Captivating Koosalli Falls near Baindoor, Karnataka

We visited Koosalli falls as plan B.  Our original plan was to visit Kudumari falls. But there were some challenges locating right path to the falls among arecanut plantations, fields, a flowing river and so on. After some effort we decided to abandon Kudumari and head to Koosalli.

Koosalli is a great falls- looks amazing from multiple viewpoints from the road itself

Above left: Kudumari falls we originally intended to visit. Above right: Koosalli falls view from a distance which we eventually visited.

We found two conflicting boards at the entrance. One Govt board said it is a 2km trek while another board put up by Jaycee said it is a 4 km trek. After completing the trek I believe Jaycee was right- we definitely walked more than 2 kms one way. Forest department display refers to the falls as "koonalli falls" and not "Koosalli". Not sure why as I can't find any other reference to Koonalli falls on the net. May be a typo. Also this location feels more under Mookambika wildlife sanctuary and not Kuduremukha. May be the forest department is just reusing a banner made for somewhere else.

Apparently 4 people have died so far while trekking to Koosalli falls. Be careful, you don't want to be the fifth.

Initial 60% of the trekking trail was easy- just plain walk, a few uphill climbs, a few obstacles to clear, a stream to pass and that's it- doable by most people with ease. The last 30-40% of the distance is where the complexity begins to kick in. Path gets narrower, tall grass, slippery rocks and deep valley on one side make the hike to Kossalli falls more adventurous. If you slip on your right you will slide down, hence be extra careful. It wasn't raining when we trekked so that was one less obstacle to handle. At a few times we got loud sound of water streams- we thought that is the final stop, but it wasn't. Just a normal stream creating loud sound. Someone had cut a few thorny trees and there were a few plastic bags kept to collect the trash- so the forest department has done some work at Koosalli falls.

Keep your eyes open for interesting fauna and flora. Insects, birds, vegetation may catch your interest. There were some banana trees in the wild with fruits still hanging. May be I will have to visit again when they get ripe... (if monkeys spare it). These are some of the tallest or longest banana leaves I have seen.

After long trek we finally reached the falls. Koosalli falls is tall and wide, being October first week, there was enough water.

Things to remember while planning visit to Koosalli falls

- Keep 3 full hours- 90 mins to go up, 30 min at the falls and an hour to come down, from parking lot.

- Last few kms of the roads are not good- doable by normal cars but you need to be confident. 

- You can fill water at couple fo streams you will find on the way. Hence no need to carry lots of water (This is October news, streams will dry down once monsoon ends)

- No shops, no changing rooms, no toilets. Nature is your all purpose home.

- A few locals staying around the parking lot can provide necessary information if you are lost or need info. No one from forest department were present.

We started our trek at 11 AM in normal speed, were back by 2 PM after spending 20 odd minutes at Koosalli falls. If you can hike fast you can save half an hour out of this.

Promoting waterfalls is an egg first or chicken question. Forest & tourism departments want money from tourists to develop infrastructure while tourists expect nice roads and other facilities before they can plan a trip. Better roads and information can draw more people to Koosalli falls, but it may also spoil nature as tourists are known to cause all kind of mess in places they visit. Maybe Udupi's waterfalls can stay out of tourist radar to protect western ghats.

How to reach Koosalli falls?

On google maps follow till Kallanikki Kosalli. Park here, walk uphill on the narrow rocky path. Take help from locals if lost. Do not enter Koosalli falls directly in Google maps- it will show a more circular, longer route which is 70 km detour.

Watch a video below on Koosalli falls [Watch on youtube]