Now, I think that explains where I have been last week. Sorry guys for staying away from Mouthshut, but I was having a trip of a lifetime. We had a college tour to Tamil Nadu and Karnataka districts… An ordinary one by all standards, but it was turned into the trip of a lifetime by this wonderful place on earth called Hogenakkal.
Popular film destination
In case you have no idea of the place… It’s very popular with the film industry… Remember the song Kareena sings in the film ‘Ashoka’. Pardon me for not remembering the song, but I remember that river and scenery, but never thought I would be going to the place…
Also as has been pointed in the comments section, the first popular song shot in the location is ''Dil Hai Chotta sa'' from the film Roja.
Location
Hogenakkal is located in the Karnataka- Tamil nadu border. Actually, one side of the river is Karnataka and the other side forms Tamil Nadu. The river that forms this majestic falls and rapids is the Cauvery.
Sudden awe
We were told that we would be visiting this place. But I had no idea what it held for us. We were sitting in the bus, chatting to a beautiful girl, when all of a sudden the huge mountains and rivers caught my attention. I could do nothing else than to stare at the beauty of the place and take pictures. But even the beauty of the western Ghats couldn’t prepare me for the rapids that lay ahead of us….
Take off your shoes… May get wet (Yeah right!!!)
That’s what we were told. Ok! Fine! We got of without our shoes and walked. There were lots of monkeys around and they seemed very friendly. We could walk up to them without irritating them, and they followed us while we walked down to the river.
Coracles… What the? I am not going into those rapids in that thing…
Actually, I had no idea what were those things they used to go into the water? I got this word from a website for writing the review. But you will be shocked… Ahead of you lies a huge river with rapids and they ask you to take a 3 hour trip in a circular coracle or whatever…
What are these coracles? Imagine circular basket boats covered in plastic or go watch the film ‘Ashoka’. These things are really a scare… It’s like 30 cms in height at the edges, and with seven persons in it, you are really so close to the roaring water, and through the plastic, you can actually feel the force of the river underneath…
The ride:
Its heaven on earth. The scenery is absolutely nothing short of stunning, with beautiful rocks, gorges, rapids, waterfalls. But then, the ride is nothing… Its just to take you from one rock to another… From these rocks, the adventure begins..
I am on top of the world…
The first rock is where the excitement really kicks off. There is a wonderful view of the falls, made even more beautiful by the fact that it can be viewed from the top of a tower. Man!!! Good thing none of my friends noticed the shaking of my legs… But then, they were also scared and excited, it seems. But its not there fault, neither mine… Standing metres above a raging waterfall can take a lot of you…
Wait! Nothings complete without a bath in those falls…
Yes, I did! It was a thrilling experience… Though we are not allowed to bath in any of the main falls, there are small falls, from the rocks, and this makes for great fun.
The only thing that is going to ruin this fun is those fishes swimming around biting you. It doesn’t hurt and the locals said that the fishes were only taking the dirt of your body… But still, it tingles a lot… Make sure you are in some tight pants and not in some shorts or Bermudas…
Boys! Time for a little fun…
Make sure you have your GF with you… This is your one chance of a lifetime to win her heart. I mean, they are sure going to enjoy the support you will be giving them… And as for you… You can hold their hands and take them safely along those rocks and rapids… Make sure you have good biceps and arm power…
I ran out of film… But help is not far off land… In the river actually
I didn’t have a digital camera and ran out of film, while in the middle o the river, and then to my rescue comes a floating shop, that too, on one of those coracles… You got to appreciate the people and their unique way of transport… Specially since they say that its been there transportation for more than a thousand years…
Cost
The ride comes at a reasonable price. It cost us 130 rupees plus 30 rupees tip for the driver (Per head). Not that expensive for what you get…
But the thing is not about the cost… I wouldn’t recommend the place for families with kids smaller than 15, and also not for old people . Its an adventure ride, and older persons and small kids would find it hard to climb up and about the rocks, and walk against the raging rapids…
But in the comments section, I came to know that even people with children enjoyed the place...
You have to experience it yourself…
I could just go on and on, but that will not be anything compared to the experience we had… it’s a once in a lifetime experience.
Need any help???
Here are a few sites to check out about the place
https://cauvery.com/hogenakal.html
sudhi.myphotoalbum.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=Hot-Spots-S-India
Run a search on the place yaar….
What are you waiting for? Get going
Thank you for reading this review
