A sojourn at Devarakolli waterfalls

02 Oct 2014,

Diverging paths from Bangalore were having tough times, thanks to the prolonged weekend. The holidays were keeping the city outskirts busy rather than the city itself. There was gigantic pile of motors lined up all along the highway leading to Mysore. The pathetic Shiraadi ghat road tempted us to drive along the longest Sampaje ghat road via Madikeri to Udupi. We dawned our day embracing normal traffic and later enjoying heavenly NICE road. 45mins later we were in Kengeri. The excitement peaked since we had crossed city at brisk pace but the zeal did not last long. The actual traffic snarls began showing up in few kms of drive. Our plan boomeranged with gazillion motors lined up all along the humps and town limits. The lousy traffic stagnated the smooth journey for more than 20mins as we entered town limits of Channapattana, Ramanagara, Mandya, Madhur. It was tough drive with the wheels barely scraping the asphalted surface, hands swaying around 1-2 gear, hardly any peddle on throttle, motor toiling along statically swollen & crumbled humps, radiating mid-day sun and melancholy of crazy honkers. The optimistic drive past Mandya was impeded by frequent pessimistic speed breakers. The cumulative delay was 3hrs. The journey which started at 7:30AM lasted for 5 hours and eventually reached Srirangapattana at 12:30PM. We were devastated by the abysmal traffic with full house restaurants adding fury to the situation and stomach.

A sigh of relief after Srirangapattana but still not hopeful of smooth journey due to traffic flow towards Madikeri. However, things were alright except for frequent humps till Bailukuppe. Phew man! That was tedious drive for no reason. The difficult drive was later overridden by the lush green hillocks. Yes, they are our lovely Western Ghats. Driving past Suntikoppa was heaven, piercing the dense canopy of rainforest (with Andy Blueman's rainforest music), floating the motor along hairpin bends. Moreover, the lack of humps, feeble traffic, well paved roads provided festive touch for eyes and drive. 2PM, we were in Madikeri and there is no need to explain the Joy. We were having roller-coaster drive descending the Sampaje Ghat with flat bitumen surface. As we descended 15kms, we stopped nearby glistening waterfall called Devarakolli waterfall. It was not surprise since we knew it from long time. The only new entry was its name which I came to know from shopkeepers nearby. As you know, Madikeri is famous for Abbey & Iruppu waterfalls. However, there are many other unknown waterfalls nearby namely, Devaragundi and Kalyala waterfalls (requires 1km trek). Devarakolli waterfall is not so prominent mainly due to fact tourists hardly descend down Sampaje ghat from Madikeri. In fact there is not much space for taking bath but nice hangout for few hours. The waterfall was at considerable glory since monsoon had just receded. It would be heavenly to watch during peak monsoon season though. At the end, if you are planning for Madikeri, just descend down Sampaje ghat to view beautiful shining waterfall. Don't worry, roads are fabulous and there is space for motor parking.

Here are pictures and a short video of visit. Hope you enjoy!

About the waterfall:

To give some heads-up, this is not official description rather my own narration. There was no info-board nearby and whatever mentioned here is based on my observations. Situated along Mani-Madikeri state highway right in middle of western ghats, the waterfall derives its name from the village Devarakolli. The waterfall seemed to have height of about 120feet. It has two stage zig-zag plunge followed by a short cascade. When I say zig-zag, the first stage and second stage are not visible at one sight but need to look them at different angles. Few shops situated nearby provides snacks and tea. The waterfall is easily accessible along the highway and parking place is available for vehicles.

SAMPAJE GHAT

From this place, we enjoyed smooth journey till Udupi (except for few stretches from Sampaje to Sulya). It was whopping 12 hr journey battered by the hectic traffic along Mysore highway. However, from Srirangapattana, we barely took 7:30hrs to reach Udupi despite 45 minutes of break. After the initial heck, the waterfall and western ghats added extra psychological smoothness to drive. The warmth the lovely rainforests deliver along with the beautiful waterfalls nestled in them can only be experienced and cannot be penned (rather keyed) down. End of day, we reached the culmination safely.

Bike ride to Hogenakkal Waterfalls

It's been quite long time since I posted something mainly because of shift in priority. Finally here is a post after long delay. It has been almost 3 months since we traveled to Hogenakkal waterfalls and eventually I found some time to compile experiences of the journey.

