The beautiful Lingmala waterfalls, which is hidden away between two hills, is about 16 km from Panchgani, and about 7 km before you reach Mahabaleshwar. There is a sharp left U-turn about 1 km from Saj Mountain Resort leading to the falls, through Lingmala village. It can also be accessed from the Satara Mahabaleshwar Road, but the road is one-way, being very narrow and winding through dense forest. Entry is from Panchgani side and exit from Satara side. You can park your vehicle outside the Forest Office (Satara Van Vibhag) and buy your ticket (₹20) to enter the ‘Lingmala Nature Trail’. Gates are open from 8 am to 5.30 pm, parking is free.
The falls start at the head of the Venna Valley, with water overflowing from the Venna Lake. There is paved track, which is very well maintained by the Satara Van Vibhag (Forest Department), leading down to the falls. There are benches to sit and rest for a while, if you get tired climbing back.
There are two parts of the falls. The left track leads to the minor falls nearby, where the falling water forms a pool where one can take a dip. Be careful of the underwater rocks, though. The right track leads to the view point, about a 10 minutes uphill walk, from where one can view the main falls as it plunges about 500 feet down into the Venna valley below, forming the Venna River.
The Lingmala Falls are best visited after the start of the monsoons and between July to October. Then one can see and feel the force of nature in all its glory. During the summer months the flow reduces to a trickle, but one can still enjoy a refreshing dip in the pool formed near the minor falls.
The falls can also be seen from a distance if you do not have the time to spare (about an hour and a half) to walk down, and back up, the Lingmala Nature Trail. About 8 km from Mahabaleshwar, get down at Metgutad village and walk down to the edge of the ridge about 500 metres. You will get a long shot view of the main waterfall showering down into the valley below.
However, even at other times of the year it is a good place to visit, just to experience the walk through the forests on the Lingmala Nature Trail. We saw monkeys, squirrels, bulbuls, sunbirds, butterflies and other small creatures while walking down the trail. If you are lucky you may see the Giant Malabar squirrel which is quite common in Mahabaleshwar.
The falls start at the head of the Venna Valley, with water overflowing from the Venna Lake. There is paved track, which is very well maintained by the Satara Van Vibhag (Forest Department), leading down to the falls. There are benches to sit and rest for a while, if you get tired climbing back.
There are two parts of the falls. The left track leads to the minor falls nearby, where the falling water forms a pool where one can take a dip. Be careful of the underwater rocks, though. The right track leads to the view point, about a 10 minutes uphill walk, from where one can view the main falls as it plunges about 500 feet down into the Venna valley below, forming the Venna River.
The Lingmala Falls are best visited after the start of the monsoons and between July to October. Then one can see and feel the force of nature in all its glory. During the summer months the flow reduces to a trickle, but one can still enjoy a refreshing dip in the pool formed near the minor falls.
The falls can also be seen from a distance if you do not have the time to spare (about an hour and a half) to walk down, and back up, the Lingmala Nature Trail. About 8 km from Mahabaleshwar, get down at Metgutad village and walk down to the edge of the ridge about 500 metres. You will get a long shot view of the main waterfall showering down into the valley below.
However, even at other times of the year it is a good place to visit, just to experience the walk through the forests on the Lingmala Nature Trail. We saw monkeys, squirrels, bulbuls, sunbirds, butterflies and other small creatures while walking down the trail. If you are lucky you may see the Giant Malabar squirrel which is quite common in Mahabaleshwar.
Ask EkMusafir about Lingmala Falls
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
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