Kalasa

This was much needed break for both of us as we didn’t go anywhere outside Bangalore is last 6 months.

Came to know about Kalasa through one of our friend as he posted some amazing pics of this place. Kalasa is located near to Chikmagalur around 85 Km.

Distance from Bangalore – 315 KM

Route took –

Outer Ring road till Yeswanthpur signal then turn left on Tumkur road took flyover - took left on Nelmangla road NH 75 till Hassan - then on SH 57 Belur Road - in Belur take left on NH 73 from Nehru circle – continue on NH 73 via Halekote – Banakal – Kottigehara, from here you have to turn left on SH 66 – after traveling around 6.5 km turn left on SH 106 till Kalasa.

Till Hassan the road is 4 lanes, not that much traffic if you leave early. After Hassan mostly, it’s 2 lanes but the condition of the road is quite good even the ghat section which is around 34 Km is also in good shape.

There are tolls on the Hassan highway. Total one side toll is Rs 165. Trip was completed under one full tank (diesel). ¼ fuel was left after parking our car back home.

We stopped 3 times and it took us 6.5 – 7 hours to reach our stay. First stop was at Kamat upachar, kunigal which is around 87 Km from our home which took 1-1.5 hour.

Kamat upachar has clean restrooms and good food which is what we require while traveling. There is big parking and kids play area beside parking.

There are other options as well little ahead of this place like – Swathi Delicacy which is on the right side of the road and Halli Mana on the left. These two are in front of each other. Then there is Dhruvathare which is relatively new and modern wrt all these places.

Food is good at all these places as we have tried all in our other journey i.e. to Sharavanbelgola.

Our second stop was 5 min which was restroom stop. We stopped at a small restaurant named ‘Pushpagiri’ or something like that. Please don’t stop at this point as the toilets are very dirty, as we were not sure if we would find any good place ahead, so we managed somehow.

After going ahead, we could see much better places where one can stop, and one such place was Ibbani cafe. Again, it’s a small café which sells raw spices and other stuff with nice view. Clean toilet and good freshly prepared tea.

After all the stops we finally reached out homestay at around 1 PM. We stayed in Mudra Homestay, Kalasa. It’s a town homestay i.e. not like other places which are out of town inside some estate with narrow roads. This place is located on the main road left side easily visible once you enter Kalasa.

It’s a commercial building on ground floor, residence of owner on first and homestay on second. Restaurant is on the roof. They do have lift which is quite slow but helpful with luggage.

Mudra is not that old will complete 5 year in sometime, and it’s maintained very well by Vikram our host and his staff.

This place has around 6 – 7 rooms and each room are designed differently. There is a small theatre present on one side of second floor. Vikram is a kind of antique collector as he has decorated Mudra with old musical instruments, paintings, artifacts, car, bike, scooter parts etc.

Over all it was looking nice and room amenities were good. We had a bigger room which was kind of 1 BHK flat as it has one big living space, big bedroom and huge bathroom a small dining area, kitchen with gas, induction, microwave and fridge and finally a wash area with automatic washing machine and drying hangers.

We were really surprised with this kind of setup. This room was joined with the adjacent room with a door for big families.

We have opted for food also, so we had all the 3 meals at this place and it was quite good. Every meal menu was different and was a mix of local dish + one north Indian dish.

Taste was superb. The staff was very friendly polite and well behaved, and they took care of our daughter so well that after a long time we have enjoyed our food w/o running after her or worrying about her activities.

Even though this homestay was in town but still the view was magnificent i.e. lush green mountains covered in clouds.

Price per night – Rs 2900 which include b/f. Lunch & dinner costs Rs 250 per meal, as mentioned above it’s a buffet.

Places we have covered in our trip are –

• Kyatanamakki Hills
• Shri Kalaseshwara temple
• Vasistha Theertha
• Amba Theertha
• Samse Tea estate
• Soormane falls

1. Kyatanamakki Hills

This place is simply amazing, it was such an amazing panoramic view which will leave you awestruck. It’s a off road drive and only 4×4 vehicles can reach to the top.

Vikram has already informed us about all the spots and how to reach there and arranged a vehicle both days. Charges are separate.

Best time to visit this place is sun rise or sun set.

2. Shri Kalaseshwara temple

This is the main temple in the town and it was located just a walking distance from our homestay.

It’s the first thing that will come once you enter the town. It’s small, old and important temple here. Men can enter the temple only after removing the top wear.

There are 2 entrances one is from the main road, there is small parking on the front side of the temple and the second one is from behind.

Main benefit of second entrance is that you can take your vehicle and then don’t need to climb any stairs.

But there is limited parking as it’s a narrow road.

3. Vasistha Theertha

The narrow road behind the Kalaseshwara temple leads to this spot. Some part of the road is good some is not good, but you can take your car. Need to park the car little ahead of the main spot.

This is located on the bed of Bhadra river and there is a long hanging bridge which connects the 2 shores of the Bhadra river.

There is one Linga and Nandi present on the banks of the river which people workship and there are few submerged in the river.

It’s a beautiful spot to take pictures.

4. Amba Theertha

This is another river spot, this is rocky terrain and in and after rains when there is good flow in river this place looks amazing.

At Amba Teerth when the water level is little less you can find a spot and put your feet in the cold fresh and clean water, relax and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

5. Samse Tea estate

As per the name it’s a beautiful tea estate with Ganesha temple inside it. If weather is good, you can climb up the hill to have beautiful panoramic view of the full estate.

There is small shop in front of it where you buy local spices and nice tea. They also sell freshly made tea, there is sitting space behind the shop with river view which is nice.

6. Soormane falls

It’s a small but beautiful fall located in a private property. Once again, the roads are not in good shape, so you need car with big wheels and high ground clearance.

As it’s in private property they charge some royalty which is Rs 100 per vehicle (also depends if it’s mini bus then it will be more)

The main area of the fall i.e. just below the fall is around 6 ft deep, rest of the area has water below knee so no need to worry. Water is very clean, and it looks beautiful when there is good flow.

As most of the road leading to the places mentioned above are not in good shape our host suggested us to take 4×4 instead of our car. After visiting the places and seeing the roads we were happy that went with his suggestion.

Price paid Rs 3500

Mudra has their own 4×4 and the driver is nice guy, they have fixed rated to cover all the places.

We came back via same route and for lunch stopped at Hoysala Village resort. we have seen it while coming and decided to visit it while coming back. It’s located in Hassan. While going to Kalasa it will come few Km after Hassan town and before while coming back.

We left Kalasa around 10.30 AM and reached Hoysala around lunch time i.e. 1.15 PM. It’s a big resort with man made lake inside it.

Hoysala Village is very beautiful, calm and clean place. One can go here on weekend just to relax. restaurant was decent means not very good but not that bad as well.

We have opted for buffet which has decent options with live counter as well. After this we didn’t stop anywhere and reached home around 6.20 PM

Final verdict – Kalasa is beautiful place one must visit after monsoon and till Feb as river and waterfall will have good water, there will be greenery everywhere and the climate will be better then what we have in cities.

Note - All the pictures are from our trip taken by us.