Peninsular River · West-flowing

Tapi

Tapti / Tapee
🏔️ Multai, Betul district, MP (752 m) → Gulf of Khambhat, near Surat
724 kmTotal Length
65,145Basin km²
SeasonalFlow Type
3States
Mugger CrocodileFlagship Species

About the Tapi

The Tapi (or Tapti) is the second-longest west-flowing peninsular river, paralleling the Narmada to the south across the Satpura range and draining the volcanic Deccan Trap lava fields of the Maharashtra Khandesh region. The river flows through Surat — one of India's richest cities and historically its most important textile trade port — before meeting the Gulf of Khambhat. The Tapi valley's fertile black cotton soil made it the centre of the 19th-century cotton boom that transformed western India's economy.

The Satpura National Park occupies the highlands between the Narmada and Tapi river systems, and the rivers frame one of central India's most important forest landscapes. The Satpura Tiger Reserve drains into both river systems — northward into the Narmada and southward into the Tapi tributaries. The river has significant mudflat habitats near its mouth at Surat, which are important feeding grounds for migratory shorebirds including the Bar-tailed Godwit on its world-record non-stop migratory journey from Alaska.

States along this river
Madhya PradeshMaharashtraGujarat
Length (vs Ganga, 2525 km)
724 km — 28% of India's longest river
Key tributaries

Purna · Girna · Waghur · Panzara

Wildlife along this river
Mugger Crocodile 🐊Smooth otter 🦦Indian Skimmer 🐦Mahseer 🐟
Best time to explore
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
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