)

To and From

Itinerary

• We left early on a Saturday morning to skip the city traffic
  • It’s a nice route, with a mix of highways, towns and villages. We made a quick stop at a temple on the way
• On reaching Hogenakkal, we realised the main parking was very far from the waterfall, so we parked at Hotel Tamilnadu, which was right next to the entrance
• It’s a short walk from there to a junction where the path diverges into two - one to the waterfall and another to the coracle ticket counter. Coracle ride is a must at Hogenakkal!
  • A coracle is a small, round, lightweight boat made out of bamboo - I know it sounds a bit scary, but is very safe, and very fun. The ride costs Rs. 750 per boat, which carries 4-5 people, and lasts ~1.5 hour
  • The direct path to the falls does provide you a great view of the many waterfalls in Hogenakkal, but only in that one section of the entire area, and it is nothing compared to the views (and the experience) seen from the coracle ride. The ride covers a much larger area, with many more waterfalls, as described below. So trust me - do go for the coracle ride

• Since it was only the two of us, we waited to find two more people willing to share the boat with us, bought the ticket and off we were to the boarding point
  • The coracle owners will start pursuing you very strongly right from the beginning of the town itself, so that they can get more out of you than the Rs. 750 at the ticket counter. It’s wise to buy the ticket from the counter only

• The trip started from a gentler part of the Kaveri river. The coracle plodded steadily as we saw the unique rocky terrain of the area all around. On the way we found coracle-shops, with people selling snacks and beverages

• The coracle driver frequently took us close to the cliffs, on some occasions inside crevices where water was falling from the top. It was definitely a unique experience rowing through a narrow channel between huge rocky cliffs with waterfalls every now and then

• After more than an hour, we reached the final and also the most popular section of Hogenakkal falls (the one which is visible from the direct path)
  • There were mighty waterfalls falling from all directions, and we were rowing right towards them. As an exhilirating icing on the cake, all drivers take their coracles to the centre of that area and spin wildly for a minute or two! This was surely the highlight of the ride

• Finally, the coracle dropped us off at the base of the cliff of the Hogenakkal Waterfall View Point, from where we took the steps to the top
  • This area has a dense tree cover, with small streams all over
  • The waterfalls that we just went close to were visible from the end of this cliff - it’s a beautiful site, one waterfall after another, falling off barren rocky hills

• On the cliff, there were small areas where people were playing / bathing in water. While this was fun, a rather unpleasant site was some people getting oil massage in the open!

• We spent about 1 hour here and then went back to our coracle, which took us back to the starting point, bringing the ride to an end
• We had a few sandwiches that we had brought along and were soon on the road on our way back to Bangalore

Major Expenses

• Self drive rental car: Rs. 2,000 (including fuel)
• Coracle: Rs. 175 per person (Rs. 750 per coracle)
• Parking: Rs. 30
• Food and drinks

Summary of Things To Do

Things we did:

• Coracle Ride
• Hogenakkal Waterfall View Point

Things we didn’t do:

• Melagiri Hills

Tips and Resources

• Best time to visit Hogenakkal Falls is October-February. Due to heavy current during monsson, coracles are banned, and after February, the waterfalls dry up
• Buy coracle tickets only from the ticket counter
• Park your vehcle at Hotel Tamilnadu, instead of the main parking which is a bit too far