Shirley falls Yellapur – it’s a beautiful offbeat place with many waterfalls. While it’s possible to visit more than one of these falls in a single day, it’s best to visit one for a wholesome excursion. And visiting Shirley Falls one-day trip is perfect!
From Dharwad – where I live – the waterfall is a 2-hour drive. Apart from the falls, the drive is fun driving through the long stretches and ghats.
It was still cold and dark when we began driving. We made a stop before we left Dharwad for a tank fill. The falls are 90 kilometers away from Dharwad. Check out how far you live from the falls in Karnataka on this site.
Speaking of ghats, it’s advisable to take a four-wheeler. Being the morning birds that we are, I along with two other friends left early at 6 in the morning.
Where is Shirley Falls?
Shirley Falls, also called Shirale/Shirle among the locals, is one of the best waterfalls in North Karnataka. There are a lot of falls in and around Yellapur and Shirley falls is located 15-20 kilometers from Yellapur – including the trek down from the road.
It’s a 15-20 minutes drive from Yellapur. And when visiting from Hubbali-Dharwad, it’s a 1.5-hour drive.
How to get to Shirley Falls
Making it to the falls isn’t tough as it comes along the Ankola Highway from Yellapur – NH 63. It’ll be on your left when coming from Yellapur. What’s tough is how you get down to the falls.
The first half of the trek is easy where you just have to keep walking downhill down narrow pathways.
While the pathways are good, cars aren’t allowed down. So that makes up half the walk. The next half gets more steep and dangerous through muddy paths. Make sure to wear sports shoes while climbing down. Also, be extra cautious when visiting during the rainy seasons.
Best time to visit
The best time to visit the falls is the rainy season (June – September) and the winter season (January to February).
Though it can get really dangerous in the rainy season – the view of the falls and the water falling from 100 feet is beautiful and worth the trek.
We visited in the winter season, the perfect time. It wasn’t that dangerous, nor was it very cold. And there wasn’t complete dryness either – the water still flowed gently in the morning.
Shirley Falls Yellapur Itinerary
There isn’t much to pack when visiting Shirley Falls Yellapur– or another fall there. But Yellapur is all about falls, just water, water, everywhere!
Here are some things to pack on your Shirley Falls Itinerary:
- Keep a change of clothes and an extra set too in case you get messy again.
- A water bottle
- Sunscreen (in case you have bad skin like mine).
- Go for sports shoes. The falls aren’t close to the road and there’s a bit of hiking too.
- Carry a torch. We didn’t have one. But it gets dark under the canopy of trees – and to those visiting in the evening, the light helps climb back up.
The spot’s great for family picnics too. But here’s a request to anyone who’s visiting – these places are best without our (humans) mess. Bringing a snack with you is fine. But make sure you take the litter with you.
- Another travel post to read: 8 Things to Know about Bangalore for the Best Travel Experience
Shirley Falls Yellapur Entry Fee
It costs Rs. 20 per person to enter and hike down to Shirley Falls. Pay at the entrance booth by the parking lot. Follow instructions and begin your descend.
2-wheelers are let down the main gate and can park before the mud trail begin up to the falls. Follow the signboards, as the narrow paths lead to different huts instead of the falls.
Hiking down to Shirley Falls Yellapur
Being early, we headed down to the falls. Heck, there wasn’t a soul, not even a person at the entrance. We started to wander down. The narrow path that took us down was further divided into two smaller paths.
We chose the wrong one and ended up at a local house. A local stepped out and told us the right path, and we were on the right track again.
Only the first half of the hike was on the tiny path – the next half was a real hike with soil that could slip beneath our feet. It took us an hour to get to the falls. Even considering that we’d taken the right path all along, it’d still be over a 45-minute trek.
We stopped at a bridge for a few clicks (the atmosphere was irresistible!).
- Another article to read: Ultimate Bangalore Itinerary for 2 days
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Stepping Right Under the Falls!
Some don’t wish to get wet in the falls, but we did. We were completely soaked. The water current gets strong and the rocks are pretty dangerous while you take steps – so be careful.
The rocks right under the falls get slippery.
We stowed our shoes away and walked by the water barefoot. It’s better to keep your phone away as well. I loved the water so much that I sat down in the water. There were tiny fish swimming around me!
With the height of the rocks, one could tell the water level wasn’t at its peak. It was neither too high nor low. Just perfect for splashing about.
