Mukti Hole Waterfall Trek
Uttara Kannada, Karnataka
Opens without signal on this phone, with the map file and checklist. Saved for offline →
- Max altitude
- 400 m
- Days
- 1 day
- Distance
- 6.6 km
- Difficulty
- Moderate
Only about 3.3 km each way, but the first 1.3 km is a steep, leaf-littered descent through dense forest (a steep climb on the way back) and the 2 km along the Muktihole river is continuous boulder-hopping with stream crossings.
The route
Day by day
Day 1 · highest point
Kodigadde → Kodigadde (via Mukti Hole Waterfall)
400 m → 400 m
Ups and downs
Altitude profile
Where it is
Map
Trailhead and high point only — not a recorded track. Use it with a proper map.
Weather
Next 5 days on the trail
Live forecast for the trailhead and the high point. Mountain weather changes fast — check again on the morning you start.
Trailhead · Kodigadde
at 400 mLoading forecast…
High point · Kodigadde village (trail start, highest point of the walk)
at 400 mLoading forecast…
Each day: high / low °C · rain mm and chance · snow cm · wind km/h
Weather data: Open-Meteo.comModel forecast, not an official warning. For alerts follow IMD and the local administration.
Plan the trip
How to reach
- Trailhead
- Kodigadde (nearest town: Honnavar)
- Nearest railway
- Honnavar (Konkan Railway; the Panchaganga Express runs overnight from KSR Bengaluru)
- Nearest airport
- Hubballi Airport or Mangaluru International Airport (each roughly 4-5 hours by road)
- By road
- Honnavar (about 30 km; turn off the Shivamogga road at Hadinbal, about 10 km before Honnavar, then about 20 km of patchy, partly unpaved road via Hirebail to Kodigadde); Bengaluru (about 470 km to Honnavar via Shivamogga; overnight KSRTC and private buses)
- Drive
- About 10 h from Bengaluru
Plan the trip
Permits and fees
We could not confirm the current permit rules and fees from an official source. Check with the local forest department or tourism office before you go.
Plan the trip
Cost
Self-guided
₹2,500–5,000
With an operator
₹3,500–7,000
Per person, ex-Bengaluru, estimates only: we found no operator currently selling a fixed-price Mukti Hole package. Self-guided: overnight bus or train to Honnavar and back, a shared jeep or hired vehicle Honnavar-Kodigadde (the road needs an off-road-capable vehicle), and meals in Honnavar. Guided: the same plus a local guide from Kodigadde or Hirebail, who can also arrange the jeep from Honnavar; agree the fee in advance.
Gear
Top picks for this trek
The gear that matters most on this route, chosen from its altitude, season and risks.
Ad · affiliate link
Ad · affiliate link
Ad · affiliate link- Ad · affiliate link
Ad · affiliate link
Ad · affiliate link
Ad · affiliate link
Ad · affiliate link
Store buttons open a search on that store, not a product we picked. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Photos show the kind of item, not a specific product. Affiliate disclosure
Packing checklist
Matched to this trek: altitude, season, days and the risks on the route.
Packed 0 of 20
Hot days in Mar–Apr: start at first light and carry extra water and ORS.
Tick each item as it goes in the bag.
Know before you go
Good to know
- Mobile network
- Not confirmed; expect weak or no signal in the forest and river valley.
- Last ATM
- Honnavar
- Nearest hospital
- Honnavar for first care; Manipal or Mangaluru for serious cases
- Water
- The Muktihole river runs along the whole second half of the trail; Indiahikes advises not to depend on it and to carry enough water and food. There are no stalls on the trail.
Highlights
- A three-tiered waterfall hidden behind boulders, ending in a wide, deep plunge pool
- A 2 km walk up the Muktihole riverbed past a chain of natural rock pools and cascades
- Dense, shaded coastal-Ghats forest with huge figs and fallen trunks on the descent from Kodigadde
- Rarely crowded; easily combined with Honnavar's beaches and the Sharavathi mangrove boardwalk
Risks
- The steep forest descent is covered in leaf litter and is slippery; the whole river section is boulder-hopping where a slip can cause injury.
- The plunge pool is deep: non-swimmers and children should carry life jackets.
- Monsoon (roughly June-September) and the months after it: Indiahikes says the river runs too high and the waterfall cannot be reached, and stream crossings stay unsafe until about December. One other operator page lists September-March as the best time, so check water levels locally before going.
- The turn-off from the forest path to the river is hard to find; trip reports and Indiahikes recommend a local guide from Kodigadde or Hirebail. Start by 9 am and leave the falls by 3 pm to exit the forest before dark.
- The trail runs through forest in Uttara Kannada. On 11 May 2026 Karnataka's Chief Wildlife Warden suspended trekking paths in areas with leopards, tigers, elephants or bears until each is certified under the trekking SOP; this route is not on the Aranya Vihaara booking portal, so confirm with the Honnavar forest division or local villagers that entry is allowed.
- The road from Hadinbal to Kodigadde is patchy and partly unpaved; use a vehicle with good ground clearance.
Know before you go
Questions
Is a permit needed for the Mukti Hole Waterfall trek?
Indiahikes (updated April 2026) says no permission is needed. We could not find an official forest-department notice either way, and Karnataka suspended trekking on forest paths in wildlife areas in May 2026, so check locally before you go.
How long and how difficult is the Mukti Hole trek?
From Kodigadde it is about 3.3 km each way (6.6 km in all): a steep 1.3 km descent through forest, then about 2 km of boulder-hopping upstream to the falls. It is done in a day. Fitness matters less than confidence on rocks.
When is the best time to visit Mukti Hole Waterfall?
January to April, when the water level has dropped enough to cross the stream safely; February to April is best. In the monsoon the river runs too high to reach the falls.
How do I reach Mukti Hole from Bengaluru?
Take an overnight bus or the Panchaganga Express to Honnavar (about 470 km), then a jeep about 30 km via Hadinbal and Hirebail to Kodigadde. Local guides can arrange the jeep from Honnavar.
Can I do the Mukti Hole trek without a guide?
Indiahikes says it can be done alone with a GPX track, but the start is hard to find and the turn-off to the river is easy to miss, so a local guide is strongly recommended.
In an emergency
Save these numbers before you lose signal. Tap to call.
- 112All emergenciesIndia’s single emergency number — works in every state
- 108Ambulance
- 1077District disaster control room
You are in
District: Uttara KannadaKarnataka
- Nearest hospital
- Honnavar for first care; Manipal or Mangaluru for serious cases
- Last ATM
- Honnavar
- Phone network
- Not confirmed; expect weak or no signal in the forest and river valley.
Before you set off
- Tell someone your route and when you will be back.
- Carry a charged phone and a power bank.
- Download an offline map of the route.
- Turn back if the weather turns bad — the mountain will wait.
Questions about Mukti Hole Waterfall
No questions yet. Ask something and trekkers who have done it can answer.
Share your trek photo with #TreksAndTrails
I trekked this
Did Mukti Hole Waterfall look different from this page? Tell us what changed and we will check it.
Where this comes from
Sources
Last reviewed:
- A Complete Guide to the Mukti Hole Waterfall Trek — Indiahikes
- Mukti Hole Waterfall Trek — Thrillophilia
- muktihoLe Falls - Lohit BV (trip report) — Dreamroutes
