Love to Travel and Explore the Tourist Spots

Another Visit to Munnar

2010-03-19T10:46:00.000-07:00

I am lost man....(Top station)

View from our Home stay

Top station

Coffee plantation

Yet another view of Top station

Check out Save Our Tigers | Join the Roar

2010-02-28T05:55:00.001-08:00

Title: Save Our Tigers | Join the Roar
Link: http://gotaf.socialtwist.com/redirect?l=-344482662534359643611

Tour to Varkala Beach

2009-08-24T08:32:00.000-07:00

Here is the description of our Varkala trip.

20th Aug 2009:
Our Train from Bangalore(K.R.Puram)was at 10:15 pm. Just before starting our journey, We got to know that one of our friend lost his i-phone. So he went to PS to file FIR. Already we were running out of time. So we could not effort to waste our time. We told him that we will wait for him at station. But the situation was so unpredictable after we got last call from him. Because we were not able to communicate with each other. Finally our waiting ended just before 5 min of real start of our journey(train entered station) when we saw one waving hand from the crowd and a smiling face. Finally Sabyasachi made it. We already had our food in one restaurant near by station and did not waste much time and we slept.
21st Aug 2009:
Next day early morning we waked up and had breakfast with bread omlet and puri masala. As the day progressed our excitement started increasing. On the way we enjoyed lush green on the both sides from window. Finally we reached Varkala station at around 2:30 pm. It was drizzling there. Any ways, from station we took two auto rickshaws to reach the beach. We have been informed that there are two parts of the beach - one is cliff and other is flat beach. We decided to go to cliff. We booked two rooms in Sanctum Spring Beach Resort. Then we kept our luggage and went to one near by restaurant to have lunch. There are lot of restaurants near beach. We had our food in one of them. After having food we went to beach for swimming. But the sea was so rough, the guards did not allow us to swim. In evening again it started raining. At night we went to Little Tibet for supper where we had food for rest of the days. This restaurant was really good. We sat on the 1st floor and and the environment was really nice.
22nd Aug 2009:
Thank God it was a sunny day and absolutely fine for travelling. We went towards right. We walked along the beach and covered almost 9 KM. We crossed the Black beach and reached Kapel beach. This is the place where the back water meets the Sea. It was a beautiful place. We saw the fisher men cleaning their nets. Some of them have come from sea and opening their nets which was full of different fishes. As I told we had lunch in same place and went to room for rest as we were so tired. That day we saw sunset(Not much clear). In evening we just relaxed on the beach.
23rd Aug 2009:
After having morning tea, we went to try something new for breakfast. The food was so good we could not resist and it was a heavy break fast. Our train was at 1:30. So we had very little time. At 12:30 we left our room and went to station. Like every journey returning is not an event to enjoy much. At last we reached Bangalore at 6:30 on next day.

General Info:
one can go from bangalore to Varkala by train. It will take near 14 hrs. By air one can go up to Cochin. From Cochin one can get Cab to reach Varkala(some 4-5 hrs journey).
There are lot of hotels and resorts. If you are not going at pick season, no need to book hotel in advance.
Food is really good there. Food lovers can enjoy different kind of dishes(specially fish).

Over all Varkala is a nice and calm place. Go there and you will get a better picture.

Pictures of Varkala :

Pictures of Dooars

2009-07-11T05:44:00.001-07:00

Dooars, the ever green nature of north Bengal. Just at the foothill of Himalaya, It is a must see destination. Jaldapara, Gorumara, Chapramari, Buxa Tiger reserve are the well known forests there.

These pictures are taken from trekearth.com.

Image Editor

2009-06-23T11:41:00.000-07:00

This is a very simple software to view and do small modifications to your images.
This application can open any of these file format(jpg, bmp, gif, png, ico)

features are like,

1. Change image size
2. Change image resolution.
3. Rotate image
4. Zooming
5. Crop Image
6. Set Water Mark on Image
7. You can view other images in same folder by pressing next and previous button.
8. Finally you can store the image in any of these file formats(jpg, bmp, gif, png, ico)

below is one sample image showing water mark with different styles.

You can download the Setup file here. It is free....
as this has been developed in dot net, dot net framework should be installed in your system to run this application. This application can be run in windows XP and Vista.

It is still under development phase. So if you use this and get some unexpected behavior, please inform me. I will try to rectify that.

Beautiful flowers from the garden of Munnar

2009-05-16T09:04:00.001-07:00

Beautiful Flowers from the garden of Munnar

India Travel Video

2009-05-05T08:23:00.000-07:00

Some of the best videos chosen.

India is a country having large variety of tourist places. There are 27 places which are listed in UNESCO World Heritage Sites. One can find thousands to different cultures and their festivals across the country.

The finest way to travel from Siliguri to Darjeeling is by way of the Darjeeling Himalaya Toy Train. It touches Ghoom Station, at just below 8,000 feet the railroad’s highest point. Darjeeling Himalayan Toy Train for will give you the unique journey and one which will not easily be forgotten!

