Nohkalikai Falls, Cherrapunji — India's tallest plunge waterfall
What it is
Nohkalikai Falls, also called Ka Likai, is a waterfall of 340 m near Cherrapunji, in the Khasi Hills of Meghalaya. Wikipedia calls it the tallest plunge waterfall in India. The water drops sheer from the edge of a small plateau into a plunge pool of an unusual green.
Photos: Vikramjit Kakati (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Sayowais (CC BY-SA 3.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Why it varies
Rain that collects on the top of the plateau feeds the falls, and Wikipedia says they lose power in the dry months, from December to February. In the rains they are at their fullest, though cloud and mist can then hide the gorge.
The legend
The name comes from Ka Likai, a woman of a village upstream in a Khasi legend about a mother's loss. The story is a sad one, and it is told as a legend, with no date attached.
Getting there
By road from Cherrapunji to a viewpoint over the gorge; our measured road time is in the quick facts. We have no verified entry fee, opening hours or walking rules for the viewpoint.
Combine it with
The Nohsngithiang Falls, the Seven Sisters, are to the south, and the one-day plan takes both. Read things to do in Cherrapunji and when to visit Cherrapunji.
Plans that include this
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Nearby places
All of Cherrapunji →
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Questions people ask
What are the Nohkalikai Falls?
A waterfall of 340 metres near Cherrapunji, which Wikipedia calls the tallest plunge waterfall in India. It is fed by rain collected on the top of a comparatively small plateau. Below it is a plunge pool of an unusual shade of green. It is also called Ka Likai, and the name comes from a Khasi legend.
When are Nohkalikai Falls at their best?
In and after the rains. Wikipedia says the falls lose power in the dry season, from December to February, because the plateau that feeds them is small. Cloud also hides the gorge on many days, so check the sky; a clear morning after rain gives the fullest fall and the best view.
Who was Ka Likai?
In the legend Wikipedia retells, Ka Likai was a woman of a village upstream, a porter and a widow who remarried for her daughter's sake, and a tragedy that followed her home gave the falls their name. It is a grim story told by the Khasi, so treat it as a legend, not a dated record.