Mind Blogging. Mind Boggling.

I've had colleagues and friends who are newcomers to Bangalore, ask me about travel destinations nearby. Today, I met H after more than a decade, and this topic came up again. 

I have now lived in the Uru for the past 6 years, and also racked up some stints in the past. Despite my 10+ years in Delhi and Mumbai each, by now I am unambiguously a Bangalorean. During this time, I've traveled around a bit. So, am compiling a list of travel options, mostly drawn from my first-hand experiences . So, next time, if someone asks me , instead of scratching my head trying to jog my memory, I can point them to this list. 

I think Bangalore offers excellent access to multiple natural sceneries and culture, so scroll through and hope it helps your plans and travels. I enjoyed compiling this list- went through in my mind some of the happy memories from these places- the sights, the sounds, the food, and the great company. If you want to suggest any place to me, based on my interests as demonstrated below, do add in comments.  

All of these spots are based on experiences from the past 5 years. In most places, I have added my recommendation for place to stay- it's mostly where I stayed.   

Weekend plan

1. Nomad Camp, DD Hills, Tumakuru : 2.5 hour drive: This is more glamping than camping. Good food, short hike, in the lap of nature. 

2. Resorts near Airport (eg: Angsana) or at Nandi Hills  (I personally did not like the KSTDC I went to right on top of Nandi hill, but many other resorts have sprouted up. Angsana is from a trusted source)

3.  Skandagiri sunrise trek: Start at 3 Am and get to the top for a glorious sunrise. You have to book with an operator- try BMC. 

4. Gudibande lake + fort: Nature. 2 hour drive away- this one's just a day trip.  

5. Halu Chilume Gange hike: Would not recommend if you are not hardcore into trekking. Need Alltrails GPS tracking (thanks KJ)- high chance of getting lost. 

Long weekend plan

1. Gorukana resort, BR hills : 4 hour drive: Nature. Gorukana is run by tribal locals. Small hike, safari, in the lap of nature, local culture.  

2. Srirangapatna and Ranganathittu: Nature. 3 hour drive. Can get up close and personal with the Kaveri river. Nice bird watching, especially water-birds during migratory season in winter, at Rangan. Mayura KSTDC ok but there are some nice Airbnbs. 

3. Varkala, Kerala: Nature + Gastronomics. Flight to Kochi. Not too much to do apart from the Varkala cliff-beach, so although the travel is long, Varkala can be considered for a long weekend. 

4. Belur Halebed: High culture. 3 hour drive. UNESCO world heritage site. ‘Jewellery on rock’, indeed. 4 hour drive away. KSTDC was ok but did not find anything else. 

5. Thanjavur: High culture and Gastronomica. Night train. The Bragadeeshwara temple is quite the pearl. The Tanjore king’s museum is well preserved and has some stunning sculptures. Nearby Darasuram temple is not as famous also stunning. 

6. Kudremukh trek: Night bus ride with trek company (BMC): One of the highest points of Karnataka. Tough one, baking sun. Need to pick the right weather.

Weekend + 2 days 

The road trip options are 5 hours away.  I write off the days with such long road trips and like two whole days there, so I’ve listed these options in Weekend + 2 days section. 

1. Sakleshpur : Nature: 5-6 hour road trip. Waterfalls, short hikes, coffee plantations, nice resorts in the lap of nature . Baan Nimbus nice but a bit pricey. 

2. Coorg : Nature: 5-6 hour road trip. Waterfalls, hard hikes, coffee plantations, nice resorts in the lap of nature

3. Chikmagalur : Nature: 5-6 hour road trip. Waterfalls, hard hikes, coffee plantations, nice resorts in the lap of nature. Coffee Bean resort. 

4. Hampi : Culture + Adventure: Overnight train/bus. Nice resorts, amazing culture – lots of ruined temples to hike / cycle around, getting up close and personal with Tungabhadra river . Heart of the Vijayanagara empire which spanned the entire south India. If not for the over-adventurisms and poor succession planning of the last king, Krishna Devaraya, we might not have had the British in India!  Also, the bouldering capital of India. 

