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Hello fellow riders,
This is my first post in almost 3 years. Life has kept me busy but has not killed the biker in me.
Jog falls – located in Shimoga, Karnataka is one of the highest waterfalls in India. Just seeing the photos on google will make you want to visit the amazing spectacle.
Me and my friend Unni, working in Bangalore who has accompanied me on my every trip have been planning to visit the place for more than a year. After months of planning, we made it happen.
We have gone by one bike with one of us as pillion. But both of us wanted to enjoy the ride to Jog from the driver’s seat and not as a pillion. So we booked an RE Thunderbird 350 from Onn bikes. Two bikers, on two Royal Enfield, on a ride to a place like Jog… it’s a dream come true.
We fixed the dates as June 30 and July 1 (Saturday and Sunday). We had enquired about the route, there was not much problem, and it was pretty straightforward. And regarding stay, there was one tourist home of KTDC’s called Mayuri. But by the time we checked for online booking, it was full. So we thought we will go there and see.
I reached Bengaluru on June 29, Friday night at around 11.45 pm by flight. Unni had come to pick me up from the airport in our rented RE Thunderbird 350.
First feel of the RE Thunderbird
I rode it on the way back to his residence and the ride was good and I couldn’t wait to start our trip. It was 2.30 am in the morning when we reached Unni’s residence. We decided to have a sound sleep as both of us will be riding more than 900 km in 36 hours.
It was past 10 am when we loaded our bikes and left his place.
Ready, set and go.
The route to Jog
As usual, all our trips start with a mouthwatering breakfast from Adyar Anandha Bhawan (A2B), so that we can enjoy the ride without having to attend to our hunger calls.
Can’t start a ride without A2B
As soon as we left the Bengaluru traffic behind us and hit the highway to Chennarayapatna I felt at peace. Weather was perfect - no sun, cloudy skies, fresh air, pleasant temperature and the music of the Royal Enfield heart in my ears. It was everything the biker inside me asked for. I took a few deep breaths… This is it… I live for trips like this… This is why I love to ride… I needed every second of it… And I will enjoy every moment of it. Jog, here we come.
It was about 150 km to Chennarayapatna. The roads were too good. Fresh tarmac, minimal traffic, and zero pollution. We were riding at 70 – 80 kmph, savoring every bit of the road.
We reached Chennarayapatna by 1.40 pm and stopped for a small pit stop.
Our rides – loaded with baggage
Chennarayapatna to Shivamoga was much more beautiful. Even though most of the way was double lane it was well maintained and the traffic was still minimal so that we could continue at our own pace without any hindrance. The roads were surrounded by eye soothing greenery, the sky was flaunting her beauty and the sun playing hide and seek behind the ever-changing landscape of clouds.
Serenity
We were so awestruck by the beauty of the route we continued to ride for more than 2 hours till my bike hit reserve and we had to take a break for fuel.
The landscape was too good
Since we didn’t feel like having a meal and there wasn’t any decent place nearby to grab a snack we had a few Cadbury’s and restarted our ride.
The sky was talking to us
After a 20 min break at the fuel station, we set out again to our destination. The same awesome climate and beautiful roads continued till Shivamoga. We reached there by 4.45 pm and decided to grab a snack as localites told we may not find shops on the road.
Shivamoga
We asked Google (who else!) regarding directions to Jog and it showed a weird path of 150 km. We knew it was only about 100 km from Shivamoga. So we asked a few Taxi drivers regarding the route. They told us a different route which was shorter and reassured us that the route is safe and it’s the one everyone takes to Jog.
So off went Google maps and we continued through the other route. This 100 km stretch from Shivamoga to Jog was the best part of the ride. It was around 5.15 when we started from Shivamoga. It was cloudy and the light was starting to fade. The roads were silky smooth, wide with deep sweeping curves. Driving an RE Thunderbird through curvy roads was nothing new for me as we had covered the Athirapilly-Valparai route in a Thunderbird.
Shivamoga to Jog was bliss
My bike had only 13k km on the odo and it had good grip and sharp brakes. It gave me enough confidence to ride through sweeping long curves at my own pace.
It was becoming darker and cloudier with every turn. By around 6.30 pm it started to drizzle a bit but not enough to make us stop or to stop us from enjoying the ride.
We were forced to stop at a mechanic shop at Talaguppa, about 20 km from Jog as Unni’s bike had some headlight issues. The shopkeeper was expert in handling RE bikes and fixed his bike in no time. He was very friendly with us and chatted with us regarding our ride and told that we were late and it will be completely dark till Jog and to be careful.
Lights went out when we left Talaguppa
He was correct, there were no street lights and to make matters worse there was fog and we couldn’t see for more than a few meters. We rode slowly as the turns were sharp and there was no marking regarding the next turn or their depth.
We reached Jog by 7.30 pm and had to find a place to stay. We checked out Hotel Mayura but it was fully booked. We asked around for other places and a guy directed us to few homestays. We checked in at Aloka homestay near Jog Police station. The room was decent, with TV (which we didn’t even turn on) and friendly owner. He offered us dinner but we denied and went to roam around the place.
