Wayanad

What is there is Wayanad?

Wayanad is a district in Kerela, which is very famous for the beautiful landscapes, the dam and waterfalls. Wayanad is perfect for people who either want to just relax or who want to do some weekend activities. We fall in the latter category, and Wayanad did not disappoint us.

When to visit Wayanad ?

Wayanad is perfect all year round. Though people say monsoon season should be avoided but we visited Wayanad in July which is almost peak monsoon season in Kerela but we didn’t face any issue. An only problem would be if you won’t be able to trek all the way to the top of the Chembra peak.

How to reach Wayanad?

Kalpetta is the main town in Wayanad, it is well-connected to Bangalore by bus. There is no direct train to Kalpetta from Bangalore, so bus and cab are the best options. Kalpetta can be reached in 6hrs (283km ) from Bangalore.

Where to stay in Wayanad?

Homestays, resorts, hotels – everything is available in Wayanad. But if you are travelling on  a weekend then pre-book your stay. We had booked our stay through Guesthouser ( a homestay booking website). Though the website claimed it to be a homestay but in reality it was a small hotel – Wayanad Gate Resort. This place was ok, not that great and not that bad. The only problem with this resort was that it was 30km before Kalpetta.

How to travel within Wayanad?

We had hired a taxi for two days which cost us around 4000 Rs. Though it was expensive but it was worth, as traveling within Wayanad could be a bit difficult.

 

En route to Chembra peak

 

What places to visit in Wayanad?

We are listing the places in the order of our likeness.

1. Chembra Peak: A 3-4 hr (4.5 km) medium level trek to the heart shaped lake was one of the best short treks we ever had. Comparatively a very organized trek. They charge 500 rs for 10 people even if the group is smaller and provide a guide for each group. Unfortunately, they didn’t give us one.

   

   Heart Shaped lake, took our heart way (just being dramatic..hehehe)

   

2. Banasura Dam: Largest earth dam in India and second largest in Asia. This dam is a must visit. You can walk to the top (10 min) or you can take a jeep (they charge 100 Rs) to the top of the dam. One can easily spend half a day here if the weather is good.

   

   Men examining the Dam – Mansplaining each other

   

   Solar Panel in Banasura Dam – providing shelter from Sun and Rain

3. Lakkidi View Point: Best during early morning as it gets really crowded by the end of the day.

   

   Above the Clouds. It was an awesome view

4. Meenmutty Falls: Not the best falls but still can be visited once. A small walk to the top of the falls is worth it. What we really loved here was that there were people including women employees, who were helping the tourists to go up to the falls. This kind of tourist-friendly attraction we have not seen before in India.

   

   On top of Meenmutty falls

5. Eddakal Caves: We were not able to visit this place during our 2-day trip.

Some tips for Chembra Trek. 

1. For Chembra peak trek start early (around 7am) and do carry water and food. 
2. Cab drivers try to make money by stopping way before the Chembra peak parking point and making you take a jeep. If you don’t mind walking then you can skip the jeep and can walk 2-3 km up to the trek point. Also, after the permit point,  you can take a jeep  (1.5 or 2 km) to the point from where the trek starts. 
3. Do wear good shoes. People do the trek wearing sandals and chappals but we have seen many people slipping and falling. It’s not worth taking any risk. 
4. Wear full pants as leeches might be there.

Our Experience of Wayanad.

The highlight of the whole trip was the Chembra peak trek. But we thoroughly enjoyed the Banasura Dam too. The weather was also very supportive when we visited, it drizzled the whole time. Though we missed Edakal caves but I think Wayanad can be covered in 2 days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shivasamudram Falls

Gaganchukki falls

What is there in Shivasamudram Falls?

Shivasamudram waterfall is on Kaveri river and divided into two different falls which are 8km apart from each other – Bharachukki and Gaganachukki falls. Bharachukki falls is the famous of the two falls but we found Gaganchukki falls equally good. Even during off season (before rains) both the falls had decent flow and not completely dried out.

A little dried – Barachukki falls

The thing that we liked about these falls was that government is trying to make it more  tourists friendly and have constructed lookout points, toilets  and parking lots. Also unlike Hognekkal falls which was all littered up these falls were very clean.

When to visit Shivasamudram falls?

