[iamnarayang]

I am planning an one day trip, around Bangalore, on Sunday with my family. I have Thally in mind. Is this a right place to go, at this time of the year? How is the weather condition likely to be, in thally? What is the tourist attraction in and around Thally.

Is there any other place, that can be suggested, instead of Thally, for an one day trip.

Thanks and Regards, Narayan.

[mpksuhas]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

how far can I drive along this road? Is there a "viewpoint" that will give me a good view of the gorge?
Been ages since I went there, hence the questions Thanks in advance!

It's been many years since I been there. However, I remember you can drive till KSTDC and park next to it.

From there you need to cross Arkavathy by foot and take jeep towards gorge. Place where you get off jeep is a view point and you can climb down towards sandy bank of river there.

Location

[NPV]

Visited Dandiganahalli Dam and Avalabetta recently. Here's an update on road conditions:

Route taken was Bangalore-Chikkaballapur town-Manchenahalli-Dandiganahalli Dam-Avalabetta-Peresandra-Bangalore - map link

NH 206 is a mix of work complete and Work In Progress sections from the outskirts of Chikkaballapur via the short ghat section all the way to Manchenahalli where one turns off to SH 94. SH 94 turn can be missed easily since the entry to the road is broken with construction debris all around and road is muddy and uneven. The road has a metal welcome arch that says "Eeshwari Kshetra" in Kannada, so that can be a landmark.
400 m ahead one needs to turn right and that is again a broken, muddy road with patches of old tarmac in some places. First 2-3 Km is bad, then past a village en route, it magically transforms to a concrete road, then a freshly asphalted road (so good roads for 2-3Km). After this, the last 600-800m is just a muddy track but this was much better than the initial 2-3Km!

From Dandiganahalli we headed back to the SH 94 and turned right. After about 2 Km of broken and muddy roads, fresh tarmac welcomed us but then we had to turn off towards right for Avalabetta. The entry to the Avalabetta road has been blocked for road construction work, so we asked around and were directed to a muddy path along a farm. This goes behind a temple and then snakes it's way around village roads to reach Jarabandahalli. Here, we turned right and then almost the entire route till the left turn at Yerramaranahalli is a road construction zone with just one part of the road available. Luckily there was almost no traffic in the opposite direction.

For the return journey, we continued straight down from Avalabetta and merged with NH 44 at Peresandra. This route was fine with one small stretch where the shoulders were being extended and another short stretch was being readied for a fresh coat of asphalt.

In short:
- for Dandiganahalli just stick to Dodballapur-Tondebhavi route for now.
- for Avalabetta, use the Peresandra route for now.

If you combine both, then you will suffer bad roads at least for the next few months, for now bad roads lead to good destinations

[ankan.m.blr]

Last weekend, we visited Chinnar dam, Shoolagiri which is around 80 km from my home. The sky was overcast, a perfect climate for day outing. There were very few vehicles once I exited the Salem Highway. Plenty of water in the dam and there are steps to go to the water, although I recommend against it. My family, specially my 2 yr old son enjoyed a lot. A few photos from the visit , all shot on phone.

My steed taking rest under a tree :









Tried to edit one for Fb :

[kannan666]

Originally Posted by ankan.m.blr

Last weekend, we visited Chinnar dam, Shoolagiri which is around 80 km from my home. The sky was overcast, a perfect climate for day outing. There were very few vehicles once I exited the Salem Highway. Plenty of water in the dam and there are steps to go to the water, although I recommend against it. My family, specially my 2 yr old son enjoyed a lot. A few photos from the visit , all shot on phone.

While the place looks really scenic, it looks rather desolate with nobody around. Is it safe to go with family ? And where is the nearest chai paani spot from the dam ?

[ankan.m.blr]

Originally Posted by kannan666

While the place looks really scenic, it looks rather desolate with nobody around. Is it safe to go with family ? And where is the nearest chai paani spot from the dam ?

The place is actually desolate as you cross interior Tamil Nadu villages to reach the dam. Safety wise, no issues absolutely. My recommendation for food stop will be either McD/CCD/Sri Krishna Bhawan at Shoolagiri or A2B @ BP Coco Shoolagiri.

[mpksuhas]

Did a half day trip to Horsley Hills on 05-Aug-18

Will put a detailed travelogue in couple of weeks, however a short log -
Tool around 3 hours one side by keeping in 80 to 100 kmph range. I don't think you will be able to maintain higher average speed since there are numerous speed breakers on KA side.

Took Hoskote - SH 82 - Left turn before Marepalli - SH 99 - Kothakota - Gattu - Horsley hills route.

Road condition till NH 206 cross near Chintamani is good apart from numerous speed breakers, past that road becomes bit more interesting, due to smaller curves and trees around. Once you get on to SH 99, surface deteriorates, however nothing to worry about.


Past Gownipalli till Kothakota, road is patchy at many sections and also wide enough only for one car and bike at a time. Traffic is spare, however you encounter vehicles at intervals and you will have to get off the road to make way.

Kothakota town is a mess thanks to concreting of main road, though we traveled on a Sunday it was a nightmare to cross. Past Kothakota road again improves and is a pleasure to drive till Horsley hills.

We had breakfast from APTDC Harita resort run resturant - Amruth restaurant, they had buffet for Rs 100 per head.

Left car in parking of APTDC and went for walk around the place, visited both view points and mini zoo and started back by around noon.

Got back in Bangalore and stopped at Whitefield at 03:00 PM for a late lunch.

APTDC has descent looking cottages for overnight stay there. However, there is nothing much to see, you can consider the place at par with Nandi hills or Yelagiri.

