Trip to God’s own Country.. Bangalore to Wayanad Road Trip

As James Hetfield from Metallica once said “ Here I am on the road Again, There I go up on the stage, There I play star again, There I go turn the page…  “

So here I am on the road again with a new blog on a new place outlining a new experience J

Follow us on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/invites/contact/?i=wi4rgklu8hs1&utm_content=mcndjs2  

 If you remember the previous blog wherein I had gone to a trip to Coorg with my colleagues at office by leaving behind my better half at home.. Ya that part… These small bachelor expeditions come with a price like taking your wife for a shopping spree or compensating with a trip to another place which is same or much better than your Bachelor trip ;) .

So here I was in a dilemma as to what to choose and since I am broke most of the times and shopping was out of my reach ;)  I chose the former option of taking my wife to a trip to God’s own country, Kerala, Wayanad because how can I let go of an opportunity to travel again J

So It was Bangalore to Wayanad by Car this time....

Wayanad

Wayanad is a district in Kerala and it is located on the beautiful Western Ghats of India and borders the Nagarhole tiger reserve in Karnataka.  Hence if you are planning for a long holiday you can consider the following itinerary Bangalore à Mysore à Nagarhole forest  à Kabini à Wayanad or Bangalore à Mysore à Coorg à Wayanad

Since Wayanad is situated on the Western Ghats and the river Kabini flows into Wayanad this place contains some amazing waterfalls, Tea plantations, Viewpoints & reserve forest.

Below outlines the Bangalore to Wayanad road conditions and Bangalore to Wayanad route.

There are different routes from Bangalore to Wayanad as mentioned below. You can choose any one of the below mentioned routes to drive from Bangalore to Wayanad by Car.

Route 1: This is the most used road to Wayanad

Bangalore à Mysore à Gundulpet à Right turn towards Muthanga forest à Sultan Bathery à Wayanad

Route 2 : People who are planning to Visit Wayanad along with Nagarhole can avail this route

Bangalore à Srirangapattana à Right turn towards Hunsur à Hunsur à Left turn towards Nagarhole à     Mananthavadi à Wayanad

Route 3 : People who are planning to Visit Wayanad along with Coorg can avail this route

Bangalore à Srirangapattana à Right turn towards Hunsur à Hunsur à Gonikoppal à  Left turn towards Kutta à   Kuttaà  Mananthavadi à Wayanad

Of all the routes the Route 1 is the best route to Wayanad as the road conditions are good in this route. However off late there is lot of road widening work happening near Bandipur hence the road condition will be bad from Nanjangud to Gundulpet and Gundulpet right turn till Bandipur Forest.

Me and my wife wanted to do a jungle safari in Masinagudi on the way to Wayanad hence we planned for this route on our way to Wayanad

Route 4 :

Bangalore à Mysore à Gundulpet à Straight towards Bandipur à Gudalur à Sultan Bathery à Wayanad

This route also passes through some beautiful jungles and tea estates and it is a treat to drive through this route.

The plan

Since we had a long weekend coming up and it had been a while since me and wifey spent some alone time outside the hustle and bustle of the city. Also we had covered most part of Karnataka and we were looking to go to a place which is not too far away from Bangalore so that we can drive to the place and preferably a hill station to beat the summer heat. So we ruled out Ooty & Kodai as we had visited these places zillion times we narrowed down to Wayanad as this place was new to both of us and would be slightly cooler as it was situated on the Western Ghats and would have good places to visit too.

So Wayanad it was and it happened to be my first ever trip to the god’s own country Kerala.

Here we are on the road again…

As usual we decided to start as early as 5AM from Bangalore to beat the Bangalore à Mysore highway traffic.

We started off by 5:30 AM and we had our first pit stop in Adyaar Anand Bhavan or A2B as it is often called in Maddur.

After indulging in some fresh Filter coffee and Hot idlis we set off to our next destination i.e., Masinagudi.

The following was the plan on Day 1.  Have lunch at Gundulpet, Scenic drive through Bandipur & Madhumalai forest and 5-10 min break in the forest, Safari in Masinagudi & check into the hotel at Wayanad by 3.

The plan sounded very doable but thanks to the road widening work in bandipur forest and bad road conditions in Madumalai Forest we lost lot of time on the way and we decided to drop the plan of Safari in Masinagudi. However we still drove through the scenic routes through the Madhumalai forest & Bandipur Forest and through the tea plantations on the Gudalur à Sulthan Bathery route. 

We reached the Accommodation by 2 and because of the hectic travel we just dumped our luggage and took a quick 1 hour nap.

We stayed at the Olive’s homestay and it had some amazing views of the surrounding hills from the resort. The owners Biju & Raji were very courteous and helpful and met all our demands.

