Wonderful weekend trip to Jog falls

We visited Jog falls in the 1st weekend  of Aug 2015. There were 7 of us,  adults and a child.  We did not want to tire ourselves driving from Bengaluru, hence we booked a train from Bangalore to Talaguppa Station. The train tickets cost about Rs. 250 per person.

Talaguppa station is about 15 Km away from Jog falls. Our plan was to stay in Jog overnight on Saturday and catch a train back to Bangalore on Sunday night so we booked rooms in the KSTDC Mayura Gerusoppa hotel for one night. There are only 10 rooms and on weekends these are full. Book in advance at the KSTDC Site here.

The train started from Bangalore right on time on Saturday night at 11:00 PM and with sleeper berths, the journey was comfortable. The Train reached Talaguppa right on time at 7 AM.  It is well-advised to carry umbrellas after checking the weather forecast. It was raining on and off at Talaguppa and the weather was very pleasant. Take care while climbing down from the train as the train station can be slippery and we watched several people take a tumble.

There are taxis and buses available to Jog from just outside the train station. As the bus was crowded, we hired a taxi to Jog falls. The fare is about Rs 300 to 400. We traveled to the hotel which is inside the Jog falls KSTDC campus. The check in time is 12:00 noon so don’t arrive too early!

When we checked into our rooms we found them well-furnished, neat and clean. We had a beautiful view of several smaller waterfalls and the kids enjoyed sitting outside on the wide window ledge in the cool,fresh air. The hotel rooms are just opposite to the falls and one can have a nice view of the falls from some room windows. The hotel rooms are very spacious and well maintained. Breakfast is available in the KSTDC restaurant which  is neat and clean, even though only few items are available.

We decided to go to Sigandhoor which has a famous Chamundeshwari temple. It is about 80 KM from Jog falls and the temple is located in a very picturesque location. We crossed the river backwaters in a medium-sized ferry. The ferry takes about 10 mins to reach the other side. We asked our taxi to wait at the river and climbed aboard the ferry which was carrying people and vehicles including a bus. The temple is about 5 Km from the river point. There are buses and jeeps from the river to the temple. We took a waiting bus. Be warned: it was a rough road with a bumpy ride but the bumps were worth it. There wasn't a lot of queue at the temple which is maintained very well and devotees are allowed inside in batches without causing any rush. On our way back, we had lunch at Pavithra Hotel in Sagar town and returned to hotel. There aren’t a lot of good options to eat in the neighboring towns so it’s advisable to make a stop here.

Coming back to KSTDC Mayura hotel in the evening; we took a long, lovely walk along the viewpoint of Jog falls. This walk way is very popular and you can get family photos taken here.

In the evening at 7:30 we watched the laser show and musical fountain behind the restaurant. The laser show was excellent and is a must-watch. It was interesting to see some songs projected using the fountain water as a screen.

The next day brought more rains and mist. As the mist started clearing, we checked out from the hotel, hired a taxi and went to the other two sides of the falls’ view points called Raja falls point and Rani falls point. Sharavati River leaps 956 feet into a gorge with a thunderous roar to create the natural wonder that is Jog Falls. Four distinct cascades – known locally as Raja, Rani, Roarer and Rocket make up Jog falls. 

From these points you can have different views of the falls. After that we went rafting and kayaking in a nearby lake formed by the river. The lake is very beautiful and away from the crowd.  We were the only people in the lake. The children really enjoyed the kayaking part. The lake is shallow in some parts and we could play in the water there. This was one of the high points of the trip.

We took the return trip by the train from Talaguppa on Sunday night which started at 8:15 PM and reached Bangalore at 4:30 AM.

And it was back to work on Monday morning!