On the wild side

Weekend getaway

We were in for a three-day weekend and we thought this would be the perfect time to get away from the sweltering heat of Bengaluru. We wasted no time and quickly planned to head to resort called Coffee Gudda in Samse, Kalasa in Chikkamagaluru.

There were ten of us and started early morning by a tempo traveller. We had breakfast just before leaving and took the route via Nelamangala. The road trip was beautiful. Even in the sweltering heat, the lush green surroundings beckoned us. Trees lined either side of the road and the endless rows of small hamlets were indeed a sight to reckon with.

We took a detour to Chikkamagaluru to have lunch at Vishnu Delicacy. After that, the weather changed and the moderate showers were a welcome change. The route that we took had coffee estates on either side and we drove until we reached the resort at 5 pm.

The entrance to the resort was through a hanging bridge which would shake every time we stepped on it. The other entrance was through water which had now become a small stream because of the heat. Jeeps would cross the stream to reach the resort. However, we crossed the bridge and walked to the entrance on a path surrounded by coffee plants. We walked around the cottages, coffee estate and walked by the stream until dark. The campfire, cool breeze and the sight of some unusual insects made it an interesting evening.

The second day, we walked through the tea estate, located just opposite the coffee plantations. We wondered how coffee and tea co-existed. The sun was still rising and we could feel the chill in the air. After breakfast, we were driven in a jeep to Elaneer Falls. We were driven to the base of the falls from where we trekked to the middle. The trek took us about 20 minutes. It was a bit tedious as the trek was steep and was intertwined with rocks, roots of the trees and fallen leaves. The middle of the falls has a rocky terrain where we were guided to step and could sit between the rocks.

After a sumptuous lunch, we headed to Gaali Gudda. We passed through forest ranges, deep gorges and rocky terrains were an interesting sight. The scene suddenly changed when we reached Gaali Gudda. It resembled the European grasslands and we wondered whether such a place existed in the Western Ghats. Suddenly, the deep gorges, rocky terrain, forest gave way to grasslands. We later visited Horanadu Annapoorneshwari Temple and also dropped by at the Samse fair. After two days of non-stop adventure, the third day we were ready to go to the Bhadra River bed which gave us the thrill that no water park could have.

After a fulfilling three-day trip, we headed to Bengaluru with memories of our travel still etched in our minds.

Fact file

Distance: Bengaluru to Kalasa is 337 km, around 6.5 hours.

How to get there: The best route to take would be through Nelamangala, Hassan, Belur via Kalasa.

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