[nandita_bayan21]

After we got Hulk, we could hardly take him out for a long over-night trip as something or the other were coming in our way, be it the radiator damage issue, or our Bali trip, or running low on cash, or overloaded with office work. It was high time that we put an end to this and take Hulk out for a weekend trip. With just two days in the weekend with us, we agreed upon going somewhere close-by and explore as much as we can. Reading through some of our friends’ travelogue, watching videos, Google search, and the place finally decided was Sagar as the main destination and then roam around to see places like Nagara Fort, Chakra Reservoir and Jog Falls. Initially, it was just Atul and I who would go for the ride, but later our friend Amruthesh decided to join us too on his D390.

Some quick bytes from the ride:

Riders: Atul and Amruthesh, pillion: me
Bikes: Versys 650 and Duke 390
Dates: 9th and 10th September 2017
Route taken: BTM > Tumkur > Davangere > Honnali > Ayanur > Kumsi > Sagar > Kumsi > Honnali > Davangere > Tumkur > BTM
Total kms covered: 1060kms


Day 1

It just never happens, never! We can never start a ride on the time we decided. We were supposed to begin riding by 4:30am but somehow it got pushed. Amruthesh came to our house, meanwhile Atul and I got ready, geared up and loaded our saddle bags. Loading the Frogman onto Versys was quite easy when compared to D390. The extra bag we took was the tank bag. All set and done, we finally left home around 5:30am. Took Bannerghatta road, NICE Road (Rs 48 toll per bike) and then exit for Tumkur Road. In no time we covered distances and reached the Nelamangala exit toll gate for NH 48. The remaining part of the ride was a quick run on the highway, covering almost 180 kms in the next 2 hours. Weather was quite relaxing and cruising at 120-130kms constant wasn’t a difficulty. The first break came in around 8am when we had to fill in the bike tanks with petrol and tyres with air. By now, we almost covered 230kms from home. Took some 15 mins break and started again. Our plan was to take a detour at Davangere and head towards the town to the Medical College road to have the famous Davangere Benne Dosa at Sri Guru Kottureshwara Benne Dosa Hotel. Heard a lot of good reviews from so many people that the dosas here are just simply brilliant.

By 9:15am we reached the hotel, finding it was quite easy, it was fully crowded with people dropping in by the shop to have their breakfast. A wait of 10-15 mins, we squeezed into a table inside this small restaurant. Ordered three benne masala dosa and well, with so much hype created for these dosas, I felt they were pretty ok, not like out of the world. The benne dosa place here in JP Nagar 6th Phase (Sarakki) serves better ones I think. Anyway, the dosas were piping hot, soft and prepared with homemade butter, something to feel good about. Post the dosas, we had some tea (the sweetest one I had recently) and with 45 mins already spent, decided to head towards Sagar.





From the town we hit the highway again and after some 8kms took a diversion to enter the Shimoga-Harihar-Hospet Road (I think this is SH 25). The route was super scenic, few twisty roads here and there and lush green vegetation all along the road. Some parts of the roads were patchy, bumpy and had potholes, but most of the time the ride was pleasant. Green carpeted hills, small river streams, and trees, blue sky, mild breeze, corn and paddy fields, the view was breath-taking. This route had very minimal traffic hence riding was a bliss. We stopped by at places to click pictures and enjoy the nature amidst us. At one point we crossed a section of the road, the canopy formed by the trees had a majestic view and till our eyes could see, we could see straight road. All three of us enjoyed the ride thoroughly as the road we rode on was completely new, unexplored and unseen.







Around 11:30am we reached a place called Ayanur and from here took diversion towards the Bangalore-Honnavar Road (NH 206 I presume). In between we took a quick petrol break. This was a scenic route too with tall green trees and well laid tarmac, need to watch out for monkeys jumping around and crossing the roads though. After some time, we entered the town of Sagar and started looking out for our hotel. By 12:45pm we reached Hotel Green Embassy, a deluxe AC room was for Rs 1400 per night. The location was good with ample shaded space for parking both two wheelers and cars and in house restaurant too. The hotel was newly constructed and some construction work was still going on. After our room formalities, we went to our room, dumped our bags and one by one started getting fresh.

