Hogenakkal Falls

At Hogenakkal the Kaveri narrows into a gorge and falls in a series of drops, throwing up so much spray that the name means smoking rocks in Kannada. The rock here is carbonatite, an unusual carbonate-rich igneous rock, and the formation is among the oldest of its kind studied. Round coracles, once hide and now plastic sheet over bamboo, are paddled and spun through the pools below the falls by boatmen who take passengers close to the drops. Bathing in the pools is a local tradition attributed with health benefits, and fish and oil massages are sold along the bank.

What you actually see

• The falls - the Kaveri dropping through a narrow carbonatite gorge.
• The coracles - round boats spun through the pools below.
• The spray - the smoke that gives the falls their name.
• The bathing pools - stretches used by locals and pilgrims.

When to go

July to February; the falls peak after the monsoon from July to October, when coracles may be suspended in flood. By April and May the flow can be very low. Bathing is safest in low water.

Honest expectations

Coracles are unregulated with no life jackets and drownings occur; boatmen negotiate hard and overload boats. Water quality is poor. The site is crowded and touts persistent.

Nearby

Dharmapuri lies southeast; Bengaluru is northwest.