Chinnakallar Falls

This is the third-highest rainfall zone in India, so it's misty here almost every day of the year. There's a hanging bridge, and Tamil films have shot here more than once.

The place

Chinnakallar sits in a pocket of rainforest that catches an extraordinary amount of rain. This stretch of the Anamalais is regularly named among the wettest places in India. You can feel it — everything drips. The rock is black and slick, ferns grow right out of the tree trunks, and the air itself feels part water.

The falls drop through dense evergreen forest, not open rock. You hear them well before you see them, and then the view opens up all at once.

Getting in

Access isn't always open. Chinnakallar falls under forest-department jurisdiction, and the approach is closed at times — especially in heavy monsoon and after landslides. The same rain that makes it worth seeing is often what closes it.

We check before including it in your trip. If it's shut, we'll tell you and suggest something else, instead of driving you out there to look at a barrier.

What to expect underfoot

Wet, mossy rock — as slippery as it sounds. Shoes with grip aren't optional here. And the last stretch isn't a good place to be carrying a small child in your arms.

Leeches are normal in the wet months. They're harmless and easy to deal with — wear long trousers, tuck your socks over the cuffs, and check your ankles afterward.