Best time is definitely after monsoon when the Kaveri flows in full form. But it wont be disappointing to visit in summers also. We had visited the falls in May and it was not that bad.

How to reach the Shivasamudram Falls ?

We drove to Shivasamudram falls and it took us around 2 hrs to reach Gaganchukki falls. GPS would be the best option- just punch in Gaganchukki and it will direct you to the right place. We had no problem locating the falls. If you are travelling from Bangalore, first Gaganachukki falls will come from there you can ask the guard for directions to Bharachukki falls, though there are sign boards on the way so locating these falls shouldn’t be a problem.

Enroute from Gaganchukki to Bharachukki falls

How much time do you need for Shivasamudram falls?

We had left around 7am in the morning from Bangalore and around 9 am we had reached Gaganachukki falls. After making few pit stops here and there we reached Bharachukki falls around 11am.

Good road and beautiful blossom of flowers

Usually at Bharachukki falls, tourists are allowed to go down to the gorge and take a small boat ride, but unfortunately when we visited the falls this facility was shut down temporarily as earlier that week someone had drowned there. Also, there were a lot of monkeys there so we didn’t stay at Bharachukki for a long time. We took a small detour but we if we had not we could have reached back to Bangalore around 2pm.

In all, Shivasamudram is worth a half day trip but there are few places nearby which can be combined with this trip.

Places near Shivasamudram falls

Talakad : This place is famous for being a deserted a town but by no means it is that. It has few temples which have been unearthed and most of the tourists come here. We also visited Talakad which is around 32km from Bharachukki falls (GPS Talakad – sign boards are also there). It has good architecture but not a must visit place. It was a very hot day when we visited this place and moreover there were so many tourists so it was pretty crowded.

There are many other places nearby such as Bheemeshwari, Chanapatna, BR Hills , check the below link for more details. – http://www.karnataka.com/mandya/barachukki-gaganachukki-falls-shivanasamudra/

Tips when travelling to Shivasamudram falls

1. Carry your own food and water. Though there is a small eatery outlet near Gaganachukki falls but its better to carry your own food.
2. Beware of monkeys. There are a lot of monkeys near Bharachukki falls.
3. Carry spare clothing. If you take the boat ride at Bharachukki falls there is a high possibility that you will get wet (there are washrooms near both the falls).

Our Experience

We didn’t have much expectation from these falls and hence we were pleasantly surprised that they had some water in them and also were well maintained well. At least the areas near the falls were not littered which made us feel really good.

The road to this place was superb with just few bad patches. Overall we liked this place but we would like to visit this place once after the rains to see the falls in full form.

 

Yelagiri

What is there in Yelagiri ?

Yelagiri is a small hillstation in Vellore district of Tamil Nadu. Just like other hill stations of south, Yelagiri too has a lake, beautiful green valley but with one difference, it is not crowded. Though Yelagiri might not be the perfect hill station but the drive to this place is worth it.

Which is the best season to visit Yelagiri?

As Yelagiri is not at a great altitude, summers can be really hot. Any day that is pleasant is good for this short trip.

Yelagiri is also famous for snakes so probably rainy season should be avoided if you are planning to trek.

How to reach Yelagiri?

 Yelagiri is around 150km from Bangalore and the the best way to reach would be to drive to Yelagiri (GPS- our best friend). Though the road is in very good condition but last few kilometers have lot of twist and turns so it can be fun for some and no so much for others.

Stairway to Heaven

What to do in Yelagiri?

We had heard para-gliding could be done in Yelagiri but it turned out it was no more done there. Disappointment.

Swami Malai Trek :This is an small 3km trek which takes around 1-1.5 hrs climbing uphill. It starts behind a small temple (ask locals they will guide you to the starting point, GPS will also guide you to the starting point) and passes through fields. The trek is pretty decent with many mud stairs. At the top of the hill there is a big boulder on which one can climb and view the whole valley. Must do trek in Yelagiri.

Jalagamparai Waterfalls : We were not able to visit these waterfalls but there is a trek to reach to these falls.

Punganur Lake : This is an artificial lake and meant for families with kids, so you can pass on this lake.

Vainu Bappu Solar Observatory : One of the largest solar observatory is around 35km from Yelagiri. Prior permission is required.

Where to stay in Yelagiri?

