Monsoon in Western Ghats in India - An Itinerary to experience it!

Come June and it is time for Indian Monsoons. This is also the best time to see Western ghats and experience rain especially in the Malnad region of Thirthahalli in Karnataka. It is still unexplored and receives the second highest rainfall in India. This is THE place for someone who wants to experience Indian monsoons in full glory.

We would recommend you to make Thirthahalli as base (Thirthahalli) - it is centrally located and has good stay options - and you can comfortably plan for four to five days of outing. It is a sleepy little town in rural Karnataka. Thirthahalli and its surroundings is also an area which receives heavy rain fall.

Having been to Thirthahalli and surroundings many times, here is a recommended itinerary. Of course, this region can be visited throughout the year if you don't want to get wet in the torrential rain! The season between October to March is the best when there is a nip in the air, mist on the mountains and a chance to see glorious sunrises and sunsets.

This itinerary is basically for a road trip from Bangalore. If you don't intend to drive, don't worry. You have an excellent option of taking a night train from Bangalore to Shimoga and ask your host to arrange for a pick up at Shimoga railway station. Shimoga to Thirthahalli is a beautiful and picturesque drive of an hour. If you are a person who loves bus journeys, you have option to catch a direct night bus from Bangalore to Tirthahalli.

A complete list to experience and enjoy monsoon in India can be read by clicking this link - Celebrating Indian Monsoon - A List!

Here is the itinerary. Hope you come back soaked with myriad experiences of monsoon!

Day 1 - Bangalore - Thirthahalli

Total Distance - 339 KMs

Route Map - Bangalore - Tirthahalli

• Leave Bangalore in the morning and reach Thirthahalli for Lunch. 
• It is a comfortable six hours drive. 
• Have breakfast enroute either at Tiptur (Kamat Restaurant) or Arsikere (Raghavendra Lodge) or Kadur (Vinayaka Cafe) or Birur (Preethi Canteen for best Butter Masala Dosa). 
• On the way visit Amritapura - five KMs from Tarikere - for its famous Hoysala temple. 
• In the evening go around Thirthahalli town, visit Bheemanakatte for a quiet evening by Tunga river. 

Lovely sand banks on Tunga river in Bheemanakatte

Useful links

Amritapura - Amrutesvara Temple, Amruthapura on Wikipedia

Day 2 - Tirthahalli - Kundadri - Agumbe - Thirthahalli

Total distance - 80 KMs

Route Map - Tirthahalli - Kundadri - Agumbe - Tirthahalli

• Experience the fury of rain and wind on Kundadri - A Small hillock on the way to Agumbe. You can drive up the hill and enjoy panoramic view. You may take a look at Kundadri pictures in our post on Monsoon drive here. 
• Monsoon drive in Malnad - Countless Waterfalls and Visual bliss!
• Visit Agumbe Rainforest research station and learn about King Cobra and wildlife in Western Ghats 
• Enjoy the cascades of Jogi gundi and Koodlu Theertha waterfalls 
• Walk on the streets where Swami and his friends walked in Malgudi Days! 
• Return back to Tirthahalli in evening. 
• You may not be able to see beautiful sunset at Agumbe during monsoons which is possible in winters and summer 

