Sakleshpur : Weekend getaway from Bangalore

Saklespur is yet another perfect weekend destination from Bangalore. Road to Saklespur is awesome as it is in Bangalore<-> Mangalore highway.

Like chikmagalur, this place also famous for its homestay in coffee estates and forests. Many venture to this town for a peaceful stay or enjoy the nature or for trekking. Also this town is close to religious towns like kukke subramanya and dharmasthala.

We stayed in Brindhavan estate which is on the Saklespur to Virajpet road. This homestay is a newly constructed homestay which was only 2 months old when we went. It has couple of rooms, one dormitory, few games and campfire shelter. In their estate, they grow coffee, betel nuts, pepper and other spices. 

Brindhavan Estate homestay

The food provided in the homestay was very tasty and they prepared native dishes like akki roti, bamboo curry, mushroom, etc. They served all 3 times food in banana leaf which added additional taste.

Homestay guy told, he will show other part of his estate where we would get a nice view point. While going, I thought this would be going to be another peak point from where we would see bottom. But once we each the point, we did hold our breath for a while, it was a spectacular landscape view full of lush green lands. Even he mentioned lots of movie shooting will take place in areas surrounding Sakleshpur.

Panoramic view of the landscape

Selfie in the landscape

If venturing to Sakleshpur during monsoon then drive from Saklespur to kukke subramanya via Bisle Ghat road is a must try one. The distance is short (guess around 30 kms) but the travel time would be 3 hours, the drive was an amazing & thrilling experience. Since it was monsoon when we went, we could see lots of water falls, streams and heavy flow of water in road. 

Falls in Bisle Ghat road

1. Selfie in water stream on Bisle Ghat road
2. Lush green plants
3. Adventurous Bisle Ghat road

Chikmagalur : Weekend Getaway from Bangalore

If planning for a best, short & relaxed weekend getaway from Bangalore then Chikmagalur is a good destination.

Driving to Chikmagalur:

Driving ourself to Chikmagalur itself is a wonderful experience. Bangalore > Nelamangala > Kunigal > CR Pattana > Hassan > Belur > Chikmagalur. From Bangalore till Hassan, it is NH75 road  with proper marking. There are not many restaurants or coffee shop as we see in Bangalore <> Mysore road but few are there. Kamat and A2B are couple of chain hotels we could find. Beware of another hotel in the same name as Kamat which is not the original Kamat chain. I think it is near CR pattana or before CR pattana, we could see lots of people selling fresh cucumber, it was so fresh and watery and damn cheap; it is a must try in my opinion. After Hassan, its a SH road no clear marking but a good one. As we approach chikmagalur, we could see lots of vegetable farm, greenish lands, continuous mountain range.

Place of Stay:

Chikmagalur is famous for it homestay type accommodation instead of hotels. And the budget of homestay ranges from few hundreds to 10000 depending on the type of stay we choose. There are stays which will be inside dense forest and in coffee estates. Uphill to Western Ghat  is another wonderful & enjoyable drive. Since I went in monsoon time, two sides of the road are full green, full of fog. If we switch off the engine, then it will be a pin drop silence and we get very fresh & finest air to breathe. If people behind you are honking, leave them and enjoy the slow drive with scenic view.

Place where we stayed is Jhari-EcoStay (http://www.jhari.in/), this like any other home stay provide all 3 times food and hi-tea. One unique thing about this home stay is, natural waterfalls is part of this homestay which is private and for guests use only.

Private waterfalls for guests use

For stay in this place, we need to have a prior booking. This property has lots of other activities like carom, shuttle, trekking, camp fire etc.

Leisure area near the waterfalls

One of the room in Jhari-EcoStay

Other places near the property are Mullayanagiri & Bababudan giri. Mullayanagiri is the highest peak in Karnataka, driving is not so easy as we approach the top. It would be better if we stop the vehicle a KM before the peak and go by walk. If we go by walk, we can enjoy the chill weather and the mist. 

Souvenirs:

Things to buy from Chikmagalur are mainly coffee powder, spices like elachi & pepper. We can also buy fresh vegetables from road sides, also lots of nursery's are there and we can buy few plants.