Quick Plan to Trip to Kuntala Waterfall in Quick 30 Minutes

Trip to kuntala waterfall from Hyderabad

Few questions you need to answer before I begin to describe my Trip to Kuntala Waterfall. Do you like breaks from your daily routine? Do you like to go on trips to a refreshing place? Are you a gear head?

If the reply of one of these questions is yes. This post is for you. I have given a detailed description of our trip to these places around Kuntala and Pochera Waterfall.

Trip to Waterfalls (Kuntala, Pochera and others) were not only worth visiting but also offered a great view of its flora and fauna.

A great holiday or travel DNA needs thorough planing with all sorts of information to make it a success. This post talks about all sorts of information that are needed to make your trip to Kuntala waterfall and Pochera waterfall visit pleasant.

Without any further do, lets deep dive into it.

Mode and other information about my Trip to Kuntala Waterfall

Trip to Kuntala and other waterfalls start- Manikonda, Hyderabad
Mode of travel- car
Distance-~1100 Kilometre
Travel time- 16 hour
Trip duration- one day
Internet facility- not available
Major language- Telugu, English, little Hindi
Mobile signal strength- jio-has a major internet provider Internet speed- 18 Mbps followed by Airtel, BSNL, Vodafone

Places to visit

• Kuntala waterfall
• Pochera waterfall
• Gayatri waterfall
• Sri Ram Sagar Dam

How to visit other than the cab?

Even if you do not own a car, ola or uber or other hired Cabs are best to visit this place.

By Air

The nearest airport to for our trip to Kuntala waterfall is Rajiv Gandhi International Airport then we need to take a cab till this point.

By Train

This place is well connected from Secundrabad the nearest railway station is Adilabad. Once you reach, there are plenty of private cars available to take you on a trip to Kuntala or Pochera waterfall.

By Bus

Bus service is better if you do not have a car. The bus service is available almost every part of Hyderabad. The nearest bus stop to Kuntala is Neredikonda. The bus drivers, conductors, and fellow travellers on a trip to the waterfall are very friendly.

Best time to visit-

Throughout the year but best in post-monsoon season or during monsoon season.

Little detail:

It is situated 12 kilometres away from Neredikonda. Kuntala waterfall is situated in the lap of Sahyadri mountain which keep feeding water to this waterfall. Kuntala is the highest waterfall of Telangana( 200 feet) creates Kadam river. The Motorable Road for the trip leads to the entry point of Kuntala and Telangana tourism has created plenty of options for parking. From the entry, there are around 400- 500 steps down to reach this hidden treasure.

The steps while going down should not take more than 20 minutes but while coming back may take 30 to 40 minutes with brakes.

A Brief History of Kuntala waterfall

We got the following information during our trip to the kuntala waterfall.

Kuntala waterfall This famous waterfall got the name from Shakuntala- wife of great king Dushyanto. It was a truly nice place with scenic beauty and natural air-conditioned. As per locals, since Shakuntala was a local. She used to take a bath at this Falls and water. Shakuntala and Dushyant met here and fell in love at this place since then the waterfall is named after her.

Brief Information Gathered from The Trip To Pochera Waterfall:

The waterfall is situated at a distance of 25 KM from Kuntala waterfall. Pochera waterfall is another beautiful waterfall on Kadam river. This is just the opposite direction of the Kuntala. So from the trip to Neredikonda, the village we need to take left instead of right. The waterfall is a two-step fall with a height of 40 feet.

The Telangana tourism has done a fabulous job keeping the area clean along with the several rocky beds of Kadam river for travelers on a trip to the waterfall. The Pochera Waterfall is situated in a beautiful location with break taking nature. It is a Paradise for photographer and nature lovers. There is no food stalls or shops nearby. So it is advised to carry our own food and water bottle. Sometimes we may sit temporary stalls for water and tea but cannot depend on them.

