Waterfalls- Jog Falls, The pride of Karnataka, India

Recently I received an email from one of the readers and he addressed me as a Non-American blogging on America. Well, it reminded me to write on India too! So here is one post on India- a destination from my own Karnataka. Jog Falls (830ft), one of the tallest plunge waterfall in India is located in the state of Karnataka. This is one of the major tourist attractions that comes to life during the monsoons. River Sharavathi plunges down 830ft in four segments to create this magnificent beauty.

Jog Falls Aug 2013

I have been to this place more than 15 times and have trekked down to the base several times. This year too I went soon after the news that the river is swollen and the Linganamakki Dam gates are open. I wanted to see that enormous flow of water like it happened in August 2006. But, no luck. I happened to see the same old look of it. To add to that there was thick fog and once a while it would clear for few seconds or so. Still a beauty! huh?

Viewpoints, people and the fog

Each segment of the falls has a name. Raja, on the far left taking the direct plunge. Roarer, the short waterfalls beside Raja which makes the roaring sound. Rocket, a series of shooting jets. And finally the gracious Rani on the right.

There were thousands of visitors to see the waterfalls. It was raining heavily at times but still people went on to the viewpoints only to see the thick fog. You can see the people as tiny white dots in the picture on the right. It was difficult to walk in that poor visibility, with a huge crowd on the slippery rocks and a 830ft drop on the other side. It wasn't that dangerous but, when groups of people pushing around it is a bit of concern. Well, I had been to this waterfalls last year (July 2012) too when the fog wasn't obstructing. Picture below :)

Jog Falls July 2012

How to reach: Nearest town is Sagar which is 30KM away. There are tour buses going from Hubli (165KM) and Bangalore (350KM) as well, on weekends during monsoons. Going by car is the best choice for a day long excursion. If you are driving then first check the road conditions during monsoons.

Street-side stalls sell water, soft drinks, snacks and fruits. The pineapples here are very sweet, when the slices are sprinkled with salt-pepper/paprika taste heavenly to the tired souls. Try it, it is fresh and tastes great. 

Within 50-miles there are medieval period temples dedicated to Lord Shiva with great architecture and history. If not anything the drive through the lush forests, green paddy fields, watching the fog emanating from the valleys up to the hills, drizzling rain, cool breeze make your trip worthwhile :)
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If you want pictures please ask me :)

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Scrapbook- A Travel Blog by Kusum Sanu is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.