A Weekend Trip To Jog Falls, Karnataka

Countries > India > Jog Falls Karnataka

A Weekend Trip To Jog Falls, Karnataka

As one of India’s highest waterfalls, and the tallest one in South India, Jog Falls is a very popular tourist destination in Karnataka! Most visitors do a day trip to the village of Jog where the falls are located – but is it worth spending a night also there? 

In this blog post, you’ll find everything that you need to know to plan a visit to the most beautiful waterfalls in Karnataka – Jog Falls. Starting with a few view points, we’ll tell you about how to travel to the village, where to stay near the falls and about the sightseeing around Jog Falls.

Jog Falls and its streams of waterfalls

One look at the waterfalls is enough to convince you of the beauty in the Western Ghats of Karnataka. Jog Falls is 253 metres tall! It is a combination of four individual streams called lovingly as ‘Raja’, ‘Rani’, ‘Roarer’ and ‘Rocket’. Raja falls is the tallest and grandest of the four and Rani, the smaller one, appears to be its royal companion. Roarer is the loudest and the fourth, ‘Rocket’ has an uncanny resemblence to an actual rocket, wide at the bottom and tapering at the top.

Best time to visit Jog Falls: The best months to visit Jog Falls are generally after the monsoon slows down (so late August, September) till December.The weather is also better during this time. Another option is to go at the beginning of Monsoon (June), like we did.

In the summer, the falls might not be visible due to the low water levels in the Sharavathi river.

 

Different viewpoints to see Jog Falls

There are a number of view points to see Jog Falls from. Tthe most easily accessible view point is inside the KSTDC complex and many more off-beat spots are scattered around the village of Jog. Here’s a list of the best view points around Jog Falls:

1. KSTDC and PWD Guesthouse
The KSTDC complex is within the Sharavathi Power Generation park. There is a government owned hotel called The Mayura Gerusoppa Falls. This entire park is located on the cliffside across the valley, giving visitors the best view of Jog Falls!

2. Base of Jog Falls
This is the best way to see Jog Falls, if you are willing to walk down to the base. From the PWD Guesthouse, there is a safe walkway to the base of the canyon. The 1,400 steps to the bottom of Jog Falls take about 20 minutes to climb down and 40 mins to climb up. It is humid and tiring, but worth going once. The scenery is very beautiful while descending. At the end, there is a walled platform for visitors to stand in and admire the waterfalls

3. Viewpoints outside the village
There are many smaller viewpoints at the top of the Raja waterfalls on the opposite side. There, you can see the water gushing to the edge before it freefalls. Any local person can guide you to these view points.

Location marker: Circuit House and Prakruthi Yatri Nivas

More to see at Jog Falls

The best sights at Jog Falls also include the thick forests all around. We saw many Black Faced Langurs and even a Malabar Flying Squirrel (which is as big as a monkey) jumping in the canopies. 

The Sharavathi Hydroelectric Power Plant was one of the greatest achievements of Independent India. Walk around the KSTDC hotel on the road and you’ll come by the Power Plant viewpoint.

Tip: Every evening at 7:30 PM, there is a free Musical Fountain show in the amphitheatre behind the Mayura Restaurant. With all-time Kannada superhit songs from the last 20 years playing, its a humble treat for visitors!

You can take an auto/tuktuk ride to the other side of the valley. There you can visit the Jog Bridge which connects the neighbouring districts of Shimoga and Karwar. The auto drivers charge INR 300 for a one hour tour including the view points and a photo stop at the bridge.

Car parking is available everywhere.

 

How to travel to Jog Falls

The most convinent way is to take a direct sleeper bus from Bangalore to Jog Falls. You can also reach Sagara which is 30 kilometres from Jog Falls (INR 30 by public bus to Jog). The cost of a sleeper bus ticket is INR 750 (USD 11) and takes 7 hours to reach the KSTDC complex where the hotel is located. Buses travel from Mysore, Mangalore, Shimoga as well.

Doing a roadtrip is also a great idea, but check for favourable weather conditions in the monsoon season.

