Jog Falls & Gokarna

What is there is Jog Falls & Gokarna?

Jog Falls is the second highest plunge waterfalls in India. The drive from Shivmogga to this falls is through a wildlife sanctuary ( Sharavathi Valley) and this drive is definitely worth it. One time visit to this place is a must.

Gokarna, 3 hours drive from Jog falls, has really beautiful beaches such as Om beach, Kuddle beach , half moon beach where one can relax and enjoy the serenity. Must visit place- its like a mini Goa minus people

There is also a famous Sharavathi trek in this region, which is a two day trek in forest.

Jog falls in June’15

When to visit Jog Falls & Gokarna?

Best season to visit Jog Falls is after monsoon but still there is no guarantee that falls will have water. Around October or November should be a good time to visit, later or before that, might not be that fruitful.

Gokarna has beautiful beaches and the best season would be October to January. We had visited Gokarna during monsoon (June), and it was super hot and humid during the day though evenings were pleasant. It was the rain that made it awesome and really lovable place.

Om beach of Gokarna, Aniesh just love the beaches in rain

Observing the beautiful pattern of waves as it comes to the shore only to go back

How to reach Jog Falls & Gokarna?

Beautiful landscape enroute to Gokarna from Shimoga

From Bengaluru, Jog Falls is about 450 km and Gokarna from Jog Falls is about 120km. There is a good connectivity from Bengaluru to Shimoga (100 km from Jog falls) town (have direct trains and buses which take about 6 hours to reach) and from Shimoga train or bus or cabs are available for forward journey.

The picturesque jungle enroute to Gokarna

The ferocity of waves cuts the rocks and deposit the sand at the shore making it a beach, you can see this spectacular phenomena of erosion at Om beach, see the waves are full of the sand

Best way to plan Jog Falls and Gokarna is to take a night train from Bengaluru and reach Shimoga is morning. Hire a cab from Shimoga to Gokarna and back, visit Jog falls on the way. It would take around 1.5 hours to reach Jog Falls from Shimoga and from there 2 hours for Gokarna.

How many days are required for Jog Falls & Gokarna?

It is not allowed to go near Jog falls , hence about 2-3 hours is enough . Gokarna has many nice beaches and 2 days are enough to enjoy the beaches but for beach lovers extended stay is also worth it. In all, if you have a weekend then these two places can be covered but 3 days would make the trip more comfortable.

Where to stay in Jog Falls & Gokarna?

The Sun, the cloud and the water playing hide and seek with each other – it was fun to watch

There is not much to do near Jog Falls, hence staying there does not make much sense but if you plan to stay near Jog Falls then try Stay@Matthuga, a eco homestay ( have heard a lot about it – prebooking is required for this).

Kudle beach – it is stony beach where as Om is sandy

There are many options in Gokarna, near Om beach or Kudle beach. As we had gone in off season we didn’t have any problem to find a place to stay, we stayed in Patang Beach Resort near Ganga Beach.There are both budget and luxurious stays available.

Our experience.

Namaste Cafe @Om beach, one of the best places for spending time at beach

Jog Falls was a disappointment not only because there was no water in falls but also it was really hot that day. We hardly stayed at the Falls for 20mins. Gokarna was nice and we stayed in Patang beach resort; the best thing about this resort was its proximity to the Ganga beach. Next day we went to Om beach though the morning was hot but afternoon rains made the temperature go down; we took a shower in rain and it was one of the most beautiful rain bath we took. .

Ganga beach was cleaner and better for taking a dip compared to Om and Kundle

We enjoyed the most at Om beach, where we we had one of the best breakfast at Namaste Cafe. We had planned a weekend trip from Bengaluru so we didn’t have a lot of time to visit other beaches. But the trip was worth it.

Ganga beach at sunset, a walk to remember

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

Munnar

Munnar – you beauty

What is there is Munnar?

