Haluvagilu falls

 

The falls might barely be 5 feet but if you are looking for a unique experience walking against the water flow above the falls amidst some mindblowing scenic surrounding, then you could try Haluvagilu falls. 

Haluvagilu is about 190 kms from Bangalore and ~20 kms from Hassan. Though it isnt worth traveling all the way from Bangalore, you could club this with other spots in case you drop by Hassan (Shettihalli Church is just 14kms from here)

For those of you who have visited Balmuri, this might look similar and familiar. Relatively this is more deep so get into the water below the falls only if you are a good swimmer. 

If you wish to walk on the slopes above the falls, make sure you drop your slippers at the entrance and walk bare foot. Certain parts are quite slippery and the water force makes it all the more difficult to walk.

Martin was delighted to step into the water. Something he missed doing in most of the falls we visited earlier ! 

Found it hard to deny his repeated plea to spend some more time in the water ! 

Last but not the least, if you are a nature lover, you cant stop admiring the scenic view. There was a lake very close by and that looked even more beautiful (not sure if both are the same). 

Madenur Windwheels

 In case you wish to see wind wheels from a close distance, Madenur is the place to be ! 

A small uphill drive heading towards a temple from where you could see many windmills over a long stretch.  

Madenur Wind wheels is located 160 kms from Bengaluru and roughly 30 kms from Hassan. 

After you deviate from the Bangalore-Mangalore highway, you would need to drive through a village and you would get a glimpse of the windwheels from a far distance. 

Once you are close to the destination you have 2 options - follow the directions to the temple top and watch the windmills from above, or take a small diversion and go to the foot of the windwheel

We started with the the 2nd option. A small diversion and we stopped by a spot which leads to the foot of the wind wheel. 

After spending some time here, we headed towards the temple top.

The climate was perfect and temple wasn't crowded (probably because we went on a week day). The view from the temple premises is mesmerizing ! Make sure you walk around the temple premises to get better views of the windwheels. 

After spending some quality time admiring the windwheels, we headed back home. On our way back, we stopped by a lake (located in Dudda) to have lunch. 

If the stories about this lake are to be believed, this is apparently haunted since this seems to be a favorite spot for many criminals to dispose bodies ! 

Jodgatta Lake

 A beautiful lake which is picking up popularity for photoshoots !  This looked like a good spot to celebrate our anniversary which marked our 7th year as a couple (officially :P) 

Jodgatta lake is located ~160kms from Bangalore. Though it might not be worth driving all the way from Bangalore just for this spot, it would definitely be a great idea to stop by if you are enroute Hassan/Chikmagalur/Sakleshpur/Mangalore. A small deviation from the Bangalore-Mangalore highway (few kms before A2B) and you would reach this beautiful spot. 

A long stretch of grasslands with patches of water here and there where you would find Pelicans and cranes.

Few things that you would need to note in case you plan to visit this lake - even a small drizzle can make it difficult to walk since there is a long stretch of grasslands. In case you plan to use this pit stop for Breakfast/lunch/snacks, make sure you carry a mat since the place isnt that clean to sit down.

After the stretch ends, you would reach the lake. 

 If you stay close to Hassan, this is a must visit spot. Else, like I mentioned earlier, you could stop by if you are enroute Hassan/Chikmagalur/Sakleshpur.