[LegalEagle]

Originally Posted by Thermodynamics

The season you have chosen is fantastic. My suggestion would be Hills and beaches. ...
Goa and Coorg is what I am thinking. Hyderabad-Coorg-Talacauvery-Mangalore-Gokarna-Goa-Hyderabad.

Temples are personal choice, based on your preference you may explore around Coorg such as Belur, Halebidu, Talacauvery also enroute Goa around Mangalore, Udupi and Gokarna.

If you prefer to further shorten it, instead of Coorg you may pick Chikmagalur + Kudremukh or Shimoga + Jog

Originally Posted by procrj

Given your location you have the option of going up north or down south but nothing will meet your criteria of 4-6 hours of drive time. you will have to drive a lot more and maybe even break stop overnight somewhere in order to get to the destination. ...
would suggest you look at the option of flight and then self drive car if you really want to manage your drive time.

Thank you for the views. Not a big fan of Goa, as there are better options available.


Overnight breaks can be considered subject to locations selected.

For flight options, Vitamin M comes into picture, and that is a major constraint, as better half is in charge of Vitamin M.


An add on comment - I am willing to extent the trip by 2-3 days, maximum 1 week total. Would that give me better options??

[PVS]

Weekend trip To Kandalla Molal Gutta Falls

On the Sunday, 6th September, a friend (RJ) and I went on a day trip to the Kandalla Mollal Gutta Waterfalls, located around 322 Kms from Hyderabad (Via NH 44) and around 22 Kms from Adilabad. Given the Corona pandemic, we chose to carry our own food and drinks for the journey.
We started at around 4:00 AM from Ameerpet Hyderabad, and by around 09:00 AM, we were at Kandalla Mollal Gutta village. We stopped en-route for a quick tea break, filling in petrol at Adilabad Town, and a quick breakfast along the road.
We had relied on Google Maps from Adilabad onward, and while it pointed the route correctly, we overshot the Kandalla Molal village, and continued on the road, till a helpful local made us turn back and head to the village.

You have to park your car at the Khandala Molal Village and then walk along dirt tracks for around 3.5 kms among st open fields. A few hundred metres after you commence the walk from the village, you come across a junction where you need to take a right and head towards the falls. There are absolutely no sign boards indicating the path to the falls, so when you approach the intersection remember that you need to turn RIGHT, do not go left or go straight.

The path takes you down a steep descent as you approach the falls and after dense shrubbery, you find the water cascading through the rocks. You need to walk long the rocks to your right and eventually you will reach the actual falls. Be very careful on the moss covered rocks, you definitely do not want to twist an ankle there.

There are a couple of rocks facing the falls, so make yourself comfortable seated on any one of them. No, going to the actual place, where the water gushes down might not be advisable, unless you have helpful local who can oversee your safety. Enjoy the sounds of nature, the water gushing, and reflect in quite moments of solitude. Satiate that thirst , tuck in those snacks that you are carrying along and refresh and recharge yourself.

Yes, there is a faint putrid smell of fungus and dead fish wafting in the air, but come on, you came to be one with nature right, so live with the smell! Collect all your stuff and leftovers (Do not trash the place PLEASE) as you head on your way back.

As you make your way back to the path that got you here, do not leave the place yet! Walk along side the stream, climb up a vantage point, and deep below, you will find the water gushing down into a lake below. You can try walking down into the pool below, but be very very careful. If you ask me, without the helpful guidance of a local, I would not venture to those waters below.

Now muster all your energy and start the upward climb, slow and steady.. Walk back to the car, wipe off that dollops of sweat off your brow, turn on the AC and just relax. As you start descending towards Adilabad on the ghat road, pull over the at the first vantage point, and just spend some time alone, looking at the green and verdant valley spreading far and wide in front of your eyes. This view is simply amazing, and you are well advised to spend time here.

On the way back to Hyderabad, you might want to check Pochera Waterfalls and Kuntala Waterfalls en-route. There are sign boards on the highway so keep watching out for the signboards.