Munnar is a small hill station in the state of Kerela, India. It has got picturesque lake and tea estates. It is a place where you can have both a relaxing weekend and also an adventurous weekend in the wilderness.

Byson in the wildlife sanctuary

When to visit Munnar?

Best time to visit Munnar is after/during the Monsoons which start after June and ends in February. It is after the rains when the waterfalls and greenery are at their best, but we went before the rains and still everything looked beautiful. It is better to keep in mind that if you are going at a time when there are holidays in India, then it will be crowded as it is the nearest hill station to many cities. (We were stuck in traffic jam in Munnar for about 2hrs).

How to reach Munnar?

Munnar is well connected via road from Bangalore(10 hrs), Coimbatore(4 hrs), Kochi(3 hrs) and many more cities nearby. The nearest railway station are Kochi and Ernakulum. If you are travelling from Bangalore, it is better to take bus, as you can travel in night and reach early morning to Munnar.

By road from Coimbatore, awesome road

Where to stay in Munnar?

There are so many places to stay in Munnar from hotels to homestays to cottages. Since last time we stayed in homestay, this time we wanted to try cadamom cottage. So we booked a cottage through munnarcottages.in. Our cottage was located in an isolated and big cardamom property ,20km away from Munnar city. We had a great time there but travelling to Munnar was task, still would recommend it if seclusion is what you are looking for.

The lake in our estate, view is breathtaking

Some trekking around our estate

Places to visit in/near Munnar.

There are many places to visit in Munnar. We went to couple of them:

1. Attukal Falls: Around 5-6 kms from Munnar. As we had gone before monsoon, there was no water in the falls. There are many falls around that region but since we went in summers, all of them had dried up so we skipped going to all of them.
2. Matupetty Dam: Amazing place but only if you are willing to walk. Matupetty is very crowded, so the best way to enjoy it is to walk away from the crowd. There are many places near the lake where one can sit and enjoy that place in peace.

   

   The Dam – view from just 100 meters away from the crowded area

   

   Best place to just relax and lie down

3. Eravikulam National Park: Though we didn’t get time to visit the Park but we have heard its a nice place to visit. Also, the best time to visit is during early morning, as the day progresses the day gets hotter and also crowd increases.
4. Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary: When you enter Kerela from Coimbatore you pass through this wildlife sanctuary. It is a good sanctuary where you can have lot of pit stops, but due to weather and limited time, we preferred not to stop in between. There is a high rise/watch tower from where you can see elephants and other animals. There is also a trek to one of the falls in the sanctuary.

   

   Falls in the wildlife sanctuary

What more can you do in Munnar?

Best way to enjoy Munnar is to cycle around the city. This was the best decision of this trip. Ansil, the guy who rents out cycle knew lot of unexplored places in Munnar and he suggested us to go to Laxmi falls. According to Ansil the route was for beginners but we found the terrain was bit difficult.

Cycling in munnar

Cycling through the forest road

Picturesque view throughout the cycling expedition

Cycling in munnar is a must if you really want to see its beauty and enjoy the lovely weather. We took the cycles in morning 7am, and went on the trail to laxmi waterfalls. It was about 16km from Munnar city and we passed through undulating road with picturesque tea plantation, it was amazing riding downhill. Little did we know that coming back up will be pain in the ass( and I mean literally).

Downhill was easy …and it was steep

Surprised to see waste segregation in a village in munnar – respect !!

After about 2.5 hrs of cycling downhill, we happily reached the falls, like other falls, this fall was also kind of dried up but still the water was cold and soothing.

Tea estates in munnar

Entrance of  Lakshi Falls

The Relaxing bathing experience in the falls

Uphill ride was the toughest part, sometimes we felt like giving up but then the natural beauty was so breathtaking and we knew cycling was the only way to enjoy it so, we continued on cycles for ext 16km uphill.

Kavya on the way back

I would suggest that cycling is a must do if you are going to Munnar, it was worth the effort we had put in.