Monsoon sky as seen from Kundadri hill

Useful links

More Kundadri pics - Magical morning at Kundadri Betta by Deepsan

Agumbe - Agumbe on Wikipedia

Agumbe Rainforest research station - Agumbe Rainforest Research Station

Malgudi Days - Malgudi_Days

Day 3 - Thirthahalli - Sringeri - Horanadu - Kuppali - Thirthahalli

Total distance - 185 KMs

Route map - Tirthahalli - Sringeri - Horanadu - Tirthahalli

• A beautiful drive. 
• Have early breakfast in the place of your stay or better have a good South Indian breakfast at Sringeri. Visit historical temple of Goddess Sharada. 
• Walk over the bridge on Tunga river and visit Shankaracharya's Ashram - don't miss seeing Award winning architecture of Sanskrit Pathashala. 
• Drive to Horanadu. Visit the famous temple of Goddess Annapoorneshwari at the foothills of mountains 
• Have lunch in temple. 
• After lunch drive back to Tirthahalli and on the way after Koppa, visit the beautifully restored heritage house of great Kannada poet KUVEMPU as a memorial for him at Kuppali - good signage is there. Trek to "Kavi Shyla" a small hill - ten minutes trek - adjoining to the memorial to see "Stonehenge" kind of structure done by well known artist K T Shivaprasad. 
• Enjoy the beautiful view of Sahyadris from the top. 
• Return back to Tirthahalli 

Heritage home of Poet Laureate Kuvempu in Kuppalli

Useful links

Kuppali - Kuppalli on Wikipedia

KUVEMPU - Kuvempu

Sringeri - Shringeri on Wikipedia

Day 4 - Thirthahalli - Kollur - Thirthahalli

Total distance - 167 KMs

Route map - Tirthahalli - Kollur - Tirthahalli

• After early breakfast drive to Kollur. 
• Enjoy the beautiful drive through mountains/valleys 
• Visit temple dedicated to Goddess Mookambika. 
• Return to Tirthahalli for late lunch 

Valley views on the way to Kollur

Day 5 - Tirthahalli - Kavaledurga - Mani Dam - Nagara Fort - Tirthahalli

Total distance - 114 KMs

Route Map - Tirthahalli - Kavaledurga - Mani Dam - Nagara Fort - Tirthahalli

• Kavaledurga is a hillock fort close to Tirthahalli with amazing views of Mani dam backwaters and valleys. 
• After breakfast head towards Kavaledurga. 
• Climb the the hill fort - it has steps - enjoy the views. 
• Drive to Nagara fort 
• Drive to Mani dam on the way back and view beautiful backwaters formed by the dam. 
• Return to Tirthahalli for late lunch. 
• After lunch and rest visit Chippalagudde, a picnic spot on Tunga river 

Nagar fort looks beautiful in Monsoon

Useful links

KavaleDurga - The Voice of Greenery: Kavaledurga

                        YouTube Video on Kavaledurga

Mani Dam - The Voice of Greenery: Kavaledurga

Nagara Fort  - YouTube video on Nagara fort

Day 6 - Tirthahalli - Kodachadri - Tirthahalli

Total distance - 138 KMs

Route Map - Tirthahalli - Kodachadri

• Trekking of Kodachadri in Monsoons is only for experienced trekkers. 
• Also visit beautiful Hittalamane falls at the foot hills. 
• In non monsoon season, one can enjoy amazing sunset from this peak. 

Sunrise @ Kodachadri

Useful links

Kodachadri - The Voice of Greenery: kodachadri

Day 7 - Thirthahalli - Mandagadde bird sanctuary - Sakrebailu elephant camp - Gajanur dam - Tyavarekoppa Lion safari - Thirthahalli

Total distance - 140 KMs

Route Map - Tirthahalli - Shimoga - Tirthahalli

• This can be done as a comfortable day trip. This trip is specially for Kids who will enjoy bathing elephants and seeing lions and tigers at close quarters. 
• Leave early with packed breakfast. 
• Visit Sakrebailu elephant camp. Watch how the mahouts bathe and train elephants. Allow kids to play with some baby elephants including bathing them 
• After breakfast, drive to Tyavarekoppa lion safari which is ten KMs from Shimoga. On the way stopover at Gajanur dam to enjoy beautiful vistas of backwaters of Tunga river 
• Enjoy lion safari and have lunch in Shimoga. Visit Shivappa Nayaka's palace in city. 
• Drive back to Tirthahalli. 
• Stop over at Mandagadde bird sanctuary on the way for some bird watching. 

A baby elephant enjoying bath in the camp!