There is not much to do in Yelagiri so a day trip would be enough to explore this place, but if you have to stay then there are few good hotels/ resorts in Yelagiri such as Yelagiri Marigold Ridge, O’Nila resort. Cheap stays are also available.

Top of the rock where you get the bird eye view

Our Experience

To be honest, the trip wasn’t as per our expectation. We had gone to Yelagiri to do para-gliding which as I mentioned above was no longer done there. Also,it was a hot day and we didn’t know what to do there. After some online search we came to know about the trek but by then it was already 10am so it was pretty hot. Though the trek was nice as most of the route to the trek had tree cover but would have been better if we had started a little earlier.

But anyway,the drive to this place was very nice with some good view points and also the trek was good, so we would recommend this place if you want to do road trip from Bangalore.

Hognekkal Falls, Tamil Nadu

What is there in Hognekkal Falls?

Falls in the gorge

Hognekkal falls is known as Niagara falls of India. Being on Kaveri river, the throughput of the falls is very good and that makes this fall perennial. Though after rains it becomes massive but even before rainy season it is equally good and enjoyable. The best thing about this falls is the small round boat ride which takes you directly under the falls crossing the small gorge. It is amongst our “must visit” list.

Just before reaching the falls, de tour to this place

When to visit Hognekkal Falls?

Well, as it is on Kaveri, anytime is good time. But then, weather can play an important role to decide if you want to go or not. If its hot and sunny weather then you might not be able to enjoy as much as when the weather is pleasant or cloudy. Moreover, after monsoon, the boat ride is discontinued as the water level rises in the gorge. So the best time can be during monsoons.

Also, visit should be made before 11am as after that it gets very crowded and the boat rowers also do not spend much time showing you around. Few friends of our’s did not appreciate the place as they reached after 12 pm.

How to reach Hognekkal Falls?

Though Hognekkal is in Tamil Nadu, its very close to Karnataka border. From Bengaluru it is about 120km. Best way to reach is by taxi or by car. Route is also pretty and worth the drive. For self drive GPS will be reliable. Don’t take the highway which is shown in the GPS but a detour through village via Denkanikotai will be good, also you can further detour to Devrabetta in Thally

The community place of one of the villages that we crossed

How much time is required for Hognekkal Falls?

Kaveri river, just before the hognekkal falls.

Well, we left around 6 :30 am in morning, and after making many pit stops we reached Hognekkal around 10am. We left from Hognekkal around 1pm, stopped for lunch but still made back to Bengaluru by 4pm.

Some hair pin turns on the road to hognekkal

What to do in Hognekkal?

In India, you can have snacks even in gorges like this.. see the man with potato chips and cold drinks

There is a bridge from which you can see falls (also, half naked guys taking bath after getting oil massage), but going to the other side of the bridge is not allowed. The only way to go to the main falls is by taking a round boat. If you are early and it is not crowded then you can enjoy a lot as you can haggle a bit and get some extra time of the boat ride. Usually the boat ride takes you to the gorge and from there to a small beach and return.

There are two interesting part of the boat ride, first is that they take you to beach, which has flowing stream in which you can take bath. But one needs to be very cautious in taking the bath as the flow of stream is quite good. The other interesting thing is the 360 degree spin that you get on the boat.

We were on a beach which was in Tamil Nadu and the boats on the other side of the river were in Karnataka.

What to carry to Hognekkal Falls?

Do carry extra pair of clothes as you might get wet during the boat ride. Also make sure you carry food with you, because we didn’t find a single dhaba on the way, and one or two which were there, were closed.

Our Experience of Hognekkal Falls.

Hognekkal was a pleasant surprise. After visiting Jog falls, we didn’t have much expectation. But this was way more beautiful and fun. Also, because the weather was good we enjoyed a lot. We had some funny encounters at the falls, many men were getting oil massage done near the falls. I feel that these things should be stopped as after oil massage they take bath in the falls, making it all oily, greasy and dirty. The guys who were giving massage were actually hitting those guys and climbing on them, jumping on them. It was a funny site but then that’s the way locals earn there. Some of our friends hated this place because of this activity which was going on, but somehow we enjoyed a lot.

You can get typical oil message if you are willing to get it here… 😀

We reached here by boat. It was fun to take bath in this flowing river