Dabbagauli

June 10, 2013 Leave a comment

Nestled in the fringes of karnataka-tamil nadu border is a relatively unspoilt place called dabbagauli. Bangalore Mirror had posted an article on the same a year back and going through it made me plan for a drive there. The drive was still in planning phases for close to a year and finally after getting some free time I decided to head to this place.

There are two routes to dabbagauli. One needs to go to kanakapura and take a deviation

Route 1 : Bangalore->Kanakapura->Kodihalli->Hunsanhalli ->Take Left and Hunsanhalli ->Oorgaum->Right at Oorgaum to reach Dabbagali

Route 2: Bangalore->Kanakapura->Kodihalli->Hunsanhalli -> Right at Hunsanhalli -> Belapatti-> Dabbagali


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I decided to take the second route as it would allow me to do some off roading. It was an early morning start and i reached kankapura in a hour or so. A short stop for breakfast and I was cruising along to Kodi Halli.  A couple of photos of the river and I was zooming along the well tarred road to hunsanhalli.

River on the way to Kodi halli

IMG_4894_resizeThere was intermittent construction work goin on and parts of the road was getting relaid. One has to be careful when driving on these jelly stones. Negotiating couple of stretches of these and I reached hunsanhalli where I asked for directions to Belapatti.

The road passes through some amazing scenary and I took my time taking photos of the landscape before moving ahead

Scenary near Dabbagauli

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The tar road continued for some more time and I soon found a mud road with the directions given to dabbagauli. The luxury of tar road ends here and one needs to do some off roading to reach belappati.

Directions and Road to Dabbagauli

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The road goes uphill and becomes more dangerous as we go ahead. One needs to be careful when driving here. Luckily retarring work is going on and parts of the road have been relaid till belapatti.

Negotiating the steep curves I reached belapatti and again asked for directions. Driving some distance I found the sign board and took right and continued. From here on its entirely downhill and the loose gravel makes the ride tricky. The descents are fairly steep and driving very carefully i reached the banks of river cauvery. I was expecting to be alone there however I found some people who had come there ahead of me.

The Hosur Wildlife forest division has a put up a list of Do’s and Dont’s and one needs to abide by them to ensure we keep the place clean.

As the rainy season has just began, there was not enough water in the river, however the river was flowing with all its might. Its dangeroys to get in the river as the water might be full of currents.

Cauvery

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There are couple of temples there which one can visit. Since elephants and other wild animals roam in these parts care should be taken when visiting these areas. Spending some time there and clicking snaps I headed back to home heading via the same way.

A stop in hunsanhalli for refreshments and a chat with the shop keeper revealed that one can camp in the temples at dabbagauli. Locals at hunsanhalli and nearby villages visit the temples and people from bangalore also visit this place. I was also told there is a dam off hunsanhalli where elephants come to drink water in the evenings and one can have a good chance of spotting an elephant if one goes there in the evening.

Thanking the shop keeper for the info i headed back home, thinking of another visit to this place to cover the dam. Anchetti which is a short distance from hunsanhalli can also be covered via this route.

Snaps can be found here

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Filed under Around Bangalore, Karnataka, South India, Travels Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

The ridge walk

June 4, 2013 Leave a comment

It had been almost 7 months since I had completed stok kangri and the need to get back to the mountains was getting bigger with each passing day. Summer had to be ruled out due to lack of water and high temperatures, however when rains began it was time to head back to the mountains. I was initially planning for a day trek and when my friend shashi asked me if i was willing to join for a ridge walk between mullayanagiri and bababudangiri i jumped in on the chance.

As usual tickets were booked and I met Shashi and his friends (hema and Jyothi) at majestic at 10 pm on sat night. An uneventful bus journey took us to chikmagalur the next day morning ar 4.30. Another couple of hours of sleep and it was time to head to bababudangiri. The bus which was leaving at 6.30 was full , hence we decided to take a ride on the top of the bus, which was a different experience and was a lot of fun. An hour drive took us to dattapeeta from where the trek begins.