This was roughly our itinerary or places we had planned to visit in Wayanad

Day 1:  Banasura Sagar dam

Day 2:  Chembra Peak, Edakkal Caves , Kanthapara waterfalls & surrounding tea estates, Lakkidi view point & Pookode lake

Day 3: Kuruva islands & Muthanga forest and head back to Bangalore

So based on the plan we visited Banasura Sagar Dam on day 1. We set out at 3 in the evening to visit the dam and I had no great expectations from this place but I was completely proven wrong. This was one of the most beautiful spots I have visited in the recent past and you don’t need to do a photoshop on the pictures of this place because the natural beauty of the Banasura Sagar Dam is breathtaking

Banasura Sagar Dam

The Banasura Sagar Dam is one of the larget earth dams in India. This dam is constructed on the tributary of the Kabini river flowing from Karnataka into Wayanad. The dam is located on the foothills of the Banasura hills and offers some spectacular views of the hills.

This place has boating options too and if you are planning to visit this place then boating is a must do activity in this place. Apart from other activities like horse ride etc. this places also has small outlets for fish spa etc.

This is a must visit place while you are in Wayanad.

After a visit to this place and a drive through the beautiful roads of Wayanad we decided to call it a day.

Day 2:

As planned we decided to 1^st visit Chembra peak early in the morning and followed by Eddakal caves. Biju our homestay owner told us that it is not possible to visit Chembra peak and Eddakal caves on the same day because it would be too strenuous. Hence we planned to drop Chembra peak as we were not in a mood for trekking and we wanted to spend a leisure holiday.

Hence this was the modified plan for day 2.

Edakkal caves, , Kanthapara waterfalls & surrounding tea estates, Lakkidi view point & Pookode lake

After an amazing breakfast in the homestay we headed off to our first destination of the day, Eddakal Caves

Edakkal Caves

This place gets its name Edakkal which literally means “Stone in between” because of a huge rock hanging in between two rock formations on the ceiling. Once inside the caves you will find stone carvings on the walls of the caves which were supposedly carved out by Stone Age people centuries ago.. There are carvings of the king, Queen etc and this place was discovered by a Britisher named Fred while he was on a hunting trip. This place is of great archaeological significance and there are many guides inside the cave who explain the stone carvings and give you a quick history lesson. So don’t forget to visit this place as this is again a must visit place while you are in Wayanad.

After a tiring trek to the caves we were completely exhausted and the day had just begun and we had many more places to be visited.

We relaxed sometime at a cafe and then headed off to our next destination Kanthapara waterfalls

Kanthapara Waterfalls

Kanthapara is a small waterfall similar to Iruppu falls in Karnataka. You can bathe under the falls and it is a very good picnic spot. The road leading to this falls is very narrow and hence it is advisable to hire a vehicle to this place instead of taking your own vehicle.

Tea Estates, Pookode lake & Lakkidi view point

Here are few pics of some beautiful tea plantations which we encountered on the way and the Pookode Lake & Lakkidi viewpoint. Pookode Lake is not that great and you can give it a miss. Lakkidi view point is the entry point to Wayanad from Kozikode and from here you can view the roads leading to Wayanad from Kozikode from the hills.

So with that we complete the Day 2 of our journey and this will be the last night we spend in Wayanad as we will head back to Bangalore on Day 3 so that calls for some romantic candle lit dinner with some wine in a beautiful setting amidst the Western Ghats  J What more can you ask from a holiday J

Day 3 the last leg of our Journey in Wayanad

After having breakfast and checking out of the lovely homestay we visited Kuruwadwep island which is similar to Nisargadhama wherein the river Kabini flows through a jungle and there are few spots where you can take bath in the flowing river.

After visiting this place we drove back to Bangalore through Muthanga forest & Bandipur forest and had some wild elephant spotting.

We reached Bangalore by 7PM and that completed our first trip to God's own Country, Kerala.

All in all it was a Weekend well spent in Wayanad J

Thank you Wayanad for a memorable experience!!!

Trip to “The Scotland of India”, Coorg

I was reading the newspaper the other day and came across an article which mentioned about the mad rush in Coorg during the long weekend… A thought just crossed my head that I have visited Coorg a number of times in the past and I have never written a blog about my experience in Coorg… So here goes my write-up on this beautiful paradise nestled in the Western Ghats which is also known as The Scotland of India, Coorg.

Follow us on instagram --> 

https://www.instagram.com/invites/contact/?i=wi4rgklu8hs1&utm_content=mcndjs2  

Coorg or Kodagu as it is often referred to is situated on the beautiful Western Ghats of India. The distance from Bangalore to Coorg is approximately 240 kms.

