The Top 10 Best India Waterfalls page is where we rank and share our favourite waterfall experiences in the Indian Subcontinent. Although we had to really scrap to come up with this list of waterfalls, it involved a fair sampling of the Subcontinent that not many foreign visits get to experience.

And when it comes to waterfalling in this region, it doesn’t get much more adventurous than this!

While I personally feel that we could use a return trip to India to experience more of its hidden treasures, have a look at our current sampling of the Indian waterfalls that we’ve visited and provided write-ups for to date. That should give you an idea of what other waterfalls we’ve come to know in the country that may not have made this particular list.

I certainly know that as I reflected back on our trip here, I certainly have a strong desire to come back and experience an authentic side of the country that only the activity of waterfalling can bring about.

So without further ado, here is our list of our favourite waterfalls in India in reverse order…

#10 PALARUVI FALLS

Kerala, India

We feature a handful of waterfalls with reportedly Ayurvedic properties on this list. However, this one could very well have the tallest drop of the ones that we’ve encountered.

Said to drop some 91m, its geology might have also had something to do with the relatively quiet experience at this waterfall. In fact, we saw evidence of a rockfall that prevented any bathing at its shadowy base.

Nevertheless, this border waterfall in Kerala (next to Tamil Nadu) resulted in one of the more relaxing and peaceful experiences we’ve had in the Indian Subcontinent. And for that, we had to acknowledge it with a placing on this list.

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#9 KUTRALAM FIVE FALLS

Tamil Nadu, India

This waterfall probably best reflected its name more than any other that we’ve encountered in India.

As you can see from the photo, there really existed a five-segment waterfall allowing for people to freely soak and get some of the Ayurvedic healing properties that the water might have possessed.

Apparently not a whole lot of foreign tourists knew about this area because we really stood out among the many people who were here.

After getting over the initial awkwardness, we pretty much enjoyed the experience like everyone else. And we found it to be memorable enough to have a place on this Top 10 Best India Waterfalls list.

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#8 SATHODI FALLS

Karnataka, India

Another one of the off-the-beaten-path waterfalls on this list, we went pretty deep into the Western Ghats of Karnataka State to visit this classically-shaped rectangular beauty.

Located near the Kodasalli Dam, the adventure to even make it to the trailhead set the tone that we definitely went to a relatively untouristed area as far as foreign visitors were concerned.

Yet such a gem as this demonstrated time and again that sometimes the effort and adventure make the experience as much as the attraction itself.

So with that, we had to include this waterfall on our list of favorites in India.

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#7 MAGOD FALLS

Karnataka, India

Another one of the waterfalls on this list from Karnataka state, it was also one of the largest.

Situated deep in the Western Ghats in what seemed like pretty wild and less-developed parts of India, we definitely had the overlook almost exclusively to ourselves.

In a country where so many other spots were crowded with people, this made the experience relaxing as well as allowing us to reflect upon the scene before us.

Indeed, experiences like this compel us to find more similar hidden gems. And with such powerful memories, we had no problems placing this big one on our list of Top 10 Best India Waterfalls.

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#6 ATHIRAPPILLY FALLS

Kerala, India

This wide waterfall allowed us to experience it in a variety of different ways.

We not only got to go on a walking path frequented by monkeys to the waterfall’s base, but we also took a different path to its brink.

We even got a frontal view of the falls (as shown in the photo above) from a pretty luxurious Rainforest Hotel, which made the experience very memorable.

While we’ve seen in the literature this waterfall in full spate during the monsoon, our personal experience shortly after the rainy season still pleased us.

Indeed, we felt as if India showed her best self in natural environments like this. And thus this waterfall deserved a spot smack in the middle of this list of our favorites.

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#5 COURTALLAM FALLS

Tamil Nadu, India

Of all the Ayurvedic waterfalls, this had to have been by far the most popular one!

Not only did we witness hundreds (maybe thousands) of people finding ways to bathe, soak, or even wash clothes in its herbal rich waters. But they even had quite an atmospheric and happening marketplace fronting the waterfall complete with stands and Hindu Temple.

Plus, as you can see from the photo above, the waterfall itself certainly pleased us visually even while the whole experience stimulated all of our other senses.

It seemed like such a convergence of waterfall wonder and culture could only happen here in Southern India. And we were glad we went out of our way to experience this place for ourselves – so much so that we placed this beauty past the half-way point of this Top 10 List of India’s Best Waterfalls.

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#4 DUDHSAGAR FALLS

Goa, India

Meaning “sea of milk” probably as a result of the Indian reverence for cows as well as its white appearance, this majestic waterfall seemed to take on different personalities depending on its waterflow.

We managed to experience this falls after the Monsoon season, which meant we could do the 4wd excursion to access the base.

Perhaps during the Monsoon, the only way to witness this waterfall would be from a train going on the arched bridge passing right across this 306m waterfall.

I’m still hoping for an opportunity for a more elevated view of this waterfall. However, until that happens, we’re still content enough with the overall experience to place this in the upper half of our Top 10 List of Best India Waterfalls.

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#3 NOHKALIKAI FALLS

Meghalaya, India

Found in a seemingly forgotten corner of India (almost cut off by Bangladesh), this waterfall has often been associated with being one of the tallest waterfalls in the world.

While we typically don’t put much weight into such claims, it certainly does have a case when you consider only waterfalls with the tallest vertical plunges.

Even though we’ve seen claims it had a 300m plunge, as you can see in the photo, we found the greater appeal to be its dramatic location.

And when you consider this part of the Subcontinent tends to get more than its share of rain, you have the makings of what could be a bon-a-fide waterfall attraction.

Thus, we had to include this remote beauty on our list of Indian favorites.

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#2 JOG FALLS

Karnataka, India

Possibly the most famous waterfall in India, we certainly felt it carried the weight of expectations more than any other waterfall on this list. And we’ve learned over the years that expectations can be dangerous.

While this waterfall tended to flood the literature with giant walls of water over its 253m precipice, as you can see in the photo above, it fell a bit short of its lofty expectations.

We felt this waterfall had so much potential for greatness (let alone a top spot on this list and in some of our other lists), but we’ll have to come back when it has better flow for a re-evaluation.

In the mean time, this waterfall was still good enough to almost top this list of Top 10 Best India Waterfalls despite its hydroelectric-compromised state.

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#1 UNCHALLI FALLS

Karnataka, India

Surprising both Julie and I, this waterfall just edged out the famous Jog Falls by the slimmest of margins.

As you can see from the photo, this waterfall possessed an unusual shape, size, and unregulated flow as it should be.

Plus, our visit coincided with almost perfect timing as we witnessed a bright rainbow across its misty base.

It really felt like they just started building some tourism infrastructure to make a visit here more convenient as well as more enjoyable. And perhaps we benefited most from such circumstances as we got to enjoy this place without crowds.

So given all the positive vibes we got with this waterfall, it may be somewhat controversial to put this waterfall in front of Jog Falls. However, we’re sticking with this decision until our personal experiences on a future trip suggest otherwise…

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Below are a few more Top 10 lists of the waterfalls we’ve visited

See the rest of our Top 10 Lists