Ride On top of bus

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The weather was misty and the whole area was covered in white by the time we reached dattapeeta. Chances of trekking was less as rain was imminent. We however decided to go ahead with the trek hoping the weather would clear up. We went to mankyadhara falls as the route starts from there and we were soon descending into the valley.

Misty Weather

945499_10201278594745709_1797923025_nWith mist covering the place every now and then, we had to be careful not to loose the way. Though I had done this trek in 2007, i was not familiar with the route, however shashi who had done this route recently was able to lead the way. We maintained a steady pace while taking short breaks while waiting for the weather to clear up before moving ahead.

As the rainy season was beginning temperature was low, and soon we found overselves in a blanket of white cloud. With no idea on how to proceed with took a long break before the clouds parted way and showed us the route to the actual ridge.

Lush Greenary and misty walk

944388_10201278596305748_1944154211_n389230_10201278598865812_1974148617_nWith just an hour to go finish the ridge walk we halted for lunch which was supposed to be a short break which dragged for 45 min. As we still had to climb mullayanagiri, we immediately headed off to the ridge. Care to be taken while on the ridge as there was a big gorge on the side and any mistake can have disastrous consequences. The walk is relatively short on the ridge and we soon reached the tower which marked the end of the ridge walk.

We still had to climb mullyanagiri and there was not a lot of time to loose. The weather remained misty and we soon set about climbing the tallest peak in karnataka. With short breaks we continued the ascent and after an hour and half of climbing we reached the temple. The priest asked us to freshen up and have lunch. A short break after lunch and we were began the descent on the road rather than taking the route down via “Sarpadari”.

Way to Mullaynagiri

401869_10201278600545854_766429056_nIt was long walk back on the road with a short break for tea and snacks. It was already 6 by the time we reached anegundi bus stop where we caught a tempo going to the city thus completing an amazing and fun filled trek.

Filed under Treks, Treks in Western Ghats

Munnar – Day 3

May 7, 2013 Leave a comment

For today’s visit we decided to pay a visit to periyar wildlife sanctuary where we could see the famous nilgiri thar. Ananmudi peak was also on the radar however that had to be dropped after a visit to the tourism office.

Since it was a monday we were hopping for less crowd, however we were in for a suprise when we reached there. The queue for the tickets was stretching as long as the eye could see and it would take us a good 3-4 hrs by the time we got our chance for the tickets. The thar would have to be seen some other time and we headed to top station which is a scenic viewpoint and around 40kms from munnar town.

Couple of snaps of the tea gardens on the way and we were cruising along towards top station.

Tea Estates

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We passed echo point and reached kundala dam. We took a small break there hoping for some boating however it wasnt to be as there was no water in the dam.

There were other things like horse rides, target shooting to keep the people amused. Spending some time there we headed to top station. The brilliant roads which we found till now gave way to pot holed roads and soon we reached top station. As usual we found a huge holiday crowd there as well.

The weather was pleasant by the time we reached top station. The ticket counter was quite a distance from the parking and we could see a big crowd coming and going. The scenery  improved as we went

Scenery near top station

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One needs to go down the stairs that are built to reach the viewpoint. The usual holiday crowd was present in full force even at the viewpoint. Clicking snaps i slowly made my way to the viewpoint. Spending some time at the viewpoint doing some photography.

Top Station

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It was a slow climb back to the top and it started to rain by the time we got to the top. Heading back to munnar we stopped at a tea plantation from where we could get a fantastic view of the whole valley covered in green. Clicking more photos of the valley we spend some time there admiring the beauty of the place.

Lush greenary

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It was time to head back to the hotel as we had a long drive back to bangalore the next day thus ending a wonderful trip to this popular hill station.

Snaps can be found here

Filed under Kerala, South India, Travels Tagged with , , , , , , ,

Munnar – Day 2

May 4, 2013 Leave a comment

It was a relaxed start the next day after a good night sleep. We had planned to visit idukki and matupetty dams. If thought of looking at the other attractions on the way if time permits.