Kanha National Park is among the few scenic and beautiful wildlife reserves in Asia. It is a perfect place to observe wildlife and is one of the first nine Project Tiger areas initiated in 1973. Kanha National Park is worth visiting to experience the wildlife in its purest natural habitat and to enjoy the hospitality of the people who make visitors feel completely at home

Explore the western part of Rajasthan.In the yellow city of Jaisalmer, visit its vibrant fort with the impressive Jain temples, the palace and the cenotaphs of the maharajas.
Land of the Maharajas: The Land of Death (41 minutes) covers Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Salawas Village and Ranakpur.

This tour combines the beauty of North India referred to as the "golden Triangle" with the inspiration of seeing the newly established Room to Read educational programs. This video also covers Khajuraho, which is the site of Hindu monuments, temples and erotic sculptures dating back to the 9th through the 13th centuries.

Gangtok

2009-04-24T08:45:00.000-07:00

Gangtok is a hill station, and the capital of the Himalayan state of Sikkim. Gangtok is popular place with tourists heading on treks, though the facilities do not reflect the number of international visitors.

How to reach:
Gangtok does not have an airport and the nearest one is Bagdogra (near Siliguri). It takes roughly 4 hours to drive from Bagdogra to Gangtok.
The nearest train station to Gangtok is New Jalpaiguri in Siliguri which has direct connections to New Delhi, Kolkata, and other major cities in India. It is a 10-12 hour journey from Kolkata. From New Jalpaiguri, you can either hire a taxi from the station itself or take an auto-rickshaw to the Siliguri bus stand. From there, you have the option of traveling to Gangtok by state bus, roughly a 5-6 hour journey. Dozens of jeeps travel to Gangtok daily from Siliguri, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, and other mountain locales.

Places of interest in Gangtok:

The scenery : there are beautiful views of the surrounding hills from the town itself, but the best views - dominated by Kanchenjunga, the world's third-highest mountain - are from Enchey Monastery and Ganesh Tok, both high above the town.
Enchey Monastery: a two hundred year old monastery in the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism - located above the town.
Do-drul Chorten : a large and impressive stupa complex constructed in 1945.
Dodrupchen Monastery: A large monastery in the Nyingma tradition. Famous for its large chorten. When in residence, Dodrupchen Rinpoche receives devotees to offer blessings from around 8AM to 9:30AM.

Destinations around Gangtok for excursion:

Kalimpong(80 km)

Darjeeling(94 km)

pelling(125 km)

Nathula(56 km)

Ravangla

Dzongri

Yuksom

Yumthang

Ideal time to visit Gangtok
Anytime except the monsoon (mid June - August)
N.B. Light woolen clothes

Tourist interests around Gangtok

Rumtek Monastery: The largest monastery in the Eastern Himalaya, built by the Gyalwa Karmapa in strict accordance with the traditional designs of the monastery in Tibet. Rumtek is the seat of Kagyu order of Tibetan Buddhism. This magnificent gompa is only 24 km from Gangtok.

Tsongo Lake: Lying 40km northeast of Gangtok, it means `Source of the Lake` in Bhutia language. This placid lake is located at an altitude of 3780m and held to be sacred by the local people.

Nathula: At an altitude of 14200ft, Nathula pass is the border between India and China in the Tibetan plateau. Only 56 km away from the Gangtok, tranquility of this place is very charming. Waving Chinese soldiers and Chinese tourists on the other side of the border is an added attraction.

Namgayal Institute of Tibetology: Built in 1958, this is a unique institute for research into Mahayana Buddhism and the language and tradition of Tibet. A renowned center for Buddhist study, the institute houses a rare collection of Tibetan, Sanskrit and Lepcha manuscripts, statues, Thankas (tapestry used in Buddhist liturgy) as well as more than 200 Buddhist icons.

Enchey Monastery: This 200 year old monastery is famous for the mask dance called 'Cham' performed in the month of January. An important seat of the Nyingma order, the Enchey Monastery meaning the Solitary temple, was originally built with the solace that no other construction would be allowed near it. monasteries in sikkim.

Flower Exhibition Centre: Located near the White Hall Complex this place houses a variety of orchids, seasonal flowers as well as bonsai. It is open between April to June and September until the end of November. In recent years, this show has become quite popular and famous, as there are flower exhibitions throughout the year in accordance with the seasons and the flowers in bloom.

Do-Drul Chorten (stupa):This chorten houses the complete mandala sets of Darjee Phurba, a set of Holy Books, complete 'Zung' (mantras) and other religious objects. The Stupa was built by the venerable Trulshi Rimpoche, head of the Nyingma order of Tibetan Buddhism in 1945. Around this Chorten are 10 Mani-Lhakor (prayer wheels).

Jawaharlal Nehru Botanical Garden: 24km away Gangtok, this garden is consist of temperate forest of Oaks and as many as 50 different kinds of trees species.

Tashi View Point: Built by the late King of Sikkim Sri. Tashi Namgyal this viewpoint is at a distance of about 8km away from the town and offers good view of Mt. Siniolchu and Mt. Kanchenjunga.

