Iruppu Falls (Kurchi)
Lakshmana Tirtha drop at the Brahmagiri trek gate
Best time to visit Iruppu Falls (Kurchi)
- Jan, peak season
- Feb, shoulder season
- Mar, shoulder season
- Apr, off-season
- May, off-season
- Jun, shoulder season
- Jul, best avoided
- Aug, best avoided
- Sep, shoulder season
- Oct, peak season
- Nov, peak season
- Dec, peak season
peak shoulder off-season avoid
- Go: October to January
- Shoulder: February to March, June and September, quieter, and the weather is less of a sure thing
- Skip: July to August
Iruppu Falls (Kurchi) season by season
Winter December to February Prime time
Dec-Jan the falls still come down hard off the Brahmagiri and the ridge trek to Narimale runs on a permit; February starts to thin it out.
Summer March to May Shoulder
Mar-May the drop shrinks to a trickle and Kodagu warms up, but the sanctuary path stays open until the first rain and the forest is silent.
Monsoon June to September Shoulder
Jul-Aug the sanctuary gate shuts, the Kutta road slips and leeches take the steps; June and late September are the only honest windows.
Autumn October to November Prime time
Oct-Nov is the best of it: full flow, mist in the evergreen forest and Nagarhole's Kutta gate close enough for a dawn safari.
What Iruppu Falls (Kurchi) is actually like
Coffee and pepper homestays around Srimangala and Kurchi; evenings are frog noise and one shared dinner table
Getting to Iruppu Falls (Kurchi)
Bus from Gonikoppal to Srimangala, then 8 km by auto to the gate; Mysuru is 120 km and about 3h30 out
Practical ways in: road
Trip facts
- How long to stay
- 2 days
- Budget
- Shoestring
- How busy
- Steady at its peak
- Solo travel
- Fine solo
- Altitude
- 961 m
- State
- Karnataka
- Coordinates
- 11.9668, 75.9839
Common questions
When is the best time to visit Iruppu Falls (Kurchi)?
October to January is peak season in Iruppu Falls (Kurchi). February to March, June and September is shoulder season: thinner crowds, a bit more risk in the weather. Avoid July to August. Oct-Nov is the best of it: full flow, mist in the evergreen forest and Nagarhole's Kutta gate close enough for a dawn safari.
How many days do you need in Iruppu Falls (Kurchi)?
2 days is the usual stay. Coffee and pepper homestays around Srimangala and Kurchi; evenings are frog noise and one shared dinner table.
How do you get to Iruppu Falls (Kurchi)?
Bus from Gonikoppal to Srimangala, then 8 km by auto to the gate; Mysuru is 120 km and about 3h30 out. Practical ways in: road.
Is Iruppu Falls (Kurchi) expensive, and does it get crowded?
Shoestring by Indian travel standards, and it runs steady at the busiest time of year. Fine solo.
Is there a festival in Iruppu Falls (Kurchi)?
Feb/Mar: Shivaratri bathing in the Lakshmana Tirtha. Time a trip around it and you see the place at its loudest, but book beds early.
Nearby, and where to go next
-
Thirunelli (Brahmagiri)
Kerala
Old Vishnu temple alone inside the Brahmagiri forest
10 km from Iruppu Falls (Kurchi), roughly under an hour by road
-
Kabini
Karnataka
Backwater safari base beside Nagarhole National Park
50 km from Iruppu Falls (Kurchi), roughly under an hour by road
-
Wayanad
Kerala
Misty Western Ghats plateau of wildlife and spice gardens
50 km from Iruppu Falls (Kurchi), roughly under an hour by road
-
Kakkayam
Kerala
Mist-locked dam valley and waterfalls above Kozhikode
60 km from Iruppu Falls (Kurchi), roughly about 1 h by road
-
Paithalmala
Kerala
Grassland summit on the Kodagu border, Kannur's rooftop
80 km from Iruppu Falls (Kurchi), roughly about 2 h by road
-
Coorg (Madikeri)
Karnataka
Misty coffee-estate hills of the Kodava heartland
90 km from Iruppu Falls (Kurchi), roughly about 2 h by road
-
Thalassery (Tellicherry)
Kerala
Biryani, a British fort and Kerala's only drive-in beach
80 km from Iruppu Falls (Kurchi), roughly about 2 h by road
-
Kannur
Kerala
Theyyam heartland, Asia's longest drive-in beach
90 km from Iruppu Falls (Kurchi), roughly about 2 h by road
More places to visit in Karnataka
- Agumbe Karnataka
- Badami-Aihole-Pattadakal Karnataka
- Bandipur National Park Karnataka
- Belur-Halebidu Karnataka
- Bhadra Tiger Reserve (Muthodi) Karnataka
- Bidar Karnataka
- BR Hills (Biligiri Ranganatha) Karnataka
- Chikmagalur Karnataka
- Chitradurga Karnataka
- Coorg (Madikeri) Karnataka
- Dandeli Karnataka
- Gokak Falls Karnataka
- Gokarna Karnataka
- Hampi Karnataka
- Honnemaradu Karnataka
- Jog Falls Karnataka
- Kabini Karnataka
- Kalaburagi (Gulbarga) Karnataka
- Karkala (Gomateshwara) Karnataka
- Karwar (Devbagh & Kurumgad) Karnataka
- Kemmangundi Karnataka
- Kodachadri (Kollur base) Karnataka
- Kokkare Bellur Karnataka
- Kudremukh Karnataka
- Kukke Subramanya (Kumara Parvatha) Karnataka
- Lakkundi (Gadag) Karnataka
- Madhugiri Karnataka
- Maravanthe Karnataka
- Maski Karnataka
- Melukote Karnataka
- Mudgal Karnataka
- Murudeshwar Karnataka
- Mysuru Karnataka
- Nandi Hills Karnataka
- Ramanagara (Ramadevarabetta) Karnataka
- Sakleshpur Karnataka
- Sandur (Kumaraswamy Temple) Karnataka
- Sannati & Kanaganahalli Karnataka
- Sasihitlu Beach Karnataka
- Shivanasamudra Falls Karnataka