After a leisure breakfast we headed to idukki dam which is around 50 kms from the resort. The roads were pretty good all the way and we were enjoying the drive. We had to stop at a few places to ask for directions.  Fuel was running dangerously low and luckily we found a bunk where we tanked up again.

An hour of driving and we reached the hill view view point where we could get a amazing view of the dam. There was a big garden where one can spend some time.

View of Idukki Arch Dam

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The sun was pretty harsh by the time we reached the viewpoint. However the fantastic scenary made us to ignore the sun for a while.  Couple of snaps there and I could get a good view point to try some different compositions.

Fantastic Scenery

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The ticket counter also sells tourism maps which we got one. Spending some time at the viewpoint we were discussing the next course of action. Checking the map we found echo point and devikulam hill station on the way to matupetty dam which we could cover. Bidding adeiu to the hillview we headed back to munnar for lunch.

Devikulam is on the other side of munnar town, however the road was blocked. We asked a so called guide and he told us it would be a waste of time going there as we needed to go via two roads and both are blocked. Since it was already evening we didnt want to take a risk hence we headed to matupetty dam which was on our to-cover list.

The road to matupetty dam which passes photo point is one of the finest that I had driven. With a slight drizzle the road with the twisty hairpin bends looks awesome to drive on. A brief stop at photo point for few snaps and we headed to matupetty dam.

Photo Point

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The dam was pretty crowded at the entrance as that was the only route to echo point and top station.  However I managed to find a good location to take some photos  before moving to echo point.

View of matupetty dam

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There was a speed boat ride on matupetty dam which was closed, hence we headed to echo point which was a short distance away. Dark clouds had gathered and it looked it it was about to rain. We reached echo point only to find a whole lot of cars parked there.

Echo point is given name to the place where one can hear their echo, however due to the rampant cutting of trees as per one local getting an echo is becoming increasingly difficult. We were still suprised to see the amount of people there.

View on the way back

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It soon began to drizzle and we rushed to the nearest chai shop for shelter and some hot tea. Once the drizzle stopped we looked around for some souvenirs before heading back to munnar thus concluding another eventful day of sightseeing

Filed under Kerala, South India, Travels Tagged with , , , , , , , ,

Munnar – Day 1

May 3, 2013 1 Comment

Summer is a difficult time to plan for any trips or outings. The heat makes it difficult to plan not more than a day’s visit. With the summer vacation in full swing, one has to keep in mind about accomodation in popular tourist places.

After my trip to masinagudi I was itching for another long drive. My friend who had recently got married suggested we hit the road for a family trip.

We were debating about the places to visit and the summer heat made it difficult to choose a proper holiday location. Locations within karnataka was ruled out as there was little to be seen in summer. Checking on various forums we zeroed in on valparai in tamil nadu, however recent reports of man eating leopards made us to change our plans at the last minute. We finally decided to head to munnar, the popular hill station in Kerala. Accomodation was booked and we headed off from Bangalore on Sat early morning.

Checking on various forums and on the net, we decided to take the conventional route and while coming back if time permitted, come via satyamangalam navigating the dimbam ghats.

An early morning start and we were crusing along the NH 7 highway towards salem with a break in A2B for breakfast. C0uple of hours of driving with few breaks in between we were at udumalpet where the ghats for munnar would start.

Distance to munnar

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The road to munnar passes through chinar and anamalai tiger reserve. We were hoping to spot some wild animals on the way however the mid day sun made it difficult to spot any. Bad roads inside the sanctuary made the drive bumpy and soon we were at the foot hills of the ghats.

Roads inside Chinar

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As we drove higher tea estates came into picture. Couple of breaks for snaps and we were at munnar by 5.3o.

Munnar Tea Estates

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Lush greenary on the way to munnar

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Our stomachs were rumbling and it was time to find a place to eat. Saravana Bhavan was just round the corner and we polished off some nice dosas to cool our stomachs. With an early dinner done we headed to the resort which was 13 kms from the town. After couple of wrong deviations we reached the hotel and checked in to our rooms thus completing a long day of driving.