Climate remained pleasant all throughout.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by mpksuhas

Took Hoskote - SH 82 - Left turn before Marepalli - SH 99 - Kothakota - Gattu - Horsley hills route.
..
Past Gownipalli till Kothakota, road is patchy at many sections and also wide enough only for one car and bike at a time.
...
Kothakota town is a mess thanks to concreting of main road, though we traveled on a Sunday it was a nightmare to cross.

Another reason to take this section is if one is coming back along the Kadiri route, one can exit the Kadiri-Madanapalle section much before the Horselely hills exit and come straight to Kothakota. Its a narrow road alright, but is in general much better than the rest of the roads till Gownipalli/Marepalli.

However its possible because of this patchy condition one may not gain much in time (in spite of gain of 30km distance roundabout via Madanapalle).

[ankan.m.blr]

Rainy season is in full swing, so decided to pay yet another visit to Shivanasamudram. Started at 9-45 AM from Marathalli and took the NICE - Kanakpura Road route. Stopped for a late breakfast/very early lunch at Mandarthi Gardenia Veg restaurant before Kanakpura. This is one of the few restaurants on this route with restrooms and parking. Road expansion is in full swing, so a lot of roadside eateries have downed shutters. After a 30 min break, started again and reached Gaganachukki gate at 1-00 PM.

My God the place was crowded! During my earlier visits, I have driven till the view-point and had parked beside the (then) KTDC Hotel Mayura. Now, authorities have earmarked a big open space for parking which can easily accommodate at least 100+ vehicles at a time . No vehicle (apart from the Govt ones) is permitted beyond this; we walked around 500 - 700 mts to the viewpoint. Small stalls vending sugarcane juice, coconut water, raw mango, local toys etc have been setup by the locals along the road. Gaganachukki falls is in full flow and a treat for the eyes. Spent some time there and started return journey at 3-00 PM. Reached Bangalore at 6-00 PM amid heavy rains accompanying all the way till Kengeri.

[SNayak]

Did a half day drive to Chunchi falls and Mekedatu on this independence day. Started around 12 from home as my little one had to finish the independence day program in our apartment.



Being staying near to Bannerghata road, we took the Nice road to Kanakpura exit with toll of 30. Traffic was less on Kanakpura road and with a light lunch on the way we reached Chunchi falls around 2:30 PM. Paid the parking fees and trekked for around 1 KM to reach near the falls. Please note that trekking is bit difficult conisdering the path is not well laid and steep. Not advisable for senior citizens. There are lots of shops who were selling maggi, bread omelet and snacks. There was good amount of crowd considering it was holiday. Spent some time there and then we headed towards Mekedattu.





Mekedatu was closed because of heavy water flow. I saw police being deployed to restrict the access to the river which is good considering the selfie mania people have now days. We just saw the river flowing with full glory from distance and then headed back to Bangalore.






There is hotel Mayura run by government where we can have your lunch at Mekedatu.



Stopped in between for mandatory photo shoot with my machine.




On the return , traffic was moderate however drive is bit tiring in the night considering it's a single lane on most part and most of the guys drive with high beam. Had snacks in MTR near to Art of Living and reached home around 8 PM. Food is really good in MTR however found it to be costly.

At the end a day well spent

[ravib]

I just updated about my recent trip to Melkote in the other thread for those who are planning to enjoy a day out spiritually.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ml#post4446694

-Ravi

[ankan.m.blr]

Today we (me, wifey & my 2 yr old son) visited Panchapalli dam near Hosur. Started from home at 11.30 AM and decided to follow Gmaps. While crossing Attibele toll, my youngster started complaining about a stomachache. So I began to look for a restaurant with restroom facility. On this 'quest', I crossed Hosur soon and proceeded towards Krishnagiri. Just before Shoolagiri, there is a Reliance bunk with Hotel Adith Bhawan adjacent to it where we found restroom for my son and coffee for myself & wifey. After a short break, took a U-turn from this joint and started toward Hosur again. At Hosur, I exited the NH and took Hosur-Denkanikottai road. Its a beautiful undivided state highway adorned with trees on both sides. Hosur to Denkanikottai is around 30 KM. From Denkanikottai, we need to take an interior road towards Panchapalli dam. This stretch is really scenic and a pleasure to drive. It passes through few hamlets, with hills all around and very few vehicles. After around 17 KM from Denkanikottai, we reached Panchapalli dam. There was not much water; few people were enjoying themselves on the dry lake-bed. The entry to the bridge on the dam was restricted. Spent some time there taking in the view and enjoying the beautiful surroundings. Returned home via the same route with torrential rain giving us company till Denkanikottai.

A few photos from this drive.

[Romins]

Originally Posted by SNayak

Did a half day drive to Chunchi falls and Mekedatu on this independence day.

Thanks for letting us know about this place. We did a motorcycle ride to this place and really enjoyed. The water level was back to normal on Sep 1st.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Romins

Thanks for letting us know about this place. We did a motorcycle ride to this place and really enjoyed. The water level was back to normal on Sep 1st.

I did not get the context. You mean the level was full? I have been there couple of times. Level were always towards the lower side.

Here is summary from 2012! https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ml#post2870530 (Sunday drive to Panchapalli dam)

[Romins]

Originally Posted by ampere

I did not get the context. You mean the level was full? I have been there couple of times. Level were always towards the lower side.

Here is summary from 2012! https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ml#post2870530 (Sunday drive to Panchapalli dam)

Ampere, sorry for the confusion. I was talking about Chunchi falls and Sangama. The water level had receded at Sangama and you can cross to Mekedatu.