Jog Falls

Jog Falls lies on the Sharavati River at the border of Shivamogga and Uttara Kannada districts in Karnataka, western India, in the forested hills of the Western Ghats. It is also known as Gerusoppa Falls and Joga Jalapata. The river drops about 253 metres over a sheer cliff, making it the third highest waterfall in India by total height.

The flow of the falls depends on the Linganamakki Dam upstream, built in the 1960s for the Sharavati hydroelectric project. In the dry months much of the water is held back for power generation, so the falls shrink to thin streams. In the monsoon, and when the dam releases water, the falls become a broad curtain of white water.

At the cliff the river splits into four separate falls, named Raja, Rani, Roarer and Rocket. Raja falls in one long column, Rani spreads over the rock in a softer, wider shape, Roarer crashes down with great noise, and Rocket shoots out in jets. There are two main viewpoints: the front viewpoint at Jog on the Shivamogga side, with a viewing gallery and steps, and the British Bungalow viewpoint on the Uttara Kannada side. A long flight of about 1,400 steps leads down toward the base of the falls when it is open.

Mist and cloud often hide the falls in the heaviest rain, so many visitors prefer the end of the monsoon.

A small entry and parking fee is charged at the viewpoint. The best months are from August to December. The steps to the base can be closed for safety in heavy rain.

Power has shaped the falls for decades. A hydroelectric station has run here since 1948, first named the Krishna Rajendra project after Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV, then king of Mysore, and later renamed the Mahatma Gandhi Hydroelectric Project. The Linganamakki reservoir has been used for generation since 1960. The river's average flow is about 153 cubic metres per second, which hides how much it changes between a dry April and a wet August.

Getting there takes planning. The nearest railway station is Talaguppa, 13 kilometres away, and Sagara is about 30 kilometres by rail. Shivamogga Airport (RQY) is the closest domestic airport at about 100 kilometres, and Mangaluru International Airport is around 200 kilometres away, so an overnight stop in Sagara or Shivamogga makes the trip easier.