The Machkund river drops about 175 m into a forested gorge on the Odisha–Andhra border. It is the biggest waterfall in the district, the furthest from town, and the reason to keep a whole day.
- Height
- About 175 m
- From Koraput
- About 90 km, 3 h
- Best months
- September to January
- Plan
- A full day
What you see
The road ends near the top of the gorge. From the viewpoints you look across at the full drop and down into the valley where the river continues. After the monsoon the sound reaches you before the view does; by late winter the flow is thinner but the gorge is just as dramatic.
Machkund
The falls sit inside the Machkund hydro-electric project area, shared between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. Some sections are restricted and photography rules apply near the installations. The driver knows where to stop and where not to.
Onukadelli on Thursdays
A short drive from the falls, the weekly market brings Bonda and other communities down from the hills. It is a working market. We visit quietly, buy what we need and photograph people only with their consent.
A full-day plan
- Leave Koraput by 7 am with breakfast packed.
- Duduma viewpoints by mid-morning, an hour or two there.
- Onukadelli market if it is Thursday; otherwise the Machkund valley and lunch.
- Back in Koraput by evening; the road is slow after dark.