Ganesh Tok: This spot, 7km away from Gangtok, offers a bird's eye view of Gangtok. There is a small temple of lord Ganesh at this place. It is on a hillock on Gangtok-Nathula Road.

Hanuman Tok: Just above Ganesh Tok lays this viewpoint offering nice view of the mountains along the horizon and the Gangtok town, there is a Temple of Hanuman here.

Where to stay in Gangtok:

Accommodation is easily available in Gangtok. These are some hotels and resorts.

Sidlon Residency - Deluxe
The Chumbi Residency - Deluxe
Teen Taley Village Resort - Deluxe
Hotel Sonam Palgey - Deluxe
Hotel New Castel - Deluxe
Rendezovous -Deluxe
Hotel Norkhil -Super Deluxe
Orange Village - Super Deluxe Resort
Hotel Royal Plaza - Super Deluxe
Hidden Forest Retreat - Standard
Central Hotel - Standard
Martam Village Resort (Rumtek) - Standard
Cherry Guest House - Standard
Hotel Sonam Delek - Budget

Foreigners Entry Formalities:
Visa & Permits : In addition to an Indian visa, foreigners must obtain Inner Line Permit (ILP) to visit Sikkim. The permits can be obtained from all Indian missions, Tourism Office, New Delhi, Sikkim Tourism Office, Calcutta and Sikkim Tourism Office, Siliguri on the strength of an Indian Visa.

Foreigners are issued a permit for initial period of 15 days duration on the spot without any delay provided photocopies of Passport and Visa details along with two passport photos of applicants are made available then and there. It can be extended for further 30 days of 15 days each. The extension of permits can be obtained from Foreigners Registration Office(FRO), Gangtok and Superintendent of Police of North, South and West Districts.
The FRO is located at Kazi Road, Gangtok. Phone no 223041

For those interested in going for trekking in the interior regions of the state, you also require a Restricted Area Permit (RAP) OR Protected Area Permit(PAP) which is obtainable in Gangtok from the Police Check Post and Department of Tourism which is available for certain specified area for groups consisting of 4 or more foreigners subject to the condition that the trekking program is arranged through a registered travel agency.
NOTE# This permit is issued to LOCAL GOVERNMENT REGISTERED TRAVEL AGENTS ONLY. While travelling in Sikkim don't forget to get your passport stamped at all check posts.

Travel Destinations Near Bangalore

2009-04-15T00:12:00.000-07:00

Tourist Spots Near Bangalore

Madikeri
The capital of Coorg formerly called Mercara, Madikeri is often known as the Scotland of India. It has enchanted millions of travellers with its misty hills, lush forests, coffee plantations and breath taking views. Also known for its lovely climate, Madikeri is a world record holder for the cardamom crop.

Kakkabe
Famous for being the largest producer of honey in south east Asia, though most come here for the Padi Igutappa temple. This is Coorg’s most important temple and the presiding deity of the Puthari Festival. Built as a hunting lodge, the Nalnad Palace is used as a kiddies’ camp, though no one will really mind you pottering around. You could also visit the honey farms.
Getting There
Bus & Taxi: There are daily buses that do it in about 90 minutes. You could also catch yourself a bus from Napoklu.

Omkareshwara Temple
With a dome in the middle of a square lake and minarets at each corner, this is a catholic mix of Keralite, Gothic and Islamic architectural styles. Built in 1820 by King Lingarajendra.

Cauvery Nisargadhama
A great place to cuddle up for the night. This 2.5 sq. km. large island in the middle of the River Cauvery, is some place to romance.

Bhagamandala & Telecauvery
At the convergence of the rivers Cauvery, the underground Sujyothi and the Kanike, the Bhangandeshwara temple here has a distinct Kerala touch. Because of the three rivers, it is also called Triveni Sangama. The serene temple has intricate carvings and a copper roof. A dip at the Triveni Sangam nearby is supposed to revive sagging spirits, but take prior permission at the temple.
Every October 17, on Tulasankranama, thousands come here to swim and pray. For this is Telecauvery (meaning Head of the Cauvery), the origin of one of the seven sacred rivers. The source of this long river, which passes through two states, is on the top of the hill called Brahmagiri. It is 1535 metres above sea level. Steps lead up to the Brahmagiri peak, from where a panoramic view of Kodagu meets the visitor.
Getting There
Bus & Taxi: Buses leave Madikeri every hour, and take about 90 minutes to reach. The ride is very scenic.

Nagarhole National Park
Though the name literally means Snake River in Kannada, there aren’t too many snakes around. Created from a former raja’s hunting grounds, Nagarahole is one of the best game sanctuaries in South India, providing a natural living conditions to several wild animals like elephants, tigers, panthers, rhinos and wild elephants, but one is more likely to see smaller game like gaur, deer, wild dogs and langur. Pleasantly cool round the year, it is a little difficult to reach, which makes it quieter than other parks. This in turn makes it a great place to relax. Jungle safaris are available as elephant rides.
Getting There
Bus & Taxi: Direct dailies from Mysore and Madikeri. You could also take a bus to Gonikoppal from either of these places, take another to Kutta, and finally hire a jeep.