Other Waterfall Visited As Part of The Trip To Pochera Is Gayathri waterfall

This Place is situated 5 kilometers from Tarnamkhud village and 19 kilometers from Kuntala waterfall. When people talk about kuntala waterfall and pochera waterfall this place also provides a beautiful view. It is a very lesser known spot.

This is also considered to be an adventurous spot of Telangana. There are Two roots that connect Gayatri waterfall

• Hyderabad- Adilabad- Kutty village- tar naam village- keep the car here- what two kilometers in mud Road then 5-kilometer trekking to reach this hidden treasures.
•  hyderabad- Adilabad- towards neredigonda- manikpur- tar naambujurg- keep the car here- what two kilometres to Gayatri waterfall.

  Gayathri waterfall is also known as gididhagur Dam or Muktigur Dam. It is situated really deep into the jungle. There is no proper signboard to guide us to the waterfall.

  There is again no stall nearby, hence carry your own food and water.

  Sri Ram Sagar Dam

  Shri Ram Sagar Dam is also known as a pochampadu project or Khustapuram dam. It is situated near Nizamabad district. It is built on the godavari river. Post monsoon or during monsoon is the correct time to visit this place. Generally, the gates are not opened throughout the year. It is advised to take proper knowledge about the gate opening period, timing to get maximum from this place.

  Our journey details

  As Telangana god fair amount of rain this year 2015, we zeroed this destination after reading several forums and popular BIH (Bengalis in Hyderabad).

  Using this forum we headed to Medak, Koilkonda, and Koilsagar dam, Dapoli, Papikondalu,

  Target route for the trrip to kuntala and other waterfalls:

  Home-> Sriram Sagar Dam->Gayathri waterfall->Pochera waterfall->kuntala waterfall and back home.

  Journey started

  We took Gachibowli ORR and drove till gate number xx which took us to NH 44. Being early morning ORR and NH 44 was vacant. Only a few trucks were running along with us. Our journey started at around 3:00 a.m. in the morning. Our travel to Dandupally was without traffic. We stopped here for a tea break. Only one roadside Dhaba served us tea.

  Next phase of the journey was also broken free. we touched 120 kilometers per hour. Just after crossing Armoor, our GPS indicated that after a few kilometers we need to take left to Sriramsagar reservoir. It is just after the cut-off NH 63.

  The roads were butter smooth without potholes except when we went down from the main road. The highway went to Nagpur via Nizamabad.

  Just before Nirmal, we could see some ruined forts. As it was dark in the early morning, we left the idea to venture to these forts. Maybe someday, next time we will venture there. They too had something to share, something to say, something to show us.

  Just before Kotikal village, we could see a small waterfall just beside the highway. One shopkeeper later informed us that Wankidi khalaya creek was the creator for this small waterfall.

  To Sriram Sagar Dam

  Journey

  Once we dropping off the main road, the road condition became worst. Some places there was no tar at all on the road. our speed drastically came off to 15 kilometers per hour in a few phases. Since it was morning 7:00 a.m. we met many pedestrians and natural speed breakers like bullock cart, cows, bicycles, etc.

  Once we crossed Nikalpur village and Market, the road again became empty. We were a little lucky that only two gates were opened. It was an awesome view of the Dam and surroundings.

  The dam

  The Sriram Sagar dam was an excellent picnic spot during the post-monsoon period. There was a Sriram temple nearby. We did not visit the temple as we were hurrying.

  There was a Museum attached to the dam. It was great. There was a boating option but since it was early morning, we could not avail that.

  It was one of the biggest dam or water reservoir project in Telangana. There were three lakes namely:

  • • Kakatiya Canal
    • Lakshmi Canal
    • Saraswati Canal

  There was also a flood stream trench(protection against flood or excess water). We could not visit these canals. Just few migratory birds were available. There was an island nearby the dam which said to have nested for all migratory birds.