Time was 1:30pm and we headed for lunch to the restaurant, with stomach growling in hunger. Ordered some chicken biriyani, tandoori rotis, mutton curry, panner matter curry and fresh fruit juice. While we waited for our food, places to see in the evening got decided. Our first choice was to visit the Kavaledurga fort but it was some 86kms away and would be late to reach there and come back. Finally, we boiled down to Nagara Fort and Chakra Dam. Food came in a bit late, we ate in a haste as it was already 2:45pm and we needed to head out soon. Next 15 mins, we packed backpacks with necessary stuff and headed out from rooms to go to Nagara fort first. It was 55 kms away and the road was beautiful too with very few bumpy sections. Narrow yet lesser traffic, twisty roads and greenery added on to the joy of riding in these roads. One can see the walls of the fort from a distance which is now carpeted with green layer of freshly growing grass. Around 4:30pm we reached the fort and there was no entry fee for entering.

Built with stones during 16th century, the fort is entered through a ramp leading to the main entrance and once you enter you can a huge water storing well on the right and wide open green area to the left. Hyder Ali during his reign captured this fort along with the water tank, two temples and the adjacent palace. The fort is built on a small hill beside a lake, and had a water circulation system around it for safety. This place gives a panoramic view of the surroundings, mostly the Western Ghats. One can see lake from the top, the distant villages, mountains, river flowing through the backyards of the fort, a fallen cannon and grazing cattle. We roaming through the fort, clicked pictures, spent some time and decided to head for Chakra Dam at around 5:45pm, 14 kms away. Roads were not in very good condition when we had to climb up a higher level to reach the reservoir. However, the entire stretch was covered with mild fog flowing through the mountains and trees. At some places we experienced slight drizzle as well and the ride was an absolute bliss.

















Around 6pm we reached the reservoir gate and the guard mentioned that the dam visit is closed for the day, we can park our bikes outside the gate and enter the pathway on foot. The dam is surrounded by thick dense forest area with foggy mountains on all sides. The dam is constructed across the river Chakra and it acts as a balancing reservoir, feeding in water from time to time, helping with the purpose of irrigation in the surrounding villages. The abundance of nature and the calm atmosphere is a perfect getaway from the hustle bustle of hectic city life. I wanted to click some pictures from the pathway, but for some weird illogical reasons the guard told me not to use my DSLRs for clicking pictures. He told mobile is ok but no camera. I was surprised as to what absurd thing is this that I can click picture with my mobile but not with my cameras. Anyway, I didn’t want to argue with him and obliged to his request. We spent some time here by the road side, clicked some pictures and sat down to relax. Soon it started getting dark and the guard started to chase people off. 6:30pm and we were on roads again heading towards the hotel. Though we had enough petrol in our bikes, the guys thought of tanking up a bit to be on the safer side. Soon after this, we started.









It took us 90 mins to reach our hotel and thankfully, till now throughout our ride for the entire day, we didn’t experience rain at all (I generally prefer a rain free ride). All three of us went to the room, took shower, got freshened up and came down to have dinner around 9pm. We ordered some soup, mutton biriyani, veg biriyani and some fruit salad. Post dinner, we walked through the hotel and spent some time talking. Small talks with likeminded friends like these are always soothing and brings in past memories into our life, making us happy. Around 11pm all of us agreed to head to our room and sleep, been a really long day.

[nandita_bayan21]

Some more pictures from Day 1

Somewhere en-route Sagar (on the Shimoga-Harihar-Hospet Road and Bangalore-Honnavar Road)








Few more clicks from the Nagara Fort













More clicks from the Chakra Dam/Reservoir

[nandita_bayan21]

Day 2

We got up at about 7:30am and the weather outside was too beautiful. Must have been raining the whole night and now it was slightly drizzling. From the hotel window we could see mountain ranges in the distance and it was completely covered with misty fog. The boys ordered some tea to the room while enjoying the view. All of us got ready and headed towards the restaurant to have our breakfast. Ordered puri sabji, masala dosa, idly vada, kesri bhath and tea. While having our food, we decided that we will quickly pay a visit to Jog Falls, which was about 28kms away from the hotel. Check-out time was 12 noon and the hotel front desk told us we can extend it to another 1 hour so we basically had ample time to do the round trip for Jog Falls.