09-Nov-2013,

Never had this in mind till the last moment. There was a plan to visit waterfall but not by bike. At last moment some of them backed off and it was myself and Rajesh left over. Cab would be dearer to hire, buses would be late and eventually bike was the only option. We had almost dropped the plans but Rajesh asked if we can go for it. I was bit skeptical though since the shine was in dirt and its been long time being serviced :D. Finally the crave for travel made me to accept the proposal ;-) and the stage was set. It was only a day before we made this plan and were unaware of any details on route. Can be termed as candid plan. I had been to Shivansamudra alone last time in bike covering more than 300kms. That time the bike was in good shape and I was alone. This time we were two heavyweights and had to cover 300kms in unserviced bike :-). Despite of all the confusions, we decided to travel in bike. Apart from what was mentioned above, there was one more problem which was language. We both did not knew Tamil and travel after Hosur required some language exposure. To avoid language problems, Rajesh took prints of routes including the important junctions. Our first trust was on google maps and next the locals. Anyhow we were looking forward this unique candid journey with full enthusiasm. Hogenakkal is around 150kms from SilkBorad Junction and would be taking around 3hrs in bike under the assumption of having good roads. Remember bike is not car ;-) it is not enough to have good roads but evenly paved roads. Even the patches cut down bike speed but cars can negotiate well.

Early morning woke up with chilly weather outside. Seems like winter has finally started. Rajesh caught up with me at HSR BDA junction around 7:30AM.  We had breakfast at 7:30AM and ready to cruise around 8AM from silk board. There was not a single traffic hiccup in middle and we took elevated highway for quick exit from city mess. The city was enveloped with thick blanket of fog and could not take picture due to time constraints. Once we reached NH-6, everything was smooth until border area. Later on, the constructions are still under way at slackening pace. We reached Hosur and not sure whom to ask :-). People did not understand my half baked Tamil language :D. Fortunately a Kannada speaking person assisted us to find SH-17 towards Palacode. A km later, we saw signboards in English towards Palacode and were greatly relieved for achieving the first target successfully.

VACANT ROAD

AZURE SKY

Next hurdle was finding the Hogenakkal cross after Palacode. We successfully reached Palacode and took Palacode bypass. It never looked like bypass but we felt being inside city. The roads are good to excellent at some places while bad at remaining. Overall 75-25 (good-bad). The distance covered was around 60kms. After Palacode bypass, we spotted diversion towards right. I was bit doubtful whether we were on right track but Rajesh was confident. The signboards were only in Tamil. After riding for 2kms along this path, we spotted a clear signboard mentioning Hogenakal-70kms :-). Yes this was our second victory. Even roads were really very good along this path. But we were still unclear about as how to reach Hogenakkal-Dharmapuri road.

As our journey progressed, we came across confusing deviation towards Pennagram. Rajesh said that we have to follow Pennagram deviation as per map. But the signboards were showing other path for Hogenakkal. Since we were not sure, we decided to ride along the prescribed route. Few kms after, here we are at Hogenakal-Dharmapuri Road :-). We were really excited that finally we will reach falls without any further more complications. From this junction, distance is 28kms to waterfalls. Along the way there were few more deviations but signboards were crisp to lead us to waterfalls. Also all signboards were presented in English language too!

WE ARE ABOUT TO REACH :-)

THE SEMI-GHAT SECTION

10kms before falls site, we had to pay entrance fee of Rs.10/-. Once we did the payment, it was nice drive along the semi-ghat section. Especially 2-3kms were like proper ghat sections with steep curves and hairpin bends. Also there were many monkeys too :D. They were roaring even when we were riding bike, fearing threat :-). Along the route we came across a bridge but did not see ample water. I was bit suspicious if we could find considerable water in waterfall area. After beautiful journey for 10kms we entered Hogenakkal town. There is again parking fee here. We rode bike nearby waterfalls rather than parking in entrance.

As we neared our confusion was cleared and there was good amount of water to enjoy. The cauvery river is the source of waterfall. The geography is bit awkward. The water falls along multiple divisions with great velocity. Due to the presence of uneven rocks and height, the water gathers tremendous kinetic energy while reaching ground. The authorities have also constructed walls for proper head bath. People can make use to have thunderous head bath :-). This place is not risky at all and one can manage  even without knowing swimming. There are protective rails around the constructed walls. Initially we had glimpse of shorter plunge on hanging bridge. Even this place has entrance fee but nominal. Later we crossed one of the streams to get to main waterfalls. This place also has protective rails to cross. The biting fishes created tickling sensation in our leg :-). Rajesh was saying biting fishes are good since they clean dead cells from body (not shark or whales but small fishes :D). After crossing stream, we had good look of main waterfall area. There is also a view point where one can see panoramic view of waterfalls. It also has entrance fee ;-). There are many massage providers here :D and also fish curry cookers. The oil massager plead to you to feel massage. Many people were having nice massage and later on bathing in river. If you enjoy relishing river fish, there are many fish vendors here for you.