Irpu Falls
This is more a hike than a holiday (there are people like us out there who take these differences very seriously). You could begin from behind the Rameshwarna temple, and relax at a refreshing pond halfway up the falls. Then, if you are some strange sort of enthusiastic trekker and have some spare RBC (the leeches demand that), carry on to the top.
Getting There
Bus & Taxi: Direct buses leave Madikeri every couple of hours. You could also catch a bus from Gonikoppal. There are more of those from there.

Abbi Falls
Just 7 kilometers from Madikeri town are the Abbi Falls, as remarkable and striking a sight as you would see anywhere. The narrow road to Abbi Falls is a combination of steep ups and downs, twists and turns, wriggling through the green and dense foliage of surrounding coffee plantations. Situated on private property, a narrow pathway leads you downward to where the waterfall can be seen.
As various streams congregate in the mountains above, they swell with the monsoon rains and force their way down the mountain slope. Splashing hard against the huge boulders of rock, unmindful of the crevices and hollows, the water drops at enormous speed accompanied by gushing sounds. This white wall of water creates a misty cloud with its moisture-like spray and descends into a flowing stream to perhaps join with the River Cauvery somewhere in the vicinity.

Somwarpet
If you can get off to an early start and if the sky is beautiful with the clouds, take the road to Somwarpet. This 42-kilometer, one-and-half hour drive will surely perk you up. This is the coffee heartland of Coorg. You will pass through some of the finest coffee estates you will ever see. Magnificent trees reaching up to the skies, casting much wanted masses of shade to the coffee plants. It's one great spread of continuous foliage very gloriously prepared in an extraordinary operation by Nature. Mingled with cardamom and pepper as well. Big, medium or small, they add to the already beautiful and fabulous landscape all around.
Besides being the hub of coffee activity, Somwarpet's other claim to fame is the Basappa Club. Like the cold stone-walls of taverns where sailors and ship mates would gather to make merry, drink, talk and pick up some gossip, the Basappa Club is frequented by the medium and small gentlemen coffee planters, who meet here to unwind. Except that out here, there are no cold, stonewalls. Instead, one can have a game of Table Tennis or Snooker in this small, but compact club. And there’s plenty of gossip to be picked up, as well.

Apart from the popular sight seeing places, Kodagu district has a whole lot of Trekking Tracks for those who seek adventure in the wild.

Heavenly beautiful Munnar pics

2009-03-20T05:49:00.001-07:00

Munnar is a destination for all travel lovers specially to those who love nature. Here are some snaps of Munnar.

Shooting Point - Munnar

Matupetty dam - Munnar

On the way to echo point we saw elephant - Munnar

Matupetty dam - Munnar

Rajamala - Munnar

Eravikulam - Munnar

Just 2mins walk from our hotel - Munnar

Morning Sun rays - Munnar

Heavenly beautiful Munnar pictures

Visit Wayanad

2009-03-20T02:11:00.001-07:00

From the top of Edakkel cave
Minmuti water fall
On the way

Wayanad is a nice hill station 282km from Bangalore. It is situated in Kerala. We went to Wayanad in summer but believe me at that time also it was cool and so misty in morning.

How to reach: We rented a car from Bangalore to reach there. daily bus services is there from Bangalore to Wayanad. Actually Wayanad is a district. one can stay either in kalpeta or in sultan batheri. We stayed in kalpeta. We started at night 10pm and reached there at early morning next day(5:30). On the way you have to cross the border of Karnataka and Kerala. It took roughly 1 hr. to finish the checking on the border.The road to Wayanad is superb. first 3- 4 hour will be the Bangalore-Mysore road and after crossing Mysore you have to go to Gundelpet. there you have to take right and you will reach the border. After crossing the border it will be a way through forest up to sultan batheri. from sultan batheri it will take another hour to reach kalpeta.

Where to stay: We stayed at hotel Chandragiri(you can see this link for detail: http://www.chandragiriinn.com) which was on the way and near the Govt. bus stop in kalpeta. It was a nice and cheap hotel. One thing I can say about the hotel that we were really satisfied. There are lot of other hotels also available.

Places to see: In kalpeta we saw the places like Suchipara water fall, Minmuti water fall, Pukad lake. Minmuti fall was really adventurous and we enjoyed most. I think I will post separately for Minmuti. So in the evening we were so tired we thought that we will sleep early to conserve energy for next day. There was a nice bakery near our hotel. We had our snack there. Then at night we had food in one restaurant. It was very tough to eat for me and my friends as that was completely different from ours. Any way, we slept early and waked up early morning next day. Next day we went to sultan batheri. There we saw Edakkel cave. We went to the top of that and there was a nice 360 degree view. After that we were set to come back.
On the way while coming back we saw two elephants in the forest. We left the place but kept all the sweet memories with us. We were short of one day therefore we missed some places like Chemra pick, Jain temple etc. Chemra pick is a nice spot for trekking. If in future I go there I will definitely see those.

