Jog Falls

Jog Falls or Gerosoppa Falls is the second highest plunge waterfall in India after Nohkalikai Falls in Meghalaya. The power of water gushing through the crevices and edges plunging deep into the ponds is just something which amazes the mind beyond anything. Plunge waterfall basically means that at the edge, water leaves contact with the rocks and plunges forward without any support from the rocks resulting in a mist filled waterfall. A lot of water turns to mist and makes the atmosphere humid and the rest goes on to become a part of Sharavathi River.

Jog falls is a combination of 4 falls.

1) Raja: This is the main waterfall which you can see directly ahead of you when your each Jog Falls. This fall plunges 250 m and is the main tourist attraction. Mid-way through the plunge, Raja is joined by Roarer.

2) Roarer: Mid-way through the fall of Raja, at an incline of 45 degrees, Roarer joins Raja and increases the might of the waterfall.

3) Rocket: Rocket is a series of cascade waterfalls which run in the form of multiple jets and are separate from Raja and Roarer.

3) Rani: Rani is the fourth and final installment of Jog falls which flows separately on the right side of Raja when looking from the front.

Of these 4 Raja is the mightiest and has the highest plunge of 253 m which makes it the second highest plunge waterfall in India. There are no standard procedures to measure the height of a waterfall so all the numbers are just estimates.

But what defines the beauty of this place is not just the waterfall. The waterfall compliments it but the area in itself is a wonder of nature. It has all the terrains that a traveler can wish for. It has mountains, river, dam, forest and views which will be engraved in your memory for a lifetime.

On reaching Jog Falls, you'll be able to see it directly in the front. Going forward, on the right there is a staircase constructed by the tourism department which leads to the base of Jog Falls. This staircase is however only open till 4 PM. There are about 1500 stairs which will lead you to the base. We were a little late to the spot so we couldn't go there. But from what we heard, it is definitely a place you don't want to miss when you have come so far. There are 3 view points from where you can see the falls and all three are usually pretty crowded. You can stand for some time and enjoy the views.

Apart from the 3 view points, there is an unexplored area on the back side of the view point. This in my opinion matched the beauty of Jog Falls itself. On reaching there, the view was something which reminded me of valley views in Tosh (Himachal Pradesh). Two mountains side to side and a river stream flowing in the valley. Covering that river stream is a dam and the setting sun just amplified the beauty of the scene many fold.

After spending some time here and revisiting the Jog Falls view point, we started our journey to the next destination which was Honnavar.

How to Reach:

Nearest cities to Jog Falls are:

Siddapur: 21 km

Sirsi: 60 km

Honnavar: 60 km

Shimoga: 105 km

You can arrange a stay at any of these cities. For us, one of the guys in the group knew people in Honnavar. So we stayed the night there. Honnavar is a central place and pretty near to Murdeshwar, Gokarna and Yana caves. That was another reason to stay at Honnavar.

Things to be careful of:

Night driving around the area can be a little tricky as during monsoons the whole area goes in a thick layer of mist making the visibility as low as 5 m.

Plan your visit to Jog in such a way that you reach there before 4 PM so that you can trek to the base of falls.