At around 750 Kilometers to and from Hyderabad, doing this trip in a day can be challenging especially if you are traveling with kids. However if you plan an early start from Hyderabad, you might just make it. If you want to not rush things up, stay at a decent Hotel in Faisalabad, and make the trip into a two day trip. Of course,with all these uncertain times around us, and the vaccine nowhere to be seen on the horizon, make sure you exercise adequate precautions in your place of stay.

I will leave you
1) with a couple of photographs that we(RJ and I) took.
2) The pin - https://goo.gl/maps/fnw3yRNZGqjaVntt5 - Unfortunately G maps does not accurately point out the exact location of Kandalla Gutta falls, so your best bet is to keep checking with the locals en-route. And yes, if you see a small congregation of cars parked at a distance, as you approach, that probably is Kandalla Molla Gutta village

[PVS]

Originally Posted by PVS

If you want to not rush things up, stay at a decent Hotel in Faisalabad, and make the trip into a two day trip.

That was a blooper. Please read it as Adilabad and not Faisalabad. Thanks!

[PVS]

WEEKEND DAY TRIP TO MITTE FALLS

The trip to Kandalla Mollal Gutta waterfall(Please refer my preceding trip report) set off a desire within me to explore the other relatively not-so-well-know waterfalls in Adilabad and the neighbouring Asifabad districts. This itch to go out and explore became more pronounced due to the current Covid situation with a major part of my working weekdays spent running behind Teams meetings within the confines of the home.

As I was searching for other waterfalls to explore, I zeroed in on a couple of unheard-of waterfalls – Tiryani, Mitte and a couple of other falls. Going thru the Google Maps reviews of reach of these waterfalls, I quickly realized that the Mitte waterfalls involved a trek of 3 Kilometres and that trek would be rewarding enough as the pristine beauty of the waterfalls were well praised by all the visitors who went there.

So, I quickly made up my mind to take the family out on a quick 1-day tip to the falls. With the one-way distance itself coming close to 350 odd kilometers, and the general dis-inclination of the family to stay at hotels due to the COVID-19 situation, I had few options left but to squeeze it into a day’s trip. Though I would have loved to have planned the trip on a Saturday, so that the family gets adequate rest on Sunday, my options again were limited. The wife was working late in the night, and her shift ended at 0200 hours on Saturday early morning hours. Now, an early morning departure of 0330 hours on a Saturday was quickly vetoed by the wife, and that just left me with a Sunday in which I had to complete the trip. So, all the preparations for the trip were quickly complete on Saturday itself. Running quick errands to the food stores to pick up THEPLAS, getting the vehicle filled up with Petrol, topping up FASTAG packing up stuff to carry and finally heading to the kitchen to prepare the night dinner – under the spouse’s strict supervision – all of these were accomplished quickly. My directions were clear – I will get by 0245 am, and will wake up the rest. The maximum cut-off time by which we need to be out of the hours was 0350 AM.

Now, with an early morning start on cards, I could hardly get a wink of sleep on Saturday late night/Sunday morning. I tossed around the bed, trying hard to sleep, checking out the red glow of the LED clock on the wall, as the minutes slowly ticked by. I probably would have managed to get an hour’s sleep, however by around 0245 AM, I was up, and after getting a hot cup of coffee to invigorate myself, I woke up the wifey and the kids. Soon, by around 0345 AM, we were all set, and after tucking in all the food, the water can, the extra set of clothes, blankets, pillows and other stuff, we left the house at 0400 Hours.

Having an early start of 0400 hours meant that I met with very sparse city traffic on my way out of the city. By around 0420 hours, I had hit the Nagpur highway, and from then on, it was a stead cruise towards Adilabad, with my average speed hovering in the vicinity of 75 KMPH. The journey till Nizamabad outskirts was relatively smooth, and then a series of massive undulations on the road, made my Wagon R bounce all around, and the rear seat passengers (wife and kid) were rudely jolted out of their sleep. I had to mutter an apology, at the same time cursing the road.

