Trip to Coorg: Visit to Lesser Known Waterfalls - II

Day 2:
Visit to Mallalli falls, Abbimatta Falls and Shivanasamudra:

We got up early morning and decided to trek to Mallali Falls. One of the main reasons to stay at this home stay was its nearness to the falls. The falls is located at a distance of 5km from our home stay. Even though there is a motorable road to the very end we decided to trek to the falls, as it has been a long time since we had done a trek.
There is also an alternate shorter path to the falls from the estate that we had put up but decided to take on the longer one as we didn’t have much activities planned for the day. The first two kilometers of the trek was a tar road after which one needs to take a deviation for the falls. This marks the beginning of the jeep tracks to the falls.
Finally we reached the falls after one hour of walk through the jeep tracks. The path leading to the falls is mainly downhill. There are boards all along the way indicating the ferocity of the falls and the presence of crocodiles in streams.

The falls is situated in a valley covered by dense vegetation on all sides. Of all the falls that I have visited in Karnataka it is one of the most beautiful falls that I have come across given its secluded location and the style of fall. The falls unveils itself in parts as one gets down to the valley. There are concrete steps till half way built by the tourism department to reach the bottom of the valley. The step sizes are quite big creating uneasiness rather than helping out to reach the bottom of the valley.

As we reached the bottom of the falls, we could feel the presence of water in the air making the breeze cooler. As we reached even closer we got drenched completely by the water droplets carried by breeze. It was like a fine spray of water sprayed from a hose. It was an amazing experience of being close to the falls and getting drenched. Due to the slippery rocks it is difficult to get close to the falls and not advisable to get into the water owing to the amount of water present in falls.
We were completely mesmerized by the experience. These are the moments that you enjoy from the journey and make you realize the beauty and treasures of Mother Nature. We then started our journey back from here after spending close to one hour at the falls.
There is a toll gate for the falls where one needs to pay Rs 5 per person as entrance fee. The guy at the toll gate was surprised to see us heading back from the falls. He enquired whether we had stayed back the previous night at the falls. It was strange for him to see people visiting this place so early in the morning. He distributed chocolates and make us realize that it was our Independence Day. We also bought some fruit juices from him. It was fruit juice with a mix of spices which I had never tasted before and was quite good. This also quenched our thirst for the remaining part of our walk.
It took us close to 3 hours for covering the falls. We got freshened up, had a heavy breakfast rather say it a brunch.
As per the initial plan we would be visiting another falls called Abbimatta falls which falls on the way to Somwarpet. After talking with the driver we decided to go ahead and visit the falls even though we were short of fuel in vehicle. Since it was going to be a downhill journey the fuel consumption would be less and hence we were able to cover this falls as well.

Abbimatta falls:

Abbimatta falls is located at a distance of 5-6km from Somwarpet on Pushpagiri road. It is situated close to the fields and owing to monsoon stream flowing right in front of it we were not able to get a closer look of it and also its been partially hidden behind the trees. A talk with the workers in the field suggested that there was no bridge across the stream to reach the falls but one can reach the top of the falls from a temple situated on the other side of the falls.
We usually carry a Tripod to such places for telephoto shots. Looking at these equipments the people working in the fields stopped their work, thinking we might be from press. Such situations have happened many times in our previous trips and now we are used to it.
This was the last activity planned for the day in Coorg. Since we had covered the places quite early we had the option of covering Shivanasamudra also but were not sure if we could reach there on time. We decided to take a call once we were close to Mysore.

The Driver was confident of making it to Shivanasamudra at 4:30 pm which I think was quite a nice time to reach. Things didn’t work out well as planned as we lost our way. The roads were asphalted, and this actually confused the driver who took a wrong diversion. Gautam has a GPS enabled phone, from which we realized we were heading in the wrong direction and also the driver seemed to have realised his mistake. We had lost our precious time and we were in a dilemma weather to head back to Bangalore or make an attempt to reach the falls before dusk.
We decided to head for Shivanasamudra. The roads leading to it were in god condition and finally we were able to reach the place at 5:30 pm.
Shivanasamudra is considered one among the biggest segmented waterfalls. It splits into two on its way resulting in two different waterfalls Gaganachukki and Bharachukki. Since it is a monsoon season we had expected lots of water in the falls but we were disappointed by the view. It was nothing like what I had seen from some of photographs recently posted on it.

