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Hebbe Falls

Name: Kemmanagundi
Rating: 4.2

Kemmanagundi Karnataka India

#1 Among Places to visit in Kemmanagundi

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4.2 /5 (68 Votes)

Weather :

Time Required : 2-3 hrs

Entry Fee : No Entry Fee

Timings : 6:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Hebbe Falls, Kemmanagundi Overview

Among 35 waterfalls in Karnataka, the Hebbe Fall is the most exotic ones located in the Chikmagalur district in West Karnataka. This enchanted waterfall is housed in the beautiful Kemmangundi hill station, which is an 8-hour drive from Bangalore, thus offering a scenic road trip for the enthusiastic tourists. The water of Hebbe falls comprises medicinal herbs offering healing qualities, thus attracting a large number of tourists to come and have a dip in it. Apart from being one of the most picturesque tourist attractions in South India, the medicinal herbs also attract biologists and scientists.

The area around the waterfall has dense forest and plenty of coffee plantations. Hebbe Falls drop in magnificent form, gloriously from a height of 551 feet over the slippery black rocks in two steps called Dodda Hebbe and Chikka Hebbe. While the Dodda Hebbe is the bigger one, the Chikka Hebbe fall is the smaller one. The tourists have to cross the hairpin turns and creeping mist to reach the famous Kemmangundi hill. The Kemangundi used to be the summer retreat for the then Wodeyar ruler, Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV. The retreat features charmingly laid floral gardens, majestic mountain ranges and jaw-dropping valleys.

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Things To Do at Hebbe Falls

Professional trekkers start their trail Tarikere and it takes them almost an entire day to reach Kemmanagundi. This trail is of 35 km and covers exotic coffee estates, rare species of plants across mountainous terrains and a great opportunity to watch deer, elephants and other exotic animals.

The closer you get to the hills, you can see the Hebbe Falls cascading down from 250 feet to the Dodda Hebbe and Chikka Hebbe in 2 stages. After reaching the forest check post, there are two options to get to the falls. The first option is trekking. The falls are exactly 10 km away from the Karnataka Horticulture Department guest house, which is often used as a major landmark for starting the trail. The other option is to take the local transport from Balavara to reach the trail.

Apart from witnessing the beauty of the falls, another advantage of the road trip is enjoying the scenic beauty of the private coffee estates. While trekking, it's easy to get lost as the trail gets unidentified at several spots. It's advisable to follow the electric wiring fence to reach the endpoint. The hiking route covers a lush mossy pond and three enchanting streams which give anyone enough reasons to pick the trekking option to reach the Hebbe Falls. The light brown mud with dews settled on it makes the perfect trail for trekkers.

Apart from the pond and streams, there is also a serene temple of Chowdeshwari Mahashakthi Devathe. This is the only place in the route where locals can be seen who come here to worship and take bath in the nearby stream.

During monsoon, the trail gets clouded with less to zero visibility because of the fog and heavy rains. So, it's advisable not to go on trekking during monsoon season. However, some rhapsodic travellers pick this time for trekking to watch the herds of elephants in Hebbe's wilderness.

Apart from the trekking, the road trip is another ideal option to reach the Hebbe Falls. Jeep is the best option to ride over the rugged and rock-ribbed road.

The road gradually descends towards a gradient closer to the falls. The entire trail takes an hour if covered with a jeep else trekking takes longer time by walk. The vehicles are allowed up to the Khoday's Estate and beyond that walking is the only option. It will take only 20 minutes to reach the falls on foot.

Places To Visit Near Hebbe Falls

Kemmannugundi Hill: This hill is also known as Krishna Rajendra hill station and located in Tarikere of Chikkamagaluru district of Karnataka. It is the closest hill station to the falls, only 8 km away. You can enjoy an incredible view of the sunset.

Z point: It takes almost an hour to reach the Z point from the Hebbe falls. You can enjoy the pleasant view of the sunrise from tranquil Shanthi falls.

Kallathi falls: These are also known as Kallathigiri falls and Kalahasthi falls. The falls descend from a height of 122 meters. This place has mythological significance. Maharshi Agastya used to live here.

Best Time To Visit Hebbe Falls

Winter (October-January) is the best season to go to Hebbe Falls so that you can enjoy the beauty of the Mother Nature to the fullest.

Tips For Visiting Hebbe Falls

1. Permission required from Forest Authorities.
2. You need to carry backpack, trekking shoes, water.
3. There will be little to no network coverage.
4. You need to be careful with leech attacks while trekking.

How To Reach Hebbe Falls

Tourists can advance to Kemmanagundi to reach the waterfalls either by a walk or a four-wheeled vehicle. Besides, tourists can also trek a steep and narrow path of 8 km to reach the site. Trains are available to Tarikere junction from where you can hire a local taxi to reach the trekking spot.