AT one of the toll gates en-route my wife who was seated in the front passenger seat, and my younger one who was seated at the rear, decided to swap seats. In the ensuing process, the little one left behind one of her shoes on the road, and we didn’t notice after around 1 hour, when the little one frantically started searching for her other shoe. I had to pull over the car, and all of us searched the entire car inside out but tough luck – it was a one-shoe situation now. With a trek coming up soon, not having footwear was imply not an option, so I decided to carry on straight to Adilabad town to hunt around for open shoes stores. This detour added a few extra kilometres and may be an extra hour in my itinerary, but I had no choice.

As we pulled into a sleepy Adilabad town at around 0800 hours, I was half expecting any shoe shop to be open. We initially spotted a medical shop, and checked if the guy stocked any orthopedic footwear. Tough luck – we were promptly told to wait till after 0900 hours, when the shops would slowly start opening. Luckily for us, as we were slowly moving on the main road, we spotted a foot path roadside shoe vendor who was just setting up shop. We heaved a sigh of relief, backed up to him, and quickly checked out what was on offer. We were lucky enough to find a shoe that fitted the little one – thank god. We purchased it, and I turned back to head out of Adilabad, and rejoin NH44 back towards Hyderabad. A few KMs down the highway, I took a left, and headed towards ASIFABAD and the Mitte falls.

We were following Google Maps, and I noticed that we were heading deep into the remote areas of Adilabad and Asifabad districts. Now, as we were headed close to the destination, I passed through a village, and soon afterwards, the tarred road turned into a mud track, and the Wagon R was treated to a very mild form of off-roading. With google maps still showing the destination as a couple of Kilometres away on the same road, I decided to cross check and enquired with a couple of locals headed in the opposite direction. Well, as usual, Google maps were wrong – we had to stop at the village we just crossed, and start the trek from that village to the falls.

It was already 0845 am, so we quickly had our breakfast at the same spot, and backtracked to the village Pittaguda. On parking the vehicle there and enquiring with the locals we found out that yes, the trek to the falls starts off from this village, but we would be lost without any helpful local guide. I requested any one of them to accompany us to the falls, and one of them happily obliged. No mention of the fee was made, and we were free to give any amount that we felt like giving.

Having locked up the car, and securing it with a gear lock, and collecting all our food, clothes, umbrellas, water can and camera bag, we started the trek with our local guide Mr. Nago Reddy, who appeared to be around 50 plus, but quite agile.

Leaving behind the tiny village of Pittaguda, the four of us and the guide made our way through fields and cultivated land. Due to the rains, a majority of the path was slushy and soon, our shoes were covered in generous does of mud. It was quite a serene experience walking amongst the fields, and enjoying the absolute silence interrupted by the bells on cows as they grazed away nonchalantly in the distance.



The family, used to a sedentary life style started feeling the heat of the trek, but literally and figuratively, the umbrellas managed to help a bit.



A couple of slushy puddles later, and after walking for a couple of kilometers we found a canopy of trees up ahead, and that according to our guide, signaled the descent to the first vantage point – a stream crossing. As we descended the rock laden path gingerly slipping up in between, the welcome sound of water flowing caught our ears, and soon enough, the gurgling stream came up in view ahead of us. In order to reach the falls, we had to cross the stream over moss filled rocks and continue the trek further.



We crossed the steam carefully, with my height (I stand at 6 Foot 3 Inches) helping the crossing to some extent. I walked sideways, step after step, carefully negotiating the rocks, and helping my younger child cross the river, while my wife and the elder one crossed at their own pace.

We soon crossed the trek and gained altitude, while the stream that we just crossed took a 90-degree turn, and was flowing below. That stream would descend the topography in a series of 7 cascades, 3 of which constitute the Mitte water falls. As we further ascended, we came across the first rapid, and it was quite a sight to behold, with the waters rapidly gushing down and the foam spreading all around.


We spent some time admiring the first of the waterfalls, and then headed further, rapidly descending towards the second cascade.