We decided to visit Bharachukki as well which is situated at a distance of 13km from Gaganachukki.

The trip ended on a quiet note. We had our dinner at Malavalli and then headed back to Bangalore via Kanakapura road.
It was indeed a good trip given the amount of falls we had covered in two days.

Trip to Coorg: Visit to Lesser Known Waterfalls

Aug 14 -15 2010

Day 1: Visit to Devarakolli and Devargundi Falls

The theme for the trip was Waterfalls. We decided to cover lesser known falls in and around Coorg. After some research on net we shortlisted few falls and chalked out an effective plan to cover most of them in two days.
We started from Bangalore at 4 AM in the morning in Qualis. Our first day plan was to cover the falls around Madikeri and then return to Somwarpet and cover few falls over here.
We took the route via Mysore.
Route:
Bangalore-Mandya-Srirangapatna-Hunsur-piriyapatna-Kushalnagar-suntikoppa-Madikeri.

Our plan was to cover Devarakolli falls, Kalyala falls and Devaragundi falls on the first day and if possible also visit Abbey falls and the second day would be to visit Mallali falls, Abbimatta falls. Initially the plan was to do the second day trip on first day but due to non availability of hotels in Madikeri the plan was switched (It was a government holiday on Saturday due to Nagarpanchami). This change in plan was a blessing in disguise because of the road conditions.

We reached Madikeri around 10 AM in the morning. Our first destination was Devarakolli falls. To reach Devarakolli falls one has to take the road leading to Mangalore from Madikeri via Sulya. Devarakolli is a small village located at a distance of approx 15km from Madikeri. This falls is on the main road which is mainly powered by rain water, hence available only in rainy season. The road is actually a downhill with pristine beauty of nature all the way. One could see rubber plantations on the way.

We spent close to half an hour enjoying the weather at the falls. We then proceeded towards Devarakolli village, where we stopped for some time for clicks. The pictures below would give an indication of what was in store for our cameras.

A talk with the villagers led us to a big stream. One needs to walk for about 10-15 min from the main road to reach this place (Landmark: A Mosque besides the main road in Devarakolli village)

This is apparently the Payaswini River which takes its birth near Madikeri and flows all the way to Arabian Sea via Kasargod. This river flows all along the road side for quite a distance. We came across couple of rest areas created on the banks of the river where one can take a break and relax.

Our next destination was to visit Kalyala falls which is approximately 10kms from Devarakolli village. After speaking to the locals over here on the feasibility of visiting both Kalyala and Devaragundi falls, we decided to drop our visit to Kalyala and headed towards Thodikana for Devaragundi falls.

Kalyala falls is located in the Koyanadu village on the way to Sulya from Madikeri. As one nears this village, the falls located in the midst of the forests becomes visible from the main road. After the deviation from the main road one has further travel 6kms and a kilometer by walk to reach the falls. The roads are narrow and it is preferable to travel by jeep for the last 6kms owing to the rainy season.

We proceeded towards Thodikana. Thodikana is approximately 25-30kms form Koyanadu. It is approx 50km from Madikeri. It is situated in Sulya taluk of Dakshina Kannada. It is also the border between the two districts Coorg and Dakshina Kannada.
The roads here are not in very good conditions owing to the monsoon season and hence one has to plan the day well in advance for the visit. The route is:

Madikeri –Devarakolli-Koyanadu-Sampaje-Kallagundi-Aranthodu-Thodikana.

