Monsoon Getaway-Chikmagalur

Chikmagalur’s location on the foothills of Western Ghats, the tropical rain forests, coffee estates and the generally pleasant climate makes it a very good tourist destination for short stays. In terms of elevation and average temperatures, Chikmagalur is not very different from Bengaluru.  But that’s where the comparison ends. As against ~13m people living in Bengaluru, Chikmagalur has a population of ~0.13 million only. The average annual rainfall is twice that of Bengaluru, most of it in the months of June, July and August. There is some rainfall in May and September as well but rest of the months are either dry or receive scanty rainfall. July is the wettest month and best time to visit during monsoon.

Monsoon driving can be hazardous

Travelling during monsoon can be more stressful than normal times. Driving is hazardous on wet, narrow, winding and often slushy hilly roads, visibility is often poor, trees get uprooted and block the roads regularly, there are occasional landslides and above all, one has to contend with inexperienced drivers who do not make any distinction between wet and dry roads! But I love watching the mists hanging over the hills, on the ghat sections and over the forested areas. This is possible only during the monsoons.

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Bengaluru to Chikmagalur

Chikmagalur town is on the railway network but almost all the fast trains pass through nearby towns such as Hassan, Birur or Kadur, all within a driving distance of about an hour. There is a direct train between Bengaluru-Yeshwanthpur and Chikmagalur which does both up and down journey in a day. Otherwise, the best way to reach Chikmagalur is by road. Nearest airport is at Mangalore, little over 100kms away.

From Bengaluru, Chikmagalur is ~240kms away, via Hassan. National highway NH 75 till Hassan is in good condition though there were few deviations due to ongoing work. The state highway from Hassan to Chikmagalur is also in a decent condition most of the way. All in all, 5.5 to 6 hours is needed with 2 short breaks.

The 50km stretch between Hassan and Chikmagalur is very scenic.

Restaurants on the way

They are quite a few decent only vegetarian restaurants between Neelamangala and Hassan and if you miss them or want a better choice, you can either take a short deviation in Hassan or halt at Hoysala Village Resort, just after Hassan on the way to Chikmagalur.

What to see in Chikmagalur

1. Mullayanagiri peak

The highest peak in Karnataka at 6330 ft. is the top attraction and must be visited.  One can drive all the way to Mullayangiri car park area from where the peak is ~350 steps away.

But the first stop is Seethalayanagiri where there is a temple dedicted to Seethala Mallikarjuna Swamy – the 19km drive can take about 45 minutes or so. It is ~ 1000 ft. below Mullayanagiri. Car parking space and paid public toilets are available. Views from here too are great, I just had few glimpses before the mist covered the entire area.

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The drive is not very difficult until this point and but from here to Mullayanagiri parking lot, the road is quite narrow and steep at times. If you are not comfortable, better leave the car here and take a shared taxi. I was very cautious during the 10 minute drive to Mullayanagiri parking area.  Luckily, traffic was thin due to the rains.

Parking area could be better developed

The Mullayanagiri parking area is not thoughtfully developed and a bit hazardous during the rainy season. The vehicles too were haphazardly parked.  Unfortunately, it started raining very heavily and I had no choice but to cancel the plan to trek to the peak and miss the views from the peak which is said to be breathtaking. Given the narrow roads, haphazard parking and the potholes, it took few minutes to reverse my car and head down to Seethalayanagiri.

I guess it would be a much smoother ride at any other time of the year. But still, the drive to the top while it was raining heavily too was an experience I thoroughly enjoyed.

Trekking option

There is also a trekking trail of 3-4 kms to Mullayanagiri peak that starts near Sarpadhari on the road to Baba Budangiri. Obviously avoidable during the monsoon. I believe prior approval of forest department is required.

2. Hebbe Falls

This is another experience I will not forget in a hurry.

