Our trip to Hogenekal was really memorable and here is the recount of it. Hogenekal falls is att the border of Karnataka and Tamil nadu. Hogenekal in kannada means smoking rocks because of the mist that kicks up around rocks as a result of the falls. Hogenekal is about 185 km from Bangalore. We set out at about 8:30 am after filling up the Scorpio (our SUV) and the customary morning coffee. The first half of the journey (About 90 km) is on the NH-7 also called Hosur road. This is a divided 4 lane highway and so the drive was very enjoyable. At around Dharamgiri you have to break off from the Highway and head east. The road isn't bad but not great either. You drive about 90 km on this road to come to Hogenekal. Hogenekal is mostly fisherman's village which is immediately evident as soon as you enter the village. Fisherman here use what's called "Teppa" in kannada or Coracle. It is very crudely built boat that looks like a saucer.
We were eight of us and so rented 2 of these coracles agreeing to pay Rs 500 (about $11) per boat. You walk down this dirty stretch of the road to the water with local ladies selling fishes on either side of the road.
Once you get into the boat you sit down in a squatting position. The boatman steers the boat with a single oar with such deftness that you will be amazed. Especially evident is their skill in maneuvaring around the currents and riding upstream. He rowed the boat for about 20 min and asked us to get off the boat and walk to the falls.
The walk to the falls took another 20 min with several times having to walk through the river and over rocks. Once you reach the falls the view is breathtaking. You will be standing at the edge of the falls and viewing down. The falls is wide and not a whole lot high (like Niagara). It is a great feeling to stand overlooking the falls and cool down with the water splashing against your face.
After that we spent about 2 hours playing in the shallow water next to the falls. Kids especially had a great time. We finished eating our lunch and headed back in the boat. This time around the boat takes a different route and goes through some rapids. You will really appreciate your boatman's skill. The next stop was at the tower from where you can overlook the entire falls and it is a great view point. It is a great view point because that is when you will realize that what you saw earlier was only half the falls.
We left Hogenekal at 4:30 and reached Bangalore around 8:30 with a pit stop on the way. One of the things I did not try but seemed to be very popular there was getting a oil massage from the local folks and then taking a dip in the cauvery river. May be next time
