Catherine Falls, Kotagiri,
Nilgiris
Catherine Falls is a
double-cascaded waterfall located near Kotagiri
Town in Kotagiri Taluk in Nilgiris District of Tamil
Nadu. It is also a major tourist spot in Kotagiri, located on the
Mettupalayam road branching off at Aravenu.
This water fall has both lower and upper falls. The upper fall drops to the
floor, and is the second highest in the Nilgiri
mountains. It falls from a height of 250 ft into the Kallar River.
The waters from the upper stream of the Kallar River are crossed by the
invisible Mettupalayam-Ooty road beyond the mountains in the south-west.
Catherine Falls is named after
the wife of M.D. Cockburn, believed to have introduced
the coffee plantation to Kotagiri. The local people call the waterfall as the
Geddhehaada Halla which means the 'Foothills of the Dale River'. These cascading falls are surrounded by
beautiful views of forest, tea plantations and the Mettupalayam plains. The
falls are clearly visible from the top of Dolphin's Nose and this is the only
place where you can get to full view of the Falls.
Catherine Falls is located
at about 300 meters from Adubettu Bus Stop, 4 Kms from Kotagiri, 7 Kms from Kotagiri
Bus Stand, 18 Kms from Coonoor, 20 Kms from Coonoor Railway Station, 30 Kms from Mettupalayam Railway Station, 37 Kms from
Ooty, 63 Kms from Coimbatore and 70 Kms from Coimbatore Airport. Private Taxis
are available from Ooty and Coonoor to reach this place.
Though it's not possible to
reach the foot of this waterfall, one can go to top of the falls for a truly
spectacular view. From a small town called Aravenu on the Kotagiri / Mettupalayam
Road, one has to go via Moon Road to reach the falls. About 2-3 Kms trek is
required from the nearest road to reach the falls.