There are a number of routes leading to Coorg from Bangalore and the below mentioned routes are the most used routes to Coorg
Route 1: Bangalore  Maddur  Mandya  Srirangapattana  right turn towards Ranganthittu bird Sanctuary  Hunsur  Coorg
Route 2: Bangalore  Maddur  Mandya  Srirangapattana  Mysore  Hunsur  Coorg

The 1st route mentioned above is the best route to Coorg as you do not have to enter the crowded roads of Mysore and this route takes you through some beautiful country side roads near Ranganthittu bird sanctuary and KRS…
I had visited Coorg recently in the month of April and in this blog I have outlined 2 days itinerary which was planned as part of this trip to Coorg since I feel 2 days are more than sufficient to visit all the major tourist attractions of Coorg.

The Plan…
One of my colleague at office had bought a new Hyundai i20 Elite and the car was craving for some mettle testing on the highway  . So I along with my office colleagues decided to beat the work pressure and test the limits of this car by hitting the highway. And as most of you are already aware that after marriage you are barely allowed to go on a trip by keeping your better half behind at home ( Hope my wife isn’t reading this blog ;) ). So to avoid the guilt feeling or I would say emotional blackmail ;) we decided not to indulge in Bachelor life much and restrict the trip to just the weekend   .

 So moving on… The best place to visit during the summer months would be the hill stations and due to the time constraints we decided to visit a place nearby and what better place than Coorg which has the apt climate conditions for a great weekend outing.
 Initially we were about 8 people who had originally planned to come on the trip but due to the above mentioned constraints, the better half constraint to be specific the count was reduced to 4 ;) .
So Coorg it was...

One car 4 people and the road….The Trip Begins….

Day 1: 

We planned to start by 5 am on Saturday to beat the mad rush on Mysore road. My friend who owned the vehicle picked us all up and we left Bangalore only by 6. We planned to have our breakfast in A2B restaurant in Maddur but however due to hunger pangs we had to pit stop in Kamat in Channapatna. We had the breakfast buffet as we would get to taste all the items on the menu and it worked out cheaper ;)
Once done with the breakfast we started off from Kamat by 8 and headed off to our destination. We planned to directly go to Coorg without wasting time in having lunch etc. on the way as we were running on a tight schedule.

Plan for Day 1 : check-in at the homestay by 12. Visit Raja seat Mantap by 3 then head to Abbey falls and later finish off with a visit to Pushpagiri wildlife sanctuary or Mandalpatti as it is often called.
We reached Coorg by 12 and it took some time to locate the homestay. We stayed at Misty Heights homestay which is located at a secluded hillock. The homestay had studio accommodation with just one loo… Since we were bachelors it wasn’t a problem at all ;)
So we freshened up and headed off to our first destination for the day, Raja Seat Mantap

Raja Seat Mantap

As the name suggests this was the place from where the King of Kodagu used to watch the beautiful sunset along with his wife. This place is close to the Madikeri town and a must visit place for tourists visiting Coorg. You can catch some spectacular views of the Madikeri town and the surrounding hills from this place. The best time to visit this place would be during early morning or during the sunset. This place also has the dancing fountain show just like in KRS.

After visiting Raja seat we headed off to another must visit place in Madikeri i.e., Abbey falls.

Abbey Falls

Abbi falls/Abbey falls is located some 8 kms from the Madikeri town. The falls is situated inside a coffee plantation. This falls can be reached by 5 mins walk through the beautiful plantation. River Kaveri flows through this place and the falls is in its full glory during the monsoon and hence the best time to visit this place would be during the monsoon months i.e.,  July to September.
After a quick visit to Abbey falls we headed off to the most awaited destination of the day whose beauty lures me to go to Coorg time and again.

Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary also known as Mandalpatti

Mandalpatti is located some 20 kms from the Madikeri town. This is a must visit place while you are in Coorg.  You can get spectacular views of the Western Ghats form this place. There are few viewpoints in this place which can very well be termed as suicide points ;) hence one need to be very careful while you are standing at the tip of the mountains especially during the monsoon months.
Driving options to this place –  If you are travelling by your own vehicle You can drive upto 15 kms in your vehicle till you reach a point where you can see the Mandalpatti board. From this point onwards for 5 kms one needs to hire jeeps for around Rs 600 to 700 since the roads are bad and cannot be done by normal cars unless you own a 4X4 vehicle with huge ground clearance ;).
 The jeep ride is very bumpy hence if you have back pain or accompanied by elderly people you can give this place a skip.
The best time to visit this place is late in the evening or early in the morning. This place is also known as Mugilupete as it is always covered wit clouds

After experiencing the spectacular views from this point we headed back to the accommodation and this ended Day 1 of our visit to Coorg.

