About Barehipani Falls
Barehipani Falls is India's second-highest waterfall at 399 metres — a magnificent two-tiered plunge of the Budhabalanga River inside Simlipal National Park in Odisha. The upper tier drops 259 metres and the lower tier 135 metres, with a natural terrace between them where visitors can stand and observe both the immensity of the upper fall and the dramatic lower plunge simultaneously. The falls are inside a tiger reserve, meaning the approach passes through some of central India's finest undisturbed sal forest.
Barehipani is one of the few waterfalls in India that is simultaneously impressive for its height (India's second tallest) and its wildlife context — the surrounding Simlipal forest is the only place in the world where melanistic (black) tigers have been confirmed in multiple individuals. Getting to the falls requires a park jeep and a short trek, and the journey through the forest is itself a wildlife safari. The Simlipal landscape changes dramatically between seasons, with the sal trees bare and wildlife concentrating near water in summer, and the forest an intense green during the monsoon.
October–January — park is accessible and both tiers are visible with clear weather.
The upper tier is best captured with a telephoto lens from the viewpoint below. For both tiers in one frame, use a wide-angle from the saddle between them.