It was the 5th week since the trip marathon began – the first one was when I was on a vacation – when I went around places in Dakshina Kannada – covering Pethri, and a few places around, and Someshwar.
Then it was a couple of trips to Coorg, the first one being a trip to Mandalpatti, Madikeri, Dubare and Bylakuppe followed by another trip to Coorg covering Dubare, Chelavara falls, Iruppu falls and Nagarhole National Park.
This was the 4th trip in 5 consecutive weekends and the planning seemed straightforward. By this time, our routine of finding places, mapping them out and deciding the route had become fairly standardized. We went on a Qualis this time since there were more people than what an Indica could carry.
We planned to leave early in the morning by 2am from Bangalore – but the driver who seemed to have just returned from some other trip overslept and we left late. It was already 4am by the time we crossed Nelamangala and we were silently cursing the driver for the delay.
Our earlier plan was to go to Chikmagalur by 7 or 8, find a hotel, cover Mullayangiri, Sitalayangiri, Bababudangiri and then head to Kemmangundi and the surrounding places the next day. But we made a last minute change in plans prompted by the driver – we decided to go to Kemmangundi first and then go to the peaks the next day. The driver was of the opinion that it is easy to find a homestay, and we should do that. In hindsight this was a good decision because the places that we wanted to cover near Kemmangundi was packed and we couldn’t have covered them all if it was scheduled for the second day and Bababudangiri was closed, so there wouldn’t be enough places for the first.
We had breakfast on the way and then headed to Ballavara which is in the foot of Kemmangundi.
This was not my first trip to Chikmagalur. I had been on a 3 day trip to Horanadu, Kalasa and Kudremukh in January and it was the same feeling – as soon as you enter Chikmagalur you get this feeling that the air has suddenly become pure, the landscape changes and you can feel the difference.
We were very close to Ballavara when we had our first scene of the day – blue skies, a hill in the remote landscape, with coconut trees and lush green grass fields in the front. We stopped for snaps.
One important change I did in this trip was to not use the UV filter on my wide angle lens – this turned out to be good because the colors were more natural. I had noticed a bluish tinge in my landscape photos from the Coorg trips and was concerned about it. It turned out to be because of the UV filter and removing it worked.
It was 10am by the time we reached Ballavara. We found a homestay but it turned out to be expensive, and then we found another one by the name of Rangers Camp – it was a pretty decent deal – it worked out to roughly Rs. 400/- per person and we went for it. One headache off.
We then went to Kalhatti falls. Kalhatti falls (or Kalahasti falls) is located at a place called Kallattipura. There is a small Veerabhadreshwara (Siva) temple here.
There was slight rain when we reached this place – but that meant low light and excellent for waterfall photography. After satisfying ourselves with a whole set of snaps, we went to Kemmangundi.
The route from Kalhatti falls to Kemmangundi is amazing – the weather was awesome, the air was cold, there was light fog, and there was a hint of Nilgiri scent in the air – a good combination of joy for the senses!
It was close to 12 by the time we reached Kemmangundi. We decided to lunch there and then continue onto Z-point and Shanthi falls – which is just 3km from Kemmangundi.
Lunch was not ready, so we treated ourselves to some macro photography – looking for droplets on leaves and flowers and anything that is worth remembering.
Post lunch, off we went to Shanthi falls. By the time we reached Shanthi falls, we made a leech check and lo, I had 2 of them on my leg. I pulled them off and found atleast 3 more in my jeans!
Rains here are unpredictable especially in this season – it was not raining when we reached Shanthi falls – we clicked a few snaps and then it started raining heavily. We had our expensive cameras with us, the paths were very slippery, there were quite a few visible leeches in the path, and we were not sure if we could get a good view at Z-point considering the fog. So we decided to go back.
We then reached a point from where we had to take a jeep to Hebbe falls. The driver demanded 800/- and we agreed and so another leech bite later, we were on our way to Hebbe falls.
This journey to Hebbe is something I am not going to forget for quite some time to come. This single journey to Hebbe and back was worth more than the entire trip put together. The road to Hebbe is bad – I mean really bad – believe me, I have had my share of bad roads and Mandalpatti comes close – but I wouldn’t call these roads motorable even by Indian standards. I had newfound respect for the Commander after this drive and the driver – well you can see the photo below and decide for yourself.
The road was hardly visible, it was raining, there was fog, the roads were bad but he didn’t seem to care. It seemed like he could do these routes blindfolded.
There were streams across the road, there were places where we could only see rocks and it was hard to believe that any vehicle can go on these roads. At some places, the roads were dug up to make way for the water to pass across. But the Commander moved on… and, by the way, it was not a 4-wheel vehicle. We also had a few places where the roads were extremely narrow and the vehicles had to scrape each other to pass!
It was only at about 2km from our final destination when the Commander gave up – we had a flat tyre. The driver didn’t have the necessary equipment to replace it – and so he told us we need to wait until another vehicle passes by and then he will be able to replace it. This was our chance to walk through the serene estate – and we told him that we will do the rest of the distance by walk and if he happens to fix the tyre, he can pick us up.
