[ashwinsid]

I had been to Hogenakkal falls on Saturday. Although I am not writing a travelogue, heres some information for travellers:

1. From Bangalore, the road till Electronics city is good. From Electronics city, another few kilometers is bad. Later, when the four lane national highway 7 starts, the road is awesome. And till Hogenakkal the road is good.

2. There is an A2B restaurant at a BP petrol bunk on the way from Bangalore to Hogenakkal. Although the food is not outstanding, it is good. Set Dosa is Rs.20 and he gives two small pieces. So if you are hungry, you might want two or three dishes. Idlis are hard. Upma is really good. there is ample parking and some play area with see saw etc. Rest rooms available. Epect huge crowds in the restaurant.

3. There is a toll booth in the highway. One way toll for cars is Rs.25.

4. Near Hogenakkal, you have to buy a pass to enter the road. Then when they open the barricade, you have to get down, walk to a police outpost, write your car registration number and sign. The police will tell you have to return by 7 Pm. And he will ask for Rs. 10 (its a bribe but it has almost become official....but he wont touch the note. You have to put it on the table).

5. IMPORTANT: When you reach Hogenakkal, some people will stand on the middle of the road and tell you that you have to park the car right there. DO NOT park there. Whatever they tell you, keep driving. There is official parking next to the river itself. If you park at the place where those guys ask, you have to walk 10 minutes.

6. Coracle rides will cost how much you can bargain. Per coracle, the official price is 50 per person. But nobody observes that. You have to pay between Rs.150 to Rs. 300 per person. Anything above that means you are getting ripped off. We were total 8 people, for two coracles we paid Rs.2,200. He will take you under the falls, then will drop you at a place where you can swim in water for more than an hour.

7. Beware of waste fellows who tease girls. If you respond they will start argument. Just ignore them. If they come in the water where any girl is swimming, tell them to mind their own business or tell your Coraclewala.

THE MAIN REASON I AM WRITING THIS THAT THERE ARE BROKEN GLASS PIECES (REMAINS OF ALCOHOL BOTTLES) IN THE WATER. BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN WALKING IN THE WATER. YOU COULD CUT YOUR FEET AND HANDS.

All in all, a good one day trip.

[laluks]

Thanks for the tips.

I have been there around 8 years back. The moment we reached the place a crowd came to us talking about coracle ride and costs. We were so embarassed that we were not even given the liberty to park the car and get out.

The place is good to visit. But what irritates is the mad rush to rip you off as much as possible.

The place was quite dirty when we visited.

[pjay_in]

It's sad to see that such a nice gift of nature is being exploited like this. And broken bottles in the river! Aren't there any controls at all?

[rajakumar]

Hogenakkal being the border between TN and KA is the main reason. The illicit liquor business flows in abundance and there is hardly any contol over that.

[prince_pervez]

Ohh yes! We were there last year in May. There are drunks who will provoke you in Tamil. The only thing I could understand is 'Wanga Wanga'.
They too were in a coracle
Our man shifted to reverse and headed some place else.
The locals on the shore are sweet. They treated us to some mouth watering fresh river fish curry. On the way back we encountered an elephant crossing the road and disappearing in the bushes. Will post photos if I can get them.
INR 2200 is still a little steep. I think we paid not more than 700 for 6 people. But I can't say for sure as I do not remember that well. But surely not more than 1000. May be the rates depend on what time you go.

[arin_12]

Originally Posted by ashwinsid

2. There is an A2B restaurant at a BP petrol bunk on the way from Bangalore to Hogenakkal. Although the food is not outstanding, it is good.

3. There is a toll booth in the highway. One way toll for cars is Rs.25.

4. Near Hogenakkal, you have to buy a pass to enter the road. Then when they open the barricade, you have to get down, walk to a police outpost, write your car registration number and sign.

7. Beware of waste fellows who tease girls. If you respond they will start argument. Just ignore them. If they come in the water where any girl is swimming, tell them to mind their own business or tell your Coraclewala.

THE MAIN REASON I AM WRITING THIS THAT THERE ARE BROKEN GLASS PIECES (REMAINS OF ALCOHOL BOTTLES) IN THE WATER. BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN WALKING IN THE WATER. YOU COULD CUT YOUR FEET AND HANDS.

2. This A2B hotel is quite waste, They don't give a value to the customer. After the Reliance A1 got close that is the only hotel to eat.
3. I dont remeber paying a tool.
4. The Police outpost parking is new to me. I know that there is a police station. Also there is a Small TTDC hotel to stay. I dont know how safe it is.
7. This waste girl teaser is every where in India. I faced/observed this problem very often

I too had been there last year. The Coraclewala was real good. They also give you nice oil message.

And last and final is the Drinking Alchohol. I think it is strictly banned in that place. But again Who cares ???
Once I went to Kanakpura(Mekedatu). As soon as I entered in the water I got a big L-shaped cut exactly under the foot. Complete flesh came out. Came to Bangalore and went for treatment. I had go through 5 stich, could not walk for a month. :(

By the way what was your route ?

