A lazy weekend turns into an adventurous drive to BR Hills & K. Gudi.....

It was a Friday morning and as the weekend was nearing  I was excited about two things one, the delivery of my new 55-250 Cannon EFS lens and another, release   of the movie “Shaadi ke side effects” , sequel of “Pyar ke side effects” which was one of my favorite movies.

Cannon EFS 55mm – 250mm Lens……

I ordered the lens online at Flipkart as it was available at a 40% discounted price which I feel was a steal. I had a 18-55 kit lens and I wanted to upgrade to this beauty from a long long time.  I was eagerly waiting for some sort of a discounted price and I often used to check the price of this lens to see if there is any discount on this lens and thanks to FlipKart’s Algorithm which understood my desperation and intimated me as soon as the lens was available online at a discounted price J . No wonder Ecommerce Software engineers are paid so high since they write some really cool programs to predict the user’s desperation and offer solutions which benefits the end user and translates into huge revenue for the ecommerce website and the seller J .

The delivery of the lens was slated for Saturday but thanks to the amazing service by FlipKart I received the lens on Friday itself without any damage which I was initially skeptical off.

The Plan....

There was nothing specific planned for the weekend but since I got the new lens I wanted to explore it to the fullest over the weekend. Coincidently it so happened that my wife’s friend who stays in Mysore invited us over the weekend to stay at her place as her roommates were away for the weekend. I did not think twice and accepted her proposal J

I still hadn’t planned for the destination.  We thought we will plan it on-the-go.

After finishing some pending work on Saturday morning me and Wify headed off to Mysore by 3PM. To my surprise there was absolutely no traffic jam on Mysore road and it was a smooth sailing. I have never encountered such a situation in the past and being a frequent traveler on Bangalore roads I was almost starting to miss the traffic jams ;) .

So we reached Mysore by 8 and headed straight to DRC mall where we were supposed to meet our friend and watch “Shaadi Ke Side Effects” movie which was one of the items in our to-do-list for the weekend.  The movie did not disappoint and was a one time watch.

After the movie and dinner at KFC we headed back to her place. As I was tired after the journey I did not feel like planning anything for the next day and hit the bed ;).

Sunday J   ……

It was a beautiful Sunday Morning.  The weather was cloudy and felt like it would rain any moment. What better climate can you ask for a long drive J . I had to decide our destination for the day after evaluating our options we decided to go to B R Hills & K. Gudi  since we hadn’t been there earlier and had done Bandipur, Nagarhole million times ;) . So we decided for a one day trip to BR hills and K Gudi.

The destination was set, I tanked up my Figo and we were ready to go….

Since this trip was planned at the last moment I did not get the time to plan for the route to B R hills. I did not have any info how to go to BR hills from Mysore however from my previous trips to Bandipur I had seen sign boards at Nanjangud to BR hills. So I decided to travel to Nanjangud first and then ask the locals the route to BR Hills.

Now some Gyan on BR hills and K Gudi :)

                                      BR Hills & K Gudi Wiki……

Br Hills/BRT wildlife sanctuary  is situated at Karnataka-Tamilnadu border and is about 90kms from Mysore.  This is where the Western Ghats meets the Eastern Ghats. The best time to visit BR hills would be just after monsoon(September or October) when the forest is lush green……

K Gudi / Kyathadevaraya Gudi

K Gudi is situated at a distance of 18kms from Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple in BR hills. It is a hill station and there is a Jungle Lodges resort in K Gudi. So if you are planning to stay overnight at K Gudi you can stay at Jungle Lodges.

The Trip……

We started by 11AM ( we are always late risers you see  ;) ) and after a 20kms drive we reached Nanjangud.  There was a board near a railway crossing indicating we need to take a left from the Mysore-Ooty Highway to go to BR hills. So we took a left from the railway crossing and after travelling some distance there was a beautiful temple called Nanjundeshwara temple. We stopped at the temple and asked few locals about the route to B R hills and K. Gudi and the road conditions to BR hills.

   Nanjundeshwara Temple in Nanjangud

Based on their inputs there are two routes to BR Hills

Route 1:

Nanjangud  à Chamarajanagara (Signal) à Yelandur à BR Hills

Route 2:

Nanjangud à Chamarajanagara(Signal)  à Nagavalli à K Gudi à BR Hills

And they suggested us to take the Yelandur route if we are travelling only to B R hills since the road condition to BR hills is good at this stretch and the amount of ghat section is less compared to Kgudi à BR hills route.

