With the onset of monsoon, the Sahyadris will be blessed with countless waterfalls and greenery. You will be surprised to know that 90% of the tourists flock to only 20% of these waterfalls. In other words, there are numerous under rated waterfalls which remains out of attention and relatively unexplored.
Caution: Many people die in waterfalls due to their irresponsible behaviour. We strictly advise to follow the local guidelines and never drink alcohol from atleast 24 hours before your trip. We strongly request you not to throw any plastic, paper, bottles etc. in the vicinity of waterfall. Carry utmost care while taking photographs. Avoid doing stunts of jumping and posing at treacherous locations.
Photography Tips:
- Carry a Gopro. It can take pictures in rainfall, inside waterfall, wide angle to cover entire falls from specific angles.
- DSLR will be less usable considering rainfall but its good for professionals.
- If above two doesn’t work then carry a waterproof case for your mobile.
- Try taking vertical Panorama for covering the entire waterfall
- Short clips are better than horizontal panorama. Make sure you pan slowly and with minimum shake
Approachable by Mumbai Local Trains:
Zenith waterfall
It takes an hour walk from Khopoli station to reach Zenith Waterfall. The trek is enthralling as you cross small streams on the trail. Water falls from 25 feet which makes it ideal for getting into it except during the times of very heavy rainfalls. During monsoon this region remains covered in mist and wind gusts will often shake your balance. At the entrance, there are makeshift stalls selling corns and chai. Zenith falls is often crowded on weekends.
Nearest Village: Khopoli
Trekking time: 60 mins
Ashane Koshane waterfall
Also known as Bhivpuri Falls, it is visible from local trains while travelling between Bhivpuri and Karjat. From Bhivpuri station, you can directly start walking to reach Ashane. You need to walk though the stream in the end. Usually this waterfall is crowded on weekends. Many small streams flow down the hills to form this gorgeous waterfall.
Nearest village: Bhivpuri
Trekking: 45 mins
Vadap waterfall
Located in Karjat, Vadap waterfall is visible from a long distance as you cross the Ulhas river. It is located on the other side of Dhak range. Highly perennial and the flow varies a lot with rainfall. The trail to waterfall is very slippery and you need to bear caution while approaching it. There are many resorts and farmhouses in the vicinity.
Nearest village: Vengaon; 7 kms from Karjat Station
Trekking: 45 mins
Tapalwadi waterfall
These are series of waterfall formed Payarmal river in Neral. The small cascades makes it ideal for splashing around. However, you need to bear caution due to slippery grasses and rocks around the stream.
Nearest village: Tapalwadi; 4 kms from Neral Station
Trekking: 45 mins
Ashoka waterfall
Located 12kms from Kasara, Ashoka waterfall is also known as Vihi or Vihigaon Waterfalls. This is one of the popular weekend getaway from Mumbai and Nashik. The falls cascades from a height of about 120 feet into a pool and an ideal spot for rappelling. This waterfall gives the adventurers an opportunity to rappel in the middle of the forest. The waterfall is also known for many film shootings, including Asoka, starring Shahrukh Khan and Kareena Kapoor.
Nearest Village: Vihigaon
Trekking: 20-30 minutes
Chinchoti waterfall
Chinchoti falls is located close Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway in Tungareshwar forest. The forest trail is confusing and usually takes 1-2 hours to reach the main waterfall. The streams on the way are very good rest points. Look out for markings on the stone showing the direction. The waterfall at the end of the trek is a reward for trekkers. You can also visit the nearby Tungareshwar temple after returning from the waterfall.
Nearest Village: Kaman, near Naigaon
Trekking: 90 mins
Dhodani waterfall
Dhodani Waterfall is located at the base of Matheran hills on the side of Panvel. It is also popular waterfall rapelling spot near Mumbai region. The flow of water varies rapidly with the intensity of rains in Matheran region. Interestingly, the hills are always covered with clouds during monsoon. In other seasons one can see the entire range of hills i.e. Chanderi, Peb, Matheran, Prabalgad.
