Road trip to Shimoga
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| A beautiful long drive |
A fun and fulfilling short weekend getaway to Shimoga
Travel doesn’t feel the same anymore. I find it hard to
generate the enthusiasm to plan it with all the uncertainty in the current
times.
Yet still, one needs to break the monotony every once in a
while. Seeing the long weekend coming up, we decided to head out for a road
trip to Shimoga. We have visited Shimoga twice before. This time was different
and perhaps the best short holiday we have had in a long time.
Road trip
We took the Kunigal –Tiptur- Arsikere route while heading to
Shimoga from Bangalore and came back via Tumkur. The roads are good and scenic
both ways. The former has a more countryside vibe to it and would be my first
choice.
It is a good 7 hour drive [ with a short break enroute]. The
good thing about a road trip is having the opportunity to visit a few places on
the way.
We visited Adichunchanagiri, a lovely hilltop temple, on our way.
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| Adichunchanagiri Temple |
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| Cave temple in Adichunchanagiri |
I would recommend googling up the destinations enroute. Here are a couple I noted down, though we couldn’t visit-
Someshwara temple ,
Kunigal
Chandramouleshwara Temple , Arsikere
Both these ancient temples belong to the Hoysala dynasty.
You can also go via Channarayapatna to see the famous
monolithic statue at Shravanabela Gula.
Inchara Homestay
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| Our stay at Inchara |
This lovely farm stay is located about 30 kms from Shimoga,
on Tirthahalli road in Mandagadde. We wanted to stay in a quiet and
peaceful location surrounded by nature. Despite doing my research, I didn’t
want to keep my hopes too high but I needn’t have worried at all. This place
was beyond fabulous.
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| On the farm |
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| Old ancestral homes and red oxide floors are pure love |
The ancestral home converted into a holiday retreat is managed by a pleasant old couple. I fell in love with the first look of the place. There is something about terracotta tiled roofs and red oxide floors. And when you are surrounded by all sorts of green, life is sorted. All I heard for the next two days were the birds and bees and the pretty loud crickets. It was heavenly.
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| Black-rumped Flameback |
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| Purple-rumped sunbird |
This place is a paradise for bird watchers and nature lovers. We got to see so many different species of birds [which was the highlight for me], loads of creepy crawlies and butterflies and a giant Malabar squirrel [which jumped off the chikoo tree before I could click a picture ]. They also have two super friendly golden retrievers and many [ and I mean many] cats.
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| Malabar Parakeet |
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| Malabar Grey Hornbill |
The place has large patch of Arecanut palm trees, a little banana plantation, many chikoo and orange trees and more.
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| Sindhu the friendly retriever |
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| Arecanut palms and Banana plantation |
We stayed here for two nights and by the second day, I knew which birds prefer which tree and we even managed to recognise a few bird sounds. Have you ever heard the Malabar Grey Hornbill? It sounds like an old man laughing. It is amazing.
The cook is nothing short of brilliant. She is a talented lady and cooks food for the soul. I wish I had taken more food pictures to share but here’s a glimpse of my breakfast plate. Simple, tasty, home cooked meals - one of the reasons why I would head back to this place.
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| Yummy akki roti with potato paliya and ridgegourd chutney |
The rooms are basic and large. We got one with a king sized bed and two single beds which was great for our family of five. I have no complaints. It was neat, no frills attached. I must add here that the bathroom, though quite clean, has water-stained old tiles [ which I know can bother some people]. The beddings had that slight damp musty smell which I am sure is because of the long monsoon spell. It didn’t really bother us much. Plus honestly there was so much we loved that this didn’t seem like a big deal.
We were the only guests and the owner also offered us a discount. The tariff includes all meals. They also parking space and provision for the drivers.
Contact information-
Inchara Home Stay
Mandagadde post, Thirthahalli Taluk
Shimoga District, Karnataka State, Pin - 577 220
Contact: Mr. Ramesh
Mobile: +91 99456 55170
E- mail ID: incharahomestay@yahoo.com
Itinerary
Day 1
Bangalore to Inchara Homestay.
Visit to Adichunchanagiri temple enroute.
Reached by 2.30 pm and spent the evening exploring the farm.
Day 2
Day trip to Agumbe
Inchara homestay to Agumbe – 65 kms [1.5 hours]
We took a few short detours enroute.
Stop 1- Chibbalegudde ganesha temple [Tirthahalli], an old
temple by the river Tunga. Sitting by the riverbank and feeding the large cat
fish puffed rice adds to the experience.
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| Chibbalegudde Ganesha temple |
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| Tunga river |
Stop 2- Kundadri , a lovely hilltop destination enroute Agumbe. The little rain water filled natural pond and the view make this a picturesque location. People head here to visit the Jain temple.
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| View from Kundadri hills |
Stop 3- Agumbe
One won’t cross the ghat section if taking the above route to Agumbe. But it is worth a ‘joy-ride’, which is exactly why we went all the way downhill and back up the 14- hairpin bends of Agumbe ghat.
Agumbe does not have much as a ‘destination’ but the drive to and fro makes it worthwhile. The sunset view is supposed to be really good and on a clear day one might get a glimpse of the coastline. I loved the misty clouds enveloping us and by the time we reached the little town it was pouring cats and dogs.
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| Agumbe view point |
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| Agumbe Village |
Note: I believe there are few waterfalls in the area that you might like to visit. I also wanted to visit Dodda mane [ where two episodes of Malgudi days was shot] but I heard it has closed down after the caretaker passed away recently.
Sringeri is about 25kms from Agumbe and would have been on
my list if not for the pandemic. Most tourist places and temples are either
closed during weekends or open for a short duration. It is a good idea to check
beforehand.
Jog falls was our other choice for a day trip. It is 122kms
from Mandagadde and a 2.5 hour drive. It is a place worth going post monsoon,
but it does attract large crowds.
Day 3
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| Sakkarebyle Elephant Camp, Shimoga |
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