Chitrakote Falls

The Indravati drops about thirty metres over a curved rock lip at Chitrakote, and in the monsoon the fall spreads across roughly three hundred metres of that curve, which makes it the widest waterfall in India and the reason it is routinely called the Niagara of India, a comparison the scale does not quite support but the shape does. In the dry season the flow narrows into two or three separate channels and the rock is exposed. Small boats take visitors close to the base when water permits, and steps descend to the plunge pool. The falls are lit at night.

What you actually see

• The horseshoe - a curved rock lip spanning some three hundred metres.
• The monsoon flow - the full curve running brown and loud in the rains.
• The boat approach - small craft going close to the base in safe conditions.
• The night lighting - the falls illuminated after dark.

When to go

July to October for maximum volume, though access can be restricted in flood; November to February gives clearer water and comfortable weather with a much reduced flow. Summer is nearly dry.

Honest expectations

The falls vary enormously by season and can be a trickle in April and May. Boats are suspended in high water. Bastar is remote with limited accommodation, and some areas of the district have travel advisories worth checking locally.

Nearby

Tirathgarh falls lie south; Jagdalpur is east.