THEY ARE MANY :-)

FIRST GLIMPSE

HANGING BRIDGE

PARALLEL PLUNGE!

JUMPING FISHES

THE GUSH

NEED TO CROSS THIS SECTION

THE SILKY PLUNGE

We were curious to see the distant waterfall plunge which had multiple divisions placed in a curve. That was really great sight to watch. When inquired, people asked us to take coracle ride to reach the view point. The coracle costs around 960/- per trip. If you are 6, it costs 160 per head. We were only two and fortunately found 2 more and hence price reduced to 240/- per head. Still it was bit high price but left with no option. We were adamant to reach to the view point and also enjoy the ride on river. Having paid the amount, there is that thud, coracle being rolled into river and we were ready to start. As we were traveling we came across coracle shop which serves some chips and cool drinks :D. That was unique shop we had seen for first time.

CAUVERY RIVER VALLEY

FROM VIEW POINT

ONE MORE!

RAINBOW

CORACLE SHOP :D

We had small twiddle in middle of river which we enjoyed :-). After sometime, we reached the banks from where one needs to walk for 0.5kms towards view point. The coracle is carried in pickup vehicle till the other side of river bank. We had some oranges here before proceeding further. It seemed like we have path to reach this point via road. Did not inquire much about it. It was really mesmerizing sight from view point. The water plunges energetically with absolute beauty. The eye-catching part is the array of falls aligned along curve and falling towards common gorge. Some people were also seen nearby waterfalls to have closer look. After enjoying this wonderful sight we headed back towards the bank to resume our coracle ride towards the entrance. It seems during heavy outflow from KRS, the waterfall is not at all accessible and entire area looks unified. Even view point will be submerged in water!

THERE ARE NUMEROUS OF THESE ENROUTE

CAUVERY RIVER

THE DISTANT VIEW POINT

FULL VIEW

MAGNIFICENT NATURE

I was having friendly chat with the sailor since he knew Kannada. He was narrating many stories including people who were washed away due to galloping water. Also few people were rescued in helicopter during huge water inflow. He was also stating some things about slow down in IT. It seems some of his friends are also hit because of slow-down. So recession is something severely striking from top to bottom then ;-). The sailor does this job during the proper seasons and fishing during high torrents. He also said that water on the other side of valley is 80feet while it was only 3-4 feet nearby waterfall. But the velocity of water gives it fiery look despite being only 3-4 feet in depth. It is this velocity coupled with rocky landscape provides glory to waterfall. we also sailed along those gushing water. The sight of coracle sliding down along the torrent was bit intimidating :D. We also enjoyed the distant hills along with cauvery river landscape. After nearly 90 minutes of joy we reached the entrance again.

CORACLES IN FLIGHT

CAUVERY RIVER BASIN

GALLOPING WATER

It is time to have some fun in water. I did not have backup clothes but Rajesh had them. He enjoyed in the platform of thundering water from a height and had nice head bath. It is easy manage here since authorities have constructed safety structures. Also being flowing water, no need to worry about purity of water. Once Rajesh finished head bath and we were ready for lunch. We had lunch in one of the hotels maintained by TamilNadu tourism. They had only south Indian meals costing Rs.60/- which was OK to clear our hunger albeit being spicy. After resting briefly for sometime, we started back to Bangalore around 3:30PM. This time I rode since I enjoy up-hilling of ghats which involves frequent shifting of gears :D. Even while driving I prefer up-hilling to downhill since it requires frequent gear shifts :D. Pretty weird right ;-). Even father teases me hearing this weird joy ;-). We had smooth ride till Hosur which we reached around 6:30PM. The only problem along the rural route is villagers taking law unto themselves. People spread hay along the width of road to separate out grains from grass. This would lead to slippery of bike if not ridden consciously.

