Hosagod Falls near Honnavara- drone

Hosagod falls is probably my last waterfall to visit in 2022. This will probably be waterfall number 32 or 33 to visit this year. A separate post on it later.

Last Saturday, I head towards Honnavar with friend Pratap (known as Pixelshooter). Google maps was showing dozens of waterfalls [Link] in North Canara district between Honnavara and Sirsi- my objective was to try visit them and find out if they are worth. However I couldn't do it in October/November and December was already too late as water levels would have dropped substantially. Still we decided to try explore a few and plan a fresh visit next year in monsoon if these falls are good.

As we were exploring the area, Tolasani falls could not be located- as there was no signal and locals we met had no clue. We decided to check one last falls and head back if it is also a flop. The second one, Dhoof falls as well was a flob as locals told us that Hosagod falls is the only falls worth visiting that has some water. Thus we headed out to explore this waterfall. With zero mobile signal, we had to rely on finding some locals and take their inputs. After some struggle, a local offered to guide us. With his presence, last few kms were easy to navigate.

Road condition to read Hosagod falls:

Last 4-5 kms were bad. We had to cross a stream and manage lots of bad roads with steep climbs. Brezza managed this without a sweat. But a small car might have struggled. Water level in the stream was just fine for car to pass. If there was more water or if the road had become muddy due to rain, Brezza would have risked getting stuck. Hence this path is best explored on bike or 4x4 vehicle. Some road construction is being planned- another year or two later it may be better.

How to Reach Hosagod falls:

Load google maps before leaving city limits and follow google maps. You can take the shorter Areangadi-Tolasani road and no need to take longer detour. Take local help/double confirm whenever you see someone. After passing Hosagod town you have to proceed further and will have to cross a stream. 

This stream may have excessive water during monsoon months hence normal vehicles may not be able to cross. Better go in 4x4, or bike or be ready to trek a few extra kms. After crosing the stream another 2-2.5 kms of driving is required.

Once you see below board, you have reached close enough. You will be able to visually see the falls and find your path closer

Water levels: Very low in December

Trekking complexity: Medium to high. Last 500 meters could be tricky.

Drone footage: 

Watch drone footage of Hosagoda falls (Dec 2022 view below, [watch on Youtube]

Luckily I didn't have to trek all the way to the falls. Because water level was very low, I decided to send my drone closer. Drone flew some 500 meters and got me below footage of Hosagod falls. If we had visited in September/October Hosagoda water falls would have had much better water levels. Will try in 2023

Nearby: Lots of waterfalls