It rained slightly when we reached the point where the jeeps stop. We waited for a moment and then decided to continue – lest we miss the falls as it was getting dark. You need to trek a little distance, crossing 3 streams on the way.
The falls is not visible until the last moment – we could hardly hear it either because of a stream that flows by and here it was – flowing so calmly. I didn’t have any expectations from the falls. I just wanted to go there, feel it and return – but Hebbe falls turned out to be the best falls I have seen till date. The magnificence, the calmness with which it falls, the weather all made it seem like a dream. It felt like the water was falling in slow motion and I could easily picture a scene from Planet Earth. There were no people when we reached and this added to the wonder – as it gave this feeling of a magnificent discovery somewhere in the middle of a dense forest when you least expect it.
I was more keen on feeling the moment than clicking pictures. The droplets from the falls was settling very quickly on the lens, and long exposure almost seemed impossible. We had to wipe the lens clean, keep it covered with a cloth and open it only for a short moment to get a good droplet free snap.
Post this, we headed back to Rangers Camp. We were tired with the day’s activities, but were pretty happy and content. I had a few more leech bites – taking the count for the day to 7; I emerged the unanimous winner!
I will post the day 2 experiences soon.
Sir,
We around 25 people going to Kemmannugundi from 2nd oct 10 morning and returning on 3rd Oct evening. We are going from Bangalore and returning to Bangalore. Please give us full programme to enjoy the trip. We would like to enjoy scenic beauty. Please e-mail to bemlcgmr@yahoo.com
Hello Patil,
10am is a bit too late to leave from Bangalore as you will pretty much lose the first day in traveling. I would suggest you leave early – we usually leave by 4-5 in the morning. Ensure that you can reach Chikmagalur district by 10.
There are several places in and around Kemmangundi:
Kalhatti Falls
Kemmangundi
Shanthi falls
Z-point
Hebbe falls
Mullayanagiri
Sithalayangiri
Bababudangiri
If you don’t mind hiking for a bit, you should go to Hebbe falls – but it will take you a few hours to do just one place. Kalhatti falls, Kemmangundi, Z-point, Shanthi falls can all be done in a single day. You will need another day for Mullayanagiri, Sithalayangiri and Bababudangiri.
Also, there are a few very old Hoysala temples: Amriteshwara temple close to Ballavara, and a few temples in Belavadi and Amrutapura.
It pretty much depends on how much you want to see and how much time you have. There is no dearth of places close to Kemmangundi.
Hi Gautham,
I found your post much intresting, and beudifully, quoted, thanks for all the info,
Q 1 –>Please suggest me if i am staying at chikmagaluru and have 2 days i hand which places i need to cover on 1st day and 2nd day which wouldn’t make us to miss anything near by kemangundi
Q 2 –>we have another 3 days in hand we are planing to go to kudremukh, please suggest near by places. thank you.
Hi Veerendra,
In addition to the places above, there is Mullayanagiri, Sithalayangiri close to Kemmangundi.
Then there are places close to Kudremukh – Horanadu, Kalasa, Kudremukh, Kadambi falls, Hanumangundi (Suthanabbe falls) etc.
If you are into trekking, there are places like Gangadikal (short trek), Kudremukh peak trek etc.
You can use the search in this site to find information about these places.
Thanks for stopping by,
Gautham
hi gautam,
we r 11 of us, planning to go on a 3-day vacation on this april 22,23,24 th. i read your post above. its very informative n very nice photography also. i understand that we can cover kalhatgiri, kemmangundi , shanti falls, z-point , habbe falls on first day and baba budangiri, mulayanagiri n Sithalayangiri on the second day. we will be left with one more day to go. we want to go to kuppalli, kuvempu’s birthplace n if possible cover places like sigandur, jog falls in shimoga. can you pls help me with d itenery/route from chikmagalur to kuppalli. my email id : sindhu921@yahoo.co.in
Hi Sindhu,
Kuppalli is quite far from Chikmagalur, and you will spend a lot of time on your vehicle.
I suggest you cover more places in Chikmagalur. There are quite a few scenic places in and around Horanadu and Kalasa – http://buzypi.in/2010/01/30/trip-to-horanadu-kalasa-kadambi-falls-kudremukh-and-hanumangundi-falls/
If that is fine, what you can do is, go to Kalasa on day 1, then cover places around Kemmannugundi on day 2 and 3. Also, you can return on NH206, and visit a few Hoysala temples on the way back: http://buzypi.in/2010/10/26/trip-to-arsikere-and-haranhalli/
Which is the best time to visit Kemmangundi and near by places.
Gautam!
I was just looking for places to go during this long weekend and Nagarhole, Mudumalai, Wayanad, et al were all ruled out for 2 reasons. 1) We have been to these places quite a number of times over the past 4 yrs (Not that they are not beautiful any more) & 2)They will be crowded to such an extent that no animal sighting can happen in Mudumalai & Nagarhole and wayanad will any way be full.
In my desperation, I asked my colleague and she suggested that I look at Kemmangundi & Mullayangiri and that is when I stumbled upon this page.