5. Kabini: Nature. 5-6 hour road trip. Planned multiple times but trip cancelled due to COVID lockdown and other reasons. Know reliably that it’s a fantastic place for Safaris, Tiger and panther spotting, birding, and nature immersion. Jungle Lodges FTW

6. Pondicherry : Culture and Gastronomica: Night train. 

7. Dandeli and Ganeshgudi : Nature and Adventure. Night train to Hubli. Best birding I’ve ever had, at Old Magazine House and Timber Depot. Dandeli the only rafting destination in South India. By the shore of the beautiful Kali river. Hornbill resort, Old Magazine resort (this one no frills) 

8. Udupi: Nature. Night train. Lot of beaches and less commercialized than Goa. Stayed in Paradise Isle. Resort ok but location amazing- right opposite Malpe beach. 

9. Gokarna: Nature. Night train. Found the Kudle beach to be as beautiful as any in Goa. Has a bunch of meditation and yoga retreats which are on my to-do list. 

Highlights from each of these places in my mind: lemme enjoy stoking some nostalgia! 

Nomad Camp, DD hills: During the hike back, the sight of three small brown colored pheasants bouncing along in a tight line behind each other (I christened them Ramesha, Suresha, Mahesha). The rare yellow throated bulbuls and the sounds of nature when we hung back from the group on the way back in the morning. The peaceful time by the lake in the village at the foothill. 

Nomad Camp, DD hills: During the hike back, the sight of three small brown colored pheasants bouncing along in a tight line behind each other (I christened them Ramesha, Suresha, Mahesha). The rare yellow throated bulbuls and the sounds of nature when we hung back from the group on the way back in the morning. The peaceful time by the lake in the village at the foothill. 

Nandi Hill: Nothing sticks out from this trip, but from a previous trip- the approaching clouds engulfed me and my friends. 

Skandagiri Sunrise treks: The conversations during the hike with friends, mostly the S + NIT-K gang. Clambering up some rocky stairs. The view of the orange sun. The wind on top which was chilly. And, the games at KJ’s place at midnight (football, basketball, frisbee)

Gudibande lake + fort : The view from the fort on top of the hill, the tree with vivid orange flowers filled with chattering starlings and the 3 of us getting close to the tree, the viewing the striking Red Adavat in a bush. 

Gorukana: The dance with the tribals along with their song. Goru-goru-go-gorukana. Panaromic view of rolling hills near the resort. 

Srirangapatna and Ranganathittu: The crocodile and a fleeting sighting of the rare Otter. Getting close to the Kaveri river and watching and Black-white kingfisher dive in. The different company on both occasions, with N, S and A the constant. My song: 

An otter in the water, 

a croc on the rock,  (rising pitch)

a duck in the muck,

And seeing all this,  (rising pitch)

a girl, does a twirl! (crescendo!)

Srirangapatna (in low bass voice, pitch below the first line)

Varkala and Kerala: My longest run ever of 18km in prep for Delhi Half marathon; it also started raining on the way! Diving on the beach for ‘PUMA Dive’ activation. The fantastic dinner at the Gateway. 

Belur Halebed: The intricacy of the designs on the black rock, with some of the cylinders looking like straight out of the lathe machine but did they have one back then! Exploring the ragi and sugarcane farms around, with Dad. 

Thanjavur: Viewing the huge gopuram everytime we passed by on the road. The marvellous sculptures in the museum. 

Sakleshpur: the huge waterfall that surprised us. The hike on the rolling, grassy hill. A knoll- where we in Scotland? 

Coorg: View from the balcony of a dense forest. The rice idlis common to this area (kadambuttu)

Chikmaglur: The view of Mullayangiri- the highest peak of Karantaka. Leech encounters. The owner of the Coffee bean estate with his proud family heritage. The ‘Nuthatch’ bird scampering up a tree trank. Learning about Robusta and Arrabica. 

Hampi: Up close with the Tungabhadra. The rice fields. The boundering. Cycling through the rocky wilderness. 

Dandeli and Ganeshgudi: Coracle ride on Kali river. Hornbills. Profusion of Flycatchers at Ganeshgudi. 

Labels: Travellog

# posted by Ashwin Ravikumar @ 8:52 PM 0 Comments