Hebbe Falls is located within Bhadra Wildlife Reserve, about 4-5kms from Kemmangundi and ~4kms from the check post.  Private vehicles are not allowed beyond the check post(though I noticed bikes being allowed, possibly with forest department approval or maybe they were from the ‘VIP’ camp). There are two options :

1. Hire an SUV at the check post(Mahindra Bolero). Costs INR 400 per person but they would wait for most, if not all, seats to be filled. Else you can hire the entire vehicle(~INR 4k). There are public toilets close to the check post  and none thereafter.
2. Drive for 5 minutes up to the resort run by Jungle Lodges & Resorts at Kemmangundi. They offer the regular open safari jeeps. Costs INR 500 per person. I hired the full jeep for INR 4000. Plus taxes and tips. Three good reasons to prefer this option – Open safari jeep is more comfortable, toilets in the resort are clean and there is a restaurant though with limited options during off season. One has to climb several steps from parking lot to the restaurant.

Very bumpy ride

The drive from check post to Hebbe Falls was the worst(best?) bone rattling bumpy drive I have endured in my life. For full 80 minutes up and down. Post rainy season, the path with exposed boulders is often filled with mud making the drive little smoother. Couple of days of heavy rains and the mud is washed off, exposing the boulders in irregular patterns. Good thing we had decided to eat lunch after returning! The path goes over the top of smaller hills.

But the scenery and the trek to Hebbe Falls was fantastic and more than made up for the bumpy ride.

During the drive, our driver mentioned that just couple of days before, a tiger had been sighted almost midway to the Falls. But we had no such luck. But that raises a question-how safe is the walk to and from Hebbe Falls?

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The short trek is invigorating

Our Jeep broke down a kilometer before the parking area for Hebbe Falls.  Luckily, another vehicle was available but it was to take time. So we decided to walk up to Hebbe Falls. From the parking area, it is a 20-30 minute walk through the forest, across none too difficult but a bit slippery terrain. It was after quite some time that I was doing something close to trekking and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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Hebbe Falls was in full glory, with the water cascading down from a height of ~250ft. It was impossible to stand close to the water falls without getting wet and with water spraying all over coupled with light rain, I struggled to click a few pictures on my mobile phone.

The overall height of Hebbe Falls, comprising Dodda Hebbe and Chikka Hebbe is ~550 ft. River Bhadra drops in two parts and I am not sure what was visible is Dodda Hebbe or Chikka Hebbe. The upper portion was not visible due to mist and additional trekking is required to get there.

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During monsoon, the path to Hebbe Falls is full of leaches and one needs to be watchful. They seemed to be adept at getting inside the shoes and two of them had a feast at my expense. It takes about 3 hours to return to the check post though we took lot more time waiting for the relief vehicle. There are no restaurants or toilets beyond the check post.

How to get to Hebbe Falls

Hebbe Falls check post is over 60 kms from Chikmagalur and the drive is very very scenic. The road condition was by and large good. There are two routes, one via Baba Budangiri which is shorter at under 50kms but runs on the hills and other is via SH57 which is little over 60 kms.  Due to landslide after Bababudan Giri, that road was closed. But I am not sure if this is the best way to go all the way to Hebbe Falls because it touches Hebbe Falls road between the check post and Hebbe Falls parking area, as per Google Maps. Do double check before taking this route. I took SH57 which was in a decent condition. Overall, the drive one way takes less than 2 hours.

The restaurants are located close to Chikmagalur and I did not spot any decent one thereafter, except Sri Krishna Rajendra Hill restaurant in Kemmangundi.

Other waterfalls

Hebbe Falls is the best of the lot in Chikmagalur. You can skip the rest if you have visited Hebbe Falls but just from information there is Kalahatti falls(on way to Kemmangundi if taking SH 57), Honnamana and Buttermilk(Jhari) falls(on way to Babubudan Giri Dutta Peetha). There are couple more but at a slightly more driving distance such as Manikyadhara Falls on way to Kemmangundi from Baba Budangiri.

3. Kemmangundi

I always had the impression that Kemmangundi is a smallish town very much like other hill stations in India. But no, Kemmangundi has only one resort run by Jungle Lodges & Resorts. There is a sunset view point and Krishna Rajendra botanical gardens close by. Kemmangudi is believed to have been the summer retreat for Maharajas of erstwhile Mysore. Other than Hebbe Falls, there is an option to trek to a view point called Z Point. I am sure there will be more trekking trails.

