About Duduma Falls
Duduma Falls on the Machhkund River sits on the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border, where the river drops 175 metres in a broad, spectacular cascade through a gorge in the Eastern Ghats. The Machhkund River forms the state boundary and the falls mark the point where the river's character transforms from a broad highland stream to a roaring gorge waterfall — the view from the Odisha side is different in character from the Andhra Pradesh side, and many visitors make the short detour to see both perspectives.
The surrounding Eastern Ghats forest is an important tribal landscape inhabited by the Kondh and Gadaba communities who have traditionally used the Machhkund River for fishing and ritual practices. The Duduma Hydroelectric Project has modified the river flow above the falls, but enough water passes through the natural overflow channel to maintain a substantial waterfall during monsoon and post-monsoon months. The gorge below the falls is habitat for crocodiles, smooth-coated otters, and a variety of river birds.
August–November for maximum flow; the two-state perspective from each bank gives different compositional opportunities.
Cross to the Andhra Pradesh side for a different angle and wider view of the cascade. The gorge below has excellent crocodile photography.