We reached Thodikana at 1:15 PM. We visited Mallikarjuna temple (couldn’t go inside as the temple was closed). There are no hotels available here for food. We could get only tea and bun for our lunch.

Devaragundi falls is about 2.5kms from the temple. Initially one kilometer is approachable by road, but is advisable to go by walk as the roads are not in good conditions owing to the recent rains. After a kilometer into the walk one reaches a stream which needs to be crossed (no bridge though). After crossing the stream one would come across three houses to the right. After reaching the third house the owner would guide to the falls.

The falls is located inside the estate. One needs to cross a small stream inside the estate to reach the falls. The falls is about 30-35 feet in height. It is situated in a place where it is surrounded by trees in all directions providing an amazing view of the falls. The rocks here were quite slippery and one needs to be careful while stepping on these.

One might feel tempted to get into the water but it is advisable not to get into it owing to slippery rocks. Few of us experienced leech bites at this very place!!.
After resting for some time we headed back to the temple premises. This place is actually declared fish sanctuary and nobody is allowed to fish in the streams flowing over here.
A stream passes close to the temple where one can find lots of fishes. We took some packets of puffed rice for the fishes to feed. This place is called as Mathsyateertha.

As per the initial plan we would be camping in a home stay near Somwarpet. We started our journey back towards Somwarpet via Madikeri. We took a break near Sampaje on the way back as we were hungry, stopped by a small hotel and had some snacks.
Somwarpet is situated 40kms north of Madikeri. From Madikeri we needed to travel another 23kms to reach the home stay. It was 7:30 pm in the night when we reached Somwarpet. We called up the home stay people regarding our arrival. From Somwarpet one has to head in the direction of Pushpagiri hills to reach the home stay “Pushpagiri home stay”.
The route:
Somwarpet- Shanthalli (12kms) – Kundalli (4km) – Beedalli (7km)
Since the night had fallen it was difficult to commute on this road. This road would lead all the way to the base of Pushpagiri hills from where the trek to the peak starts. The way was covered by Mist/Clouds as one heads towards the foothills owing to gaining elevation resulting in poor visibility. Adding to this woe was the low fuel indication of the vehicle which started worrying us. Calculation showed that we could make just make it to our destination, but still the uncertainty still lingered in the minds. After consulting few people for directions, we managed to reach the destination by 8:30 pm with a few litres of fuel to spare just right enough for the return journey.

The Home stay was well maintained by the owner. It is a nice cozy house equipped for 10-12 people stay. The night was little cold. This indeed was a very remote place far away from the civilizations. The home stay was not powered electric power but by solar power, indicating the remoteness of the place. After a travel for almost 17 hours, the hosts provided us the much required dinner and a cozy bed to doze off for the rest of the night.

Visit to Chikmagalur - II

July 24-25 2010
Day2:
Visit to Mullayangiri and Sitallayangiri

Our second day plan was to visit Mullayangiri, Sitallayangiri, Bababudangiri and manikyadhara falls. We started at around 9 AM in the morning towards Mullayangiri. It had rained in the early morning, but later the skies cleared giving a wonderful view of the valley. Fields on either sides of the road were covered with Potato saplings.

Once we started ascending the peak of Mullayangiri, it started drizzling. This was an indication of how the weather would be on top of the hill.
Mullayangiri is the highest peak in Karnataka. With a height of 6300 ft it stands as the tallest peak between the Himalayas and Nilgiris. Mullayangiri is one of favorite destination of trekkers. There are two temples situated on the top dedicated to Lord Shiva one at Mullayangiri top and another at Sitallayangiri, 2km before the top.

On the Peak (Entrance of Temple)

Nowadays there is strict vigilance from the police/forest department towards maintaining the cleanliness of the place. It is now a strictly no plastic area. There is very stringent checking done to the vehicles for any alcohol, which is strict no for this place. These steps would help in maintaining serenity of the place.
With the altitude increase, the weather started deteriorating with cloud covering the peak and it started raining rather heavily. To add to it was the strong breeze blowing across the hill. The visibility was very poor and one had to drive very carefully as the roads were very narrow, good enough for one vehicle. The place was not so crowded when we reached the peak. From here one needs to climb some 200+ steps to reach the temple.

