3 years of procrastination and finally this trip happened.
Part of the trip:
Naval,Snehil (Bangalore)
Vimal,Kaustubh, Payasi(Chennai)
Reaching destination:
Caught 16579 Yeswantpur- Shimoga express, it's a train which boasts brand new LHB rake. Had we arrived 45 minutes before the departure of the train, would have easily got a seat.(Unreserved coach)
But fortunately at Tiptur many people got down, and we got a seat. Reached Shimoga Town at around 3pm. The bus stand is roughly 2km from the railway station. After having light lunch, we caught a bus to Sringeri.( Private Operator Bus). Through scenic ghat section it took roughly 4 hours for us to cover a distance of 120km.( ticket price is Rs 100).
What to see in Sringeri:
Barkana falls trails starts roughly 2km ahead of the point from where trail starts for Jogigundi falls. And if one is lucky, she/he won't need to pay Rs 200 as the entry fees.(I didn't pay).Barkana falls trail is around 3km long and passes through dense forest. You will be definitely be greeted by a lot of leaches if you happen to visit the area in monsoon. Keep salt with you or even deo may come handy to neutralize the leach. At the view point, we found ourselves in the abode of clouds. We got the reward for patiently waiting for 10 min. , as the clouds cleared and the majestic Barkana falls amidst dense evergreen forest became visible. (reminded me of Sohra,Cherrapunji) After gazing for full 20-30min we made our way back.
Sunset point: Sunset point was around 2km from Agumbe city centre. And we were lucky enough to spot Arabian sea too. On our way back we went to Doddamane, the house where iconic Malgudi Days TV series was shot. Was pleasantly surprised by the hospitality of Kasturi amma.
After having Masala Dosa and coffee at the restaurant at the bus-stand we boarded KSRTC sleeper bus(at 7:50pm ) to Bangalore via Shimoga, and peacefully reached majestic at 5 in the morning.
Note: Agumbe receives one of the highest rainfall in south India so it's always better to carry umbrella/raincoat. Bag should be waterproof. Carry some salt for dealing with leaches. Keep spare clothes(shorts and T-shirts). Wearing normal running shoes is not a good option as you might have wet shoes at end of the day.( I had sandals while my friends wore shoes). Keep a mp3 loaded with songs to distract your mind.(if you feel dizzy on ghat roads). Try to walk on dry patch, puddle of water is the main source of leaches. Keep cash with you, i didn't see any ATM in Agumbe. Be careful with pitching tents, there's something more dangerous than leaches out there, King Cobra.
Naval,Snehil (Bangalore)
Vimal,Kaustubh, Payasi(Chennai)
Reaching destination:
Caught 16579 Yeswantpur- Shimoga express, it's a train which boasts brand new LHB rake. Had we arrived 45 minutes before the departure of the train, would have easily got a seat.(Unreserved coach)
But fortunately at Tiptur many people got down, and we got a seat. Reached Shimoga Town at around 3pm. The bus stand is roughly 2km from the railway station. After having light lunch, we caught a bus to Sringeri.( Private Operator Bus). Through scenic ghat section it took roughly 4 hours for us to cover a distance of 120km.( ticket price is Rs 100).
What to see in Sringeri:
We didn't spend much time at Sringeri .We reached Sringeri around 7:45pm and left next morning at 10am. Advaita Vedanta Matha established by Adi Shankaraya shouldn't be missed. We narrowly missed the free meals served at the temple(8:30pm is the closing time)
Sringeri to Agumbe is roughly 25 km at we need to change buses at Begar.(took 1hr)
Agumbe: Had breakfast at restaurant at the bus stand. Hired an auto to Jogigundi falls(entry around Rs 15, don't remember clearly).(Auto cost us Rs 350 for Agumbe to Barkana and back)
Barkana falls trails starts roughly 2km ahead of the point from where trail starts for Jogigundi falls. And if one is lucky, she/he won't need to pay Rs 200 as the entry fees.(I didn't pay).Barkana falls trail is around 3km long and passes through dense forest. You will be definitely be greeted by a lot of leaches if you happen to visit the area in monsoon. Keep salt with you or even deo may come handy to neutralize the leach. At the view point, we found ourselves in the abode of clouds. We got the reward for patiently waiting for 10 min. , as the clouds cleared and the majestic Barkana falls amidst dense evergreen forest became visible. (reminded me of Sohra,Cherrapunji) After gazing for full 20-30min we made our way back.Sunset point: Sunset point was around 2km from Agumbe city centre. And we were lucky enough to spot Arabian sea too. On our way back we went to Doddamane, the house where iconic Malgudi Days TV series was shot. Was pleasantly surprised by the hospitality of Kasturi amma.
After having Masala Dosa and coffee at the restaurant at the bus-stand we boarded KSRTC sleeper bus(at 7:50pm ) to Bangalore via Shimoga, and peacefully reached majestic at 5 in the morning.
Note: Agumbe receives one of the highest rainfall in south India so it's always better to carry umbrella/raincoat. Bag should be waterproof. Carry some salt for dealing with leaches. Keep spare clothes(shorts and T-shirts). Wearing normal running shoes is not a good option as you might have wet shoes at end of the day.( I had sandals while my friends wore shoes). Keep a mp3 loaded with songs to distract your mind.(if you feel dizzy on ghat roads). Try to walk on dry patch, puddle of water is the main source of leaches. Keep cash with you, i didn't see any ATM in Agumbe. Be careful with pitching tents, there's something more dangerous than leaches out there, King Cobra.