However since we wanted to see both the places we planned to take both the routes. So this is the route we planned

Nanjangud à Chamarajanagara (Signal) à Yellandurà BR hills à K Gudi à Nagavalli à Chamarajanagara à Nanjangud à Mysore

This is how it looks on google maps

Most of the locals do not understand when you ask them where is BR hills or how to go to BR hills. They know the place by Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple or Biligiri Rangaswamy Betta( Betta means hill in Kannada). So if you are travelling to BR hills and need some pointers on directions from the locals make sure you give the full name.

         Road From Nanjangud to Chamarajanagara

 Road From Chamarajanagara Signal towards Yelandur

We took a left from the Chamarajanagara signal towards Yelandur. There are huge sign boards in Yelandur which provides directions to BR hills. We followed the directions and reached the forest check post by 1.

                                        First View of BR Hills

                                    

                                             The jungle begins.....

After filling out the details in the register we headed off to BRT sanctuary at first the forest was not appealing and the reason for it is that it is almost summer time now and the ghat would have been in its glory only during monsoons when the trees would be lush green. We spotted some wild Boars at the entrance apart from that we did not spot any wildlife throughout our journey. We just spotted elephant dung and the anticipation to spot elephants gave us adrenalin rush but alas we spotted none.  We encountered some stretches where the forest was still green and we halted to click some pictures. We reached the junction from where the Temple was at a distance of 3 kms and K Gudi was 18 kms. However we were not in the mood to visit the temple so we headed off towards Kgudi. The road to K Gudi from the Junction is spectacular….. the forest was lush green and simply beautiful….. We drove slowly in the Ghats so that we enjoy the magnificence of the Ghat…… We stopped at few places to take photographs. After an amazing drive for about 18kms we reached K Gudi Jungle Lodges camp.  We halted there freshened up and then after sometime headed back to Mysore.

       Lush Green Ghat roads from BR hills to K Gudi

The road conditions from BR hills to K Gudi and the entire Ghat was very good. I did not expect such good roads on a Ghat section. There is nothing much to see in these places however you should visit these places only to enjoy the spectacular views the ghat has to offer and experience the adrenalin rush driving through thick forests having magnificent views…..                              

We reached Mysore by 5PM and after freshening up headed back to Bangalore…. All in all it was an amazing experience driving through beautiful ghat sections and experimenting on my new Canon lens.. I couldn’t have asked for more J

Picnic In Talakadu

I have often been asked by people what are the best places for a one-day outing from Bangalore. I usually suggest the scenic spots on the banks of river Cauvery like Shivanasamudra, Bheemeshwari, Mekedaatu or Talakadu since these are the best available picnic spots about 100kms away from Bangalore wherein you can cook, Play in the water and have a nice picnic of sorts. I have been to these places a number of times be it with friends or family and this place never ceases to excite me.

The splendor of river Cauvery always attracts me to take a dip in it in scorching heat.... true Bliss!!!

However be informed there are a number of warning signs warning people not to get into the water at some places because of the undercurrents that have claimed many lives. So before getting into the water make sure it is safe to swim and ensure that there is no danger.

One of the safe places to play in the water on this stretch of Cauvery River is Talakadu. The water levels are not so high in this place which makes it a safe place to swim. May be for this reason this place is overcrowded compared to other tourist spots on the banks of River Cauvery.

                                                     The Beautiful Cauvery River

The Plan

It had been a long time since I had gone for a trip because of the hectic work schedule and financial crunch off-late. luckily our Cultural association decided to organize a picnic for its hard working members. They had decided to go to Talakadu for a one day trip.

How could I miss this opportunity to visit a tourist place which was completely sponsored ;). So I decided to tag along :) .

We were about 40 people and we hired a bus instead of TTs as it was economical. So this time I was not involved in planning the route and driving. I could relax and enjoy the trip, also I hadn't been to a trip in a bus since School time so this refreshed my memory of School trips :) .

The Association had decided that we wouldn’t take cooked food to the trip or have food at any restaurant instead cook food on the spot which would make the picnic more fun and engaging. So we carried vessels, gas cylinders groceries etc. along with us to the trip.

The Trip To Talakadu Begins.......

The worst part about a one-day trip is that you need to wake up very early in the morning since there is no night driving involved and you have to reach the spot early since you have to be back by evening. The trip was planned on a Sunday since not everyone has the luxury of getting an off on Saturday like we IT people do. Sometimes I feel like I am a blessed Slave ;) .