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Some Amazing Clicks of Shirley Falls Yellapur
While the way to the falls has photogenic spots, be careful as you step through with your camera. All the pictures we took were in safe spots. We decided not to hold our cameras out during the narrow steep pathways.
Unless you have a GoPro strapped to your head, keep your cameras away when passing through the rough terrains. Hold those moments for yourself!
Here are some amazing pictures of Shirley Falls Yellapur:
Apart from this piece, here are some articles on Shirley Falls interesting that I found interesting.
- Shirley Falls (uttarakannadatourism.com)
- The Voice of Greenery – Shirley Waterfalls, Yellapur (rakeshholla.blogspot.com)
Things to Know about Shirley Falls Yellapur and other Falls
Shirley Falls, unlike most travels of mine, is an offbeat place I visited in North Karnataka. Along with these falls, there are many more to visit in and around Yellapur.
About the People
While it’s an offbeat place to visit for people visiting from far away, all the falls here are popular among the locals of the town. People here are hospitable and friendly, whether you’re visiting a streetside cafe or a tourist spot.
In the regions of North Karnataka (Hubbali, Dharwad, Belgaum District, Bidar districts, and other districts), the falls here are well-known to teenagers. With the closeness to nature that’s less than 100 kilometers, Yellapur is a perfect weekend getaway.
Thus, you’re bound to meet some young kids with their motorcycles when you visit on the weekends! The other visitors to the falls are local families looking for a sweet picnic spot, people visiting from other parts of Karnataka like Bangalore, and motorcycle riders.
Greens and Falls of Yellapur: Why do people visit Yellapur?
Apart from Shirley Falls Yellapur, any person living in North Karnataka shall know about Yellapur for its falls. There are 5 well-known falls here and 2 major waterfalls nearby the town – Sattodi Falls and Magod Falls.
Apart from the falls, Yellapur is a peaceful sleeping village away from the hustle-and-bustles of swift development. With a 90% population depending on agriculture, it’s the best getaway spot to experience the other side of moving in fast lanes.
With the nearest railway station around 60km away and the closest airport 80km away, the only way to reach is by road. So why people visit Yellapur? Added to the slow lifestyles, lush greenery, and vast paddy fields are the magnificent falls which make Yellapur a perfect getaway spot.
Tourism in Yellapur
With people flocking all over Karnataka, the tourism sector is expanding in Yellapur. Most visitors being from nearby places prefer to drive out themselves.
For people from far-off cities like Bangalore, sites like TripAdvisor and Thrillophilia are of great help. Like Dandeli travel, some offer full-package trips with charges inclusive of the guide, transport, and accommodation.
Speaking of stays, the online presence of Yellapur is on its steady growth. There are tons of sites and travel agencies to book your homestays from. While a private tour package is great for a small trip, I’d recommend traveling on your own.
It costs less and you can travel all the falls deeply and even connect with a few locals!
Internet Access in Shirley Falls
With the rise in the use of data networks in India, accessing the internet isn’t a problem across Yellapur. Even as we reached Shirley Falls and parked our car, we had a steady connection.
But that was it. As we descended the falls into thicker shrubs, the network bars on our phones fell too. We weren’t completely offline, but with the internet really slow, we turned it off.
Shirley falls One Day Trip – Tailpiece
Putting on warm clothes after our fun-vee at the falls, we began to head back up to the car by 2 PM. As we ascended, people were beginning to flood in then. That made one thing clear – it’s best to visit Shirley falls early in the morning. It’s more peaceful.
Anyway, it took quite a while for us to climb up. With all the heavy bags with wet clothes and worn-out bodies tired of enjoyment, we made a stop on the way. By stop, we sat down in the middle of the path for some time. We were exhausted!
Back on the road soon, we headed straight back to Dharwad for lunch. Speaking of which, that’s another thing I loved about the trip. There wasn’t extra expenditure.
We split the petrol bill (a total of Rs. 1200) and the breakfast among the 3 of us and it was 400-460 rupees per head. The Shirley falls Yellapur one-day trip was worth it all. I’m glad I visited :)
As I’ve only visited one of the lesser-known falls here, if not Shirley Falls Yellapur, I’ve yet to visit the other falls in Yellapur!
More travel blogs to check out on my site! :
- Crazy Dandeli Travel Blog
- Nandi Hills Travel Guide from Bangalore
- Tourist Attractions in Wayanad – Kerala
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