Filed under Kerala, South India, Travels Tagged with , , , , , , ,

Cycling @Turahalli

April 22, 2013 1 Comment

Turahalli is one of the last green areas in bangalore and is favorite joint for bouldering and off late off road cycling as it offers some good trails for budding cyclists.  Off late lot of the local guys have been visiting turahalli for cycling so much so that we even a local downhill cycling race as part of the year long races that is held.

Inspite of me travelling on kanakapura road numerous times i was yet to pay a visit to turahalli. I decided to head out there with couple of friends to enjoy some trails. It was a delayed start and with a pit stop for breakfast, we headed to banashankri and then to kanakapura road. We reached turahalli after an hour of cycling and headed to the trail.

Start of turahalli trail

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Slowly peddling we continued onwards the temple and the trail was beginning to rough out and we enjoyed going through the steep ascents and descents without crashing. We spent some time exploring the trails. Since this was my first cycling downhill, had to be careful not to crash since i had gone there without any protection.

Offroading at turahalli

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Soon it was time to head back and it was a slow ride back home with a stop at BOTS.

Snaps can be found here

Filed under Cycling, Cycling around Bangalore Tagged with , ,

Masingudi

March 29, 2013 Leave a comment

Nestled in the pristine jungles of  mudumalai tiger reserve is masinagudi a off beat weekend getaway. Hectic workload in office made me long for a good break and finally decided to head to masinagudi for a short trip to break the monotony. Accommodation was booked at Casa deep woods masinagudi and i left on Fri morning.

A uneventful journey through mysore with couple of breaks took me to bandipur tiger reserve and I was hoping for some sightings of animals or birds. A leisure drive through bandipur and madhumalai took me to Theppakadu where the road bifurcates. Left goes to masingudi and to ooty via kalhatty ghat and the right takes us to gudalur and to ooty which is a longer distance. We soon reached the resort and were shown our roooms. A well deserved break and it was time to head for the safari.

There are number of organizers at theppakadu asking people if they would like to go for safari’s. We managed to strike a deal with one guy and informed him we were interested in going for evening and morning safari. The forest department also runs safari’s within the reserve, however one would have to go in a bus with lots of other people for an hour. The chances of sighting wildlife would depend on one’s luck whether you would go  in a bus or in a jeep.

As per our agreement we went to masinagudi village and called up the operator who arrived promptly. We set out for the first safari for the day. The route would be via the river bed which according to the operator is a popular place for tiger and other wildlife sightings

Langurs at the start of safari

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The ride continued slowly and we could see plenty of peacocks and deers along the route but no tigers !!. Clicking photos of the wildlife available we continued towards the drive towards the dam. As the ride continued we spotted an eagle sitting on a tree. An hour of driving and we reached a hillock where we could see elephants and bisons at a distance.

Deers and Peacocks

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Jungle @karnataka side

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We spent some time at the hillock before heading to the dam which was very close. Even though the temperatures were soaring there was enough water. Spending sometime there we headed back.

The sun was setting and I could get some good photos of the sunset.

Sunset @ mudumalai forest

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Evening was spent playing games in the resort followed by dinner.

It was an early start to the next day as we had a morning safari to get to. We were hoping for some good wildlife sightings, however as luck would have had it, we could again see only deers, peacocks.

Sunrise

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The two hour ride gave us nothing except the same we say yesterday. The misty morning allowed to me take some nice photos of the roads inside the sanctuary .

Roads within Mudumalai

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With nothing much to do, we came back and headed back to the resort for some rest as the sun was climbing up and the temperature was increasing. Spending couple of hours in the resort we headed to  pykara lake on the way to ooty. The less water level made the place uninteresting. Spending sometime there we headed to botanical garden in ooty. Again the dry temperature made the place not uninteresting. Spending some more time in ooty roaming around, we headed back to the resort.

The resort had organized games in the evening along with bon fire and the evening was spent mingling with the guests and playing tambola.

Bon Fire

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A late dinner and it was time to hit the sack as we had a long drive back to bangalore.

Snaps can be found here

Filed under South India, Tamil Nadu, Travels Tagged with , , , , , ,

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