  There were no people nearby. Only me and my wife were walking by the dam. There was a beautiful garden attached to it. There were places to seat by the dam. One can enjoy the sunset in the dam while the birds chirp at the backdrop.

  There was a resort run by the tourism department at Basera. It was very near to the dam. But one has to book it beforehand from the Telangana tourism online portal. Instant booking was denied on that day.

  It was truly a must visit place.

  Journey to Gayathri waterfall

  we started at around 8:30 a.m. towards the lesser known Gayathri waterfall. I took the second and easiest route to reach Gayathri waterfall.

  If you are heading to Gayathri waterfall before Kuntala like us, you can stop at Neridikonda for snacks, tea, and water bottles.

  Parking at Gayathri waterfall

  We Met a few fellow cars who were also heading for this waterfall. It was very close to the highway. but it was tranquil with all its beauty. We Parked our car at Tarnaam buzurg.

  Local guide hiring

  Soon after we met the village head(Patel). The Patel was very supportive and kind. He arranged a local guide for us. We hired the local guide. It was 10 am by my watch. The local guide was fluent in Telugu but was talking broken Hindi.

  The route to Gayathri waterfall

  The route to the waterfall was full of mud. It was only used by the locals. We had to jump several times to avoid the Muddy Road. The way was through a dense jungle. The jungle, since was virgin give us the view of mother nature on how incredible it can be. We took plenty of pictures here.

  The route to Gayathri waterfall was also through cotton and soya fields. En-route we found some small and beautiful streams.

  Just when the journey became little monotonous we got this hundred feet waterfall.

  Gayathri waterfall

  The water was dancing down from the rocky bed to Kadam river. Trekking to this waterfall needed moderate experience. It was suited for us. It was the most beautiful waterfall surrounding with dense forest and calmness. As per our guide, the water at the waterfall did not dry even after drought or during full summer.

  The nearby roads were very slippery and full of mud. We needed to be extra careful.

  Do not miss the bath in the nearby pool if your guide permits. We clicked a few photos and the guide was ready to return for his next visitors. he Took a shortcut via jungle to reach near the car.

  The other aspect of Gayathri waterfall

  Gayathri waterfall was situated at a very secluded place deep inside the jungle. It offered trekking and camping. You can plan for trekking and camping nearby. Take necessary permission from Patel and nearby Police station for a successful Camping and trekking.

  The pieces of advice for traveling Gayathri waterfall

  • Do not perform any stunts. As there is nobody nearby. You can not expect help from villagers in case of emergency.
  • No lettering, smoking and other kinds of harmful activities to mother nature as well as fellow travelers are permitted.
  • No harm to the wild animals if seen.
  • Do not enter to jungle if you do not have a local guide.

  Trip to Pochera waterfall

  The return journey was very quick. He charged 150 rupees per head. For this visit along with a small boy who was guarding our cars. The whole journey took 2 hours. We were back to the main road again at 12:30 p.m. Our next journey was to go to Pochera waterfall.

  Google had done an excellent job on GPS. It led to the small road that took us to Pochera waterfall. The Journey was through a lush green jungle, even though it was not that popular, the place already had plenty of cars. We found a suitable place to park our vehicle and proceed to Pochehra.

  Trip to Pochera Waterfall another beauty

  Pochera waterfall was a treat to enchants, eyes and cameras. It was overall calm and silent. Pochera also had steps to climb down. (lesser compared to Kuntala).

  The water from the kedam river when fallen to the rocky stone,it created a huge mist cascade. This fulfilled our and camera’s expectation.

  The local fisherman warned us not too near the falls as the road was slippery and muddy. They also warned us about the huge rain that happened last night might increase the water flow.

  Food items near Pochera

  Since then, we were only on tea and our own breakfast. We were hungry, Pochera had offered us bread omelet and tea. It was not a proper shop but makeshift arrangements by locals.

