Beautiful Places in Chikkamagaluru

On the way back from Bhadra we finally made our way 78 kms ahead to Chikmagalur. While you come down the valleys through the hairpin bends you can also stop at The Estate Cafe (around 15 kms from Bhadra) that you are least likely to expect but will provide you with a perfect coffee and light snacks across a beautiful valley view and engagements like pool table, camping etc as per your time, mood and money. After a coffee break, we continued the journey towards our next destination Chikmagalur, the land of coffee.Being as famous as it is, Chikmagalur abides places to stay from luxury camping sites, hotels and resorts to highly reasonable lodges in the town market area. But you must ensure that you are booked in advance as during holidays Chikmagalur is mostly all taken. We had to settle for a lodge when we reached the lit streets of this town and finally our day one ended. Tired, we had some meal from a hotel and almost slept as another long day was waiting for us.Next morning we advanced to the famous trek of the area, Mullayanagiri. While it is not the only option, it is the highest peak in Karnataka, standing at 1,930 metres. You can either climb to the top or settle at one of the stone rests that lie all along the way to allow the stunning view seep in as a cool breeze embraces you.

The plan for Chikmagalur was a shelved one which had suddenly come to life over bouts of drunken weekend gossips. This time I had teamed up with an old crony from school, Ishan Roy and a couple of his friends, who over the course of the trip became very close to me as well. A long time ago we had a lengthy discussion over the phone about the new Zostel that had come up in Chikmagalur and that we ought to be checking it out sometime. But being in different cities, that “sometime” never came until this time. It was a stroke of luck that I was in Bangalore for a couple of months and this is when the old plan came back to life again.It was early June and the monsoon had still not set with all its fury. When we started from Bangalore early morning on a weekend, it was quite sunny and honestly, I was a wee bit disappointed. Afterall, being a pluviophile deep within I always hoped to get experience the monsoon of the Western Ghats. Four hours and an uneventful drive later the skies started darkening as the Google map showed that we were only a few kilometers away from Chikmagalur. It was almost noon by the time we reached Zostel Chikmagalur, a picturesque property set amongst lush coffee plantations.

For the love of hills and coffeeTake a walk into the coffee plantations of Chikmagalur and get to know about the journey of a coffee bean from fruit to powder. Set in midst of Western Ghats, Chikmagalur is a treat for the eye. With lush green forests, countryside landscapes and steep valleys, the place is just where you need to be for your next weekend trip. The pleasant weather of the place will never disappoint a trekker. The hill station is also famous for its wildlife and adventure sports. When in Karnataka, make sure you do not forget to add this town in your itinerary.Top Things to do: Trek to the highest peak of Karnataka, Mullayanagiri, in Chikmagalur; Take some time to visit the temple town of Belur; Enjoy the beautiful sunset at Hirekolale Lake; Visit the Jhari falls also known as the Buttermilk falls when in Chikmagalur.How to get there: Located 244km away from Bengaluru, Chikmagalur is easily reachable by road. Several buses run from Bengaluru to Chickmagalur.Daily Budget: A budget traveller can expect an average daily expenditure of ₹600. A luxury traveller can expect an average daily expenditure of ₹4,000Best time to visit: Chikmagalur is a hill station, therefore if you are looking for an escape from summers, then March to May is the best time to go to Chikmagalur. If you want to avoid the crowd, then September to April is the best time to visit the town.Places to stay: Budget travellers can choose Hotel Purvana. For luxury travellers, Shishila Hills Jungle Stay is a good option.

Day 3:It was a lazy day as we didn't had much plan for the day. Started late today and headed towards the Mullayannagiri. Mullayannagiri is the highest peak of Karnataka. You will be welcomed bythe fog covered roads and Mejastic views of the surrounding could covered hills. We parked our bike near the peak and after a short hike we were on the summit. It was cloudy and occasionally cloud used to clear we could see the beautiful View from the top of this hill.

Tips for trekking to Baamikonda and Kalchukki The trek route is not very tough, one can hike and return to the trekking point the same day. Camping is not allowed either of the two peaks, just like Kudremukh.

We went towards the next village to visit their local temple as we had time to spare. Soon hunger took over and we went back home for a hearty lunch. After lunch, we decided to go towards Goonibedu which was 70km away from the village.Goonibedu is a located by the Hemavathi river which has a small old temple and the river flowing by. You can get into the water and swim around. As this was pre-monsoon period the water flow was very shallow and we sat in the river playing for almost 2hours. We decided to return back when the sun almost reached the horizon. It was very relaxing as not many people visit this place and luckily for us, we were the only ones playing in the water until the end, other than a buffalo upstream.

Smell the coffee early morning next day and take a walk to the coffee gardens. You may plan to take small treks around or do nothing and stay another night at this serene location.Day 3

Called as the Daughter of Karnataka. Chikmagalur has vast greenery, most of which cultivate coffee since the weather is cloudy and heavy rains complement it's production.We were to trek Mullaiyanagiri in the morning. There are only private buses available, which take you to Mullaiyanagiri from the city. The starting point Sarpadari (Snake's trail), is on the bus route to Bababudangiri and we asked the driver to stop us there. They warned us that many snakes and wild animals have been spotted in the region.

I and my college Junior decided to reach Shimoga. After we realized that will be a long trip than we expect, we finalized to get into Chikkamaguluru. We stayed Mysore day before the trip.Next day,around 4 a.m we started our journey with a bike.we were confused with the route,with help of local people and Google map we arrived Chikkamaguluru at 11.00 am.We paid ticket of 10 rs for accessing beautiful places such as mullayanagiri,jhari waterfalls etc.The road to mullayanagiri is edged and dangerous .We climbed mullayanagiri with hard effort, because the hike was tough with more steps.After the long walk we visited Shiva temple and climbed down the hill for next spot.We had no idea about jhari falls and the way into it.The way down to jhari fall is adventurous as my friend faced problems to rode the bike along the way.He stopped the bike at a tough end and we started to walk.After a 5-10 minutes walking we met a beautiful creature of God felll down from above.I just took off my cloths and get into the waterfalls,it was marvellous.I spent some time by had shower there.I didn't want to go back from there.At 3.00 pm we started our journey back to Mysore with a lot of blissful sights and memories.