Journey to the Malenadu

Total kilometers: ~1200

Duration: 3 nights  4 days

Route: Bengaluru --> Chitradurga --> Shivamogga--> Thirthalli -->Kodachadri -->Kollur--> Murudeshwar--> Jog Falls--> Shivamogga --> Channarayanapatna --> Bengaluru

Hotels for stay:
Thirthalli --> Royal Inn ( Rs 1200 per a/c room) ,Kamat Residency
Murudeshwar: RNS Residency(By the beach) (Rs 3000 + tax per a/c room)
Shimoga: Hotel Ashoka Grand

Snacks hotel
Tumakuru: Pavithra Idly Hotel

Day 1: It was my friend's wedding in Thirthalli and we decided to pay a flying visit with some of my colleagues in office.. We were 15 from office with 4 legged mechanised beasts going as a convoy to attend the wedding. Since there were so many other tourist places around Thirthalli we decided to club it with the wedding. We left office from Whitefield at 4 in the evening and took 2.5 hrs to reach Nelamangala via Hebbal on Outer Ring Road. We stopped at Pavithra Idly hotel,Kyathsandra, Tumakuru, Karnataka.I personally recommend Thatte idly with butter and Masala Dosa .
We left Tumakaru by 7 and reached Chitradurga by 8:30pm via the amazing 6 lane National Highway 4. The Chirtradurga Shivamogga road is being tarred and relaid hence took us a bit of time but definitely less traffic. After a break in between we reached Thirthalli at 2am in the morning and checked in Royal Inn Hotel.

Day 2: Left the hotel to Sakrebyle elephant camp by 8 and reached at 9:15. Amazing Tunga river flows parallely through the road with dense forests.It was a fantastic drive with beautiful weather topping it. Covered 50 kms in half an hour. There were around 20 elephants where you can give a bath to the elephants, or take a ride or even take a picture. We reached back to the hotel by 11 and attended the wedding post which we left for Kundadri by 3pm. The drive to Kundadri was awesome and difficult. Steep bends, curves almost a single lane for about 6 km. The view from top is breathtaking with a pond and a Jain temple on top with fresh air gushing through the lungs.
After spending some time we left for Agumbe where we saw the sunset at the Sunset point and the Malgudi days bungalow(Doddamane). We came back to Thirthalli and halted.

Day 3 and 4: Had heard a lot about Kodachadri and it definitely kept up to its name. You can take your vehicles upto a point and from there you need to hire a 4x4 jeep. Some private vehicles 4x4 can drive up but the terrain is extremely difficult. We saw a Scorpio return back after the first turn but a Thar carried on.

The 40 minute jeep journey is bone breaking but truly adventurous. The trek to Shankaracharya peeta is a lifetime experience which no one should miss. The 4 hour Kodachari experience was a heavenly experience which Ii can never forget in my life. From there we went to Kollur through the Nagodi ghat among dense Mookambika forest,Amazing newly laid roads. We visited the famous Kollur Mookambika temple(one of the Shakthi peetas) after having food at Adigas. Hotel Mookambika Palace is a good place to stay at Kollur.

From there we left at 5pm from Kollur and reached Murudeshwar at 7pm and halted at RNS residency. It is by the beach and a very good hotel. The view of the huge Lord Shiva statue and the Gopuram is cool. In the morning visited the beach which was not so clean and had some speed boat rides. Snorkelling is an option to an island about 3 hrs. The view from the top of Gopuram is a must.

We left Murudeshwar by 1 and reached bangalore by 2am(13hrs with 3 breaks) via Jog falls,shivamoga ,bhadravati,channrayapatna,bengaluru. Although the road is better there is lot of traffic from shimoga to arsikere hence i would prefer shimoga chitradurga road even if it's a bit bad.

Karnataka truly as it is said one state many worlds, it has it all. From forests to beaches to temples to hills.It was one of the most memorable experiences along with a fantastic group of colleagues. Life is short but the memories live on......

AjMusto