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Hebbe Falls, Kemmanagundi Overview
Hebbe Fallsis one of the most exotic waterfallsamong 35 waterfalls in Karnataka, 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 most attracting thing about the falls is water as 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. Being one of the most picturesque tourist attractions in South India, the medicinal herbs also attract biologists and scientists.
There is a dense forest and plenty of coffee plantations around the waterfall. Hebbe Falls drop in magnificent form, gloriously from a height of 551 feet over the slippery black rocks in two steps called DoddaHebbe and ChikkaHebbe. While the DoddaHebbe is the bigger one, the ChikkaHebbe 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, KrishnarajaWodeyar IV. The retreat features charmingly laid floral gardens, majestic mountain ranges and jaw-dropping valleys.
More on Hebbe Falls
Things To Do at Hebbe Falls
To reach Kemmanagundi, professional trekkers start their trail
Tarikere, and it takes them almost an entire day.This trail is of 35 km and in
the way covers exotic coffee estates, rare species of plants across mountainous
terrains and a great opportunity to watch deer, elephants and other exotic
animals.
You can see the Hebbe Falls cascading down from 250 feet to the DoddaHebbe and
ChikkaHebbe in 2 stages when you get closer to the hills. After reaching the
forest check post, there are two options to get to the falls, one of them 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.
One more advantage of the road trip is enjoying the scenic beauty of the
private coffee estates apart from witnessing the beauty of the falls. While
trekking, it’s easy to get lost as the trail gets unidentified at several
spots. To reach the endpoint, it’s advisable to follow the electric wiring
fence. 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
ChowdeshwariMahashakthiDevathe. It is the place in the route where locals can
be seen who come here to worship and take a bath in the nearby stream.
Because of the fogs and heavy rains during monsoon, the trail gets clouded with
less to zero visibility. So, it’s advisable not to go on trekking during
monsoon season. However, to watch the herds of elephants in Hebbe’s wilderness,some
rhapsodic travellers pick this time for trekking.
Apart from the trekking, the road trip is another ideal option to reach the
Hebbe Falls. For the rugged and rock-ribbed road, jeeps are considered to be
the best option.
The road gradually descends towards a gradient closer to the falls. Trekking
takes longer time by walk to cover the entire trail,but it takes an hour if
covered with a jeep. 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.
It located in Tarikere of Chikkamagaluru district of Karnataka. It is the only
8 km away and closest hill station to the falls. 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. This place has mythological significance and descends from a
height of 122 meters. It is believed that Maharshi Agastya used to live here.
Best Time to Visit Hebbe Falls
To enjoy the beauty of Mother Nature to the fullest Winter (October-January) is the best season to go to Hebbe Falls.
Tips for Visiting Hebbe Falls
1. Permission from Forest Authorities is required.
2. You must carry a backpack, trekking shoes, water.
3. There will be little to no network coverage.
4. It is important 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,and then you can hire a local taxi to reach the trekking spot.