With most of the packing done, we took only required stuff in our backpacks and headed for the falls around 9:45am. The ride was pleasant and the country side road was full of greenery, paddy and corn fields, marigold and sunflower fields, small flowing rivers and bridges over them. At time I feel that our country is so rich with such a diverse landscape where you find variety of flora and fauna, it just amazes me and all these rides and drives that we do across the country, enlightens me more. In some 40 mins we reached the limits of Jog Falls, apparently, there are two ways to see the falls, two from one side and remaining part of the falls going around the main entrance. We took the left way, crossed a bridge and reached the view point. Disappointed, as there were only four tiny and thin water streams falling from the hilltop with hardly any water in them. The view was also muffled by the thick layer of fog flowing by. Clicked some pictures and decided to head towards the main Jog Falls viewpoint which was some 2-3kms away.













Parked our bikes, walked towards the viewpoint area and all we could see was thick white layer of fog floating through the open cliff. People were waiting patiently for the fog to clear and have a glimpse of the so called falls. Jog falls apparently is the second highest plunge waterfall in India whose water falling capacity depends upon the rain and season. Formed over the Sharavathi river flowing through a rocky bed, four distinct falls comes together to form a huge waterfall. However, I have been here thrice and never seen a full-fledged waterfall. May be it all depend on the water level of the river but this time I had hope to see more quantity of water given the fact that it rained a lot this year. Waited for some 15 mins for the fog to clear and to get a glimpse. Finally, the fog cleared and we could see the falls, clicked pictures, rested for a while and agreed to head back to hotel. Decided not to go down the stairs at the foothill of the falls due to lack of time.






By 12 noon, we left for the hotel and on our way we stopped by at some scenic place to click some shots. Before reaching the hotel, we did a quick pit stop at a petrol station to tank up the bikes. Once we reached our room, we did the final packing, checked out and completed the hotel formalities. The boys wanted to drink some juice before starting the ride, so we ordered fresh lime and watermelon juice. Since all of us were full from the heavy breakfast food and now the juice, we agreed to have a really late lunch once we hit the highway. Around 2:45pm we left the hotel and started our ride back to Bangalore. Wanted to return via Shimoga-Arsikere but as per past experience of a bent rim on our D390 due to the potholed roads in that stretch, we decided to take the same road back.








It was afternoon time and hence it was obvious to get sleep. All three of us keep pushing each other, talking over Sena, staying awake and in no time we crossed Ayanur, Honnali. As mentioned earlier, some parts of the road were patchy and full of potholes but most sections were well laid and took us lesser time to cover our distances. Around 5pm we hit the highway, NH48 and this was a relief for the boys, to open up. Now we started looking out for places to have our food as all three of us were dying of hunger. Got a decent highway dhaba which was still serving food, ordered rotis, matter panner, dal fry and omelet. After food, we sipped on piping hot tea to keep us energized for the rest of the ride and it was almost time for the sun to set, so I took some sunset pics. With another 240kms more to reach home, we started again.










From here on we took very less breaks with a single petrol pit stop in between. Crossed Chitradurga around 8pm and then reached Tumkur in next hour. By 10pm we crossed the final toll gate in Tumkur road and headed towards the Nice Road exit, luckily the traffic was a bit lesser compared to other Sundays. Paid toll at NICE road (Rs 48 per bike) and headed for Bannerghatta road. Surprisingly, with all the rains happening that particular week, today it wasn’t raining in the city at all, good for us. 10:45pm and we reached home. Took rest for some 5-10 mins and Amruthesh bid us bye. Another road trip ended on a happy note and we were home safe.



This was one of the best short ride we did in recent times, back home early and not during midnight, overall good roads, saw some unseen unexplored places, and above all, no rains during the entire trip.

[Aditya]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Travelogues Section. Thanks for sharing!

[GTO]

Nandita & Atul, you are an inspiration . I hit the highway at least one weekend each month, and twice if there is a test-drive car that needs to be put through its paces. But you guys are at a different level altogether! A reminder to all of us that there's a whole world out there just waiting to be driven / ridden to . After all, life is about the memories you accumulate & experiences you cherish.

Thanks for sharing! Please ride safe.

