What to expect
Highlights
- The wide curtain of water into a forest pool.
- The Kodasalli-reservoir backwater setting.
- A short, easy forest walk to the base.
Sathodi Falls
Sathodi Falls is a broad waterfall where a tributary of the Kali river drops around 15 m into a pool amid thick forest near Yellapur, backed by the waters of the Kodasalli reservoir.
Practical guide
Plan Sathodi Falls
Who's going?Tailor Sathodi Falls to your trip
Typewaterfall
Nearest baseSirsi
DistrictUttara Kannada
Best timeAugust to January for good flow
Time needed1 to 1.5 hours
EntrySmall or no fee
Places to visit8→A short walk leads to the base, where the pool is sometimes shallow enough for a careful dip; it is fullest after the monsoon.
Getting there
How to visit
- ~30 km from Yellapur and ~60 km from Sirsi; reach it by road, then a short walk.
- Rocks are slippery — take care near the water; facilities are limited, so carry water.
Distance by road
- Panaji (Goa)100 km
- Hubballi165 km
- Udupi175 km
- Mangaluru270 km
- Bengaluru500 km
Road km to Uttara Kannada; ghat roads and traffic vary — allow extra.
Timing
Best time
August to January for good flow; combine with the Yellapur falls circuit.
Weather in Sathodi FallsSeasonal guide
Live forecast loads in your browser.
Today at Sathodi Falls
Sunrise6:20 am
Sunset6:43 pm
Golden hour best light5:43 pm–6:43 pm
Blue hour after sunset6:43 pm–7:08 pm
Sun sets toward compass bearingW · 278°
Moon tonight🌖 Waning gibbous · 64%
South-west monsoon. June to September brings heavy rain to Karnataka. Trails, falls and ghat roads can be slippery, swollen or closed at short notice, and forest departments sometimes suspend access. Check locally on the day before you travel.
Sun and moon are calculated for this location and shown in IST. Photography windows are the hour around sunrise and sunset; the sunset bearing is degrees clockwise from true north. Moon phase is accurate to about half a day.
Visitor notes
- Slippery rocks by a plunge pool — swim only where safe and mind the flow after rain.
Photos
Sathodi Falls in pictures
Stay · eat · do · rent · see · shop
Stays, food & things to do near Sathodi Falls
Verified hotels, homestays, restaurants, experiences, sights, shops and rentals around Sathodi Falls — commission-free, with direct contact. Filter by what you need.
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List your placeRanked guides
Top experiences around Sirsi
7 more places around Sirsi, each worth a day of its own.
templeSirsi Marikamba Temple
The largest temple to the goddess Marikamba (Durga) in Karnataka, at Sirsi, famous for its biennial Marikamba Jatra — one of the biggest fairs in the state.
trekYana
39.9 km · ~66 min by cab
A pair of towering black karst rock spires — the Bhairaveshwara and Mohini shikharas — rising from dense Sahyadri forest, a pilgrimage and trekking spot with a Shiva shrine in a cave at the base.
waterfallUnchalli Falls
Also called Lushington Falls — where the Aghanashini river plunges about 116 m into a forested gorge near Siddapura, viewed from a platform after a short forest walk.
waterfallMagod Falls
20.9 km · ~35 min by cab
A waterfall near Yellapur where the Bedti (Gangavali) river drops in two leaps of around 200 m into a wooded gorge, seen from a viewpoint.
heritageSahasralinga
34.8 km · ~58 min by cab
Over a thousand Shiva lingas and Nandis carved into the bed and banks of the Shalmala river ~14 km from Sirsi — exposed in the dry season and submerged in the monsoon.
heritageSonda Vadiraja Matha
33.6 km · ~56 min by cab
The Vadiraja (Sode) matha at Sonda ~20 km from Sirsi — one of the Ashta Mathas of Udupi and a major Dvaita pilgrimage centre around the Vadiraja Brindavana, with a Jain basadi nearby.
templeManjuguni Venkataramana Temple
A forest Venkataramana (Vishnu) temple ~26 km from Sirsi — a regional pilgrimage sometimes called the “Tirupati of Uttara Kannada”.
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Add a nearby businessBefore you go
Sathodi Falls — at a glance
TimingsDaylight hours
Best timeAugust to January for good flow
Entry: Small or no fee
Getting here
How to reach Sathodi Falls
~30 km from Yellapur, ~60 km from Sirsi; road + short walk
Getting back
Work out your return before you settle in for the sunset. Public transport here thins out sharply in the evening, and Sathodi Falls is easier to reach than to leave. We do not publish departure times: there is no official live feed we are permitted to republish, and a wrong time here would strand you. Check the operator directly on the day.
- KSRTC — the Karnataka state bus operator; route and schedule enquiries. Online booking.
- Indian Railways — live running and seat availability for the nearest railhead, named under “Getting here” above.
Ask at the bus stand for the time of the last service back, not the next one. If you miss it, an auto or app cab is the fallback — agree the fare before you get in.
Getting around Sathodi Falls
We have not assessed physical access at this place yet. Across India, step-free routes, handrails and accessible toilets are the exception rather than the rule, and pavements are often interrupted — if step-free access matters to you, contact the site or a local operator before committing to the trip.
If you need help at Sathodi Falls
112All emergencies (police · fire · medical)The single number to call in any emergency (ERSS).100Police101Fire108Ambulance (emergency / EMS)1091Women’s helpline (distress)1098Child helpline1363Tourist helpline (India, 24×7, multilingual)
Emergency numbers are verified against official government and state tourism sources. 112 works anywhere in India.
Nearby
What’s near Sathodi Falls
On the map
Where Sathodi Falls is
Good to know
Sathodi Falls — frequently asked
When is the best time to visit Sathodi Falls?
August to January for good flow; combine with the Yellapur falls circuit.
What are the entry fee and timings at Sathodi Falls?
Entry: Small or no fee. Timings: Daylight hours.
How do I reach Sathodi Falls?
~30 km from Yellapur and ~60 km from Sirsi; reach it by road, then a short walk. Rocks are slippery — take care near the water; facilities are limited, so carry water.
How much time do I need for Sathodi Falls?
1 to 1.5 hours.
What else is near Sathodi Falls?
Nearby you can pair Ulavi Channabasaveshwara Temple (10.4 km), Syntheri Rocks (16.5 km), Jenukallu Gudda (18.3 km), Lalguli Falls (20.2 km).
Read before you go
Sathodi Falls guides, stories & itineraries
We have not published a story about Sathodi Falls itself yet. These cover Sirsi, the town it sits in, and the wider district.
Karnataka-wide guides & itineraries
Route-level itineraries and practical guides for the rest of Karnataka.
Heritage guide
Mirjan Fort: Laterite Walls, Pepper Routes and a Monsoon Visit
6 min read · Read →
Regional guide
Banavasi: How to Read Karnataka’s First Historical Capital
6 min read · Read →
Day-trip guide
Magod Falls and Jenukallu Gudda: One Careful Yellapur Day
5 min read · Read →
Day-trip guide
Day Trips from Karwar: The Whole of Uttara Kannada from One Base
6 min read · Read →
Story
Tagore in Karwar: Four Months That Gave a Beach Its Name
5 min read · Read →
Story
The Last Ward: How Karwar Got Its Name, and Its Language
6 min read · Read →
Image credits
Photographs: Rohan Dhule, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0), Sharath Venkatagiri (CC BY-SA 4.0), Vidyu44 (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wikimedia Commons.