So the tour bus was supposed to depart at 7AM Sunday Morning. I had to wake up at 6 in the morning to board the bus at 7. I hate to wake up early on weekends, somehow I pushed myself out of the bed by 6:30 and managed to get ready and board the bus by 7.

Talakadu is famous for its white sandy river banks. It somehow resembles a beach and when a tourist new to the place visits it for the first time will surely get confused if this place is a beach or a river bank due to the white sands and the huge crowd at the place. So if you are visiting this place make sure you carry a football or volleyball so that you can play on the sandy river banks which will add to the fun quotient. Also large amounts of sand deposit in the river has made the river shallow at this place hence tourists visiting this place can play in the water without any fear.

                                             Sandy River Bank resembling a beach

We reached Talakadu by 11. It took us almost 4 hours to reach since the driver was a strict follower of speed limit on the road and never crossed 50KMPH on the speedometer ;) . There are no good washroom facilities available for women on Kanakapura road except for a CCD which is difficult to spot. However there are well maintained washrooms and change rooms at Talakadu itself so you don't have to worry much when you are travelling to Talakadu with family. Though there are many eateries in Talakadu I would strongly recommend to carry food & water while travelling to any of these places.

The place was very crowded. For a moment it felt like I was in Calangute beach in Goa. That was the kind of atmosphere and crowd at this place. We quickly found a comfortable spot away from the crazy crowd and settled down with our luggage and sought permission from the cops to carry out cooking in the area. So the ladies in the group got busy in cooking related activities while we men were away in our swim trunks to take a dip in the river. After a swim we too got involved in cooking and now it was the turn of the ladies to have fun in the water :) . After about 3 hours the food was ready and after a heavy lunch we indulged in some activities like boating etc. I was so very missing the Barbeque equipment. This place is perfect to setup a Barbeque by the side of the river :) 

     

    Fisherman with his sword and Shield for daily Survival

.We boarded the bus by 5 and were back to Bangalore by 9. It was a pleasant experience and a day well spent looking forward to some more sponsored trips from my association ;)

Bangalore to Dudhsagar Falls

What does travelling mean to people?? Some people travel for fun, adventure and some adrenalin rush; some travel to meet and spend time with their near and dear ones but for me travelling and exploring new places has become one of the biggest passions in my life….. Something which motivates me to work hard and make enough money with which I can explore new places….

This time around my passion for travelling and exploring new places has led me to one of the best kept secrets of the Western Ghats – “Dudhsagar Falls” …..

Dudhsagar Falls is situated in Goa along the Goa-Karnataka border and is one of the best falls in India…. The best time to visit the falls is in the month of August during monsoons when you can experience the magnificence of the falls in its entirety…. However like the famous saying “To get something good you need to work really hard” the same applies for this falls too…. There is no easy access to this falls and you need to really work hard to reach this falls and experience its true beauty & splendor in the monsoons….. May be this is one of the reasons that the beauty of the falls has been preserved since decades as there is very less human exploitation!!!

Enough of talking here is a teaser photo….

Planning Phase -

The very first question that comes into your mind while planning for a road trip is which is the best possible route to get there? Or which is the best mode of transport to get to your destination? As I do not prefer travelling by Bus, Train etc. and Driving is my passion so the only question that was lingering in my mind was how to reach the falls from Bangalore by road. So I started searching the best possible tool available to mankind – Google ;) Based on various travelogues on the internet there are three ways to reach the falls.

1)     14kms trek from Castle Rock Railway station – This is for the young and the adventurous and not for the faint hearted as it involves a 14kms exhilarating walk on the railway track. This is supposedly the best way or may I say the only way to explore the falls during the monsoon season when the falls is in its full glory. So you need to walk 14kms on railway track to experience the true magnificence of the falls and as I mentioned above you need to really work hard to achieve something good. But for a Lazy person like me this was not at all an option ;) hence this option was erased from the drawing board  ;)

2)     Train ride from Castle rock – You can hitch a ride on any of the goods train plying from Castle rock towards Dudhsagar this again depends on your luck in getting permission from the railways to hop on to the goods train and the schedule of the train and I feel this isn’t a viable option. To avail this option you need to checkout the Bangalore to Dudhsagar Train timings.