Nearest Village: Dhodani
Trekking: 45 mins
Khopoli-Lonavala Region:
Devkund waterfall
Devkund waterfall is located inside the Tamhini forest near Bhira Dam. It is said to be the origin of Kundalika River (famous for river rafting at Kolad). Rocky walls and forests surround it, which gives it a unique landscape. Water falls from 200 feet to create a deep pool at the entrance. Beware, few people have died in Devkund pool during monsoon.
Nearest Village: Bhira, 20kms from Pali town, 60kms from Khopoli
Trekking: 2 hours from Bhira
For trekking to Devkund click here
Kataldhar waterfall
Kataldhar is located in Ulhas Valley near Lonavala. Kataldhar waterfall feeds Ulhas River which flows into Kalyan creek. Kataldhar can also be seen from Rajmachi Fort.
You need to trek through dense forest and slippery trails. It is prone to flash floods and this trek should not be done without an experienced guide. Waterfall Rappelling is organized here when flow of waterfall is less and caves formed beneath the waterfall are visible.
Nearest Village: Fansarai; 10kms from Lonavala
Trekking: 2 hours on difficult terrain
Kune waterfall
Kune Falls is a tall waterfall in Lonavala. It is a three-tiered waterfall cascading down from a height of 200 m and the highest drop is about 100 m.
The falls attracts many tourists during the rainy season. The Kune Church is located close to the waterfalls near the old Mumbai-Pune Highway.
Nearest village: Kune; 4kms from Lonavala
Trekking: 20 mins
Jawahar Region:
Dabhosa waterfall
Dabhosa Waterfalls is located in Jawahar, Palghar district. This waterfall is formed by Lendi River and cascades down from a whopping height of 300 feets. The resorts near the waterfalls offer adventures like Kayaking, Zip Line, Rappelling etc.
Nearest Village: Dabhosa
Trekking: 30 mins
Hiradpada waterfall
Hiradpada Falls is also located in Jawahar in the vicinity of Dabhosa. However, it is relatively lesser known. The waterfall forms a very beautiful green pool in the base. It looks heavenly amidst the magnificent flora of mountains.
Nearest Village: Hiradpada
Trekking: 30 mins
Mahabaleshwar region
Chinaman’s Falls
Chinaman waterfall cascades down from a height of 500 feet into Koyna valley. The waterfall flows from two different streams and then merges. Located at the top of the Venna Valley in Satara, the falls make for a breathtaking sight. It gives a spectacular view of the deep Koyna Valley below.
The falls is best viewed from Babbington point in Mahabaleshwar. For reaching the top of the falls, you need to walk around 2kms from Valley View Resort. In the past, the gardens near the falls was looked after by a Chinese man. Thus, the waterfall got its name as Chinaman’s Waterfall.
Nearest Village: Mahabaleshwar
Trekking: 60 mins (to reach the top)
Lingamala Falls
Lingmala Waterfall is located at a distance of 6 km from Mahabaleshwar. While driving from Mahabaleshwar to Panchgani, it falls on the right side of the road. Lingmala Waterfall is formed by Venna River and has two parts. The bigger waterfall falls from a height of 500 feet. The smaller waterfall is suitable for splashing in the water. From the view point of bigger waterfalls, we can trek to reach the smaller waterfalls. Lingmala is one of the top sightseeing place of Maharashtra during monsoon.
Nearest Village: Mahabaleshwar
Trekking: 30 mins
Dhobi Falls
Dhobi Waterfall is located just 3 km away from the main town of Mahabaleshwar. It is located in front of the famous Elphinstone Point. The waterfall is surrounded with rocks and water drops down into the valley and joins the Koyna River. The vantage point views of this waterfalls makes it ideal for a monsoon trip to the famous hill station of Mahabaleshwar.
Nearest Village: Mahabaleshwar
Trekking: 10 mins
Satara Region (beyond Mahabaleshwar):
Thoseghar Waterfalls
These are headway of tiny picturesque waterfalls, while the most elevated one is around 200 meters in height. Water gathered from the mountains of Kaas and Panchgani starts flowing further via Thoseghar to form the Tarlee River. A well maintained concrete arena gives good view of the waterfall.
Nearest village: Thoseghar; 30kms from Satara
Trekking: 5 mins
Vajrai Falls
It is located near the famous Kaas Pathar and one of the highest waterfall of India.
