My blogs: Tour Diaries: Hogenakkal Falls, Tamil Nadu

Date: 27th Sept 2009
Time: 8:00 a.m.
Travellers: Manu, Sumit, Pankaj, Pradeep and Arihant

This trip is immediately the next day after my day trip to Shravanabelagola. I don't feel tired when it comes to exploring new places and utilizing your weekend with more zest rather than being lethargic. Five of us decided and agreed to go to Hogenakkal Falls, Tamil Nadu for a day trip. Hogenakkal translates to Smoking Rocks because the water falls here with such force which creates the illusion of smoking rocks. Hogenakkal Falls is on Cauvery River in Dharmapuri district of Tamil Nadu with a whole series of waterfalls spread over an area of approx. 1 km . Since it has rained like cats and dogs this year in whole of South India so choosing the location with lot of water flow was not a very wise adjudication. We left it to God to take care of the rest and we arranged for a Tavera.

Journey:
Hogenakkal Falls is close to 180 kms from Bangalore. There is a direct route from the highway via Krishnagiri but the driver chose a shortcut (it was a shortcut according to him, we just nodded in unison) which I am in no position to describe either. Just google it Ok!!!!!

In pictures: Pradeep on the front seat with the driver, Sumit-Arihant-Manu in the center, Pankaj sitting behind

The road was narrow but the journey was not so dolorous. We guys kept talking about the stuff that would be irrelevant later and kept moving

We reached Hogenakkal and found kinda market where you can see people selling dosas, idlis, cold drinks, water, chocolates on the streets; people carrying Coracles on their heads and searching for customers who would agree to their exactions. The only way to reach the falls is going on a Coracle.

We decided to hire one of these hucksters along with a tempo which will take us to the shore of Cauvery River.

There was a new sense of stir within us and we were all set to head to the falls. We could see the gush of water flowing in the river and we simply loved our timing to see the falls - it was at its peak.

At some place in the center; the water, we were told, is about 100 feet deep. The rover splashed water on our faces with the roving stick and took us closer to the falls.

We had our first glance at Karnataka Falls and it was breathtaking. You can simply gaze at it for hours getting wet just by standing at a distance from it. The rovers are expert in handling all kinds of digital cameras and can adjust the camera settings to get you the pic of lifetime :)

You can think of Hogenakkal Falls as a border for Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. From there, we headed towards Tamil Nadu Falls in our Coracle. These falls weren't as big as seen earlier but the very annotation of Smoking Rocks fits here. You also get the view of the deep gorge and the connecting water stream.

My friends wanted to take bath near the falls. We found a small fall near by where some other tourists were cleaning their sins. My friends jumped in :)

After a while, tired and exhausted, we decided to head back to Bangalore. Reached home by 10 p.m. post dinner.

Must Do's: Ask the coracle rover to rotate the boat in full speed and scream with your friends ( Make a recording)

Beware Of: Slippages at the rocks near the falls. Looking up into the sky and walking in style might not be a good idea here (I have one of my friends as a living example - he slipped but still continued walking in style)

Useless Advice: Stand and give the pose like The World is mine at the falls