Useful links

Mandagadde - Mandagadde Images

Sakrebailu - Sakrebailu Images

Day 8 - Thirthahalli - Sagara - Jog falls - Thirthahalli

Total distance - 220 KMs

Route map - Tirthahalli - Jog Falls - Tirthahalli

• After breakfast drive to Jog falls, the tallest waterfalls in Asia 
• On the way back visit famous temple at Ikkeri on the outskirts of Sagara. 
• Have lunch in Sagara. 
• Return to Tirthahalli 

Jog falls in full glory

Useful links

Jog Falls 

          Wiki - Jog Falls

          Google Images - Jog Falls

Ikkeri - Aghoreshvara Temple @ Ikkeri

Day 9 - Return to Bangalore after Breakfast

If you want to extend your trip after experiencing monsoon, here are some interesting Deviations

• If one wants to visit Udupi, then they can deviate from Agumbe or Kollur.
• If one wants to Murdeshwar and beyond, one can do so after Jog falls. Also there is a nice trek of Kanur fort from Jog falls for which one has to stay near Jog falls.

Travel Tips

• Tirthahalli and surroundings experience heavy rainfall during monsoon. Take proper rain gear. 
• Make sure your car is in good condition. Check condition of tyres. 
• Always check locally for latest road condition. Your host will be of help. 
• You can hire a car at Tirthahalli for doing trips. 
• Plan your itinerary based on number of days you can spare. 
• While trekking or walking in monsoon, you may suffer leech bite. Don't worry. It is a minor hiccup. 

Stay Options

There are good home stays in and around Tirthahalli which provide nice accommodation with excellent meals. We have stayed at Bananki (http://www.banankihomestay.com/) and the Malnad cuisine served by them is awesome. A very good home stay.

For more stay options, you may visit Travelmalnad which lists home stays in Tirthahalli.

Glossary

Malnad - Is a shortened form of "Maley Nadu" meaning the region with rainfall. "Maley" in Kannada Language means Rain

Western ghats - Mountain ranges in peninsular India. A UNESCO World heritage site.

Hoysala - Medieval dynasty who ruled vast parts of South India. Famous for building artistically brilliant temples.

Malgudi Days - Iconic Indian television serial

Ashram - Monastery

Pathshala - School

Sahyadri - Another name for Western Ghats

Mahout - Elephant trainer

We request you to join the lovely drives we have done in Western Ghats during monsoon by clicking on the links below.

Monsoon Drive in Malnad - Countless Waterfalls and Visual Bliss!

Sakleshpur - Mesmerised in Monsoon!

Chikmagalur - A monsoon drive in Western Ghats!

If you are looking for a Driving Holiday from Bangalore to explore Monsoon in Malnad (Western ghats) , please click here

Driving Holidays from Bangalore 2 - Magical Malnad!

Did you like this post?  Do you need help in planning a trip to Tirthahalli and Malnad to experience Indian Monsoon? You are welcome to write to poorna62@gmail.com. 

Happy to help 

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Sakleshpur - Kaptivated in Kadamane Estate!

Before we start, it is a great news to know that Western Ghats have been selected as one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites. Just read the news today. This will possibly help in conserving this great bio diversity hot spot in India.

We wanted to experience rain. What else can be a better place than the Western ghats in South India to experience it? We had been to Sakleshpur in August 2011 and it was a fabulous Journey.

But this trip was totally unplanned. The spark for this trip was lit during our visit to Sinnadorai's Bungalow in Valparai in the state of Tamil Nadu in South India in March this year recounted in the post Valparai - An Unexplored wonder in this blog. We happened to see an excellent book on  the "History of plantations in South India" which also listed old bungalows built by British. One of them happened to be at Kadamane Estate in Sakleshpur in the state of Karnataka in South India.

When we came back from Valparai, we called up Mr Cariappa, the Manager of Kadamane estate. He said that the place was under renovation and would take couple of months before it is thrown open for guests. We let it pass. In May, we call up Cariappa to check the status of the place. Back comes his confirmation that the rooms are ready and we could come over.

