[ankan.m.blr]

Originally Posted by ampere

There would no water in Chunchi now. One should go in may Aug/Sep. This place is on the way to Mekedatu.

In general another thing to note is that since you are slowly exhausting nearby places, your distance to hit a weekend spot, slowly would not increase. At least thats what I have noticed over the last 4-5 years. From a humble 50km radius it has come to a stage where did 500km (total) in a single day along with time to explore.

For such excursions surely its strenuous for the family members. So you need to sanitise the targets accordingly.

You are spot on here! Nearby places are ticked one by one, now I am thinking of Bandipur / Nagarhole / Madikeri day trips!

[girimajiananth]

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

Hi friends,

Please suggest the must see spots in and around Mysore.
From my limited knowledge, I could come up with the following:
Not too keen on visiting Brindavan Garden, I never understood what the fuss is all about.
Rohan

If you are visiting Somnathpura , you can also try Talakadu , a nice historical place . Apparently the place has a connection as to why kings of Mysore do not have a natural heir to the throne . During summer these places will be hot and could be tiring . Water will be scarce during summer .
Brindavan / KRS will be nice to visit if you like have a long walk on the dam , again its scorching summer .

[subraiyr]

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

Not too keen on visiting Brindavan Garden, I never understood what the fuss is all about.

Rohan

Strangely, this is highly cliched spot in Mysore. But the beauty of the place is that the entire sprinkler/fountain system is pressure operated vs motors , although now there is a pump to create pressure as sometimes the water level drops down in the reservoir. Dont venture on weekends, it gets crowded. If you can wrangle a stay in the Royal Orchid there it would be good fun. Also, if you can climb atop the reservoir (general public is prohibited)

The other place you can go to is Gopalswamy Betta - around an hour away from Mysore within the Bandipur forest. Its a hillock with a temple. Also one cannot venture far away from the temple although it can be created as a trekker's paradise (trekking is prohibited due to wild elephants flocking here)

[ampere]

Gopalswamy Betta is a nice place, but as @subraiyr said, it would be dry and also the authorities has restricted movement quite drastically. When you reach the base of the hill, they give you a time stamp and you are supposed to be back within 90 minutes.

I remember seeing quite many snaps on this forum about folks hiking beyond the temple. I had gone with the same thoughts, but sadly they don't allow any more. The temple in itself is nice. Worth a visit. Though after rains it would be even better. But when going towards Mysore this place would detour you by easily 100-150 km. Because you need to go beyond Gundlupet along the Bandipur road.

Here are some snaps

The hills are totally devoid of any vegetation


Temple has nice compound


We could find some nice terrains in between


But just see how dry the place is. This was in Feb. Just imagine how it would be now !

[subraiyr]

OMG - the place has changed so much. Of course, we did this about 3 years back, but the memory still remains. We visited the place in June while we were driving back from Masinagudi after being chased by a tusker. We saw this turn off and just went for it. There was some clouds at the top of the hill strangely and it started raining. Some pix, of poor quality thanks to a point and shoot i had

[VindyWheels]

Hi,

Planning a trip to MM Hills this weekend. Is it a good idea to stay there with family in Guru Darshini or any other place?

Which are best drives from MM Hills for wildlife spotting?

The route I suppose is Kollegal-MM Hills. Would it be a good idea to return via Mettur-Hosur?

Thank You

Vindy

[VindyWheels]

Hi, planning this route

HSR Layout - Dharmapuri - Mettur - MM Hills - Hanur - Hubbe- Germalam - Hasanur - Chamarajanagar - K Gudi - BR Hills - Kollegal - Kanakpura - HSR Layout.

Overnight halt at Nijaguna, Chamarajanagar.

Plan is start by 6:00am from HSR, reach MM Hills in around 4-5 hours, start again after lunch by around 1:30pm and reach Chamarajanagar. How much time would this second leg take?

Next day, start by around 9:00am after breakfast from Nijaguna residency, return to Bangalore via K-Gudi, BR Hills - Kollegal, Kanakpura. Hope this would not take more than 5-6 hours driving time. So we can reach HSR before 7:00pm.

Any suggestions?