Aloka Homestay (Credits – Google maps)
There are no restaurants in Jog except Mayura. So if you are planning to visit book a room beforehand. There is a complex just at the entry to the falls viewpoint having many small food shops. All the shops sell homemade food and you can get non-veg also. We decided to call it a day as we had to get up early the next day.
I was sad that I missed the epic World cup match between France and Argentina. But I never knew it was worth missing until the next morning.
Waking up at 5.30 am on a chilly Sunday morning was hard. But we had to see Jog at sunrise. And we eventually reached the falls before sunrise.
Even the sun doesn’t want to come out of the blanket
The view was just AWESOME. So calm and peaceful. Only the 2 of us were up this early. We were so captured by Jog’s beauty that we eventually sat and admired her without uttering a word for some time.
Jog falls… Just majestic
I was so mesmerized by the refreshing sight that I was not even clicking photos. I just wanted to sit there and stare at her forever.
Dew drops on the railings
Even this little guy was climbing for a better view
It felt so good to roam around the deserted place and click photos.
Nature at her best
A small falls by the side
There was a power station to the left of the falls.
Jog power station
Again Jog... With all its beauty
We can go to the bottom of the falls but we had to wait till 8 for the path to open.
The way down
Without even realizing its 850m downhill and eventual walking distance of more than 4 km we decided to walk towards the bottom of the falls enchanted by its beauty.
Couldn’t stop staring at her
Going downhill was not a problem and it took us around 15-20 minutes.
From the bottom of the falls
Walking back uphill was something we didn’t expect will be so long and tiring. It took us in excess of 30 min and we were drenched in sweat and were panting throughout the way. But it was totally worth it.
We got something to eat from the food shop complex and decided to go to the viewpoint diametrically opposite to this one.
Food shops complex
The opposite viewpoint
It started to drizzle when we reached there. But it soon began to pour down heavily in a few minutes and fog appeared out of nowhere.
Of course, it had to rain
The place was soon covered with fog that we couldn’t see anything.
Fog appeared out of nowhere
Now you don’t see me
Thank god it didn’t stay for long. As the view was breathtaking.
See the fog disappearing from the above photo
The soft touch of rain, the cool sight of fog playing hide and seek with the falls and the sweet music of water flowing… It was so blissful…
I miss you Jog…
We checked out of our homestay after freshening up and got the things packed on our bikes for the long ride back to Bengaluru. They charged us 1200 for the night, a bit high for the place. We started our journey from Jog by 1 pm.
All set for the ride home
My bike’s chain became loose a few kilometers into the ride from Jog. We stopped at Talaguppa, the same shop we stopped the previous day and he repaired it swiftly. We thanked him for working on a Sunday and set out again.
Next it was Unni’s bike’s turn to halt our ride. His horn had stopped working. We stopped at Shivamoga and got it repaired.
The ride from Shivamoga was going very smoothly and we were enjoying every kilometer of it. It started to drizzle by the time we reached Kadur (Around 4.30pm). We stopped, refueled ourselves and our bikes and changed to full rain gears.
Rain didn’t spare our return
Rain was kind on us for about an hour and then it started to rain heavily and it was pitch dark with no street light. We were following the directions on the road and we missed the turn to Chennarayapatna and ended up taking the Arsikere-Tiptur-Tumakuru road. Roads were good, but it was double lane, narrow with moderate traffic.
Riding in the rain at night is always fun especially when you are on the way back home from a long trip and I enjoyed it to the core. It was like… Only thing missing from this trip was a rainy ride and voila… It pours!
My bike’s chain again went loose and we couldn’t find any place to repair it. So I was riding at a pace the noise was least so that the chain won’t get stressed. We stopped for a break at Gubbi, around 90 km from Bengaluru at about 7.45 pm. Hot coffee after a freezing rainy bike ride… It was perfect.
It would take us in excess of another 2 hours to reach Bengaluru. I was about to miss the Spain vs Russia match (am a huge Spain fan).
Return route
The Tumakuru – Bengaluru highway was having heavy traffic and had 3 toll booths. If you are returning by car avoid this route and take the Chennarayapatna – Bengaluru road as the traffic was less and also doesn’t have toll booths.
We entered Bengaluru city by 9.30 pm and it stopped raining. With every chance I got at traffic signals I was checking the scores of the match in my phone. Finally the match went into penalty shootout and we stopped our bikes on the side of the road to watch the shootout. A Spain win would have made it a perfect weekend but we lost 4-3.
We reached back at Unni’s place by 10.15 pm. I was relieved that my bikes chain didn’t give way as it was making lot of noise for the last 50 km. We returned the Thunderbird next day morning to Onnbikes and explained regarding the chain issue. They checked and told there might be problem with the chain sprocket but didn’t charge anything from us.
Overall, the ride was just awesome. 930km, 36 hours, 2 friends on two Royal Enfield and a serene place. Thank you Jog!