[goandude]

Fabulous pictures and details.We are planning a ride there next weekend and you are the first guys to take this route to Sagar. The others have taken the much traveled CR Patna, Arsikeri, Shimoga and the Citradurga, Shimoga, Sagar. This route through Rannebenur to Sagar holds a lot of promise. Except as you mentioned some potholes. Thanks for sahring.
Also which is the dhaba that you had lunch on way back? The food sounded so yummy.

[srivatsahg]

You guys are different breed altogether!!

Nice to see monsoon pictures of my native . Yes I'm from Sagar/Shimoga.
Apart from the route you took. There are other alternatives to reach Sagar each beautiful and special in their own way

1. via NH-206: BLORE-TUMKUR-TIPTUR-GUBBI-ARSIKERE-SHIMOGA-SAGAR.
2. via NH48 : BLORE-CHANNARAYANAPATNA-ARSIKERE-SHIMOGA-SAGAR
3. via NH4 : BLORE-CHITRADURGA-HOLALKERE-CHANNAGIRI-SHIMOGA-SAGAR
4. via NH4 : BLORE-CHITRADURGA-DAVANGERE-RANEBENNUR-HAVERI-SIRSI-SAGAR

Special mention to Nandita : Absolutely beautiful pictures !!
@Atul : Hope the Hulk met your expectations on such a long ride

[ampere]

Some very beautiful pictures of this very special place. The Nagar fort is awesome location especially when visited either in monsoon or in winter.


As regards to this region, there are multiple options to see multiple places and thankfully they are less tourist-flocked! (I secretly wish they remain that way! )

The Chakra reservoir is another one such place. There are some more places around that region which are also worth a visit.

I had the good fortune to visit some of them. The other part is not to hurry-up at these places but let the moment sink in at its own pace.

Originally Posted by srivatsahg

via NH-206: BLORE-TUMKUR-TIPTUR-GUBBI-ARSIKERE-SHIMOGA-SAGAR.
via NH4 : BLORE-CHITRADURGA-HOLALKERE-CHANNAGIRI-SHIMOGA-SAGAR

Some how have not preferred either of the above till now. Need to see them in a new light!

via NH48 : BLORE-CHANNARAYANAPATNA-ARSIKERE

This remains my favourite. But I hear it is steadily going to dogs.

Here is it in 2014 at about 7 in the morning! (had posted it earlier in a different thread. Cross posting it here)

[goandude]

Originally Posted by srivatsahg

You guys are different breed altogether!!

Nice to see monsoon pictures of my native . Yes I'm from Sagar/Shimoga.
Apart from the route you took. There are other alternatives to reach Sagar each beautiful and special in their own way

1. via NH-206: BLORE-TUMKUR-TIPTUR-GUBBI-ARSIKERE-SHIMOGA-SAGAR.
2. via NH48 : BLORE-CHANNARAYANAPATNA-ARSIKERE-SHIMOGA-SAGAR
3. via NH4 : BLORE-CHITRADURGA-HOLALKERE-CHANNAGIRI-SHIMOGA-SAGAR
4. via NH4 : BLORE-CHITRADURGA-DAVANGERE-RANEBENNUR-HAVERI-SIRSI-SAGAR

Special mention to Nandita : Absolutely beautiful pictures !!
@Atul : Hope the Hulk met your expectations on such a long ride

As you must be familiar with these routes, which one of these two routes would be better? The route which Nandita took or Your No 3 BLORE-CHITRADURGA-HOLALKERE-CHANNAGIRI-SHIMOGA-SAGAR.
As we are on bikes, less traffic and good road surface are important.

[srivatsahg]

Originally Posted by goandude

As you must be familiar with these routes, which one of these two routes would be better? The route which Nandita took or Your No 3 BLORE-CHITRADURGA-HOLALKERE-CHANNAGIRI-SHIMOGA-SAGAR.
As we are on bikes, less traffic and good road surface are important.

Depends on what day and time you will be riding for the traffic to be less as these are highways(in sections). Also, it goes without a saying in all the above routes you got to be careful as you will be on a bike. The portions marked in Bold indicates it is a National highway.