3)     Jeep ride from Kulem to Dudhsagar – Kulem is situated around 12kms from Dudhsagar and there are private jeeps that take you to the falls for a fee from Kulem. The jeeps operate only after the monsoons have receded, that is end of September or beginning of October because they need to cross the river stream in few places in order to reach the falls. This is the best way to reach the falls for families involving ladies and children who cannot trek/walk for long distances & for few lazy people like me who don’t prefer walking 14kms to see a water-fall ;). However the jeep ride doesn’t mean a smooth ride to the falls it is as strenuous as walking since the terrain is not even and you are in for a back-breaking bumpy ride. So if you are suffering from back pain etc stay away from this jeep ride.

So as it is very obvious from the above I chose to avail the Jeep facility from Kulem to visit Dudhsagar.        

Since Dudhsagar is situated in Goa and it is November so how could one just visit Dudhsagar and not visit the beaches and indulge in some water activities and shack food J in Goa….. So we planned to visit Goa after Dudhsagar…. So the plan was Bangalore to Dudhsagar to Goa :) 

It was a long weekend and the plan was to start from Bangalore on Thursday night reach Kulem in the morning hire a jeep and visit the falls and head to Calangute after visiting the falls to spend the rest of the weekend…..

So this was the planned route

Bangalore-à Kittur à Ponda à Kulem à Calangute à kittur àBangalore

The next thing was to plan for people who would accompany me on this trip…. However it was not at all difficult this time to convince people to come for the trip as the destination was Goa ;) People were more than happy to accompany me to Goa J

So the plan was ready, people were ready now was the fun time Tour de Dudhsagar

Day 0 Thursday:

21:00 hrs. All of us were excited and got off work early. We boarded my friend’s Skoda Rapid and were off for our journey…. We were very hungry and planned halt at kamat near Sira for Dinner. However one of my friend suggested having our dinner at the Chat street on Sajjan rao circle and how could we say no to those yummylicious dosas so we decided to pit stop at Sajjan rao circle for some hot Dosas and chats….

23:00 hrs. After some delicious ghee dosa and chats we were off for our journey. There was a mad rush on the highway due to the long weekend. People were heading home and almost all major junctions were choked. We somehow managed to take some gully roads and reach Nelamangala Toll….. We were stuck almost for 30 minutes in Nelamangala toll it was a real pain.

Day1 Friday:

04:00 hrs. We reached Hubli toll and were planning to take our normal route to goa which is Kittur à Ponda à Goa however we had never even once tried the Dharwadà Ponda à Goa road so we thought why not explore a new road so that we are aware of all possible road conditions to Goa and it will help us for the return journey…… So we took the risk and decided to travel through Dharwad..

So this was the modified road

Bangalore-à Dharwad à Ponda à Kulem à Calangute à Dharwad àBangalore

The road from Dharwad to Goa was in a good condition barring few bad patches but overall this road is well maintained and can be used to travel to Goa…

07:00 hrs. We reached the Goan check post and asked directions for Kulem. Kulem is not very far from the check post hardly 10-12kms. We reached Kulem railway station at 8 in the morning. We were directed to the reservation office for the jeeps that would take us to Dudhsagar falls… We booked a jeep for 2100 as we were 5 of us…. If you are less in number you can hop into the shared jeep for 350 per person. The distance from Kulem to Dudhsagar falls is around 12kms.We parked our car near the railway station. They have dedicated car parking facility for visitors in Kulem. So you don’t have to worry about your car while you are on the way to the falls by Jeep or via the train trek. Also if you are travelling from Bangalore and plan to hit Dudhsagar on the way to Goa then you needn’t worry about restrooms in Kulem as there is a change room and pay and use toilet right next to the boarding point of the jeep in Kulem which are clean and well maintained.

09:00 hrs. After freshening up we boarded the jeep and were off to Dudhsagar falls. My fingers were crossed and I only hoped that the falls had enough water so that all our hard work to get to the falls doesn’t go in vain…. It was a bumpy ride though the Forrest and the jeeps had to cross flowing streams at few places. There were people standing in the flowing stream to push the oncoming jeeps so that they don’t get washed away or get stuck in the flowing water ;) The jeep drove through some scenic roads and we captured some beautiful landscapes on our DSLRs…. After 45 minutes of bumpy ride we finally reached the entrance of the falls where we were dropped off by the jeep. We were given exactly 1.5hrs to visit the falls and come back to the point where the jeep would pick us up and drop us back at Kulem.

