Bhalugaad Waterfall (Mukteshwar) — Attraction in Uttarakhand

If you're planning a trip to Mukteshwar, Bhalugaad Waterfall is a must-visit hidden gem that offers raw natural beauty, a mini-trek adventure, and the thrill of dipping into icy mountain water.

🚶‍♂️ Trek Experience:

Reaching the waterfall involves a 2 km trek from the parking area. The path is moderately easy and winds through forests, narrow trails, and occasional rocky patches. It's perfect for beginners who want a bit of a walk without a full-on hike. Do wear good shoes — the trail can get slippery during or after rain.

🎟️ Entry & Charges:

Entry Ticket: ₹60 per person

Parking Fee: ₹30 per hour (2-wheelers and cars)

Life Jacket (mandatory if going in deeper): ₹100 rental

If you're planning to take a dip — bring a towel and change of clothes. The water is crystal clear but cold, especially during morning hours. Locals run a small but growing eco-tourism business around the area, renting jackets and guiding tourists.

🌊 The Waterfall Experience: Once you arrive, you're welcomed by a peaceful yet refreshing sight. The main fall isn't extremely high, but it's surrounded by huge rocks and thick greenery, giving it a wild, untouched feel. Water flows into a natural pool where people relax or dip their feet. If you're confident and rent a life jacket, you can go a little deeper — but be careful, as the waterbed is uneven and gets suddenly deep in some places.

🚗 Transportation & Access: The spot is easily reachable by car or bike. Roads are narrow in parts but drivable. It’s about a 20–25 minute ride from Mukteshwar town. No public transport available directly to the fall — best to bring your own vehicle or hire a cab for a few hours.

🥤 Facilities: No big shops, just a few stalls selling water, chips, maggi, chai etc.

No changing rooms or toilets nearby, so plan accordingly.

The locals managing the site are polite, but the area is still developing.

✅ Pros: Scenic forest trail

Affordable entry

Clean water & peaceful vibes

Great spot for pictures and relaxation

⚠️ Cons: No safety railings or formal guards

No toilets or changing areas

Slippery rocks — tread carefully

More like affordable adventure park

🌟 Final Verdict: Bhalugaad Waterfall is a simple, raw, and rewarding spot that gives you just enough of an adventure without being too risky or commercial. Ideal for couples, solo travelers, and friends looking for a short hike and a nature dip. It’s a great local effort in eco-tourism — just respect the environment, take your trash back, and enjoy the calm.

Last not least if you are planning to visit here take bike or scooty on rent which will cost 500 rupees for scooty and 600 to 700 for bike it will...

What Makes It Awesome? 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. What Could Be Better? 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. What's My Pro Tip? 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. Anything Else? 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...

Bhalu gaad waterfall is about 10 kms before the actual Mukteshwar town. So when you are going from Ramgarh side you will have to take the upper road right before 10 kms of Mukteshwar. This road that you take also then merges with the road to Haldwani via Padampuri and Chaafi. Once you bifurcate keep moving for six kilometers, mostly a ride downhill. You will get to know where the waterfall is since there is a proper board on the right and also many people visit this place.

The ticket here for entry is 50 per person. From main road it is about a Kilometer of walking distance inside to the fall. There is also a zip line which is set up here and they charge about 200 per person for the zip line. You can either use the zip line to go down or use the track to walk down. Either ways is fine. I visited in October 2021 and the road to this fall plus the walk trek to this fall both were under construction. Hopefully by the time you read this, or visit , this would be made completely. You can find little chai maggi anda serving kiosks. There is a little stream of water that flows beside the trek and these kiosks also offer you to sit in the river with you legs enjoying cool water and you drinking chai and eating whatever they serve. You will also get life jackets if you want to swim in ghr fall and also on the way you will get delicious pahadi delicacy like organic kheera and makka and pahadi fruits as well. Do try them I would say as they are health since gone in pahaad and seasonal too so no chance of any adulteration. Needless to say once you reach the fall, it is pretty pretty beautiful! It is even more beautiful than Corbett fall since the water is so very clear and this fall is mesmerizing. Once you are done with the fall you may take the road back uphill if you want to visit Mukteshwar or else just keep following the road downhill and it will merge with a highway in about two kilometers from the fall ! Do give it a visit but avoid Monsoons and winters both cos winters too cold and monsoons too rainy! I would say try autumn or spring or summers ! Good luck with your visit ! Also please don’t dirty the place and carry your own waste and later dispose in...