Beautiful Ooty picture

2009-03-15T21:31:00.001-07:00

Pykara lake - Ooty

nice green view on the way - Ooty

from suicide point - Ooty

on the way surrounded by trees - Ooty

on the way - Ooty

Spotted deer in mudumalai - Ooty

Ooty lake - Ooty

toy train track - Ooty

Sundarban

2009-03-09T02:09:00.001-07:00

Sundarban was First declared as a Tiger Reserve in 1973-74 when Project Tiger was launched by the Government of India o save the endangered species of tiger in the country. Then this was declared as a national park in 1984 with 1330.10 square Km area.

Nearest airport is Kolkata(110-kms). There are mainly two ways to reach there.
1. From Kolkata one can contact tour operators and have a package tour.
2. From Kolkata you have to come to Canning which is accessible by train and bus from kolkata. One can also hire a car from kolkata to reach Canning. From Canning Come to Sajnekhali by motorboat departing from Canning. One can also get private boats from Canning. From Sajnekhali, actual Sundarban starts.

The name Sundarbans is derived from the term meaning "forest of Sundari tree((Heritiera foams))", a reference to the large mangrove tree that provides valuable fuel. Along the coast the forest passes into a mangrove swamp; the southern region, with numerous wild animals and Crocodile- infested estuaries, is virtually uninhabited.

underban spreads over 54 islands and two countries (India's West Bengal and Bangladesh) and is part of the world's largest delta region.The core area is 1330 sq. kms and is a national forest and UNESCO world heritage site

Sundarban is famus for Royal Bengal Tiger. It is the largest Mangrov forest in world.

It is believed that Bonbibi, the goddess of the forest, protects the wood-cutters, honey-collectors and fishermen on their hazardous missions. For, as the saying goes, `Here the Tiger is always watching you'.

Local Life

Around 5000 local fisher men are dependent on this salty water of Sundarban. They can catch fishonly in buffered area and with the permission of the authority. Similarly honey hunting is allowed in the buffer zone only during the months of April and May.

Where to stay

M.V. Chitrarekha has excellent arrangements for on-board stay. One can also avail the facilities of tourist lodges at Sajnekhali, Bakkhali and Piyali for overnight stay. At Dayapur, Sundarban Tiger Camp provides both A/C adn N/AC accomodation and also organises package tours from Kolkata.

Places to See

Sajnekhali: Sajnekhali has a bird sanctuary and is the only place to have a hotel in this area - the Sundar Cheetal Tourist Lodge. There is a Mangrove Interpretation Centre here. There are watchtowers at Sajnekhali, Sudhanyakhali, Netidhopan, Haldi and a number of other places.

Gosaba:

Sir David Hamilton's settlement.

Tiger Reserve:

Project Tiger was implemented in 1973 and later the Sundarban Tiger Reserve was demarcated over 2,585-sq. km. The core area of 1,330 sq.km has been declared a National park and has been chosen as a world heritage site. The reserve has a tiger population of 287(1984 census). The only mangrove species, the tiger here has adapted well to its habitat.

Bhagbatpur Crocodile Project: This is a crocodile breeding farm. Tours are organized by the WBTDC. This place is accessible through Namkhana. Both the West Bengal Tourism Department and the West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation organize conducted tours to the Sundarbans by their launches. Bhagabatput is a hatchery of the largest estuarine crocodile in the world.

Netidhopani

The ruins of a 400-year-old temple and legends lend mystery to the atmosphere.

Haliday Island

Last retreat of the Barking Deer.

Kanak

Nesting place of Olive Ridley Turtles.

Piyali:This place is a gateway to the Sunderban

Waterways: Approximate time taken between various points are :
1. From Namkhana - Bhagabatpur Crocodile Project (2.5 hours) Sagar Island (2.5 hours) Jambudwip (3.5 hours)
2. From Sajnekhali - Sudhanyakhali (40 minutes) Buridabri (Tiger Project Area) (5 hours) Netidhopari (3.5 hours) Holiday Island (3 hours)
3. From Sonakhali - Gosaba (1 hour)
4. From Raidighi - Kalas (5 hours)

Permissions

For Project Tiger and Sajnekhali Sanctuary: Field Director Project Tiger, P.O. Canning,Dist. 24 Parganas.Canning 9118-55280,
STD 03218-55280

For Other Areas of Sunderbans: Divisional Forest Officer, 24 Parganas,35 Gopalnagar,
Kolkata – 700 027. Ph#479-9032

For Foreign Visitors: Deputy Secretary
Forest Department
Writers' Building
Kolkata - 700 001

Deputy Director Tourism (Kolkata)
3/2 B.B.D. Bag
Kolkata - 700 001

Ph#: 22488271/73

For Package tour You can contact :

Sundarban Tiger Camp

9, Mitter House, 71, Ganesh Chandra Avenue,
Second Floor, Kolkata - 700 013, West Bengal, India.
Mobile: +91 32935749, +91 9331092632, +91 9831170453,
Email: info@sunderbantigercamp.com