So the plan is made. To leave Bangalore on Saturday 26 May, stay for a night and come back the next day. The drive from Bangalore is uneventful with the road being in fantastic condition throughout. We loved the stretch from Hassan to Sakleshpur which is virtually under the canopy of trees. 

Sakleshpur is a small town in the state of Karnataka. The town and surroundings are known as plantation country with Coffee and Tea being major crops apart from paddy fields and betel nut plantations. Sakleshpur is also known for thick forests, flowing streams, waterfalls and beautiful meadows stretching for miles. Sinnadorai's Bungalow at Kadamane is at a distance of 22 KMs from Sakaleshpur town and the road is pretty good. The last ten KMs is a beautiful cemented road. 

Lovely cement road

We reach the gate of the estate around 12.30 PM having left Bangalore around 8.30 AM. The security guard opens the gate after checking our credentials. Kadamane estate is one of the largest estates in Sakleshpur with a holding of more than 10,000 hectares of land coverage. It is a big township with hospital, school and post office dedicated to the estate. Established in probably in 1920s by British, the estate is now part of EID Parry group, one of the largest industrial groups of South India.

Oldest tea bush in the estate - planted in 1929!! Look at the width of the bush!!

We are now in green country. The drive from the gate to our cottage is soothing through winding roads of the estate. It is miles and miles of greenery. Thick evergreen forests and valleys of Western ghats mark the boundary of the estate. 

The Green road!!

Notice Shola forests acting as boundary at the edge of the estate

We reach the "Sinnadorai Bungalow" and are received by Prabhu.The Bungalow is under renovation. It is a beautiful Victorian villa. We have to give it to British to select the place for their living which is generally the highest spot in the garden with excellent views. The bungalow is large and typically English with wide driveways, huge lawn and large verandas. It looks similar to the bungalow in Valparai but larger in size. The main bungalow will be ready by September says Prabhu as he leads us to our "Cottage". These two cottages are newly built. We check into the cottage which has two rooms. This can accommodate two families. There is another cottage few steps from us which has only one room. The location of cottages is lovely overlooking the green expanse of the garden. The rooms are spacious and nicely done.

The twin room cottage. Notice the setting. Lovely.

The cottage with single room. Lovely.

The Porch - Notice the valley view in front

Freshened up, we sit out for sometime to savour the fresh air and soak in the greenery of the place.It is dead quiet out here. Clouds gather in the sky and we are hopeful to experience the rain. The location of the cottage overlooking the valley of Kadamane is a perfect place to enjoy the rain.

Prabhu calls us for lunch. We are served lunch in a makeshift dining hall inside the bungalow. The food  - South Indian vegetarian - is good and tasty. Since it is early in the afternoon, we start planning our post lunch activity. The plan is to go to the famous temple of Kukke Subramanya and drive back via Bisle ghat, time permitting. Prabhu provides guidance on the route to Kukke and we hit the road after lunch.

Kukke Subramanaya is a famous shrine dedicated to Lord Subramanya or Snake god. Nestled in the serene environs on the banks of Kumaradhara river in western ghats at the foot hills of Kumara Parvata - Hill of Kumaraswamy, another name for the lord - this is a venerated place where hundreds of pilgrims gather to perform plethora of rituals to invoke blessings of Snake god. We do not want to do any ritual but have a quick "Darshan" and come out. We join the long queue and still make it within 45 minutes and head back to the car.

It is 4.15 PM as we come out of the town and see the signage to Bisle ghat. Going through Bisle means a detour of 50 KMs but a chance to drive through thick jungle and experience the amazing valley of Bisle. I know that the road is bad but this is the only chance for us to do the drive as it is impossible during rainy season due to landslides and tree falls blocking the road. Another worry was whether we would be able to make it to the view point before darkness set in. The whole effort would go waste otherwise. Before starting Poorna ask the local villager on the road condition in Kannada - the local language. The guys says that first eight KMs is bad but our car being a SUV, should not bother much.

