open roads: Driving holiday to Sakleshpur

The tiny hillstation of Sakleshpur is often known as poor man’s Ooty for being a lot less lofty (under 3500m) a lot less commercial, a lot less expensive ( a number of inexpensive homestay options) a lot less glamorous (no Bollywood shoots happening here), a lot less colder (mild weather)… But often less is more. One among one the most diverse biodiversity spots in the world in terms of flaura and fauna, Sakleshpur is quieter, more charming and definitely a lot more interesting. Historians say the name Sakaleshapura is condensed from sakala-aishwarya-pura, literally meaning that the place is blessed with all kinds of wealth: Water (River Hemavati); Coffee; Spices – including Cardamom & Pepper; excellent Climate too.

A spur of the moment plan had got a bunch of us women deciding to do a driving holiday to Chikmagalur/Halibedu/Belur from Bangalore. Lack of time and planning (being a long weekend for Easter break) saw us having to revise plans and look for options. Once again chance and a spur of a moment decision (and lack of stay options anywhere in Chikmagalur) had us booking a stay in Hassan (being the closest option to getting to Halibedu) at Riverdale, a Stay Simple (http://www.staysimple.in/ ) resort for a night. Never heard of this before, but never regretted it either. They had a resort in Sakleshpur too that was available and was just an hour odd away from Hassan. The roads were open and we had wheels. So off we went. And the NH 48 from just outside Bangalore (off Tumkur rd) all the way to Sakleshpur through Hassan is a dream drive.

True to its name Sakleshpur is a nature lover’s delight – a panacea for the mind, body and soul. It has something for everyone – luxury plantation stays for just chilling, smaller ones for budget options, B&Bs for bikers and trekkers.

Typical of most hill stations, there really isn’t all that much to do – nature hikes (not too high for good treks), water falls, a number of ubiquitous temples, an old unkempt fort (this was Tipu sultan’s land). Though quite content to just chill, we did chance upon a couple of really interesting things to see and do. One was the Bette Bydeshwara temple, which is a quiet little temple tucked away practically in the middle of the rain forest. Take a short hike up a path next to the temple, and the view from up there is breathtaking. We took a picnic bag with us and made a good morning of it. A small pond near the temple is also a refreshing pit stop. The other for the more adventurous is the Green route trek. This is along an abandoned railway line that runs from Sakleshpur town to Subramanya Road station. Some said that there was a ban on trekking on the track, but it’s worth checking out. This stretch of the track with length about 52+kms has around 50+ tunnels and bridges with length varying from few meters to 0.5km and height varying from few meters to few hundred meters. Alternatively one could just ride a train that runs on the new track (not too many pass this way; but there’s one in the afternoon) between these two stations. And you have one of the most picturesque

couple of hours of train ride you could ever experience.

One thing about a driving holiday is that since you have the wheels, you don’t need an agenda – you could decide to do or not to do something anytime. The trick to a really enjoyable drive is to club the open roads with an open mind. Be willing to be flexible on food, stay, things to do and see. If you are with like-minded people then it works great. You may come across a not very pleasant experience, but what the hell, just drive on.

It does pay to be prepared in terms of a spare tyre or extra fuel (just in case you’re lost in the middle of the jungle and the nearest bunk is 30kms away). BSNL works best in remote areas (Airtel 3g/4g) picked up zero bars. So have at least one phone with a BSNL card. Do research on routes beforehand, GPS may not always work. Brush up your local language vocabulary with some essential words (sometimes nothing else works); we knew our resort was near a dam, so knowing the local word for dam helped. Some essential snacks, water to tide you over till you get to some eatery. Get early starts so you have spare time to get to destinations before dark, especially if you are a bunch of women driving alone.

Travel is more about the journey than the destination.