GO GOA

2009-02-27T08:39:00.000-08:00

Goa Sunset

Goa is a nice destination for beach lovers. There are some of the best beaches of India situated in Goa. We went to Goa on 23rd Jan 2009.
Our bus was from bangalore(Anandrao circle). We startet at 9pm from
bangalore and reached Goa at 10am next day. We got down at Panaji. From
Panaji we took one taxi and went to Calingatu beach. There are lot of guest
houses wich can be rented. We took one of them and it was near the
beach(just 2 mins walkable distance). the whole day we were in beach. We had
drink there on beach and we had swimming and had food. There are lot of small
restaurant(they call it shack) on the beach. We had food in one of
them(savoi's shack, Shake NO 7). Food is really good there. We had King
fish, prawns and other sea food. Night time there were some program was
going on in the beach so we watched and entertained. next day we went to see
dolphin and then we did paraciling. One can do all kind of water sports there. If u want to enjoy night life then u must go to night clubs. Govt. transport is not that much available there so u have to rent car. So all I can say is, Go Goa and your holiday will be perfectly enjoyable.

Goa Map :

Jog falls

2009-02-19T06:39:00.000-08:00

The Jog falls in Karnataka are magnificent falls. The Sharavati river crashes nearly nine hundred feet down forming four main channels named king, queen rocket and roarer. Just after the monsoon season or rainy season the falls are a magnificient and awesome sight to see.

Jog falls village is 16 km from the nearest railway station at Talguppa. Trains from Bangalore involve a change in Shimaga town.

Shimoga to Jog falls

From Bangalore there are two road routes to Shimaga and Jog falls. The first is National highway 48 which is a better and guider route, the second is National Nighway 4 which is a slower route with poor road surface.

Jog falls is nestled in the Western ghats. The drive up the hill is glories giving a birds eye view of the festile and magical western ghats.

The main place of interest as the name itself suggests is the "Jog falls". The sharavati river crashes nine-hundred feet down in four main falls. The highest is the Raja (King) fall which falls 250 m below forming a 40 m deep pool. Next to it is the Roarer, while a short distance to the south is the Rocket it is called so aptly because it spurts great shafts of water out in the air, In contrast the Rani (Queen) over the rocks gracefully.. The walk to the bottom of the falls for the hale and hearty is recommonded and one can take a dip in the pool created below by the falls, during the dry season. This venture would be impossible during the monsoons as the flow in the falls increase and the mist shrouds these falls. There is dampness everywhere and the vegetation becomes bright green with water drops dripping from the trees.It is best to visit these falls at the start of the cool season just after the monsoon rains have finished to see the falls in its magnificient and sepectacular form. Though now the 50 km long hirebhasgar reservior regulates the flow of the sharsvati river in order to generate hydro-power yet there is a vaste difference between the flow of the waterfalls in the dry and wet season.

Accomodation
(a) The government owned (Karnataka Tourism) "Sharavati Tourist Home" is comfortable clean and reasonble priced. It offers good view of the falls.

(b) Tunga Tourist Home : This is also a cheap and comfortable place to say.

(c) Inspection Bunglow at Jog falls : This is often heavily booked and its booking can be done at the District Commissioners at Shimaga.

(d) Guest-House near the falls : Reservations has to be done if one plans to stay here, through the Supt. Engineer (Elec.) Mahatma-Gandhi Mydro-electric works Jog Falls.

(e) Jog-falls Guest house : Maintained by the Tourist department. Reservation can be done through its resident manager.

(f) Woodlands : This is another place where one can stay at Jog Falls but is not upto the mark.

Nagarhole National Park

2009-02-19T06:34:00.000-08:00

Welcome to one of the best places in the world to find the tawny, black-striped Royal Bengal Tiger, elusive and stealthy, noble and regal: Nagarhole. Karnataka's Nagarhole National Park (officially known as the Rajiv Gandhi National Park) is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, India's largest stretch of protected forest, an area which includes, besides Nagarhole, the neighbouring sanctuaries of Bandipur, Mudumalai and Wynaad. Established in 1955 as a wildlife sanctuary, Nagarhole was designated a national park twenty years later. The park today stretches in a series of gentle hills and valleys, over an expanse of 640 sq km, north of the river Kabini. The park is centred around a perennial water reservoir formed in 1974, when the Kabini River was dammed.

Nagarhole's vegetation is refreshingly different from Bandipur's dry scrub- moist deciduous forests, including bamboo, teak, eucalyptus and cassia, cover much of the sanctuary, providing a refuge for a wide range of animals and birds. Nagarhole has all the resident wildlife of the Nilgiri hills: Nilgiri tahr, Nilgiri langur, bison, leopard, Asian elephant, wild boar, deer, dhole (wild dog) and porcupine, besides tigers. A high canopy of trees- up to thirty metres tall in some places- harbours rare birds such as the endangered Malabar trogon, the Malabar pied hornbill and the crested hawk-eagle.

Nagarhole saw some upheavals in 1992, when quarrelling between the wardens of the park and the local villagers resulted in arson which had an enormously adverse impact on the park and its wildlife. It will still take a few years for Nagarhole's forest and animal count to get back to normal but there has already been a resurrection of sorts and things get better every year.

