Mekedatu - Sangam - Chunchi Falls is a great power-packed one day trip from Bangalore, offering a shallow river bed to relax or play in, a ferocious river flowing through a narrow gorge to marvel at and a pretty waterfall to sit calmly by. Mekedatu is a unique feat of nature where the mightly Kaveri river flows through a narrow passage of ~20m between two huge cliffs. Just choose a day with good weather and go for it.

Duration and Time of Visit

1 day
January mid

To and From

Itinerary

• As conventional wisdom suggests, we left early morning from Bangalore, to avoid the city traffic and the scorching afternoon sun, and headed directly to Sangam, unquestioningly following Google Maps
  • The last ~10 kms are very beautiful - going up and down on the curves of small hills, which finally end with a steep dip into the valley at Sangam

• We parked in the designated area next to the rivers and headed for the water
  • Sangam is the confluence of rivers Kaveri and Arkavathi. In non-monsoon months, both rivers run shallow, making it a great spot to step into the water. And that’s exactly what we did!
  • We first spent some time on the bank, took a round of the entire area, checking out the small entrapments of water created on the sides, clicking pictures

• Finally we rolled up our trousers and entered the water, jumping from one rock to the other to reach the small island created in the middle of the river (where we also sat and chilled for a while), and ultimately the other side of the river
  • You need to cross the river to reach Mekedatu. In case you don’t want to do it on foot, a coracle (a round boat made of bamboo and wood) can ferry you to the other side

• From this side, a rickety bus took us to Mekedatu (~4 kms away), charging Rs. 40 for the to and fro journey
  • You also have the option to walk along the same route, but since it was a sunny day, we preferred the bus
• A quick walk from the deboarding point took us to the mesmerising view of Mekedatu
  • It is amazing to see the same river Kaveri which was so wide at Sangam gush through the narrow passage between the two cliffs at Mekedatu
  • “Mekedatu” in Kannada means “goat’s leap” (meke = goat, datu = cross), hence meaning that the passage was so narrow in the past that goats could cross over

• We came back to Sangam, crossed the river and headed to Chunchi Falls
  • There is a small right turn to Chunchi Falls from Sangam, which is quite easy to miss. We had to take help of some locals for the directions
• There was a walk of ~15 minutes from the parking to a watch tower, from which we could see the beautiful waterfalls
  • There were several spurts of water from different directions. Obviously, the waterfalls would have been fuller during the monsoon. The terrain in this part is extraordinary - sharply cut rocky cliffs with the river flowing between them
  • Chunchi Falls are not as popular as Sangam and Mekedatu, hence you can expect solitude. We sat there for a while, listening to music, clicking pictures

• We walked back to the parking, drank coconut water and headed back to Bangalore

Major Expenses

• Self-drive rental car: ~Rs. 2,500
• Food and drinks

Summary of Things To Do

Things we did:

• Sangam
• Mekedatu
• Chunchi Falls

Things we didn’t do:

• Walk from Sangam to Mekedatu: we preferred the bus since it was a sunny day

Tips and Resources

• Since you will most likely enter the water, either to cross the river or to just play, it is best to wear shorts
• Keep a lookout for the turn for Chunchi Falls - it is easy to miss
• Do not get adventurous and try any stunts at Sangam or at Mekedatu - the rocks can be slippery. Many people have already lost their lives in this way
• There are no good restaurants in the area, hence it’s best to carry your own snacks and drinks