Note: This is a dated post of a trip done back during March first week.
Bangalore lies in that small set of metros that has a decent number of tourist spots in a range of 100 - 200 kms in any direction you head out. Places that make for a decent one day trip. I'd been pushing friends since ages to hit the Hogenakkal falls since last year's rainy season. But to no avail, as plans kept getting derailed. So on a lazy weekend with nothing much to do, I decided to just head out myself.
Hogenekkal falls being in the vicinity of multiple cities (Bangalore, Erode, Salem, Mysore) sees a LOT of traffic. The place is a dream for families of all ages and sizes; doesn't require much effort in walking/hiking and has a large network of public and private transport options available right to the falls that originate from both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Add to that a large number of private vehicles (2, 4 wheelers) and the 'picnic' buses that bring tourists in hoards; rest assured - any day of the week, you'll see tens of thousands visiting this place.
So the solution to this problem is?
Leave very early.
The route
Thankfully, I decided to buck that spread and left way early from Bangalore in the wee hours. There are two routes to reach the falls - the longer but faster highway route that passes through Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri to enter Hogenekkal from the east, or to take the more scenic and state/local highway (2 lane, no divider) based route to enter Hogenekkal from the north. The latter option does have bad patches of road as it passes through forest regions, but the scenery makes it up completely; especially the Kaveri river that runs parallel to the road for the last ~5-6 kms.
Took the latter option with a ride for about 2.5 hours to reach the small townish setup outside the falls. The roads were practically empty with hardly any other vehicles seen till I reached the destination. With about 10 - 20 food stalls and a few basic-level hotels, this place had got the maximum possible commercial setup that can be gained out of the falls, keeping in consideration the segment of the population that dominates the crowd here.
A few idlis and dosas in, I headed to the falls which is probably the biggest adda (read:nest) of oil massage services - there are literally hundreds of guys ready to give oil massages to guys (mostly - didn't see any females giving or getting massages). Not sure if there was a religious or health realted spin to this service, but the modus operandi was to get a full body oil massage and then take a bath in the falls. Neither of which I had any plans to do, thankfully. So I had to convey to the disappointment of the 10+ guys who kept asking me if I wanted a massage
Pics taken from a hanging bridge right over the falls
With the onset of summer, the water current had gone down, but still had enough force to put a good display for the crowd that was assembling. Boat services offer a round trip for 15-30 minutes; one can choose to book an entire boat for themselves or join/form a boat group right there.
Spent about half an hour around the falls, and with the crowd increasing in droves as the morning progressed, I decided to head back home via the same route I had taken in the morning. This time I could see a lot of vehicles heading in the opposite direction; couples and families in all kinds of vehicles - cars, motorbikes, activas and the likes. With about 3 hours of riding, I reached back home by 12 for lunch; to the surprise of some of my friends who were just waking up on a lazy Sunday!