Take this route if you intend to reach the destination quick then:
BLORE-CHITRADURGA-HOLALKERE-CHANNAGIRI-SHIMOGA-SAGAR
BLORE-CHANNARAYANAPATNA-ARSIKERE-SHIMOGA-SAGAR

Scenic routes not necessarily in the same order:

• BLORE-HASSAN-CHIKMAGALUR-TARIKERE-SHIMOGA-SAGAR.
• The route Nandita and Atul took.
• BLORE-CHITRADURGA-DAVANGERE-RANEBENNUR-HAVERI-SIRSI-SAGAR

I have personally enjoyed traveling via Chikmagalur to reach Shimoga. Although this route takes an extra hour and a half, the views and the scenery is just out of the world especially during or right after monsoon.

[Gildarts]

Great travelogue. Read a couple of your previous travelogues too. I can't wrap my head around the fact that you enjoy such rides so much when travelling as a pillion rider. Your hubby is one lucky dude. Pics are awesome by the way. To you, Your hubby and The Hulk.

[procrj]

Beautiful Tlog Atul & Nandita. The more I roam around Karnataka, the more I realize that there is so much more than the usual touristy places. Drive safe and enjoy your rides.

Originally Posted by ampere

Here is it in 2014 at about 7 in the morning

One of my preferred roads as well. Sad to hear that its going to the dogs :(

Originally Posted by goandude

As we are on bikes, less traffic and good road surface are important.

You could also do Ranebennur - Hirekerur - Siralkoppa - Sagar. Had done this last year end and the roads were decent with minimal traffic. More details here

If your plan is to enjoy the ride, then I would surely recommend BLORE-HASSAN-CHIKMAGALUR-TARIKERE-SHIMOGA-SAGAR as suggested by srivatsahg. While Shimoga - Tarikere can be a pain if you dont get your timing right, Tarikere - Shimoga is pure bliss. When I was there in June, it was new twisty tarmac most of the way and I drove all the way to Tarikere just because the roads was brilliant, very minimal traffic, 2L lined with trees and rain

[atul.ktm]

Originally Posted by srivatsahg

@Atul : Hope the Hulk met your expectations on such a long ride

Oh yes, it certainly did. The suspension on this machine is God-sent

Originally Posted by Gildarts

Your hubby is one lucky dude. Pics are awesome by the way. To you, Your hubby and The Hulk.

Lucky indeed, bonus is her photography skills

Originally Posted by ampere

This remains my favourite. But I hear it is steadily going to dogs.

The road from Channarayapatna to Arsikere is definitely a beautiful stretch. Here are few photos from our ride to Kodachadri in 2015.

But the problem is the condition between Arsikere and Tarikere. Had a bent rim and a busted tyre in that stretch so we avoided that route for obvious reasons!

[nandita_bayan21]

Originally Posted by GTO

Nandita & Atul, you are an inspiration . I hit the highway at least one weekend each month, and twice if there is a test-drive car that needs to be put through its paces. But you guys are at a different level altogether! A reminder to all of us that there's a whole world out there just waiting to be driven / ridden to . After all, life is about the memories you accumulate & experiences you cherish.

Thanks for sharing! Please ride safe.

Thank you so much! Even after riding/driving to so many places, we feel we haven't explored enough and need to cover the length and breadth of this country.

Originally Posted by goandude

Fabulous pictures and details.We are planning a ride there next weekend and you are the first guys to take this route to Sagar. The others have taken the much traveled CR Patna, Arsikeri, Shimoga and the Citradurga, Shimoga, Sagar. This route through Rannebenur to Sagar holds a lot of promise. Except as you mentioned some potholes. Thanks for sahring.
Also which is the dhaba that you had lunch on way back? The food sounded so yummy.

Thank you so much. The dhaba we stopped by was called AA Dhaba Hotel, well, it is a very simple proper dhaba style restaurant with khatiyas, so please don't expect much with ambiance and all. Located on the left hand side of the highway (if you are coming from Davangere), approx. 260kms away from Bangalore.

Originally Posted by srivatsahg

You guys are different breed altogether!!