 

What to eat in Jog Falls

The Mayura Restaurant inside the KSTDC complex serves South Indian and North Indian cuisine, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. It is reasonably priced (under INR 200 for most dishes).

Looking for something more authentic and local? Go to the small market building next door and you’ll find many eateries selling Masala Mandakki, Bajjis, Maggi and other snacks along with tea and coffee – perfect for the cool weather.

 

Where to stay near Jog Falls

The best place to stay at Jog Falls is ‘The Mayura Gerusoppa Falls Hotel’ which is managed by the Karnataka State Tourism Department Corporation (KSDTC). The rooms are very spacious and well maintained. Despite the best location in Jog Falls, the rooms are very affordable. Rooms with views of Jog Falls are standard across the hotel. The restaurant, walkway entrance and parking lot are within walking distance.

Bus drop and pick up points are at the complex gate. You can also hire auto rickshaws there for sightseeing.

There are smaller homestays and cheap accommodation in the village. Although some of these are more affordable to stay at, we don’t have a specific one to recommend. But it may also be worthwhile to check out the homestay before confirming the booking! Its a great way to support the local families too.

 

Tip: If you have a few hours before heading back home, stop at Sagara and visit the Ikkeri Aghoreshwara Temple, one of the most important temples in Shimoga.

We requested an auto driver at the Sagara Main Bus Stand to take us there and bring us back to catch the bus to Bangalore. It cost us INR 150 for one hour including the travel and waiting time.

These pictures are proof that there is hidden beauty all around Karnataka, truly the essence of the ‘one state, many worlds’ ideology! Tell us, which is your favourite place in Karnataka?

7 Comments

  1. Chocoviv

    Love the photos…feels like I went with you!!!

    Reply
    • Shishira & Navneeth

      We’re so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂

      Reply
      • ಚಂದ್ರ ಶೇಖರ್

        ನೀವು ಲೋಕಲ್ ಹೋಂಸ್ಟೇ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಅಸಡ್ಡೆಯ ಮಾತುಗಳನ್ನು ಹೇಳಿದ್ದೀರಿ ನಮ್ಮಷ್ಟು ಸೇವಾಮನೋಭಾವದಿಂದ ಮಧ್ಯಮವರ್ಗದ ಪ್ರವಾಸಿಗರನ್ನು ದೃಷ್ಟಿಯಲ್ಲಿಟ್ಟುಕೊಂಡು ಯಾವ ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಅತಿಥಿ ಗೃಹ ಧಲ್ಲಿ ಇಲ್ಲ ನಿಮಗೇ ಇಷ್ಟ ಇಲ್ಲ ಅಂತ ಬೇರೆಯವರಿಗೂ ನಿಮ್ಮ ಅಭಿಪ್ರಾಯ ಹೇರಬೇಡಿ.

        Reply
        • Shishira & Navneeth

          Thank you for pointing that out! We’ve made changes to our guide – supporting local communities are indeed an integral part of travel and tourism. 🙂

          Reply
  2. Royal CBD

    Good day! I know this is kinda off topic but I was wondering
    if you knew where I could find a captcha plugin for my comment form?
    I’m using the same blog platform as yours and I’m having difficulty finding one?

    Thanks a lot!

    P.S. If you have a minute, would love your feedback on my new
    website re-design. You can find it by searching for «royal cbd» — no sweat if you can’t.

    Keep up the good work!

    Reply
  3. Briane Soni

    This is such a wonderful article! Thank you for sharing Shishira, Navneeth. I have been planning a visit down south in India – heard that the monsoon is the best time of the year to see this and glad to see your recommended time to visit, too! Safer at the start or end of the monsoon 🙂

    Reply
  4. WorldInEyes

    OMG such an amazing place to visit..This looks so adorable and stunning…i haven’t ever heard of the place before..but these photos makes me wish to go there once..Thanks for sharing this..

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This article features in the Asia, India, Karnataka, South Asia, Travel for Children categories
[instagram-feed]