Hogenakkal Fall's is 180kms/120kms ( 2 routes) from Bengaluru, A must go to place for nature lovers and day trippers.
Since Google is there for everyone to know about the history of the waterfalls along with the routes and directions of the places, I won't go into them. Therefore directly coming to the pro's and con's of the place and whether it is worth your time, effort and money.
i) Its a very scenic and beautiful set of waterfalls which I would definitely recommend a visit specially for travel photographers, day trips from Bangalore. It definitely makes it to the Top 10 waterfalls in India.
ii) Coracle ride in the river is a very unique experince, A very enjoyable and fun experience of going under the waterfalls while boating in the coracle. It costs 750 INR for the ride and the boatman takes some extra money ranging from 200- 500 to take you slightly nearer to the falls depending on your bargaining skills.
III) The drive from Bengaluru to Hogenakkal Fall's can be done on 2 different routes ( 180kms NH 44 highway or the 120kms road). The first route mentioned takes about 15 minutes more than the second one.
It's a 3 hour drive, and the highway route gives you more options to stop by restaurants ( There are multiple restaurants next to each other including Sarvana Bhavan,south Indian food joint, A Domino's and a cafe serving continental food. These restaurants are right next to each other in the same are and comes on the highway route after crossing 75kms from Bengaluru.
The other route is more scenic, but it's a double way road and even though it's just 120kms takes roughly about the same time to reach.
Overall both the routes are excellent and it's a beautiful drive, with picturesque views of coconut trees, sugarcane trees and other plantations all along the route.
One can see the magnificent hills all along the way while going and coming back on any of the routes. The roads of the highway being in excellent condition gives you an excellent opportunity to discover Karnataka and Tamil Nadu through roadways.
iv) One the way while going on the Highway route you can spot vendors selling custard apple ( commonly called Sitaphal in Hindi) along with fresh guavas.
There are loads of small shops selling corn, sugarcane juice and other fruits which are very delicious and adds to the earthy feel of the place.
v) The variety of fish being sold near the Hogenakkal Fall's are fresh catch from the river. One can ask the ladies selling the fish to cook it for them for a nominal amount. Being a vegetarian I didn't go for it.
Other important points to note that are there are many many tolls on the highway route, also one will need to get a Tamil Nadu state permit which will cost INR 100 approx. Although it's not mandatory and you might skip it,there may be a slight chance of getting fined if checked by local police.