Once we started climbing the steps, we were completely in the clouds and with strong breeze blowing across the hill. The winds were literally pushing us along the steps; such was the power of it. Reached the top of the hill and visited the temple after a struggle with the wind.
Just before reaching the top of the hill, one can come across a mantap with Nandi inside it. There is a path just besides it leading to the caves. It is believed that sages used to meditate here. This is on the leeward side of the hill, where there is absolute silence and no winds at all.

We spent some time over here and then headed towards Sitallayangiri (approx 2km from the peak downwards). There is a temple located over here, again dedicated to Lord Shiva. It was around 12:30 pm we reached here and took blessings from the lord.

The priest here can arrange for your lunch if you tell them in advance. The best option would be to reach Mullayangiri first and then Sitallayangiri (there would be enough time for them to prepare). We were lucky enough to get lunch without advance notice.

Our next place was to visit Bababudangiri and Bababudangiri. Unfortunately for us the weather was not good and also due to monsoons the caves over there were inaccessible and also the restoration work was going on for the shrine located on top of it. We decided to drop this plan and head towards Bangalore via Belur, Hassan. We thought of heading to Belur temple which would fall on our return journey path, but decided against it as everybody was tired and it would also delay our return time to Bangalore.

Though we couldn’t cover many places on second day, the whole trip was a fantastic experience in the monsoon season.

Visit to Chikmagalur

June 24-25 2010
Day 1

Trip to Kemmangundi, Kalhatti falls, Hebbe Falls, Shanti Falls, Mullayangiri and Sitallayangiri

The week started off with the discussion of trip during the coming weekend. It was decided that we would be visiting Chikmagalur. We planned to visit Places around Kemmangundi and Mullayangiri. Even though it is a monsoon season, we wanted to get the feel of it.
As per the plan we decided to visit places around Kemmangundi on the first day and Mullayangiri on the second day. We enquired with the Karnataka Horticulture department for stay, but unfortunately couldn’t get the reservations for the same. The plans were switched.
We started off from Bangalore at 2 AM on the Saturday picking people from various locations. A chat with the driver suggested that we could retain our original plan, since there were lots of home stays available in and around Kemmangundi. Since it’s an off season, we would be taking a risk of heading towards Kemmangundi without any reservations for the stay.

We took the following route to reach Kemmangundi:
Bangalore-Tumkur-Gubbi-Tiptur-Arasikere-Kadur-Birur-Lingadahalli

After Tumkur one needs to take a deviation from NH-4 and join NH-206.The traffic on this highway was relatively less compared to others. The entire stretch of NH 206 is good. We stopped by at Kadur for Breakfast at around 8 AM in the morning. It was hard to find a restaurant in the early hours of the day in spite of it being a highway. We then proceeded towards Birur, where one has to take a deviation towards left which leads to Lingadahalli. The road condition starts to deteriorate once the deviation is taken at Lingadahalli.
This is the point where one can start getting the glimpses of the Kemmangundi. One can see cloud covered hills and valleys creating a very beautiful view. Since the advent of monsoons the entire landscape has turned green giving a soothing view to the eyes. Adding to it was the chilling weather with cool breeze blowing around, giving a sensational feeling. The difference in air quality is felt as soon as one enters the area. We stopped by to click some photographs of the same and then headed towards our destination Kemmangundi.

After Lingadahalli one has to turn left on SH57 and follow the sign boards of Karnataka Tourism. We came across few home stays on the way. After visit to couple of them we zeroed in on Rangers camp Home stay for the evening stay. It is located on the way to Kemmangundi at a place called Ballavara. It had a nice set up with rooms in the center of the 12 acre estate.
We then headed towards our first place of the day, the Kalhatti falls.