                                           

                                  Eleplant taking bath en-route to the falls

                               Some beautiful landscapes en-route the falls

   Jeeps crossing the river stream

 People standing for a safe passage of the jeep

                                  Finally the entrance

10:00 hrs. We started to walk towards the falls and after 15 mins of walk through the flowing streams and slippery rocks we finally got the first glimpse of the falls…. It was beautiful!!! It was not as spectacular as it would have been in monsoons but the falls had adequate water and did not disappoint us. The falls is frequented by lot of foreign tourists. They were very excited to spot monkeys on the way to the falls and were busy feeding them…. After trekking a bit more we finally reached the foot of the falls…. It was amazing… people were swimming right under the falls…. It was really tempting. We too wore our life jacket and jumped into the water…. It was really refreshing after a 13hr journey from Bangalore. It was a great feeling to swim right under the falls….. We played at the falls for an hour and were back at the entrance where we were picked up and dropped back to Kulem….

Slippery rocks and streams that need to be crossed by walk to reach the foot of the falls

 Dudhsagar falls

  Spotted a train passing the falls

                                Taking a dip under the falls

14:00 hrs. After having lunch at a restaurant in Kulem we headed off to Calangute. We drove for about two hours and finally reached Calangute where we booked an accommodation right next to the beach…. Accommodation is not a problem during October or November in Goa…. We don’t have to book it in advance unlike during Christmas and New Year which is the peak season in Goa and getting a room is really very difficult….

17:00 hrs. After taking some rest we hit the beach and had fun…. We were back at the accommodation by dusk had dinner and were almost unconscious since we did not sleep previous night because of all the driving and the excitement to see the falls…. We had our dinner and were fast asleep…. That culminated Day1….

                                   Calangute Beach

Day2 Saturday:

As we were bored by the usual tourist places in Goa, we wanted to visit some new place… I switched on my TripAdvisor app on my phone for some suggestions. I came across a beach called Mandarem beach which was around 18kms from Calangute and had good reviews on Tripadvisor… So our destination for Day2 was set…. After a sumptuous breakfast we headed off towards Mandarem beach on our rented bikes…. However due to connectivity issues we lost the GPS signal midway and reached Arambol beach instead of Mandarem… Arambol beach was not very appealing so we again set off on the road to explore a better beach.. On the way we asked a local who directed us to a beach called Ashwem beach. After 20 mins ride from Arambol we reached the Ashwem beach… The Beach was simply spectacular!!! White sands clean water not very touristy… you can hardly find any tourists here. It was a hidden gem…. We spent the afternoon at the beach and headed back to our accommodation in the evening…

While we are in Goa we always make it a point to have at least one meal at the Kamat fishland in Panjim…. So we had our dinner at Fishland and headed off to our accommodation… This concluded Day2…..

                                Ashwem Beach

Day3 Sunday:

We woke up early in the morning and checked out of the accommodation by 10… We headed back to Bangalore via Dharwad since the roads were good… We had our lunch in Dharwad and were back in Bangalore by 9 in the night…

                                Yummy lunch at Dharwad

It was a great experience to have visited Dudhsagar which was always on my to-do list and stumble upon a spectacular beach called Ashwem beach. All in all a weekend well spent…..

A Weekend Trip to Bandipur

We had few relatives coming down to Bangalore from Kolkata and they wanted to visit some tourist locations around Bangalore. As usual my in-laws looked upon me for some ideas. Frankly speaking I always try and avoid family trips because in a family trip you don't carry 3 bottles of Beer, 2 underwear’s & 2 packets of cigarettes in your bag, all these heavenly things are replaced by some good clothes, soft drinks and chips packets ;).All the ingredients that make a purrfect holiday need to be parted with in a family trip... Hey that just rhymed ;)

Anyway there was no escape and I was given the task of planning and executing this trip by my In-laws.

The plan:

location

Since our relatives were visiting us for the first time what better/clichéd place to visit than Mysore.

Though Mysore is a very beautiful city, I have been bored to death by visiting Mysore and all its attractions like the Mysore palace, Zoo etc. time and again hence I wanted to skip Mysore this time because I already had to sacrifice on the heavenly things mentioned above ;) and did not want to visit the same old places which would add to the boredom.

However for all people visiting south India for the first time Mysore is a must visit place and hence it couldn't be dropped from the itinerary. So keeping all these things in mind I suggested Bandipur so that we can spend maximum time in Bandipur and visit attractions in Mysore on the way back from Bandipur so it was a win-win situation for all.