Entry Requirements
An entry permit, costing Rs 15, is applicable for all visitors to Nagarhole. It can be obtained at the entrance to the park. Charges for boat rides, jeep or elephant safaris and accommodation are additional.

Access
The major railhead closest to Nagarhole is Mysore, 80 km away, with train connections to a large number of towns and cities across peninsular India. Nanjangud, 55 km away, also has trains coming to it, but they’re fewer in number. Bangalore, with excellent air and rail links to the rest of the country, is about 220 km from Nagarhole, while the hillstation of Ooty is about 240 km from the park. Buses connect Nagarhole to Bangalore (a ride of about 6 hours) and to a network of smaller towns across Karnataka, Tamilnadu and Kerala. Alternately, you could hire a vehicle in one of the larger towns- Bangalore is especially convenient- to get to Nagarhole.

Within the park, there’s ample scope for wildlife watching. Jeeps can be taken for a drive through Nagarhole, or you can go off on elephant safari- the best way, in fact, to go deep into the jungle. Hiking is also allowed through the park, although only in some areas where there are fewer chances of encountering a hungry tiger or a masth elephant! The lake is open for a slow coracle ride or a swift motorboat skim.

Best time to visit
Nagarhole can be visited all through winter and through the pre-monsoon half of the summer. The winter months from November-February are exceedingly pleasant, and are the best time to go if you don’t like being hot and sweaty. The summer, on the other hand, though it may be pretty hot, is a great time to see wildlife, including the tiger. The dry, hot season (March-May) is the time when the animals gather at the lake, allowing for great wildlife viewing. The monsoons (June-September) are best avoided, as the entire road network gets washed out, and leeches and dense undergrowth proliferate in the forest.

Accommodation
State-owned forest resthouses, private lodges and cottages are among the accommodation options in Nagarhole. Reservations for the forest resthouses must be made at least 15 days in advance by contacting the warden’s office in Bangalore or Mysore. There is also a posh river lodge (state-run) at the Kabini River, which, though it comes for a high-end price, also offers a great experience. Bookings at the lodge can be made by calling 08228-52160 /32181 /44405. A double room at the Kabini River Lodge costs about Rs 2,750 (or US$125, for foreigners) per night, while cottages come for around Rs 2,000- all inclusive of meals, sightseeing, safaris and more. Rooms at private lodges range between Rs 2,000- 3,000 per night.

Similarly-priced accommodation options exist in towns just outside the Park, at Veerana Hosahalli and at Siddapura in Coorg.

For bookings at the resthouses contact Conservator of Forest, Kodagu Circle,Aranya Bhavan, Madikeri, Tel:08272-25708.

Further information on Nagarhole National Park can be obtained from the Field Director, Project Tiger, Aranya Bhawan, Ashokpuram, Mysore (Tel: 0821-480901) or the Chief Wildlife Warden, Aranya Bhawan, 18th Cross, Malleswaram, Bangalore (Tel: 560003).

Visit Munnar

2009-02-09T04:47:00.000-08:00

Places to see in Munnar

Lukkum Falls.

Matupetty dam***

Kundale dam

Devikulam*

Rajamalai***

Marayoor

Anamudi

Eravikulam**

kallar falls

silent valley

munnar has got three major touring routes...
1) munnar - madupetty - Kundaley route
2) munnar - rajamalley - marayoor - chinnar route
3) munnar - devikulam - chinnakanal - suriyanelly - theny route..

Where to stay

S.No Cottages at High Range Place Tariff
1 JOHN'S COTTAGE Munnar Kerala, India 1500 - 3000
2 SERENE Munnar Kerala, India 800 - 3000
3 IV. COTTAGE Munnar Kerala, India 1500 - 3500
4 FAMILY CARE Munnar Kerala, India 1200 - 1800
5 DAS VILLA FAMILY Munnar Kerala, India 1200 - 3200
6 SISIRAM COTTAGE Munnar Kerala, India 900 - 2500
7 JJ COTTAGE Munnar Kerala, India 600 - 1500
8 MUNNAR DREAM PALACE Munnar Kerala, India 5500 - 12500
9 CASPER COTTAGE Munnar Kerala, India 1000 - 1750
10 Dream Palace Munnar, Kerala, India 1250 - 2500

Hotels and Resorts in Kovalam

2009-02-09T04:42:00.000-08:00

Apsara Beach
Castle Rock Beach Resort
Coral Reef Beach Resort
Golden Sands Hotel
Hotel Beach Castle
Hotel Blue Sea
Hotel Green Land
Hotel Jeevan Ayurvedic Beach Resort
Hotel Marine Palace
Hotel Neptune
Hotel Samudra Tara
Hotel Santhatheeram
Hotel Sea Rock
Hotel Sea View Palace
Hotel Seaweed
Hotel Sumangali
Jasmine Palace
Lobster House
Moonlight Tourist House
Neela Kaanta Hotel
Palm Garden Hotel
Pappukutty Beach Resort
Raja Hotel
Royal Retreat Cottages
Sea Flower Home
Sree Visakh Tourist Home
Varmas Beach Resort
Wilson Beach Resort
Wilson Torist home