  Kuntala Waterfall

  The trip to Kuntala waterfall

  We had to come back to Neredikunda, just before the village (while going from Hyderabad it should be the right side and after the village, we needed to take left). There was no signboard indicating the way to the waterfall. We were extra careful about the road. The locals were very kind and helpful. Despite of the fact that Google was showing its directions, we also inquired to locals.

  Police Checkpoint near Kuntala Waterfall

  There was a police checkpoint just after entering the route to Kuntala waterfall in the urban area, not on the highway. They mainly checked the trunk(dicky) of the car and inside for any storage of alcohol. Be very careful about this.

  Parking and food facility at Kuntala

  From the Main road at around 10 to 12-kilometer kuntala waterfall was situated. There were several parking spaces available. we had to buy a parking ticket( costing rupees 20 per car). We parked our vehicle. It was already 2:30 p.m. There were plenty of food stalls available. We headed towards a food stall. We ordered the chicken biriyani and two Water bottles. The chicken biriyani was really tasty. They said that it was a local delicacy. After finishing lunch at 3:00 p.m. We took some rest inside our car. we were tired too. our leg and body welcomed the much-needed break.

  Exploring Kuntala

  At 4:00 p.m. Who is started climbing down towards the last leg of our journey. There were around 500 steps to go down to the actual Falls. The jungle-covered us from the scorching heat of the sun. It was a different world altogether with dense forest, birds chirping everywhere. The roaring sound of water started increasing as and when we came near to the falls. One could see the Kadam river from the steps in self. Once we reached the bottom we saw this beauty. Water dancing down from a height of 200 feet into multiple streams.

  There were two ways to go to the down-

  • via Steps
  • via Kucha Road

  The second route was not recommended without locals help. If you manage one local, he could guide you to the top of the Fall. (Not recommended again.) There had been countless deaths, who dared to cross the limit. A flex posted and published there.

  The surrounding could only be compared with ChidiyaTapu of Andaman. We played with the streams little bit and I tried to reach to the top, where already people went. After climbing around 50 feet, I realized that it was a very tough task. It was risky too. I climbed down. We roamed here and there. Suddenly sunlight dropped the whole area become gloomy. It was 6:00 p.m. by my watch. We packed our camera and started climbing up. It was crowded but not overcrowded. The early morning view of the falls when there would be fewer visitors can make the visit more fruitful.

  Evening snacks facility at Kuntala

  We reached the parking where most of the cars already left the place by then. Recently the nearby villages open food stalls around it. But we didn’t see lots of varieties. Few stalls were fully closed and few started packing. Luckily though, we got tea in a stall. The shopkeeper started chit chatting with us. He assured that the road was safe during the night. He also informed that there would be lots of trucks on the way.

  Journey back to Hyderabad via Nirmal

  The journey finally started at 7:30 p.m. We reached Nirmal at around 8:30 p.m. Where we had snacks and had Masala dosa and famous kappi at Krishna Residency. We then departed Nirmal at 9:30 p.m. The driver maintained a moderate speed of 60-80 kilometer per hour. We raised ORR Junction at around 12:30 a.m. and reached home at 2 a.m.

  It was a truly amazing trip with tiring journey but it was worth. I felt that we could have halted in Nirmal.

  Other Information:

  Toll Cost

  Total toll and local fees 460 rupees.

  • Bhiknoor Toll Plaza -Just after crossing chegunta. Toll Rs-90
  • Indawai Toll Plaza-Toll Rs-90
  • Ganjal Toll Plaza-Toll Rs-65
  • Neredikonda Toll Plaza-Just before Kuntala- Toll Rs-110

  Among all these Toll Plazas, Bhikanoor offered tea, snacks and restroom facility.