SUNSET BEAUTIFUL LIFE. CAUGHT ON THE WAY BACK

The ride from Hosur was bit cumbersome with heavy traffic and brisk crossing of people along the NH-6. There were lot wrong sider too :-(. It is not worth to pay toll to such highways with too many U turns and not much alternatives to human crossing. The U turns sometimes turned out be intimidating due to swift veering of  vehicles. We were riding very slowly around 40kmph most of the times and felt greatly relieved after reaching electronic city toll gate. 7:15PM, we reached Silk board junction and ending one more journey. We had tea in one of restaurant before dispersing.

I was exhilarated about journey and strength of my bike ;-). My shine truly shined :D. Despite being unserviced for many months and having capacity of 125cc, it was smooth ride altogether! This may be usual but I did not have prior records carrying two heavy weights :D for such long distance. Now I have full confidence on my bike but requires a overhaul before gearing it for one more long journey.

Total Distance covered: 145*2=290kms (170kms Rajesh + 120kms myself) from silkboard junction

Route:

Silk Board Junction->Hosur = 30kms (NH-6)
Hosur-> Palacode = 60kms (SH-17)
Palacode->(Hogenakkal-Dharmapuri road) = 25kms
Hogenakkal junction->Hogenakkal waterfalls = 28kms (SH-60)

Note state highway numbers belong to TamilNadu not Karnataka. If you follow SH-17 of Karnataka you will reach Mysore ;-)

Rely on google maps and you will reach the target!

Credits:

• My friend Rajesh for detailed review of writeup
• To all those people who helped us to take proper route
• Google maps
• Last but not the least, my bike ;-) for sustaining long journey!

Checklists:

• Water, preferably 2ltrs/person
• Energy bars like chocolates
• Fruits like apple, orange
• Glucose if required
• First Aid Box

Nothing much this time except for a panoramic shot and short Hogenakkal video. One of the reason to delay this post was the video rendering. Video editing (especially full HD) can be sometimes boring if your system is not equipped with royal processor (like i5) and GPU. Nevertheless, lack of disk space forced me to compile video finally :-).

PANORAMIC SHOT

The Rainforest and roadside Kadambi waterfall

These were the pictures shot during our ascension of Kuduremukh ghats towards Horanadu  Annapoorneshwari temple. The beautiful roadside waterfall is named as Kadambi (not sure what does it mean)  As you see, the waterfall is not at its best as compared to peak monsoon season  still has considerable flow to rejoice :-). The kuduremukh ghat mainly consists of shola grasslands along crest while thick rainforest along coastal line.  The  forests are very very thick with high woods from the forest gate near Karkala till Hanumangundi falls.  Despite being daytime during our ascension, we felt like evening :D. You will not dare to park  vehicle for longer time in this creepy environment :D. These forests are recognized as world heritage site by UNESCO due to presence of vast  bio-diversity and fragile ecosystem. I even noticed Kuduremukh  peak from Kalasa road (the face of horse) but did not grab any pictures  due to lack of time. Here are some picture. Apart from pictures of old trees enjoy some pictures of our ancestors too :D. They were many in numbers all through kuduremukh ghats pulling out food from resting travelers. They even grabbed our apple too :-).

KADAMBI WATERFALLS

ONE MORE PICTURE

FOREST NEARBY

TALL WOODS

LETS SEE WHATS NEXT FOOD OPTION

WHAT YOU ARE SNAPPING ME? I AM GOING TO HIDE

From childhood, my interest was for geography and mathematics. However, my country does  not provide congenial environment to excel in such areas. In geography, my main interest was on tropical rain forests particularly amazon rain forests. Even now, I pursue such  areas as hobby which keeps me always curious. My biggest dream is to visit amazon rain forests if possible :D (distant dream!). It is believed that amazon rainforests produce nearly 20% of earth's oxygen. As of now I enjoy  India's rain forests which are our pride, the western ghats :-). I love western ghats mainly because of such waterfalls and dense forests.  Their energetic plunge, pristine water provides mesmerizing experience.  Some of the waterfalls cannot be reached during monsoon (like Arishinagundi waterfalls and Burude waterfalls)  can be targeted immediately during post monsoon season. Hope you enjoy the pictures and  small video of Kadambi waterfall. Since the spot is mere 70kms from my village,  I hope to grab some energetic plunge during peak monsoon season.

Apart from Kuduremukh, enjoy some pictures of rainforests nearby Yana located in Kumta Taluk of UttaraKannada district. One of  the exotic places in UttaraKannada district with surreal rocky landscapes and rain forests. Also the region is home to King Cobras too :-)

ONE OF MANY STREAMS

LUSH GREEN RAIN FORESTS

ONE MORE VIEW

INTO THE SKY!