We made our way ahead, and rapidly descended onto the banks of the stream, and as we turned back, the sight of the first water fall behind us, was a sight to behold. We decided to come back to this vantage point for lunch, and decided to check out the second rapid, which was to be more beautiful, as per our guide.

Walking along the banks of the stream and on the rocks, we came to a table top of rocks, and paused there. Our guide made us climb up a couple of rocks made us comfortable on one of them. A few metres away from the place where we were seated, we noticed that the rocks ended abruptly and the water fell away deep into the crevice below. This was the second rapid of the Mitte falls, and we were seated near the head of the falls, and it was quite a sigh to behold, and the most beautiful spot of the waterfalls.

We spent time there enjoying the sights and taking in the sights and sounds of the waterfalls. The sight of the waters deep below was very beautiful, but with absolutely no protection at all, I just checked out the scenery all around and made my way back to our seating position.



As a side note, it is absolutely pathetic to see such a wonderful place slowly getting trashed by discarded beer bottles, empty food plates, plastic covers and other left overs. I make it a point to carry back all my trash and I seriously hope the TS Tourism department takes up these water falls, and empower the locals to help conserving these beautiful environs from getting spoiled.

After spending time observing the second of the rapids, we made our way back to the waters nears the place of the first rapid, that we had crossed on our way. We settled down for a quick lunch, and invited Mr. Nago Reddy to join us for lunch. Save for a couple of me in their late 20s, there were hardly any other folks with us at the waterfall.


Having completed our lunch and a couple of photo ops later, we started out trek back, and by this time, the kids started feeling really tired and restless. Obviously, this trek and the lack of sleep was proving to be tiresome for them, and they were almost on the verge of crying, when we came back to the stream crossing, and I called out that we will spend time skinny dipping in the stream, after crossing it.

The stream crossing was cumbersome, and I was a spectacle of sorts, having tripped and falling twice, and all my claims of my tall height falling flat, literally, much to the amusement of a group of tribal ladies who were watching our crossing with interest. Having crossed the stream, we went a few feet upstream, found a flat area, and decided to halt there.

All the tiredness, all the frustration that the family had, evaporated instantly the moment we dived into the cold, welcoming waters of the running stream. This bathing experience was to be the highlight of this day long trip. While the waterfalls were a sight to behold, this experience of bathing in the sparkling clear waters of the stream, was very refreshing, and all of us spent around an hour, playing around in the waters. In the distance the group of tribal ladies had in the meantime busied themselves in catching fish for their afternoon supper, and it was quite interesting to watch the agility they displayed.

After spending close to an hour and half in the stream, we came out refreshed, and with a change of clothes for the kids, we started our walk back. The walk back to Pittaguda village seemed tougher with every passing step, and the family continued in total silence, as if lost in a world of her own. As we headed back, we found that the traffic to the falls had increased with many groups of men and families on their way to the falls.
Finally, after what seemed like eternity (to the kids at least), the row of houses and the blue overhead Mission Bhageeratha water tank signaled the arrival of the much awaited Pittaguda village.

We were relieved to be back, and Mr. Nago Reddy took us to his small house, arranged for some chairs, and quickly filled up a bucket of water for us to wash up. The kids were so tired, that they simply slopped on the chairs, and after regaining their energy, they took the keys of the car, went to the car, switched on the engine and the AC, and made themselves comfortable on the rear seat.

Having refreshed up after the cold-water wash, we thanked Mr. Nago Reddy for his valuable help in showing us around, gave him a handsome tip, and he welcomed us to visit him once again, and spread the word of his services amongst my social circle.

[The pic above contains a signboard in Telugu, mentioning the phone number (8500181260) to be contacted in case anyone is seeking local guide services to visit the Mitte falls.]

He(Mr. Nago Reddy) also mentioned that he could arrange for boarding and lodging in the village should someone be in such a need. We thanked him and the other villagers, and made our way back to the car, and after making sure that everything was in place and we had not left behind anything, we started on our way back. The silence from the rear seat was unnerving and when I turned back, the kids were in deep sleep already.