Nice to see monsoon pictures of my native . Yes I'm from Sagar/Shimoga.
Apart from the route you took. There are other alternatives to reach Sagar each beautiful and special in their own way

1. via NH-206: BLORE-TUMKUR-TIPTUR-GUBBI-ARSIKERE-SHIMOGA-SAGAR.
2. via NH48 : BLORE-CHANNARAYANAPATNA-ARSIKERE-SHIMOGA-SAGAR
3. via NH4 : BLORE-CHITRADURGA-HOLALKERE-CHANNAGIRI-SHIMOGA-SAGAR
4. via NH4 : BLORE-CHITRADURGA-DAVANGERE-RANEBENNUR-HAVERI-SIRSI-SAGAR

Special mention to Nandita : Absolutely beautiful pictures !!
@Atul : Hope the Hulk met your expectations on such a long ride

Thank you so much. Blore - Channarayanapatna - Arsikere - Shimoga - Sagar is definitely a beautiful and scenic route, however, as Atul mentioned, had a terrible experience in one of the pothole on this route while returning back from Kodachadri.

Originally Posted by ampere

Some very beautiful pictures of this very special place. The Nagar fort is awesome location especially when visited either in monsoon or in winter.


As regards to this region, there are multiple options to see multiple places and thankfully they are less tourist-flocked! (I secretly wish they remain that way! )

The Chakra reservoir is another one such place. There are some more places around that region which are also worth a visit.

I had the good fortune to visit some of them. The other part is not to hurry-up at these places but let the moment sink in at its own pace.




Some how have not preferred either of the above till now. Need to see them in a new light!


This remains my favourite. But I hear it is steadily going to dogs.

Here is it in 2014 at about 7 in the morning! (had posted it earlier in a different thread. Cross posting it here)

Thank you so much. True, the places we visited was not crowded at all and still maintaining the grandeur natural touch, undisturbed by humans. Recently was in Mahabaleshwar for our Maha ride, all viewpoints, tourists spots were dirty, overly crowded, broken bottles, food and water bottles thrown all over. When will be stop destroying the nature?

Originally Posted by goandude

As you must be familiar with these routes, which one of these two routes would be better? The route which Nandita took or Your No 3 BLORE-CHITRADURGA-HOLALKERE-CHANNAGIRI-SHIMOGA-SAGAR.
As we are on bikes, less traffic and good road surface are important.

The route we took can be done on bikes, I feel. Though some of the sections were bumpy and had potholes, we could manage. But, it is marvelously scenic.

Originally Posted by Gildarts

Great travelogue. Read a couple of your previous travelogues too. I can't wrap my head around the fact that you enjoy such rides so much when travelling as a pillion rider. Your hubby is one lucky dude. Pics are awesome by the way. To you, Your hubby and The Hulk.

Thank you so much. Lucky to have a life partner who loves traveling and exploring places equally.

Originally Posted by procrj

Beautiful Tlog Atul & Nandita. The more I roam around Karnataka, the more I realize that there is so much more than the usual touristy places. Drive safe and enjoy your rides.

One of my preferred roads as well. Sad to hear that its going to the dogs :(


You could also do Ranebennur - Hirekerur - Siralkoppa - Sagar. Had done this last year end and the roads were decent with minimal traffic. More details here

If your plan is to enjoy the ride, then I would surely recommend BLORE-HASSAN-CHIKMAGALUR-TARIKERE-SHIMOGA-SAGAR as suggested by srivatsahg. While Shimoga - Tarikere can be a pain if you dont get your timing right, Tarikere - Shimoga is pure bliss. When I was there in June, it was new twisty tarmac most of the way and I drove all the way to Tarikere just because the roads was brilliant, very minimal traffic, 2L lined with trees and rain

Thank you!

[mobike008]

Nandita & Atul : Fantastic travelogue yet again and the pictures that you share is spellbinding. Please share if all these pictures are DSLR or a mix of phone and camera pictures?

This travelogue came right in time as I'm planning a motorycle ride myself to Kodachadri later this month and this thread helps

Can you help with these queries?

1. Any place you recommend to stay in Kodachadri? Simha Farms is booked out

2. Places to visit in and around Kodachadri?

3. Is the weather cold and foggy?

4. I can see water at Jog Falls is pretty sparse. That's sad as I never visited Jog falls before and was really looking forward to it

Also, I heard that there is a ferry that takes you across to Jog Falls from Kodachardi. Any info about the same?

Keep riding/travelling and sharing these beautiful stories. This is what life is all about