The trees in rainforest have stood for many years despite the inclement weather. Whatever may be the scientific reason behind it, I derive inspiration from those tall trees to stand tall during complexities. It is not guaranteed for how many years the trees will remain tall before falling captive to human greed. People need to self educate to understand the importance of western ghats and how they influence the monsoon patterns.

Speaking of Rainforest, hear beautiful unfinished music "Rainforest" by Andy Blueman. Ever wondered a trance music with bass can imitate a peaceful rainforest? Thats beauty of Andy Blueman music. He has blended soft bass along with rainforest surrounding into the music so brilliantly that one does feel being inside a rainforest. Imagine the flow of thunderous waterfall and galloping water stream when you hear soft bass. I have great respect for this music and have some thoughts racing in my mind.  One day, I will try to compile a small video dedicated to this music.

Keep staring at the picture while you hear music and feel the ambiance of rainforest. Andy has mentioned that he would be finishing the unfinished tracks of 2008-2010 which includes the "Rainforest" too! Hence expect the full version of song in early future :-)

Andy Blueman - Rainforest(Energetic Mix): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1Us452ED2o

Also do not miss some of exciting documentaries on rainforests given below.
I have noted some of the excerpts which will tickle your soul and body :-).

"There is no place like this on earth

The turtles strike like snakes

Adaptation is key to survival

One of the greatest natural habitat on earth
 
It's home to greatest diversity of living thing anywhere and dozens still discovered every year

Crisp clear waters make their way through rainforest filling it with life. They also create a magnificent spectacle

Tiny streams weave together to form the grandest of waterfalls that roar like thunder
 
Waterfalls plunge hundreds of feet into pools below

Huge trees stand like monuments amidst symphony of life
 
Shrouded in a translucent vale, millions of living organisms compete for light beneath the canopy
 
Layer upon layer life here exists in harmony

Trees in rainforests have been known to live for 350years and grow to nearly 200feet tall.

Here we can discover the world 100 million years old.

Mother nature at her very best"

1) RainForest: Beneath the canopy Part 01: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HfeBP3vaEI
2) RainForest: Beneath the canopy Part 02: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAnDo_LqYRg
3) RainForest: Beneath the canopy Part 03: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyS7_fE1LvI
4) The Amazon rainforests: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qOpPo-onf0
5) A tour of Amazon Rainforest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VggJYbtoN8g
6) What is rainforest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS2VrgRFCzc

Walk along rail tracks from Castle-Rock to Dudhsagar waterfalls - Part 2

Continued from here

This is the concluding part of our walk towards Dudhsagar waterfalls.

After few more hard walk, we reached the Dudhsagar station and we could hear the plunge of waterfalls from station itself! People who have visited during peak monsoon season describe it as sound of ocean from station :-). But we heard the normal sound of plummet. The sound  indicated that there is considerable flow of water :-). We also enjoyed the view of beautiful western ghats from Dudhsagar station.

ATLAST, WE ARE IN DUDHSAGAR STATION!

MAY BE OUR LAST TUNNEL

WE ARE ALMOST THERE :-)

Drive to Shringeri and Sirimane waterfalls - Part 2 - The captivating Sirimane Waterfalls

Continued from part 1 here

Western ghats are beautiful places to visit all time around year. During monsoon season, they are paradise on earth while during sunny days they are best place to trek and relax for some time. It has got vast bio-diversity and waterfalls with pure aqua. That is the reason why UNESCO recognized Western Ghats as world heritage site along with Amazon rain forests. During our journey along Kuduremukh ghats we had glimpse of Tunga river at many places. Tunga river along with Bhadra and Netravati rivers, originate at Gangamoola near Kuduremukh. All three rivers are termed as sisters. Out of the three, Netravati rivers flows via Dharmasthala, Bantwal and finally meets Arabian sea at Mangalore. Unfortunately there has been stupid rampant effort to divert some portion of Netravati river towards east despite reports of  severe damage to Western ghats :-(. Tunga river flows towards HanumanGundi waterfalls then Shringeri and finally merges with Bhadra at Koodli near Shivamogga. At this place they flow as single river Tungabhadra and meet Bay of Bengal. Sirimane waterfalls is not as vast as HanumanGundi but equal in beauty though. The waterfall has source from one of the stream originating from Western ghats and plunges with absolute beauty. The stream water finally merges with Tunga river at some place nearby. I am not sure why is it called so, may be Sirimane is village name.