The return trip was uneventful – I stopped at the nearest big town of Jainoor for water, tea and a couple of sodas. Having tanked up the car at the town’s petrol bunk, I cleaned up the front and read windscreen, checked the tyre pressure, did a quick walk around to make sure everything was all right, and hit the road again.

The drive, minimal sleep, and all that physical exertion from the trek was beginning to take a tool, and I was on the verge of feeling drowsy, so pulled off the highway, entered ICHODA town, and failing to find a hot cup of coffee, settled down for another cup of tea. That along with a couple of THEPLAS, boosted my energy levels, and I was back on the road with vigor.

A couple of hours down the road, I handed over the wheel to my better half and settled down in the rear, gazing all around, reflecting, and trying to catch a few precious winks. Somewhere around 50 odd Kilometres ahead of Medchal, the skies opened up, and it was a cautious drive till the ORR junction. Finally, we reached home by 2230 hours, tired but satisfied with a well spent Sunday outing.

Now Adilabad and the adjacent districts have around 15 water falls to explore, so keep watching this space for more trip reports! Thanks for staying with me if you have managed to reach here.

[gismosin]

I have been on a couple of getaways from Hyderabad and will share my experience one location at a time.

Note: this was a pre-pandemic trip

Travel diaries - Location 1: Gandikota

Distance from Hyderabad: 385Km
Route: Follow Google maps
Travel time: 8-9 hours with a couple of pit-stops
Travel advisory: No major pit-stops available once you get off NH44. So any lunch break you have best time it when you are on NH44
Roads quality: Good
Stay duration: optimal for 2 nights stay
Place to stay: APTDC only and camping sites available. Need to book at least 45 days in advance if looking for a weekend getaway. Room booking is strictly online via AP tourisim website.
Room upkeep: Average, take your own bedding. Watch out for bugs, take a bug repellent. Avoid being barefoot. Check your shoes before wearing. Don’t be shy to ask them to clean the room frequently
Amenities: Bare minimum, soap, towels, and bedding provided. Recommend you get everything of your own.
Food: Above average, restaurant can customize if you have good enough people. You can ask for some snacks. Non-veg available but need to inform in advance. Tend to be on the spicy side. Bottled water is must and is available.
Staff: Front desk is friendly and courteous, look out for Basha and makes friends with him. He is your all-in-one concierge at this place, including guided tours.
Resort Facilities: Wide open spaces, limited rooms so no chance of crowding, basic kids' park and namesake restaurant with limited food.
Key places: Fort complex, abandoned temples, Canyon, Dam, Wind turbines.
Safety & Security: No concerns.
Alcohol availability: Bring your own drinks, you can put your beers in the kitchen freezer.
Power and network: Expect frequent power outages. Cell phone reception is sketchy. Expect to be disconnected from the world. BSNL network works best here.
Visitor demographics: Couples, couples with kids, groups, and bachelors on trips (generally restricted to dormitory or camping site)
Best time to visit: October to January.

Gandikota is one of those places that is catching up in terms of weekend travel but has not yet become the commercial tourist destination. Best visit it before it becomes one.

The roads are majorly in good condition, and you can comfortably travel. A few bad patches, but overall, a pleasant experience. Keep a good 8-10 hours of travel time depending on how you are traveling. I travelled here with friends and family, so we keep food options and bathroom breaks in mind at frequent intervals.

Avoid summers, as this is a rocky place and will get very hot. The canyon is amazing and is best visited around sunrise when it’s not very hot. Carry water and pack some Glucon-D or electrol power to avoid dehydration especially if you plan to trek down the canyon, but do not do it on your own. It’s both risky and dangerous. Remember, there is no proper medical facility nearby. Best you hire a local guide. Ask around in the APTDC resort and they will arrange one for you.

The resort will arrange bonfire for you if you pay extra. The wind turbines are a good visit and based on your adventure sprit you can explore the ruins of the fort and some amazing, abandoned temple complexes in it.

You can also cover Belum Caves on your way back, they are well maintained and worth a stop over.

Definitely worth a Visit.

