Chikmagalur - an offbeat hill station

The trip was organised by our friend kishore. Me, christo, vivek, kishore and ravi set off on a sunday morning. There was a lot of hype among the locals about this place and the driver added vocal touch to the already hyped up imagination. Although we never expected it to be this awesome. This place is ideal for both family as well as with friends and is an ideal getaway for those who want to take a break from the hectic corporate life.



Forests on the way

Sometimes journey will be more beautiful than the destination. The route to chikmagalur was so beautiful, we could not do justice with our artificial lens. You will have to capture the scenery with the lens given by god.

Enroute to chikmagalur[/caption]

You cannot reach this place by bus. Although there are lot of buses to chikmagalur from both bangalore and mangalore, the hill station is situated in a remote place. Even the vehicle which you travel with cannot reach the top. There are plenty of jeep services which take you to water falls at the top. As we have been to many waterfalls nearby, it was decided to be skipped.

Chikmagalur

The vehicles has to pass through many different trees and sometimes thorough the bhadravati wild life sanctuary. Although animal sighting is very rare, the scenery is picturesque.

The visibility will decrease as you progress along the raod towards chikmagalur

The misty place is covered full of fog at a certain point where you definitely have to slow down. It reminds of the fast paced life that we live and the necessity to slow down.

This is how you feel when you are on half way mark.

There was a lorry stuck up in the mud roads. Only the passers by helped back the lorry to start again. The place is so near to 'city of enterpreneurs' yet it appeared we have reached the farthest part of the earth.

This was photographed at 12:00 noon and the dew hasnt dissappeared.

Perhaps i am falling short of words to describe the scene. You should go and see it yourself before it becomes one more over-crowded tourist spot. Although i feel it has a long way to go as there are many easily accessible scenic places in the western ghats.

some friendship moments

I forgot the name of the fruit.

plantations along the way.

Garden at the top

The flowers in the garden are very beautiful, i decided to post it in a separate post.

charmadi ghats

The view from the top is very serene and beautiful. The entire mountain range appears green. The grass green and the other trees can be easily distinguished from the colour of the hills.

waterfalls or river

A distant view of water source was seen enroute and we were not advised to there as they are occupied by the big cats-our national animal - Tiger.

chikmagalur hill station

Chikmagalur is a lesser known hill station in south of india. This cool, pristine places lies in the western ghats in karnataka.

How to go?

chikmagalur can be reached from mangalore easily. Nearest airport, and railway station is in mangalore. For people interested in offbeat places chikmagalur is an ideal choice.

You have to hire your own cab from mangalore. There is literally no public transport to this offbeat hill station. The district name as well as the village name is chikmagalur, adding to the confusion.

Where to stay?

There are no places to stay at the top. You will have to stay enroute to this place. .

I would advice  to stay in mangalore. We were living in mangalore during this trip.

What to do?

Trekking- you can hire a local guide.

Nature watch- There are many beautiful spots on the way, waterfalls, forests, coffee plantations, flower gardens........

Photography

When to go?

The ideal month is july-october, during the monsoons.

Who should go?

It is a travellers place and not a tourists. However you can go for sightseeing with family and friends.

Have a nice trip.