Route, Accomodation & Transport

We were totally 6 people and I and my In-laws have hatchbacks so driving by ourselves was totally ruled out because it meant taking two cars for a comfortable journey..... So we hired a Qualis to drive to Bandipur...

The route was Bangalore--> Mysore--> Bandipur Via the Mysore Ooty Highway....

With the route and transport planned it was time to plan for the accommodation. I was shocked to find out that few resorts in Bandipur which charge around 6k per person per night were running full. The high income and the spending capacity of people in Bangalore these days has had a major effect on the surrounding tourist places. As we Bangaloreans try and explore new places over the weekend and since we don't mind spending on quality things, the cost of most of the accomodations in the Tourist places around Bangalore have sky rocketed. However I was lucky to find an economical resort (Bangalore standards ;) ) called MC Resort which was situated close to the Bandipur Forrest.

We booked the resort for 6 people and were all set for the trip.

The Journey Begins

The worst part about a family trip is that you are not allowed to drive in the night as elders give consider safety as the prime importance over anything else which means you have to wake up early in the morning for the journey. I had to wake up by 5 and the shift my arse from the bed to the Cab which was waiting for us downstairs. I didn't even bother to take a shower, I just woke up had a cup of coffee and sat in the car parked downstairs and dozed off.As I did not have to drive this time i had the luxury to doze off in the journey :) .

We left Bangalore at 6 in the morning. As a ritual people heading towards Mysore always pit stop at the Kamat hotel located midway between Ramnagara & Chanpattana. So did we!! Because how could you start out on a journey without the amazing idlis and Dosas dished out by this Kamat joint without which this journey would have been incomplete.

After a sumptuous breakfast we headed off to Bandipur. MC Resort was not difficult to find, it was on the highway itself some 200 mts after Jungle lodges Bandipur. I did not have high expectations from the resort since they were charging us way below what the other resorts were charging in its vicinity.

However when I reached there I was pleasently surprised. The rooms were very clean and well maintained. They had a nice sit-out and had facilities like Carrom, Swimming pool, TT tables etc. We had actually found a gem of a place.

I just threw the luggage in the room and jumped off into the swimming pool.... After spending close to an hour swimming playing TT etc. we went to the dining hall and had lunch. The lunch was very delicious, the flavours had a bit of village touch to it.

As the saying goes you don't visit a jungle and not go to a safari. So We booked for a private Jeep safari which was scheduled in the evening. It was one of a kind experience for our relatives since they had never visited a jungle and never been in an open Jeep safari. The safari started at 3PM. We spotted elephants, Bisons, Peacocks & some birds. However we weren't lucky enough to spot a tiger or any wild cat. The Jeep us took us around for almost 3 hours and the disappointment of not spotting a tiger was clearly visible on the driver's face too as he was optimistic in spotting a Tiger since the people who went for the morning safari had apparently spotted the Royal Bengal Tiger 3 times.

However all the search went in vain and we had to comfort ourselves spotting some wild elephants and jungle fowl ;) .

We were back at the resort by 7 and had tea and some delicious snacks. The resort arranged a camp fire which again was a unique experience for our relatives. After a round of snacks at the camp fire spot we had our dinner. This completed Day1 of the trip. All in All MC resort was a wonderful place to stay and the delicous food being the highlight of the resort. 

Day 2: Gopalaswami Betta & Mysore

As Mysore was an important leg in our itinerary we had to check out of the resort early. We checked out around 9 in the morning. When you are around Bandipur in the months of October & November you should make it a point to visit Gopalaswamy Betta. This is a picturesque hill located in the core area of Bandipur and offers some breath taking views of the Bandipur forrest from above. This place was once a paradise for trekkers but due to all the restrictions in place people are no longer allowed to trek in Gopalaswamy betta. The Gopalaswamy betta opens at 8:30 in the morning for visitors and closes at 5PM. Even with the restrictions in place Gopalaswamy Betta is a must visit place when you are around Bandipur. We checked out around 9 in the morning and reached the hilltop by 10 after spending an hour or so we started descending towards Mysore. We saw some famous attractions like the Mysore Palace on the way back and as a ritual again we stopped at the Fish Land restaurant in Srirangapattana. We had some delicious fish preparations like the Anjal Rawa fry, Mangalore style Pompret curry etc.  for lunch after which we departed to Bangalore. This completed our Mysore/Bandipur trip.

All in All it was a short & and a Sweet trip which our relatives are still raving about to other relatives which in-turn may result in more number of relatives visiting us and we doing a Bandipur/Mysore 2.0 :)