We are now on the ghat road. The signage says that distance to Bisle village as 16 KMs. We start driving and realise that there is virtually no road. It is more of a gravel path with potholes and craters. Having driven on worst of the roads in Madhya Pradesh in Central India, we are still comfortable. We are betting on the villager's guidance and hope that the bad patch last only 8 KMs. But the bad road continues beyond that. We are also worried as there is virtually no traffic on the road and we are driving through thick forest. Though there is not much of wildlife, we are more worried if something happens to the vehicle and get stuck. 

Suddenly, we see a car behind us. It is Maruthi Omni driven by local driver. We are happy to let him overtake us and we start following him. Being a local guy, he will  manoeuvre well and act like a pilot. The road is pathetic and we take one hour to cover 15 KMs. It is a backbreaking exercise and Brinda is not very happy either. We reach the viewpoint and notice a TATA Sumo - a SUV - already parked. We could hear people speaking loudly. It seems like an all male gang having a party. We don't climb up but savour the views from the roadside. The valley view of Bisle ranges is breathtaking. I have never seen such a valley and huge expanse of virgin forests. It is mind-blowing.

Pictures of Bisle Ghat - Notice the huge expanse of virgin forests of western ghats. Awesome!

The road from the Bisle viewpoint is in good condition and it is downhill now as we head back to Kadamane. It is cloudy but no rain. The lush green meadows we had seen in August last year is brown and waiting for showers to change colours.

Waiting for the rain!

We reach Kadamane around 8 PM. The detour via Bisle makes us take longer time.

It is time for some bubbly after a hard drive. We sit in the porch and the silence is broken only by cicadas. We want rain gods to answer our prayers. But we are not fortunate as Prabhu calls us for dinner. After a nice dinner we return to sit in the porch of the cottage for sometime  to immerse in the silence of the place. Still no signs of rain.

We wake up to the calls of birds in the morning. We look at the watch which tells me that it is only 6 AM. Being summer, the sun is already up. We open the door and come out. It is a lovely morning. Refreshing and soothing. There is a nip in the air and the sky is overcast. We walk around the cottage and see beautiful sights of clouds hugging the forest behind the cottage. We go for a morning walk through the estate clicking some nice pictures. The vistas of Kadamane looks lovely in the morning.

Kadamane estate in full glory in early morning light

These two tufts of forest on top of a manicured tea bushes looked like a young boy with mushroom cut!

The clouds were chugging the trees and sun plays hide and seek!

Pathway between cottages - notice the valley view

Tennis court built by British!

Thick shola forests populate the valleys

Green, Green everywhere!

This is my favourite......the monotony of green broken by white of the workers' shed

Wanted to experiment.......Tagore and Tea!!

Time for flowering of lovely Orchids

Tea garden bordered by forest. The contrast is great.

We return and Prabhu is ready with freshly brewed tea. We sit in the porch and sip the freshly brewed tea and watch the lovely surroundings. Cariappa who has finished his morning rounds join us and we start chatting. A young and energetic guy, Cariappa says that we should not miss visiting "5 Acres" a beautiful view point which is at a distance of 2 KMs from the bungalow. He confirms that we can take our Scorpio. We are game and plan to see this place after breakfast. He also talks about a trekking trail to a nearby falls which would take around three hours. We tell him that has to wait for next trip as we had to return to Bangalore by afternoon.

After an excellent breakfast, Prabhu joins us to guide us to "5 acres". It is a short drive and Scorpio does a good job as we reach the summit. It is a "WOW" experience as we get down from the car. This is an experience only a trekker can get when he reaches the summit. We are now on top of the hill!! A river flows in the middle which is now dried into a small stream. This must be a spectacular place when it is raining. 

Take a look at the pictures and you will agree why we said so.

Yours truly with the beast on top of the hill!!

The Beast on the greens!!

