Devkund Waterfall Trek: Route, Best Months and Current Rules

Devkund waterfall trek: Devkund is a plunge waterfall in the forest near Bhira village, Mangaon taluka, Raigad district, Maharashtra. Maharashtra Tourism describes it as a moderate forest trek of about 1.5–2 hours, with stream crossings, best done after the monsoon (October–November). In 2026 the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Mangaon banned entry to the waterfall and a 1 km radius from 1 July to 30 September 2026 (as reported by eSakal, Pudhari and the Hindustan Times; we could not find the order itself online). We found no report of an extension or a new order after 30 September as of 23 October 2026, but no official page says the trail is open today either. Call Mangaon Police Station (02140-263005) before you go. No official entry or guide fee is published. Do not swim in the pool: two young men drowned there on 12 July 2026.

Last checked: 23 October 2026, on the Maharashtra Department of Tourism website (maharashtratourism.gov.in), the Raigad Police website and the Raigad district website, plus Marathi and English news from the last 12 months. We have not done this trek ourselves. Where a detail comes only from a trek blog or a newspaper, we say so.

Devkund trek at a glance

Is the Devkund trek open now?

Devkund is closed by a local order almost every monsoon, and the dates change each year:

• 2026: Dr Sandipan Sanap, Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Mangaon, issued a prohibitory order under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (the old Section 144). It covered Devkund waterfall in Bhira village, Secret Point and Tamhini Ghat in Sanaswadi village, and about 1 km around them, from 1 July to 30 September 2026 (eSakal, 4 July 2026; Pudhari, 5 July 2026; Hindustan Times and Free Press Journal, July 2026).
• 2025: the same officer’s order ran from 17 June to 30 September 2025 (Krushival, 18 June 2025; NDTV Marathi, 19 June 2025).
• 2022: a Section 144 order closed Devkund and Secret Point until 31 October 2022 (Maharashtra Times, 5 July 2022), so the end date is not always 30 September.

The order’s text is not on the Raigad district website’s orders page, so we rely on these newspaper reports. They agree on the 2026 dates. As of 23 October 2026 we found no report that the 2026 order was extended or replaced. The ban period has ended, but no official page confirms that the trail is open today. Before you travel, call Mangaon Police Station (number above) or ask at the Bhira start point, and turn back if the police or villagers say the trail is shut.

According to eSakal, the 2026 order banned, within the 1 km zone: entering the waterfall area, going into deep or fast water or swimming, sitting under the falling water, selfies, reels and photos at dangerous edges, alcohol, loud music, littering (plastic, glass, thermocol), harassment of women, stopping vehicles at dangerous spots, and private vehicles within 1 km of the dam, lake and waterfall (emergency services excepted). These rules applied only during the order’s dates, but they are good rules in any season.

What happened in July 2026

On Sunday 12 July 2026, during the ban, a group of employees from Chakan MIDC in Pune district reached the Patnus T-point, where police on monsoon duty turned them back. The group then hired a local guide and reached Devkund by another trail through Mhasewadi village. Around 2 p.m. two young men went into the pool and drowned; police said one could not swim. Their bodies were recovered the next day (Hindustan Times, 13 July 2026; Navarashtra; Pudhari, 13–14 July 2026).

Mangaon Police then registered a case against 25 people, including the victims’ companions, the local guide and people who took bookings (Pudhari, 14 July 2026). They also booked the operators of seven Instagram travel pages for advertising Devkund trips during the ban, under Sections 223 and 45 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (Hindustan Times, 15 July 2026; Free Press Journal, 14 July 2026). Police Inspector Sanjay Bangar said tourists, guides or others found within about 1 km of the banned spots would face immediate action.

The 2026 order itself cited earlier accidents, as reported by eSakal: four tourists swept away and about 55 stranded in 2017, three drowned in 2018 after that year’s ban ended, and one swept away in 2022.

The route: Bhira to the waterfall

Maharashtra Tourism says the falls are “fed by three converging waterfalls” and drop into an “emerald-blue plunge pool”, reached on “a moderately challenging trek of about 1.5-2 hours through dense forests, crossing streams”. Wikipedia says the trail runs along the dam backwater and then through forest, with the river running beside the path and sometimes across it. It also says the pool is said to be the source of the Kundalika river (not confirmed on an official page).

The one-way distance is not published officially. Wikipedia gives about 6.5 km. A trek blog (trekbook.in, 2022) measured 4.38 km. Others quote 3–4 km, depending on where vehicles are allowed to stop. Wikipedia also gives two different times, 1.5–2 hours in its trek details and “about a three-hour trek” in its description. Plan for a full day: start in the morning, keep time at the pool, and be back at the start well before dark.