Located at an altitude of 4700 ft, the resort is built on the hillside at different levels. There is fair bit of climbing required to get to your rooms or restaurant. It is a nice location though. I guess spending one or two nights here in a such  tranquil surroundings with great views from the rooms is probably worth trying but not during the rainy season.  Otherwise, a day trip from Chikmagalur too is adequate.

If doing a day trip, it would be advisable to descend down the hill before dark. Especially during the monsoon.

Kemmangundi is located about 60kms away from Chikmagalur. After a little over 40kms on SH57, take a deviation onto Kemmangundi Road, just after a petrol bunk.

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4. Ayyana Kere(Lake)

Said to be the 2^nd biggest lake in Karnataka, Ayyana Kere is located about 20-25 kms from Chikmagalur, on way to Kadur. You can take a left before Sakarayapattana(most tourists go this way and leads to a park and view point) or go further up towards Kadur and take a left, which is what I did. The second left took me around the lake and there were couple of paths to get closer. The lake is certainly big, very scenic and beautiful place. Couple of foldable chairs would have been handy. Good place for a picnic but more famous for sunset views.

Avoid when it is raining as the river bank will be very slushy. But you may still possibly try the Sakarayapattana route.

Instead of Ayyana Kere, you can also visit Hirekolale Lake, off the road to Muthodi.

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5. Bhadra Wildlife Reserve

The front or the main gate of Bhadra Wildlife Reserve is near the Bhadra reservoir at a distance of about 80 kms from Chikmagalur. It the same route that I took to Kemmangundi but from the deviation to Kemmangundi, one has to drive further for 40kms. The back gate is at Muthodi, only about 32kms away. If the intent is to only experience jeep safari ride, Muthodi will also serve the purpose.  The Bhadra Dam is near the main gate.

During the rainy season, safaris are often cancelled. But the forest department generally intimate a day or two in advance if safari is on or not. Hotels will normally have this update.

Bhadra Wildlife Santuary is among the few sanctuaries where the altitude ranges from ~2000 ft. to 6000ft.

The drive to Muthodi is said to be very scenic but my guess is it would be not very different than the drive to Mullayanagiri or Baba Budangiri or Kemmangundi.

6. Babubudan Giri Datta Peetha

Baba Budangiri is the second highest peak in Karnataka at ~6000ft., marginally lower then Mullayangiri peak. This is a pilgrimage site for both Hindus and Muslims located about 25kms from Chikmagalur. Despite the rain and the mist, the drive was quite easy. The road is actually very broad in certain sections. It started raining heavily when I reached Datta Peetha and had to skip visiting the shrine. There are small eateries here and a cup of hot coffee was very refreshing in that damp weather.

There are couple of popular trekking trails in Babu Budangiri.

What else?

Try Coffee plantation visits, combined with a visit to the coffee museum and/or coffee shops on M G Road. This is literally a ‘farm to fork’ kind of visit and very informative.

Hotels also organize morning or evening walks in the forest, more for bird watching.

There are other places within a day’s driving distance from Chikmagalur. These include Belur, Yagachi Dam(certain water sports are offered here), Halebid and few other temples nearby, Sringeri and Hornadu. But there is really no need to have Chikmagalur as the base to visit the above places.

The trip to Chikmagalur provided me with the opportunity to visit Mugalikatte, a village that has a temple devoted to our family deity, Sri Lakshmi Narasimha. It is little over 60 kms from Chikmagalur, via Kadur. Very scenic because the temple is built on a hill and the deity is place inside a cave. This temple is quite popular locally.

