Abbey and Iruppu falls day circuit
Coorg · 7 hrs · Cab included · Pickup from your stay
From ₹3500 for the whole vehicle, up to 8 people. The price is per car, not per person.
Vehicles
- Swift Dzire: Sedan. Best for a couple or a small family. ₹3500 for the vehicle.
- Tata Sumo: Rugged 8-seater. The most room for the money. ₹4100 for the vehicle.
- Innova or Ertiga: The comfortable one on a long day. ₹5500 for the vehicle.
Two waterfalls, two ends of Coorg, one driver who knows both
Abbey falls is the close one: ten minutes from Madikeri, a gorge full of spray with estate greenery hanging over it. Iruppu is the far one: a temple-guarded cascade on the Nagarahole edge, an hour and a half of proper Coorg countryside away, with a forest walk to reach it.
Doing both in a day is the right call and a logistics problem. It is three hours of driving on winding estate roads, timed around when each falls is quiet, with a lunch stop that should not be left to luck.
This circuit solves the day: a local driver who times Abbey before the buses, takes the pretty road south through Kakkabe country, gets you to Iruppu when the light comes through the forest, and knows exactly where lunch should happen in between. You book the car, so the price is the same for two of you or six. Lunch is the one thing you settle on the day.
Why book the circuit
Timing is everything at Abbey
By 10:30 the viewing bridge is a queue. At 8:30 it is yours. The circuit is built around that half hour.
The far falls needs a plan
Iruppu is 90 minutes each way with a forest walk at the end. Booking the whole car for the day at a flat rate beats negotiating a return fare at a stand.
The road is the third sight
The route south runs through rice country under the Thadiyandamol ridge. A local driver takes the road worth taking.
Where you'll go
1. Abbey Falls
Ten minutes from Madikeri, a gorge full of spray with estate greenery hanging over it. At half past eight the viewing bridge is yours; by half past ten it is a queue.
2. Kakkabe rice country
The road south under the Thadiyandamol ridge, through rice fields and coffee. Your driver stops where the stopping is worth it.
3. Iruppu Falls
A temple-guarded cascade on the Nagarahole edge, reached by a 1.5 km forest walk. It is the better of the two falls and the walk makes it feel earned.
4. The Rameshwara temple at the base
The shrine at the foot of Iruppu, inside a sacred grove. Shoes come off and the path is shared with pilgrims.
5. The lunch stop
A Coorg meal at a place we would choose on our own day off, timed for after Iruppu. The discovery is ours, the bill is yours.
Your meal, paid at the restaurant
How you get there
One car, both falls, about 120 km
About 120 km of driving across the day on estate and forest-edge roads. The vehicle, driver, parking and both entries are in one flat price for the car. Lunch is arranged but billed to you at the restaurant.
- Pickup: Your stay in or around Madikeri at 8:00 am
- Vehicle: Swift Dzire up to 4, Tata Sumo up to 8, or Innova / Ertiga up to 6, with driver
- Walking: Steps at Abbey; a 1.5 km forest walk at Iruppu
- Drop: Back by about 3:00 pm
The day
8:00 am: Pickup
Straight to Abbey while it is quiet.
8:20 am: Abbey falls
The gorge and the viewing bridge before the buses. About an hour.
9:45 am: The drive south
Through Kakkabe rice country under Thadiyandamol. Photo stops as they come.
11:30 am: Iruppu falls
The forest walk in, the cascade, and the temple at its base. About two hours including lunch after.
3:00 pm: Drop
Back at your stay.
In your price
- Private car with driver for the full day
- Both falls entries and parking
- Route and lunch stop planned
- GoExplorer support number for the day
Not included
- Lunch (the stop is arranged, the bill is yours)
- Anything personal
What you pay on the day
- Lunch at the arranged stop
- Snacks and drinks along the way
- Personal expenses
Who this suits
Comfortable walkers: Abbey has steep steps and Iruppu is a 1.5 km forest path each way. Children over 5 manage it happily. Swimming is not permitted at either falls. The car seats four or six depending on which you pick, at one price either way.
What to bring
Walking shoes, sun protection, water, and repellent for the Iruppu forest stretch.
Monsoon spray
Both falls are at their thundering best in and after monsoon, and the circuit runs in rain. Only forest-department closures stop it, and any closure is a full refund or free reschedule.
Cancellation
- More than 24 hrs before: Full refund
- Within 24 hrs: 50% refund, or reschedule free once
- No show: No refund
Safety and the operator
Swimming is prohibited at both falls and the viewing areas are railed. The Iruppu path is inside a sacred grove and forest edge; stay with your group.
Questions
Is the price per person?
No, it is for the whole car for the day. Six of you in an Innova pay ₹5,500 between you, not each.
Can we swim?
No. Both falls prohibit it and the currents deserve the rule. The waterfall circuit in Sakleshpur is the swim day.
Is Iruppu worth the drive?
It is the better falls of the two, and the forest walk and temple make it feel earned. The drive itself is classic Coorg.
Can we add Dubare on the way back?
Not in the same day without rushing all three. Dubare is its own morning; see the elephant camp experience.