Unwind & Relax: Visit This Serene Waterfall Near Mukteshwar

The Bhalu Gaad fall is a 60 feet high fall from the undiscovered source. It is a blend of horseshoe and plunge shaped waterfall. The water flows continuously throughout the year maintaining contact with the rock bed before turning to plunge at the bottom. Indeed, the waterfall completely takes the shape of a plunge, when the water flow increases during the rainy season. Being recently discovered, it is cleaner and less touristy as compared to other waterfalls of Uttarakhand.

But slowly Mukteshwar is gaining attraction, and the fall will soon be enlisted in the attractions of Mukteshwar. There is a rainbow seen at the bottom of Bhallu Gaad waterfall, so the locals call it the rainbow waterfall.

Description:
The word 'Bhalu Gaad' comes from two words Bhalu and Gaad, where the word Bhalu means Bear and Gaad means stream in the Kumaoni language. So, it is believed to be a good location for bear sightseeing. But luckily or unluckily, we didn’t spot any during our trail walk.

There are spots which are full of dirt. Always remember not to litter around. Bring your wrappers and bottles back, to keep the fall and trails clean.

The hike is of an easy level, considering you need to cross the stream and climb rock in between. Ideally, visit the fall only between sunrise to sunset.

There are no shacks near the fall, which is really good. So, carry your water bottle and snacks along. And remember not to litter around. Bring your wrappers and bottles back to keep the fall and trails clean.

The guide is available at the shack for just INR 200. Hire him only if you don’t want to catch the wrong trails and reach the unexplored villages.

Entry to the Bhalu Gaad waterfall is free, and the site can be accessed throughout the year.

The Bhalu Gaad waterfall lies 10 kilometres from Mukteshwar town and 5 kilometres from the Club Ten Pine lodge Mukteshwar. To reach the fall, you need to drive from town to village Dhari. Park your vehicle in the open area near a roadside shack and from there trek for almost 2 kilometres into the woods.

The hike is a beautiful walk through the dense jungle with continuous ascents and descents. The river flows along the trail and birds chirp throughout making the whole walk and place idyll. We crossed three streams in between the trek and at the end, there are huge rock boulders, which need to be climbed up and down to touch the natural clear pool filled with chilled water. The total time to complete one side of the trek is somewhere between 45 minutes to an hour.