Sirimane waterfalls is 14kms from Shringeri town. One has to drive along narrow road through dense western ghats to reach waterfall site. You will enjoy the beautiful hillocks all along the path. As mentioned earlier, this visit was not planned. But as I glanced through the signboards near Shringeri, I felt like visiting the place. Even father was OK. From Shringeri, after 1km towards Karkala along NH-13, one can see clear signboard directing to Sirimane falls. 6kms from here, you will reach Kigga and from Kigga the roads are not good. Recent torrential rains have completely destroyed roads. Also they are very narrow and difficult for even two cars to negotiate. Also the curves are steep and forest is highly dense. If you are hiring a long bus, you may have to walk for 4kms since bus cannot negotiate further. 30 minutes drive from Shringeri, we reached Sirimane falls and heavy rains started pounding. We were really in middle of dense forest and could hear gushing water despite of heavy pouring rain! There is parking fee as well as entrance fee levied in waterfall site. Few steps down, we reached majestic waterfall site. It was plunging with thundering sound. Only difference was less height as compared to HanumanGundi falls. Also HanumanGundi falls is situated in middle of relatively dense forest as compared here. As always, I tasted the water :-). That is the first thing I do as I reach waterfall site. Despite the gushing water, one could easily take bath nearby due to manageable geography. Also it is wonderful experience having headbath beneath waterfall plunge ;-). At this velocity of torrent, it was not possible to have head-bath though!

DOWNSTAIRS VIEW

THE TOP VIEW!

SPLASH!

BOUNCER :-)

The water distribution from top is not uniform here. The rightmost part had the powerful plunge while the leftmost was like minor stream. As I neared the powerful part of the plunge, the strong wind generated due to energetic plummet, started pushing me hard. It was difficult to manage since the rains were also heavy. My umbrella almost flew away and somehow held on to it ;-). Watch out for silent leeches :D. They can hold on to you at anytime. It had bit some tourists too! Since we were traveling to Malnad under heavy rains, I had carried Odomos to avoid leeches. Luckily, none of them bit me this time too even if I was wearing dhoti ;-). After enjoying pure natural magic, I went near viewpoint to have distant view of waterfall. I shot many milky ways too! Even mother enjoyed with me :-).

FULL MILKY WAY

MILKY WAY SPLASH ;-)

DENSE RAIN FOREST

This picture was featured in incredible India g+ page. It is page where some unique pictures from India are shared among vast number of followers. This picture which was shared in g+ Landscape forum was shared in incredible India page where many people appreciated the picture. It is really honor for me to unknowingly feature this picture in incredible India page for second time. Hope you will also enjoy the milky way ;-).

MILKY WAY FROM VIEW POINT

When to visit:

If you want enjoy the glory, visit during peak monsoon season. If you feel like taking bath, visit around Oct-Nov timeframe. No buses available, you have to make your own arrangements. I believe you can even hire auto from Shringeri. Don't miss Kigga temple also. If you are driving, be watchful since roads are not so good after Kigga. Signboards to site are laid very clearly and no need to panic even if you feel like getting lost. Humans are feeble along the way due to dense forest. And finally do not miss to taste sweet water of Tunga river stream ;-). No food options available nearby waterfall site except for small churumuri shop :D.

Around 3:30PM, we headed back to Kaup. We enjoyed those delightful western ghats for one more time ;-). Also there was heavy rains at intermediate places. Due to downhilling, we reached our native early at 5:30PM. As we reached the sea-level, Sun welcomed us with bright rays :-). The rains in coast had completely receded by then. I also enjoyed the distant view of Kuduremukh ghats but did not take any snaps. Recent statistical reports suggest that some place along Kuduremukh ghats has surpassed Agumbe as highest raining place in south India. It has not been made official though ;-). Probably met department want to sample for few more years. Last time I did lament not visiting Sirimane falls and it has finally ended now :-). End of day, one more travel, one more waterfall and all anxiety eliminated. That's power of western ghats! We always regret not visiting some more places nearby and this time it was not different. We could not visit Horanaadu Annapoorneshwari temple as well as Kigga temple due to dearth of time. Nevertheless, it opens up one more opportunity to travel again :-).

A panorama and a HDR is documented here.

Two videos this time. One, monsoon drive along Kuduremukh ghats which is already here. One more from Sirimane waterfalls! Enjoy the raging waterfalls!

Timelapse was possible but no time :-(