At the outset, it doesn’t appear to be a waterfall. It looks like a white thread on the background of enormous mountains. However, when you reach close to the waterfall then you recognize the massiveness. The water flows at very volume and falls from 852 feet from a straight cliff. It is origin of the river Urmodi.
This area is inhabited by large number of leeches. Swimming at the waterfall is prohibited because of deep ponds.
Nearest village: Bhambavali; 30kms from Satara
Trekking: 45 mins
Ozarde falls
Ozarde waterfall is perched in the dense forest of Satara and fed by small streams. In spite of being a massive waterfall, the route is not well-known. There is a deviation on the Koyna dam road which leads towards Ozarde. This road leading to the trail is very beautiful. The surroundings have a delightful splendor. We need to trek through treacherous terrain to get the breathtaking view.
Nearest Village: None
Trekking: 1 hour
Ratnagiri District:
Marleshwar Falls
Marleshwar Waterfall is located in Ratnagiri district. This place has ‘U’ shaped mountain and a cave with ‘Lord Shiva’ Temple. The mountain behind has many small waterfalls flowing into a huge waterfall. To reach the top, you need to climb 400 stairs from the base.
Nearest village: Maral village near Sangameshwar
Trekking: 20 mins
Khor Ninko Ratnagiri
Khor Ninko waterfall is very unique and manmade. In Lanja taluka of Ratnagiri, a small earthen dam has been constructed in a scenic place. This dam doesn’t have any gates. Once the dam is full, the water slowly starts flowing from the ridges of the dam down its steps. The architects have bees careful in sizing the steps of the outflow stream. You can literally walk through the stream till dam and enjoy the beauty of Sahyadris
Nearest Village: Bhambed village;
Trekking: 30 mins
Ukshi waterfall
It is also known as Ranpat waterfall and visible during the konkan railway journey to Ratnagiri. The abundance of the water is indeed startling. Despite its high visibility, it remains relatively lesser explored. The smaller streams are generated in nearby lush green mountains of Sahyadris. The train passes through tunnels in these mountains and then gives you the glimpse of Ukshi waterfall. The waterfall can also be approached from Mumbai-Goa highway.
Nearest Village: Ukshi and Ranpat
Trekking: 30 mins
Sawatkada waterfall
This weird name will definitely intrigue you. It is also known as Chuna Kolvan waterfall. It is a tall semi-circular waterfall in the forest to the north of Rajapur. The Savatkada waterfall cascades into the valley from 125 feets. There is a nice pool at the base which is safe most of the time except during intense rainfall. For reaching the waterfall, you need to patiently walk on a soil path.
Nearest Village: Rajapur
Trekking: 60 mins
Kerle waterfall
Kerle waterfall is located in Shahuwadi taluka of Kolhapur. The way to waterfall is very pleasing and definitely worth the long distance of travel to reach here. It is approachable from Kolhapur-Ratnagiri road.
Nearest Village: Kerle
Trekking: 30 mins
Sindhudurg region:
Amboli Waterfalls
The Amboli Ghat in Sindhudurg district becomes vivid in monsoon and many waterfalls dot the region. This is the end part of Maharashtra before Goa. ‘Bada Dabdaba’ or the big waterfall is the best place to experience the cascading water. The ambience is instilled with mist and greenery. There are concrete steps to climb up. Near the waterfall, local vendors serve hot tea and delicious onion pakoda.
Nearest Village: Amboli
Trekking time: 15 mins
Mangeli Waterfall
Mangeli waterfall in Sindhudurg district is approx 38 Km before Panjim. There are direction boards along the roads. While walking to Mangeli waterfall, you will witness very scenic backgrounds with fog and greenery. The nearby forest are famous for medicinal plants and recently elephants entered from the Karnataka forests
Nearest Village: Mangeli
Trekking time: 30 mins
Nashik Region:
Dugarwadi waterfall
Dugarwadi waterfall is one of the best in Maharashtra near Trimabakeshwar. It is perched in the dense forest infused with misty air. The last 1.5 kms stretch needs to be covered by walking but you will enjoy every step to the waterfall. Carry your own food as you might not find much vendors around the falls. People are advised to take care as the water level suddenly rises during heavy rainfall.
Nearest village: Sapgaon; 8kms from Trimbakeshwar
Trekking: 30 mins