[csentil]

Ashwin, there are quite a few Hogenakkal threads.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...-falls-tn.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...kal-falls.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...l-quickie.html


The A2B is at a place called Chinnar which most of the regular GQ users know about.

If you are returning within 24 hrs you can pay Rs. 38/- for two way at the Krishnagiri Toll Gate or if you want to avoid it totally take the Hosur - Palakode route which is actually a very nice 2 lane road and is shorter by 25 kms.

Actually there are at a minimum 3 - 4 different routes to Hogennakkal from Bangalore. All of them quite interesting and some unique.

2200/- means u have been fleeced. You should never talk to any of the cyclewallahs who promise to arrange coracles. These are agents who will take most of the money and pay the coracle guy only 50-100 per person.

You need to get close to the river and that is where you will see the coracle guys themselves. I remember a guy who was ready for 40 bucks per person. But seeing the amount of work that he did we paid him 60 bucks I think. Even with inflation and all that Rs. 100/- per person is max.

The TTDC used to be pretty good. Stayed there eons back. Now that the threat of Veerapan is gone one can go trekking through the jungle if you can get hold of a proper localite there.

If one is really adventurous you can take the coracle all the way down to Mettur. They charge like 1000 odd bucks for that. it will be half a day's journey max. The coracle is loaded back into a bus and brough back.

Eve teasing, drinking and pollution are the biggest problems there. The localites almost never indulge in it as they know it is bad for business. Its the students and bachelor gangs that descend upon the place that spoils it.

Another tip; carry a plastic cover if you have a remote lock/RF Key. when you go on the coracle make sure the key is wrapped inside the plastic cover. We've had cases of remote keys not working there and help having to arrive from Salem.

[ashwinsid]

Thanks for your inputs guys.

As mentioned above, it is adivsed to carry a plastic cover so that you can keep your car key remote, cash etc.

And there is no First Aid or Hospital available. If anyone gets a cut from the glss in the water, you have no chance of treatment. So it is advised to carry first aid kit along with you on the coracle (since the coracle return journey will take around 15 mins).

I agree Rs.2,200 for 8 people on two coracles is costly. And that too it was not a middleman but the coraclewala. I am sure if we had bargained more he would have reduced the price (agreed price was 2K but we paid 200 extra as he was very helpful).

The route we took was Electronics City-Hosur-Dharmapuri-Hogenakkal I think its 180KMs from Bangalore on this route.

Since it was a one day trip that was planned just before the journey, we did not do much research on route and other things. We just wanted to go out for a day.

But now I am addicted to Team-BHP and surely will seek info from members and then plan a trip.

[joecherian]

Thought of kicking some dust off this thread.

We are planning for a drive down to Hogenakkal this sunday and hence wanted to know the exact turning point off NH7.

Earlier, when NH7 used to pass through Dharmapuri town, bang inside the town, there is a right turn marked Hogenakkal.

Now , since the bye-pass is fully open and one doesn't need to enter Dharmapuri town, can anyone tell me as to where exactly should I turn off NH7 for going to Hogenakkal ? (any landmarks, sign boards that I should look for ? )

[kaushik_s]

Sad to see another lovely place gone to pits. Nowadays it's always better to avoid any places which can be done in a single day from Bangalore. Most of these places will be filled with unsocial elements, who would do everything possible to make other's life horrible. And instead of having a nice relaxed weekend you'll come back home exhausted, fuming with anger.

[gadadhar]

Thanks for the tips given. Hogenekkal has gone down heavy on reputation due to the antisocial elements there. Heard another horror story, not sure how true it is, localites there don't rescue drowning people since fishing out dead bodies fetch them better money( sincerely hope it is only a hearsay)

[womanonwheels]

Anyone who has done this recently? I have a crazy idea of driving from Mumbai and do Isha yoga Coimbatore - Hogenakkal and Hampi.. everyone welcome to jump in to give inputs or point me towards a similar thread

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by womanonwheels

Anyone who has done this recently? I have a crazy idea of driving from Mumbai and do Isha yoga Coimbatore - Hogenakkal and Hampi.. everyone welcome to jump in to give inputs or point me towards a similar thread

Do not go to hogenekkal. Firstly its summer and there is no water. Secondly the place resembles a kumbh mela at any given point in time.

Lastly driving down south at this time of the year is asking for trouble. Hampi will burn you to the ground.

[coolrats]

I agree as the place has really become like a stop over closer to Bengaluru and lot of unwanted stuff like broken bottles littering all over the place

[womanonwheels]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Do not go to hogenekkal. Firstly its summer and there is no water. Secondly the place resembles a kumbh mela at any given point in time.

Lastly driving down south at this time of the year is asking for trouble. Hampi will burn you to the ground.

Duly noted - thanks a ton for saving me the trouble. I will stick to the known devil then - Mumbai - Punjab with a stop over in Rajsthan.