• Stream crossings: you will get your feet wet. After heavy rain the water can rise quickly. If it is raining hard or the water looks fast, do not cross.
• Stay on the main trail. The July 2026 deaths happened after a group used a side route to get around a checkpoint.
• Shoes and water: wear shoes with good grip and carry enough water and food for the round trip.

Is a guide compulsory?

We found no official rule (forest department, district or gram panchayat) that makes a guide compulsory. On-the-ground reports differ: Wikipedia says a guide “is required” because of the dense forest, and Indiahikes says the villagers’ registration desk at the start of the trail insists that groups hire a local guide. Our advice is to take one from the registration point at Bhira. A guide cannot make a banned trail legal, though: in July 2026 a local guide was among the people booked by police.

Fees

No official fee schedule is published on any government page we checked. Reports from trekkers mention a village (gram panchayat) entry charge, a guide charge and parking, collected at Bhira, but the amounts differ widely between sources and years, from ₹10 to ₹200 per person for entry alone. We don’t print a single figure because none is official. Carry cash and ask for a receipt.

Best time to visit Devkund

Maharashtra Tourism gives the best time as post-monsoon (October–November) and also “the early monsoon”. In practice the early monsoon is now usually inside the ban: the 2025 order started on 17 June and the 2026 order on 1 July. So the realistic window is from early October, after the order ends. Trek blogs report the strongest flow just after the rains and a weaker fall in the dry months. Weekends in October are busy; go on a weekday if you can.

How to reach Bhira (Devkund) from Pune and Mumbai

Tamhini Ghat (Pune side): the ghat road was shut after landslides in July 2026 that also washed away a small bridge. It was reported reopened on 16 August 2026 for two-wheelers, cars, light vehicles and ST buses only, with a 20 km/h speed limit; heavy vehicles were still banned while widening work went on (Saamana, 16 August 2026). We could not confirm whether these limits still apply, so check before you drive.

Don’t mix it up with the other “Devkund”

There is a different Devkund waterfall at Bhivegaon in Khed taluka, Pune district, near Bhorgiri on the Bhimashankar side. Two people drowned there on 11 August 2025 (Lokmat). There is also a Devkund in Mayurbhanj, Odisha. This guide is only about the Devkund near Bhira in Raigad. For the Bhimashankar trail itself, see our Bhimashankar trek guide.

Safety rules worth keeping all year

• Don’t swim in the plunge pool. Every death in the reports we found involved the water. Pudhari described the place where the two men were lost in July 2026 as about 50 feet deep.
• Never go when a ban is in force, and never use a “back route” to get past a police point.
• Don’t trust social-media posts that say Devkund is “open”. In July 2026 the administration called such posts false (Ratnagiri 24 News), and police booked the page operators.
• Turn back in heavy rain. The streams you cross can rise fast.
• Carry your rubbish back and avoid loud music; the 2026 order also banned littering and loud speakers.

Other trips nearby

If you are planning more Sahyadri trips, see our guides to Lingana Fort trek (a separate, much harder climb in Raigad), Nanemachi waterfall, Randha Falls, Bhandardara and picnic spots near Pune.

FAQ

Is Devkund waterfall open in October 2026?

The 2026 ban covered 1 July to 30 September 2026, and we found no report of an extension as of 23 October 2026. No official page confirms it is open, so call Mangaon Police Station (02140-263005) or ask at Bhira before you go.

How long is the Devkund waterfall trek?

Maharashtra Tourism says about 1.5–2 hours through forest with stream crossings. The one-way distance is not official: about 6.5 km per Wikipedia, and shorter in some trek reports.

Is a guide compulsory for Devkund?

We found no official rule. Trekkers report that the village registration desk at Bhira asks groups to take a local guide. Taking one is sensible.

What is the Devkund entry fee?

No official fee is published. Village entry, guide and parking charges are collected locally, and reported amounts vary, so carry cash.

Can you swim at Devkund?

During the 2026 ban, entering the water was prohibited. Outside the ban we strongly advise against it: drownings were reported in 2017, 2018, 2022 and July 2026.

Where does the Devkund trek start?

At Bhira village, in the Patnus area of Mangaon taluka, Raigad. In July 2026 police ran a checkpoint at the Patnus T-point.

Sources: maharashtratourism.gov.in (Adventure Tourism and Monsoon Tourism pages), raigadpolice.gov.in (Mangaon Police Station), raigad.gov.in (orders page checked; Devkund order not listed), eSakal, Pudhari, Saam TV, Hindustan Times, Free Press Journal, Navarashtra, Ratnagiri 24 News, Krushival, NDTV Marathi, Maharashtra Times, Saamana, Lokmat, Wikipedia, Indiahikes and trekbook.in. All checked 23 October 2026. Rules change every monsoon, so check with the Mangaon police before you travel.