Kalhatti Falls:
Kalhatti falls is situated in a village called Kalhattipura. The water here cascades from 100+ meters above in front of the Veerabhadreshwara temple. Once can get a glimpse of this water fall from quite a distance before reaching this place.

One can see three elephants carved on the rocks right in front of the temple, over which the water falls. This falls is also known as Kalahasti falls owing to its fall on these sculpted elephants.

One can also trek to the top of the falls through the stone steps placed next to the falls to get picturesque view of the falls and the valley. Very often people come over here for a trek during the winter/early summer, climb the hill slopes and enjoy the panoramic view of the verdant valley.
As expected started drizzling and we were not sure about what was in store for us. After spending some time over here we decided to go towards Kemmangundi, the very top point of the hill, where one can get the entire view of the valley.
As we headed towards Kemmangundi the weather worsened with altitude resulting in poor visibility. The entire area was covered with clouds.

Kemmangundi:
Kemmangundi is at a distance of 10kms from Kalhatti falls. It is at this very point where Karnataka Horticulture Department guest house is located. From here one can visit Z-point, a view point show casing the beautiful valley. Shanti falls is located on the way to Z-point.
Since the current weather situation was bad we decided to have early lunch at the hotel situated in this place. The food here was good.
The weather in monsoon season over here is highly unpredictable and can change within no time. We decided to try our luck at the Z-point and Shanti falls as the skied had cleared a little bit. One can trek from the Karnataka Horticulture Department guest house to reach these points. It’s about 2-3kms trek. Vehicles can cover the first 1 km distance after which one needs to trek for another 45min or so to reach the point.

There was surprise waiting for us over there!!! . Owing to Monsoon season there were plenty of leeches on the way, which started attacking. We were mentally prepared for this !!. After 15min into the walk en route Z point we came across Shanti Falls.

Shanti Falls:
It’s a small water fall on the way to Z point. The water flows all the way from top of the hill, creating a spectacular view while falling into the valley below. The route all the way is very scenic with deep valleys on one side and hills cover on the other.

It started raining heavily all of a sudden and with no shelter around we made a decision of head back to our vehicle. The jackets didn’t provide much of a relief from rains. The decision of not heading to Z point was good since the weather deteriorated further with clouds engulfing the entire valley. We then decided to go to Hebbe Falls.


Hebbe Falls:
It is situated at a distance of 10kms from Karnataka Horticulture Department guest house. Only jeeps ply on these roads. Jeeps can go till the Khoday’s estate from where one has to walk for another 15-20 minutes to reach the falls.
The road leading to the falls is in very bad condition. In fact some stretch it must not be considered road at all. It just like hills leveled down with ditches all around. The rains have even more worsened the roads making a very bumpy ride that I have come across to any falls. To add to these woes the driver of this jeep was driving it as if it was a highway.
The area was completely engulfed by clouds all the way and the visibility was reduced to 2-3 feet. To make matters worse the Jeep didn’t even have a wiper. Only a skilled driver with familiarity of the locality can handle these situations.

As we were closing to the estate the jeep’s tyre gave away. We were approximately 1.5-2kms from the estate. We then decided to walk all the way, in the meanwhile the driver told he would fix the tyre and then pick us back. It was an amazing experience of walking through the coffee estate. It takes approximately 45min – 1 hour to reach the estate.

From the estate one has to cross three streams on the way to reach the falls. The paths become narrow due to the dense growth owing to monsoon. One could sense the falls from a distance owing to the breeze blowing across carrying the mist.
Surrounded by dense jungles, Hebbe fall gushes down from a height of 551 ft in two stages called Dodda Hebbe and chikka Hebbe. Owing to the cloud cover we could see only the former falls. The falls is broken down by a rock projection from the bottom creating a striking view.

We spent close to one hour at the falls taking some long exposure photographs. The Hebbe falls visit took around 4 hours. This ended the first day trip which was a good one considering the season of our visit.