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Where to stay in Chikmagaluru

Chikmagalur offers accommodation to suit every budget. From luxury hotels such as Taj Gateway, The Serai, Trivik to budget hotels and homestays. Luxury hotels can cost ~INR 16-20k and upwards per night for a couple, with breakfast. But the room/cottage sizes are larger. I stayed at Taj Gateway. The property is very nice, M G Road for shopping is readily accessible and I had alternate dining options in the town but if you are looking for great views, Trivik will be much better as it is located on a hill on way to Mullayanagiri. The Serai is located about 7kms south west of Chikmagalur which means the driving distance will be a bit more. Serai is the most expensive on an average. There is also Silver Sky which is not as posh as the others above and the location too appeared a bit off in the hills.

There are plenty of other resorts and homestays, some with ridiculous rates. They are widely scattered and many are away from town, in the midst of plantations. 

Malenadu cuisine

Chikmagalur falls in the Malenadu(Malnad) region of Karnataka. I was happy to note the delicacies in the Malenadu region are largely vegetarian! Dishes made from Jackfruit, Pathrode, Akki rotti, Kadubu etc. are popular,  apart from filter coffee.

There are few stand alone vegetarian restaurants in Chikmagalur but we were told they may not be up to the mark and were recommended the restaurants at Hotel Aadrika and Crytal Inn. I tried Swadistha restaurant at Crytal Inn. It was ok for a change and I guess one has to sacrifice quality for lower price.

How many days?

About 2-4 days is adequate. The views are by and large the same, whether it is Mullayanagiri or Baba Budangiri or Kemmanagundi.

Best time to visit

Most of the rainfall occurs in June, July and August.  May and September also sees some rain. October to April is the best time to go if you wish to avoid the rains, especially if you wish to do some trekking. But Hebbe Falls may not be as attractive late winter to early summer. If you wish to enjoy the rains, June to August is the time.

I travelled in July. Over the 4 days that I was there, the sky was almost always cloudy. The rainfall was not heavy but it was persistent. Hardly got to see the sun.

Anything special to buy?

Coffee, dry fruits and spices

Head to M G Road to buy coffee powder, tea leaves, dry fruits and spices.  At Taj, I loved the coffee they served in the evenings and they said they source the powder from Vasavi Coffee.  I too purchased the powder but the coffee does not taste the same at home. Obviously, there is more to making a perfect cup of coffee than just buying good coffee powder.

For spices and dry fruits, I visited Namma Angadi on M G Road. They also sell a whole lot of stuff purchased from elsewhere and not grown locally.

There are few more  specialized shops selling coffee and spices. Available online as well but you will need to know the brand/shop name.

The best part about visiting these local shops is the learning opportunities it provides. A simple example- I was told raisins come in different shapes and sizes. Some are good for eating as it is, some need to be soaked in water before being consumed and some are for making sweet dishes such as payasam(Kheer). The rates too vary. Be sure to ask questions and the shop keepers will only be too happy to oblige.

On the Hassan – Chikmagalur road, at a certain place, there are several shops on both sides of the road selling Adivasi herbal hair oils. Highly visible and you can’t miss it. Buy if you must but with discretion. They are also available online.

Other considerations during rainy season

Check weather updates

If travelling during the rainy season, do check for daily weather updates. Better to check with your hotel first. There is generally fair bit of traffic on the ghat sections-Chikmagalur to Mullayangiri or Babu Budangiri. But the road from Baba Budangiri to Kemmangundi or the Kemmangundi road from SH57 has thin traffic during monsoon. I passed fallen trees in 2 places on Kemmangundi road that had been partially cleared and vehicles could just about pass through. The Baba Budangiri-Kemmangundi road was blocked due to landslide and this can happen elsewhere also.  The mobile phones too do not work all the time in the ghat sections.

Protect yourself from rain

Dress appropriately. Full length raincoat with hood, or a combination of rain proof jacket and pants with cap, and knee length gum boots are a must. Umbrella will also be useful when the rainfall is not heavy. Avoid clothes that will not dry easily such as jeans. Folding chairs would also be handy.

It is also advisable to carry some snacks and water all the time. Just in case you are stuck at a place for whatever reason.

Is Chikmagalur worth visiting

If you are the kind who loves nature, then a definite yes.  It is a good location for a short break.

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