Misty waterfalls - Hogenekkal. Review on Hoganakkal

A smooth black stretch of toll paid road lay ahead of me …. I was driving down to Hogennekkal with my family last Saturday [ 26th Sept’09].Take the Poonammalle > Kancheepuram > Vellore > Dharmapuri > Krishnagiri > Hogennekkal route. You would be paying toll for around Rs 140 one way – but would save you petrol and back aches !Do carry foodstuffs if you are travelling with kids.

I did not find a good place for breakfast.I started around 5.30a.m – and after a stop over for a sugary tea , reached the TTDC Hotel in Hogennekkal at 11.05 a.m. Pretty good timing for the 335 kms – one must say !Couple of pointers :

1 ] there is no other place for overnight stay apart from TTDC [ there are a couple besides the bus stand – but from the looks – it was not inviting ; and

2 ] do take a licensed boatman [ they were a blue shirt and have a license ] and please do listen to them while on the river.I had booked a double bed room with A/C @ Rs 900 / day. The rooms are basic but clean sheets and a clean wash room is usually what I look for in a government hotel.

The food is a bit pricey and they do not serve all items on the menu – it’s usually dosa or meals ! Try out the Bismillah Hotel next to the bus stand for paranthas and fried chicken.Having put in the luggage in our rooms – I started looking for a boatman and found one to my liking ! He quoted Rs 2800 for two coracles [ and not boats as I keep referring ] – which ultimately got settled for Rs 1400 [ 2 adults + 2 kids in one and 2 adults + 1 kid in the other coracle ].

We were comfortably seated in the coracles and off the boatman went.He actually starts from a higher reach of the river Cauvery and moves swiftly through pools of swirling water towards the two main falls – one on Karnataka side and the other on Tamil Nadu side.Take your camcorder – I was having doubts about where it would be difficult managing the water – it is difficult in parts – but overall you can manage….You would be visiting the falls on Karnataka side first. Please follow the boat man’s instruction as he guides you through the half submerged rocks upto the gorgeous falls !

Five clear distinct torrents of bubbling white water with the roar of a thousand cannons – stand there and enjoy. Peek down the gorge for a glimpse of the frothing water and it moves through the cuts and crevices.Use your camcorder – mist and water would cascade down your hair into the lens, mine did not get impacted. [ I thoroughly wiped the lenses post this drenching ].Feeling like having a coke ? There’s a vendor standing with cold drinks !

I remember Bhusi Dam near Matheran – it was giving me the same feeling .I spent around 45 minutes in this places and moved on towards the Karnataka coast for some bathing in the still waters.You would need to walk some 200 metres with the boatman along the coast to find a suitable quite bathing place. On the way pick up some fried fish! I didn’t – the frying oil was suspect !You can stand in the waist deep water – there is a mild drag in the water – but kids can manage on their own.

Splash around for an hour if you want and then head back towards the Tamil Nadu falls.Hold on tight to the bamboo meshing on the coracle floor as and when you hit whirlpools on the way and keep clicking .Walk over the concrete path way and if you can manage the fear – then step near the gorge to hear the water fall hundreds of feet below….There is also a watch tower for having a clearer water free view of the waterfalls.Since the water falls was overflowing , we did not get in the narrow waterways next to the gorge. The local kids jump from the overhanging rocks in the swirling water for a meagre Rs 10!

That’s all – said the boatman and came back to the hotel after 2.30 minutes of thrilling and refreshing boat ride. Next day morning I walked down the road to the Hanging bridge – it seems that you can have a full view of the water falls from this place. But luck was not on my side – the over flowing water made it dangerous to cross the concrete pathway and the local police were not allowing people to go nearby. Bemoaning my bad luck – I feasted my eyes on the fresh water catch – the rates are similar to Chennai rates!The TTDC hotel has a big field within its boundary making the kids go wild with joy – running, playing hide and seek or even cycling [ cycles are available on hire @ Rs 30 / hr for kids ].

Feeling fully refreshed I started back on Monday.Took a detour at Vellore for visiting the fort … wouldn’t recommend visiting the city just for this place. Go straight into the city, take the first right and first left.. you would find the fort on your right side…You can park your vehicle inside the fort and then take a walk on the ramparts.I had a walk , took photos and then went for a horse ride in a tonga [ Rs 5 / kid and Rs 10 / adult ]… would suggest that you do this – for walking around the fort is going to be a time consuming affair , especially when there’s nothing of historical importance [ there might be – but it was not evident ]There’s a Shiva temple inside the fort – if you have visited Kanchipuram – the similarity in architecture is evident.I did make a stop over this time at a dhaba – 40 kms before Vellore and then had lunch at 5 p.m at Vellore Highway before hitting the accelerator towards Chennai.Reached Chennai at 8 p.m – bone tired , but with sparkling images of the waterfall in my mind !