Thank you

Vindy

[ampere]

Originally Posted by VindyWheels

Plan is start by 6:00am from HSR, reach MM Hills in around 4-5 hours, start again after lunch by around 1:30pm and reach Chamarajanagar. How much time would this second leg take?

It would take time.

1. Hanur-Gubbe- to Germalem road intersection : No Idea. Worst case you have to head back to Kollegal.
2. I wont advise Germalem road with family. Goes through thick forest and with rains; facilities are a minimum.
Its scenic no doubt, but I would rather not risk family on that route.

[mpksuhas]

Guys, any one has information on Kolar Gold field. Last weekend went for a drive on NH4 and while crossing Kolar saw the sign board to KGF. Since then was thinking if it is possible to visit the now abandoned gold mine & township.
Searched it online and found that you need prior permission to visit the mines, however there are no details about the same.

[VindyWheels]

Hi,

Did the HSR Layout - Dharmapuri - Mettur - MM Hills - Hanur - Hubbe- Germalam - Hasanur - Chamarajanagar - K Gudi - BR Hills - Kollegal - Kanakpura - HSR Layout trip.

Was disappointed with MM Hills, especially the drive from Mettur side. But loved the Hubbe-Germalam-Hasanur-Chamarajanagar drive. BR Hills was fantastic. Early morning drive from Chamarajnagar to BR Hills via K-Gudi is a treat.

Cheers

Vindy

[ampere]

Originally Posted by VindyWheels

Was disappointed with MM Hills, especially the drive from Mettur side. But loved the Hubbe-Germalam-Hasanur-Chamarajanagar drive. BR Hills was fantastic. Early morning drive from Chamarajnagar to BR Hills via K-Gudi is a treat.

Great to know this. How is the road from Hubbe exit to the Kollegal-Germalem road?

[VindyWheels]

Hi, for some 20 mins it was bad. The road from Mettur side towards MM Hills is also horrible once you enter Karnataka. But no safety issue during day time.

From Chamarajnagar base I would suggest driving to Germalem - Hasanur tiger reserve.

Originally Posted by ampere

Great to know this. How is the road from Hubbe exit to the Kollegal-Germalem road?

[ampere]

Originally Posted by VindyWheels

Hi, for some 20 mins it was bad. The road from Mettur side towards MM Hills is also horrible once you enter Karnataka. But no safety issue during day time.

Yes the MM Hills road from KA side is bad. And yes there are no safety issues. I referred to the other section for safety issues.

From Chamarajnagar base I would suggest driving to Germalem - Hasanur tiger reserve.

Yes its possible. Its Germalem-Hassanur section which is quite secluded. Though very scenic, there are absolutely no support in that sector beyond Germalem. Add to it, there is also heavy wild life activity. Hence my reasons to discourage folks from driving on that stretch esp with family. Some of the turns are quite blinding. I actually witnessed a nasty fall on that stretch. And help almost next to nothing.

But all said and done its a beautiful section to drive of course.

[VindyWheels]

Hi Amp,

I thought it was like any other forest drive like Nagarhole, Bandipur, BR Hills etc in terms of safety and animal activity. There were people moving around, especially the Tibetan folks on scooters!

There is a resort there too http://www.honeydewresorts.com/hotel-location-info.php#

Originally Posted by ampere

Yes the MM Hills road from KA side is bad. And yes there are no safety issues. I referred to the other section for safety issues.




Yes its possible. Its Germalem-Hassanur section which is quite secluded. Though very scenic, there are absolutely no support in that sector beyond Germalem. Add to it, there is also heavy wild life activity. Hence my reasons to discourage folks from driving on that stretch esp with family. Some of the turns are quite blinding. I actually witnessed a nasty fall on that stretch. And help almost next to nothing.

But all said and done its a beautiful section to drive of course.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by VindyWheels

I thought it was like any other forest drive like Nagarhole, Bandipur, BR Hills etc in terms of safety and animal activity.

I agree but you have much more traffic on Bandipur/Nagarhole/BR Hills. And this section (beyond Gemalem to Hassanur) has almost zero traffic.

There were people moving around, especially the Tibetan folks on scooters!

There is a settlement before Germalem. Hence you see them around that region.

There is a resort there too http://www.honeydewresorts.com/hotel-location-info.php#

Again thats at Germalem, right at the boundary of the forest.