Gautam! I don’t know what these places really look like but you just made them look awesome with your photography. Love the pics.
Me and a friend are now planning to go to these places starting Firday afternoon, say 3PM from B’lore and return on Monday by 6 PM to B’lore. We would be riding on our Bullets and we are wildlife and landscape photographers. So we might have awesome locations to click some pics on the way and in these places as well.
My question is, would accommodation be a hard thing to find at this time (because of the Long weekend). Can u suggest some homestays or hotels please. And also, can you please give us a plan. We would really not love to tire ourselves but would walk the extra mile if it is fun and apt for some pic clicking.
Appreciate your time and your knowledge of these places
Hello Midhun,
Looking at the number of visits to my blog posts, I can tell you that finding accommodation is not going to be easy this week.
We stayed at Rangers Camp Farm (http://www.rangerscamp.net/contact.htm). Rangers Camp is in Ballavara, and is close to Kalhatti falls and Kemmangundi. You can check with them if they have accommodation available.
If not, you can stay in Chikmagalur city. I don’t have specific suggestions for homestays/hotels though.
As far as route is concerned, you have about 2 days, so I will suggest Kalhatti Falls, Kemmangundi, Shanthi falls, Z-point and Hebbe falls on one day and Mullayanagiri, Sithalayangiri and Bababudangiri next. Hebbe falls will require a few hours, so keep that in mind when you plan.
Also look at my comments above.
Glad to be of help.
dear all
a group (11 adults & 5 kids) plan to do a western ghats trip between Aug 31 – sep 4 (5 days). here is the itinerary:
Day 1: Blr – Kunigal – Hassan – Sakleshpur. Pit stop @ the homestay in sakleshpur, lunch & then onto Kukke subramanya via marenhalli – Mallikarjuna temple @ thodikana & back to sakleshpur via bisle ghat
Day 2: Sakleshpur – gonebidu – slight diversion to kottigehara for the alekan falls – mudigere – aldur – balehonnur – sringeri – agumbe – someshwar – hebri – padematha – slight diversion to dangargudde forest – kundapura….. lunch @ doddamane Agumbe & we try to chk out as many waterfalls as we can on the way ( it seems thee are at least 6-7 of em on the way)
Day 3 – Kundapura – Murudeshwar – Gokarna – Kollur – Kodachadri – Kundapura
Day 4 – Kundapura – manipal – karkala – kudremukh – kalasa – magundi – balehonnur – muthodi road – kaimara – kemmangundi
Day 5 – Kemmangundi sightseeing – babu budanagiri – mullaiangiri – kaimara – chikmaglur – hassan – bangalore
am looking for some advice fm anybody who have done these routes recently
HI Gautham,
The pics are awesome and i have made my office colleagues to visit Kemmangundi.How was the stay in Ranger’s camp is it comfortable for ladies… and how will be the rooms like how many stay in that… Is tat kind of resort.
Your valueable feedback will help us to make the trip !!..
Hi Deepak,
Ranger’s camp farm is more like a resort and seems decent even for families. As for number of people – there were 3 of us per room.
They have a few photos here of the interiors: http://www.rangerscamp.net/phogal.htm
Wish you a wonderful trip. Please share your experiences.
Disclaimer
Hi Gautham,
The snaps you clicked were just awesome. I needed few information from you, we are planning for a trip to Chikmagalur.
We have decided to stay in one of my colleagues friends resort (devigiri). We are not sure about how to plan out our trip for 2 days in and around Chikmagalur. Could you please help us out, planning for a two day trip.
We are leaving bangalore on saturday morning around 5am after our night shifts.
Any help on this is highly appreciated.
Thank you,
Nikhil Pai
Hello Nikhil,
Please read through the comments in this post and you should get a pretty good list of places.
Here are a couple more links to posts from our other blog that you may find useful:
Chikmagalur Day 1: http://payaniga.in/blog/2010/08/03/visit-to-chikmagalur/
Places visited: Kemmangundi, Kalhatti falls, Hebbe Falls, Shanti Falls
Chikmagalur Day 2: http://payaniga.in/blog/2010/08/03/visit-to-chikmagalur-ii/
Places visited: Mullayangiri and Sitallayangiri
If you need any more help, please send me a mail (details in the contact page) describing specifically what your requirements are (type of place you want to visit, the group, etc) and I will be glad to help you.
Regards,
Gautham
Hi Gautam,
First of all absolutely amazing pics.
We were planning for a short 2-day trip to Chickmanglur & surrounding areas in the first week of June. Please let me know if this is a good time to travel in those areas.
Hello Reshma,
Thanks for the compliment.
It will be raining heavily, so if you don’t mind getting drenched in the rain and also a few leech bites, then yes, this is a good time!
hello gautham
how much time does it take from chikmagalur to mullayanagiri peak in own vehicle(car- hyundai verna) ?
can we cover baba budan giri on the same day by our vehicle if we start from chikmagalur by 9am??
are the roads motorable in monsoon?
any info on these would be of great help!!
thank you
Hi gautham,
We r planning to visit chickmaglur by may 1st week.. Is it worth to visit dis time, like climate and also water in falls..