Some great drone footages on youtube of that place. Honestly pictures don't do justice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAc2...ingRidgeVideos

[gismosin]

Travel diaries - Location 2: Eegalapenta
Distance from Hyderabad: 214Km
Route: Follow Google maps
Travel time: 4 hours with a couple of pit-stops
Travel advisory: Great roads, decent eateries sprinkled all around. Keep in mind some part of the road closes 9 PM- 6 AM. Keep your windows/sunroof closed during your journey through the jungle road as it’s filled with monkeys on the road. Please do not feed wild animals, you do more harm than good.
Road quality: Good
Stay duration: optimal for 2 nights stay
Place to stay: Mrugavani Hilltop resort at Eegalapenta (Formarly Harita resort)
Room upkeep: Above average, take your own bedding. Watch out for bugs, take a bug repellent. Avoid being barefoot. Check your shoes before wearing. Don’t be shy to ask them to clean the room frequently
Amenities: Bare minimum, soap, towels, and bedding provided. Recommend you get everything of your own. Mini fridge, TV available. Rooms are air conditioned
Food: Above average, both veg and non-veg options available, room service available. Tend to be on the spicy side. Bottled water is must and is available.
Staff: All staff is helpful and courteous. Talk to the manager of the resort for options for tours, he will connect you with some local folks
Resort Facilities: Wide open spaces, limited rooms so no chance of crowding, one restaurant, room service available
Key places: Srisailam temple, Octopus viewpoint, Farahabad view point, Akkamahadevi caves, boating, dam.
Safety & Security: No concerns.
Alcohol availability: Bring your own drinks, you can put your beers in the room fridge.
Power and network: No issues
Visitor demographics: Couples, couples with kids & family groups on pilgrimage
Best time to visit: August to January.

Srisailam which is around 25 km from Eegalapenta is a famous pilgrimage center. However, the best part is if you are not on a pilgrimage, Eegalapenta is a great location for a short get away from Hyderabad. With great view of the river and away from the hustle and bustle of the temple town of Srisailam.

The resort is undergoing some renovation but overall, it is well maintained. You will need to use an elevator to travel down to the room which are a few levels down from the reception and restaurant area. This place gets really hot in summer, so best time to explore is in the winter season.

Food in restaurant is hygienic. Breakfast is included in the package and has your typical South Indian fare (Dosa, Idli, Puri etc..) The food is on the spicier side.

The viewpoints are great to visit. Octopus viewpoint is beautiful and for the Farahabad view point you will need to take the forest department jeeps to visit and they only have two jeeps so is difficult to secure them over the weekend. The only option is to book them on the spot and can’t book in advance. If you have time the akkamahadevi caves is a great place to visit. You have a lovely boat trip. Remember you need to go to Srisailam Ropeway point to buy tickets and the tour is only done between 9AM and 12 PM. The best chance for you to secure the boat is to go there by around 8 AM. The dam is a perfect picture backdrop, and you have places on the road where you can stop your car for a quick snap.

I visited end of November and the weather was lovely. Plenty of water in the river and the forest was beautifully green. We managed to spot a few species of deer on our way to Farahabad view point and the forest was simply beautiful.

Mrugavani Mannanur is also a good place to stop for some lunch on your way back to Hyderabad

A perfect getaway for leisurely weekend trip. Weekend’s are generally busy here for best experience try going on weekdays.

The Resort and View






Octopus View Point



Farahabad jungle Safari & View Point

[deehunk]

I visited the Statue of Equality on Friday, April 15th with my family. Whoever conceptualized this project deserves a billion thanks, Ramanujacharya was arguably the first person to preach unity between various sections of the society. There are pending works, but the place still looks well organized in crowd handling, vehicle parking, and sheer space inside the sanctum. Luckily the temperature was cool and we were able to see all the 108 Divya Desam replicas, spend enough time around the Ramanuja Statue and wait till the lights were switched on in the evening. There are at least 3 points for people coming from different directions. My suggestion is to leave the cell phones and footwear in the vehicle itself and walk barefoot.