The Gokak Falls is a waterfall

Waterfall

A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...

 located on the Ghataprabha River

Ghataprabha River

The Ghataprabha river is a tributary of the Krishna River and flows in state of Karnataka, India.- Geography :Ghataprabha River originates in the Western Ghats at an altitude of 884 meters and flows eastward for a distance of 283 kilometers before its confluence with the Krishna River at Almatti...

 in Belgaum

Belgaum

Belgaum is a city and a municipal corporation in Belgaum district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is the fourth largest city of the state of Karnataka, the first three being Bangalore, Mysore, Hubli-Dharwad....

 district of Karnataka

Karnataka

Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. The waterfall is six kilometers away from Gokak

Gokak

Gokak is a town and taluk headquarters in the Belgaum District of Karnataka state, India. It is located around 70 km from Belgaum at the confluence of two rivers, the Ghataprabha and the Markandeya. The population of the city is approximately 1,50,000 and the common language in use is Kannada...

After a long winding course, the Ghataprabha river takes a leap of 52 metres (170.6 ft) over the sand-stone cliff amidst a picturesque gorge of the rugged valley

Valley

In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...

, resembling Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls

The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...

 on a smaller scale. The waterfall is horse shoe shaped at the crest, with a flood breadth of 177 metres (580.7 ft). During rainy season, the thick reddish brown water sweeps far over the brink of the cliff with a dull roar that can be heard from some distance. There is a hanging bridge

Bridge

A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...

across the river, measuring about 201 metres (659.4 ft). Its height above the rock bed is 14 metres (45.9 ft).
There is an old electricity generation station and electricity was generated here for the first time in Asia in 1887.

One interesting feature of this place is the monuments from the Chalukya era that are found on either bank of the rocky gorge. Another attraction of this place is the very old river-front temple dedicated to Lord Mahalingeshwara, built in the Later Chalukyan style of architecture.

Commutation

Distance from Belgaum : 65 km

Nearest Airport: Belgaum

Nearest Railhead: Ghataprabha railway station near Gokak

Road: KSRTC buses ply regularly from Belgaum to the falls.

The best time to visit Gokak falls is around July - October.