Five Acres - Awesome, Breathtaking and Just beautiful!!!. The following pictures were all taken at Five Acres

A video of the valley shot by us can be seen here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs3_Rmkx4QU

Radhika - Cariappa's wife - who is the Managing "Sinnadorai's Bungalow" meet us and we settle the bill, say goodbye to "Kadamane". An awesome place,we are sure to return to explore further when it is pouring. We missed the rain in Kadamane - a reason for us to get back in Monsoons. But we had an experience of our life as we went up to "5 Acres".

Once the renovation of the Bungalow is completed, the place will have nine rooms inside the bungalow and two cottages outside of it. Once done, we have no doubt that it will be a charming addition to list of places one should visit from Bangalore.

Returning back is quick as usual. We stop over on the highway near Solur to pick up fresh mangoes and jack fruit. We are back at home by 5 PM after a weekend spent amidst greenery.

Kadamane in Sakleshpur is a perfect weekend getaway from Bangalore.

Post Script - Though there are many home stays in Sakleshpur, we can say that this place is unique. The estate will be closed for visitors due to renovation and monsoons and will open in end August/first week of September. You may contact their website below for bookings. The renovation is done and the beautiful Buangalow welcomes you now. You can see this post on this blog for details 

Kadamane revisited

Here is their website - Sinnadorai's Bungalow @ Kadamane Estate

Travel Tips

Getting there

a) By Road - Sakleshpur is at a distance of 220 KMs from Bangalore and is a four hours of pleasant drive. There are many buses from Bangalore to Sakleshpur.

b) By Train - The Bangalore - Mangalore express train stops at Sakleshpur.

c) Nearest airport is Mangalore. Bangalore is also a convenient choice.

Stay options 

There are many resorts in Sakleshpur. There are also many  homestays in Sakleshpur apart from Sinnadorai's Bungalow at Kadamane estate.

For information on home stays and resorts in Sakleshpur please visit Homestays and Resorts in Malnad 

Some good options to stay in Sakleshpur are as follows

Mugilu - www.mugilu.com, 

Jenukallu - www.jenukallu.com  

Tusk and Dawn - http://www.tuskanddawn.com/ 

The Hills - www.thehills.in ,

Rottikallu - www.rottikallu.com

Makkithitta - http://www.makkithitta.com/

Hulivana - http://hulivana.com/

Activities

• Go for small hikes in forests. You may get a chance to see some animals in western ghats.
• Do a day trip to cover spectacular 57 feet monolithic statue of Bahubali atop a hill in Shravanabelagola, UNESCO Heritage temples at Belur and Halebid. ( See the post Halebid - Zenith of Hoysala Architecture! on sculptural marvels of Halebid in this blog)
• Drive up Bisle ghat for spectacular views of Western ghats
• Picnic on lush meadows
• Visit historic Manjarabad fort
• Visit famous temple of Kukke Subramanya
• Mountain biking
• Angling
• Off roading
• Do bird watching and see birds of western ghats
• Treks to waterfalls
• Just pick up a book and savor the clean, cool atmosphere!
• Do nothing!!

One can comfortably combine Sakleshpur with Coorg as the road from Sakleshpur to Coorg has lovely landscapes and road condition is good.

Glossary

Western Ghats - Mountain ranges in Peninsular India stretching for miles. A bio deiversity hotspot.

Maruti Omni - A small car famous as peoplemover in India
Darshan - one to one meeting with god!
Sinnadorai - Junior Manager. The Estate manager during British era in Kadamane estate was called as "Dorai" in South Indian language of Tamil which translates as " King or Boss". The Assistant manager or Junior Manager was called as "Sinnadorai". Sinna meaning Junior or Assistant.

Sakleshpur is breathtakingly beautiful after monsoon. You may look at this post 

Sakleshpur - Monsoon drive in western ghats!

Useful links

Western ghats - Western Ghats on Wiki
Sakleshpur - Sakleshpur on Wiki 

Bisle Ghat - Bisle Ghat on Wiki

Shravanabelagola - Serenity of Shravanabelagola

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