Kgpramod2 (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia CommonsManikyadhara Falls sits about 7 km from the Baba Budangiri Dattatreya Peetha, 36 km from Kemmangundi and 29 km from Chikmagalur town, and needs no trekking to reach — the falls are close enough to the road that this is a stop, not a hike. It works best folded into a Baba Budangiri or Mullayanagiri day out rather than visited on its own.
From Baba Budangiri
~7 km
From Chikmagalur
~29 km
Entry fee
Nominal or free — sources disagree
Timings
6:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Public sources disagree on whether there is a small entry fee — treat it as effectively free either way.
No permit required
Open 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
Required documents
Sources disagree — some list a nominal ₹5 fee, others say it's free. Either way it's a negligible cost, not something to plan around.
Yes — the falls are only about 7 km from Baba Budangiri Dattatreya Peetha, making it an easy combined outing.
Coffee estate country, Chikmagalur, Chikmagalur
Wake up inside a working coffee estate in the Western Ghats
A family-run homestay inside a working coffee estate — home-cooked Malnad meals, a bonfire most evenings, and plantation blocks that start where the lawn ends.
2 guests1 bedrooms1 bathsHomestay
₹2,000 / night
A quick stop on a Baba Budangiri day trip out of Good Earth Homestay.
Trek guide 7 min read
A 14 km round trip through shola forest and open grassland inside Kudremukh National Park, ending on a ridge with views across the Western Ghats.
September to May — trails turn slippery and leech-heavy during the June–August monsoon
Read guide
Trek guide 7 min read
An 18 km round trip through shola forest to a medieval hilltop fort and a waterfall in the Charmadi Ghats.
Monsoon and post-monsoon, July to December, when the falls are at their fullest
Read guide
Trek guide 7 min read
An 18 km round trip to Karnataka’s second-highest peak, through Shola forest and rolling grassland from the hamlet of Mullodi.
September to May — the Forest Department restricts access during the heaviest monsoon months
Read guide