Day 2:

So after a fruitful day 1 we all woke up excited and we were eagerly looking forward to things to do on day 2.
So here was the plan for Day 2.
Visit Bhagamandala @ 8AM, Talakaveri by 9AM visit Bramhagiri view point and return to Accommodation by 12. Check out from the homestay by 1. Head to Bangalore and have lunch on the way. Visit Kaveri Nisargadhama by 3 & then Golden Buddha temple by 5 and finish off with a sumptuous dinner in Fish land or Bhuwaneshwari military hotel.
So there was so much planned for Day 2 and we were all excited to start the day. We woke up early and after freshening up we headed to our 1st destination of the day i.e., Bhagamadala.

Bhagamandala

Bhagamandala is a temple town located at a distance of 35 kms from Madikeri town in Kodagu district. This place houses a famous Shiva temple called Bhagandeshwara temple. The triveni sangam i.e., confluence of 3 rivers namely Kaveri, Kannike & Sujyoti river is also situated at this place. Piligrims visiting Talakaveri (place where the Cauvery river originates) usually take a dip in this holy confluence of 3 Rivers or the triveni sangam before heading towards Talakaveri.

We visited the famous Bhagandeshwara temple at Bhagamandala. After the temple visit we headed off to Talakaveri.

Talakaveri

Talakaveri is situated at a distance of 40 kms from Madikeri  town in Kodagu district. This is the place where the Cauvery River which feeds or if I can say gives life to most of the places in Karnataka originates.
This place is situated on the Bramhagiri hill. A small tank is constructed at the top of the hill and it is said that the Cauvery River originates at this particular point, under the tank.
I guess this place has a special significance to we the people of Bangalore because I cannot imagine what would have been the state of Bangalore in the absence of this River.
This place also has a temple for Goddess Kaveri.
There are stairs leading to the Bramhagiri hill view point from the temple. We need to walk around 250-300 stairs to reach the view point. Once on top you will definitely forget the pain you took to reach the top of the hill and instead you will be awestruck at the beauty this place has to offer.

We visited the temple and the Bramhagiri view point. After which we came back to Bhagamandala for a quick brunch. We reached our accommodation by 1.
In case you are planning to visit Talakaveri , the best place to have breakfast or lunch will be at Bhagamandala as this place has many small hotels offering breakfast and meals.

Leg 2 of our journey…. Nisargadhama & Tibetian Golden Buddha temple.

Kaveri Nisargadhama 

Kaveri Nisargadhama is a small forested land through which the Cauvery River flows. This place is located in Kushalnagar in Kodagu and one can visit this place when travelling back to Bangalore from Coorg. There are designated spots in this place where one can get into the flowing Cauvery River and even swim. There are options for boating too at this place. This place makes for an ideal picnic spot for families who are looking for a one day trip from Bangalore.

We reached Nisargadhama by 3 and cooled off in the water for an hour after which we headed off to our next destination i.e., Tibetian Golden temple.
Below are some pics of the temple.

After the temple visit we were very late to dine in at either Fish land or Bhuwaneshwari military hotel hence we had food at A2B in Mysore and headed off to Bangalore.

There are few other famous spots in Coorg which I have not covered as part of this trip. In case you have an elongated time of stay in Kodagu you can explore these options too.

• Dubbare elephant Camp.
• Mallalli Falls near Pushpagiri hill
• Raja’s tomb
• River rafting at Barapole river 

So with this we concluded our short but sweet trip to Kodagu.

 Hope you enjoyed reading this blog and hope it was informative and helpful for you to plan your next trip to this beautiful paradise Coorg also known as “The Scotland of India”.

Malaysia Diaries, Part 2 – A virtual tour of Kuala Lumpur …..

As mentioned in the title this is less of travelogue on KL and more of a Photo log … Hope you enjoy it…

Kuala Lumpur or KL as it is usually called is one of the most popular shopping destinations in the world as shown in the Tourism ads… KL is not just famous for shopping but is also famous for its bustling nightlife, some world renowned Sky Scrapers and few historical sites like the Batu caves etc…..

We planned 2 days in KL as part of our Malaysia trip because how can you not spend some time in KL when you are in Malaysia.

After much research, we decided to stay in Bukit Bintang which was supposed to be one of the happening places in KL which even I agree to after my experience in Bukit Bintang… As we planned to just dump our luggage in the hotel and explore KL city we did not opt for a pricey resort or hotel instead we booked a hotel which was close to all the happening places like shopping and nightlife in Bukit Bintang….

So here is the Photo log of KL… Yenjaiii J