journey to Kovalam and Kanyakumari

2008-12-04T06:01:00.000-08:00

Kovalam beach

Kanyakumari Sunrise

Kanyakumari - Vivekananda Rock

From Bangalore We started on Thursday evening.One can go to Trivandrum by bus or train(Kanyakumari exp. or Trivandrum exp.). There are direct bus from bangalore to Trivandrum but we did not get ticket for neither bus nor train. So we went to ernakulam(kochi). we reached Ernakulam on next day 12:00am. Actually it takes 10 hours from bangalore to ernakulam. but our bus took almost 14 hours. Any ways after reaching ernakulam we booked a room for refreshment. it was near bus stand. we took roughly 2 hours to refresh and to have lunch. there we had biriany in lunch. then we took another bus(Kerala KSRTC) from there to Trivandrum that was again a 6 hours journey. finally when we reached Trivandrum. it was 8:30pm. from there we took one auto rickshaw to reach kovalam beach. Distance from Trivandrum to Kovalam is 15Km. The auto guy took us to a hotel near by beach. whole journey was almost 22 hours. So you can guess what will be our condition. But we were alive. That night we went to beach. Kovalam is nice at day time and at night also. One Light house is there and it opens at 5:00pm and closes by 7:00pm in evening. So we could not get inside that. There are lot of restaurants near by beach. We had our dinner in one of that. It was a bit costly. Next day morning we waked up at 7:00am. We went to the harbour and we contacted to one fisher man to take us to the sea. So we went inside sea. It was a nice experience. After 2 hours we came back to land. then we had our time on sea beach. Then around 1:30pm that day we started towards Kanyakumari. On the way we had our lunch with fish curry and chicken. We reached there by 4:30pm. we have already booked a hotel from bangalore. So we stayed in same hotel. That hotel was 1 Km far from the beach. After getting a refreshment we went to sea beach to see sunset. But it was cloudy weather. So bad luck... That day evening we roamed here and there inside market. We bought sea shells. Next day morning we waked up at 4:00am and we saw the sun rise. There were a lot of people gathered there to see sun rise. It was a nice view. after seeing sunrise we went to see Vivekananda Rock. there was a long Que to see the rock. Actually you have to buy ticket to get ferry which will take you to the rock. In Vivekananda Rock there is a hall for meditation and one can see all three sea from there. This is one of the significance of Kanyakumari. Then after comming back from Vivekananda rock we saw some near by spots and started for bangalore. That time also we did not get ticket for direct bus. So we went to madurai and from there we got bus to bangalore. we reached Bangalore on next day morning 7:00am. So this was our hurricane tour to Kanyakumari and Kovalam.

Our journey to OOTY

2008-11-04T22:59:00.000-08:00

We started from Bangalore on 21st September 2007 night. It was a package tour. they took 1600 per head. We reached there at 7:00 in morning. that day was a rest day although we did not take rest. we stayed at Sapphire Garden View Hotel. It was opposite of rail station. It was a nice view from our room. weather was pleasant. that day we booked a car from near by stand. that guy charged 1100 for that one day. After taking shower and break fast we started sight seeing. We saw Kamaraja sagar dam, Pykara dam and Pykara water fall, Mudumalai Wild life sanctuary. Just before we reached ooty, it was a heavy rain there. So everything around us was full of green and cool. then next day it was with those tour guys. it was a small bus. We went to Ooty lake, suicide point, Dodabeta-the highest pick in south India, botanical garden. that day evening we were set to back to Bangalore. Over all it is a nice hill station in Tamil nadu(India).
Here is some snaps of ooty.

Journey to Munnar

2008-11-03T04:19:00.000-08:00

Munnar is a hill area in Kerala(India). It is situated in Kerala & Tamilnadu border. We booked our ticket from Bangalore.Travels like SRS, KPN have there bus service from bangalore to munnar. Friday night(31st Oct 2008;7:30 )we started from Bangalore.Next day we reached there at 9:30. On the way in the morning we saw some scenic beauty. After reaching Munnar, we went to book the hotel. we went to JJ cottage but it was full. We booked room in the hotel just beside that. it was Green View. Rent was 800 per day. It was a good one but lot of restrictions were there...like no smoking, no liquor, cant have food inside the room.But the place was very good. behind the hotel there is a tea garden. We went to that one and there was no one except we three. At the time of sunset it was nice to see the clouds are slowly moving on beside us..Anyways we booked one car from the city and went out for exploring places. there are some restourant like Rapsy, we had biriyani here. u can get paratha and nonveg items. others like Munnar Inn. food is cheaper there in munnar. that day we saw Eravikulam national park, Attukal water fall,Nyayamakad water fall.You can see some mountain goats in Eravikulam which are rare but not look like deer. they are called Nilgiri thar. there was a big que for ticket to go there. Then next day we went to Metupetty Dam, kundela lake rose garden. u can ride Elephant on the way. some time u can see wild elephant nere by kundela lake. uor bus was at 4:00 pm on sunday from city. Over all Munnar is full of Tea gardens and every where it is green. in winter it is cool enough. So u can enjoy a lot.......