  Preparation for the car:

  • Did air top up and also purchased tubeless puncture kit.
  • Purchased an air pump electric.
  • Did topped up diesel. (full tank).As we moved towards Nirmal, HP petrol bunk number reduces. We got Indian oil though.
  • Around 5K cash. Lucky for us that one of the Indian oil did accept the credit card at Nirmal. But rest all wanted cash. So carry plenty of cash.
  • All necessary documents like license, ID proof, pollution certificate, blue book of the car.
  • Local police station information.
  • 2000 rupees change in 10 rupees and 20 rupees for toll booth and food.
  • Some basic details like name, blood group, emergency contact numbers.

  Preparation for a Long journey:

  • Carry Lots of dry food and water bottles
  • We carried plenty of tea and biscuits.
  • Good music downloaded to Sony MP3
  • Google Map downloaded just in case we do not get the GPS.
  • Tentative Hotel information and food options- make phone booking number ready.

  Food options on the way

  This road was full of good dhabas and family hotels. There were plenty of breakfast options Lots of roadside stalls on the road. They were as follows:

  • Kamareddy Haritha( T.S tourism)
  • Classic family dhaba
  • Haritha
  • Indur Inn
  • Zaika Restaurant
  • Sher E Punjab

  Note- vegetarians need to carry their own food as there were no great vegetarian options available. Even if we got a few options, but it was not pure. I mean they mostly need the spoon to offer vegetarian and nonvegetarian food although I had experienced this in two different hotels at the roadside.

  Staying options

  As we did not plan for staying there, we did not research much. The below hotels were good

  • Krishna residency at Nirmal
  • Hotel Ravi Teja

  Advice to travelers

  • One need to take extreme care about children and themselves. The roads are not that maintained and rocks are slippery. Accidents may happen anytime.
  • Carry your own first aid kit, carry antacid as well.
  • It is always good to carry an extra set of clothes. Just in case you get drenched with the water of the waterfall.
  • If you have knee or some kind of leg problem, avoid going down 400 to 500 steps down. We found that it was very tough to climb up. However, the steps were not straight down. It had many turns and places to take rest.
  • Bathing was allowed in some restricted places. So do not cross the line. Even if you are a great swimmer, it is strictly no.
  • If you are looking for an action-packed event, stay away from here. Adventure in these areas can be very dangerous. Rather we need to care about the water, waterfalls, and stones available there.
  • Wear seat belt and do not drive fast in the Jungle and villages.
  • Do not stay in these places after sunset. As they are very less crowded and if in danger, we get very little villagers to help.
  • Try to eat local cuisine- the chicken biriyani. I am Sure it will be a great experience.
  • Be nice to locals, they are very helpful. We need to understand and value their sentiment as well.
  • As we Indians are little conservative please do not wear which attract unwanted views From locals and other visitors. You know what I mean.
  • Use proper speed, honk, slowing down and defensive driving during this visit.

    Shall we Picnic in Kuntala or Gayathri or Sriram Sagar Dam or Pochera?

    These are no doubt the best picnic spots in Telangana. These are truly good places for kids young stars, family group or social outing. And we are not against picnic or any social gathering. I request all my viewers to take care of these truly untouched beauties.

    • Please throw the waste plates and food at the dustbin.
    • Please do not litter. Red marks are not good on mother Earth.
    • Please clear all the mess before you leave and make it ready for next.

    Few Things could have been done better

    Few suggestions to Telangana government-

    • Sign Boards are much needed. In a few places, there was no signboard at all.
    • Open good food joints here, I am telling you this is a great business opportunity. Dreaming to have KFC at Kuntala.
    • Need more buses to play from Hyderabad to this place. It will attract more visitors for sure.
    • Need a ferry option in the form of ropeway as it is there in Srisailam.
    • Need medical facility at least at Kuntala waterfall area. Visitors mainly depend on first aid kits available with themselves.
    • Need tap water or drinking water facility at the bottom. Currently after climbing down almost 500 steps, one needs to use his/her own water bottle to drench their throat.
    • The govt must maintain the place, currently, it is not maintained due to various factors.
    • No Lifeguard!!- Such dangerous beauty needs some lifeguard for sure.