Until next time,
Arjun
Thank you
A short video of Jog
My previous blogs
Mesmerized by the Beauty of Munnar!
Ride to Ooty on a Desert Storm Classic 500
[Photo Feature]: Riding the Lush Green routes of Vazhachal-Valparai-Pollachi
This is my first post in almost 3 years. Life has kept me busy but has not killed the biker in me.
Jog falls – located in Shimoga, Karnataka is one of the highest waterfalls in India. Just seeing the photos on google will make you want to visit the amazing spectacle.
Me and my friend Unni, working in Bangalore who has accompanied me on my every trip have been planning to visit the place for more than a year. After months of planning, we made it happen.
We have gone by one bike with one of us as pillion. But both of us wanted to enjoy the ride to Jog from the driver’s seat and not as a pillion. So we booked an RE Thunderbird 350 from Onn bikes. Two bikers, on two Royal Enfield, on a ride to a place like Jog… it’s a dream come true.
We fixed the dates as June 30 and July 1 (Saturday and Sunday). We had enquired about the route, there was not much problem, and it was pretty straightforward. And regarding stay, there was one tourist home of KTDC’s called Mayuri. But by the time we checked for online booking, it was full. So we thought we will go there and see.
I reached Bengaluru on June 29, Friday night at around 11.45 pm by flight. Unni had come to pick me up from the airport in our rented RE Thunderbird 350.
First feel of the RE Thunderbird
I rode it on the way back to his residence and the ride was good and I couldn’t wait to start our trip. It was 2.30 am in the morning when we reached Unni’s residence. We decided to have a sound sleep as both of us will be riding more than 900 km in 36 hours.
It was past 10 am when we loaded our bikes and left his place.
Ready, set and go.
The route to Jog
As usual, all our trips start with a mouthwatering breakfast from Adyar Anandha Bhawan (A2B), so that we can enjoy the ride without having to attend to our hunger calls.
Can’t start a ride without A2B
As soon as we left the Bengaluru traffic behind us and hit the highway to Chennarayapatna I felt at peace. Weather was perfect - no sun, cloudy skies, fresh air, pleasant temperature and the music of the Royal Enfield heart in my ears. It was everything the biker inside me asked for. I took a few deep breaths… This is it… I live for trips like this… This is why I love to ride… I needed every second of it… And I will enjoy every moment of it. Jog, here we come.
It was about 150 km to Chennarayapatna. The roads were too good. Fresh tarmac, minimal traffic, and zero pollution. We were riding at 70 – 80 kmph, savoring every bit of the road.
We reached Chennarayapatna by 1.40 pm and stopped for a small pit stop.
Our rides – loaded with baggage
Chennarayapatna to Shivamoga was much more beautiful. Even though most of the way was double lane it was well maintained and the traffic was still minimal so that we could continue at our own pace without any hindrance. The roads were surrounded by eye soothing greenery, the sky was flaunting her beauty and the sun playing hide and seek behind the ever-changing landscape of clouds.
Serenity
We were so awestruck by the beauty of the route we continued to ride for more than 2 hours till my bike hit reserve and we had to take a break for fuel.
The landscape was too good
Since we didn’t feel like having a meal and there wasn’t any decent place nearby to grab a snack we had a few Cadbury’s and restarted our ride.
The sky was talking to us
After a 20 min break at the fuel station, we set out again to our destination. The same awesome climate and beautiful roads continued till Shivamoga. We reached there by 4.45 pm and decided to grab a snack as localites told we may not find shops on the road.
Shivamoga
We asked Google (who else!) regarding directions to Jog and it showed a weird path of 150 km. We knew it was only about 100 km from Shivamoga. So we asked a few Taxi drivers regarding the route. They told us a different route which was shorter and reassured us that the route is safe and it’s the one everyone takes to Jog.
So off went Google maps and we continued through the other route. This 100 km stretch from Shivamoga to Jog was the best part of the ride. It was around 5.15 when we started from Shivamoga. It was cloudy and the light was starting to fade. The roads were silky smooth, wide with deep sweeping curves. Driving an RE Thunderbird through curvy roads was nothing new for me as we had covered the Athirapilly-Valparai route in a Thunderbird.
Shivamoga to Jog was bliss
My bike had only 13k km on the odo and it had good grip and sharp brakes. It gave me enough confidence to ride through sweeping long curves at my own pace.
It was becoming darker and cloudier with every turn. By around 6.30 pm it started to drizzle a bit but not enough to make us stop or to stop us from enjoying the ride.
We were forced to stop at a mechanic shop at Talaguppa, about 20 km from Jog as Unni’s bike had some headlight issues. The shopkeeper was expert in handling RE bikes and fixed his bike in no time. He was very friendly with us and chatted with us regarding our ride and told that we were late and it will be completely dark till Jog and to be careful.
Lights went out when we left Talaguppa
He was correct, there were no street lights and to make matters worse there was fog and we couldn’t see for more than a few meters. We rode slowly as the turns were sharp and there was no marking regarding the next turn or their depth.
We reached Jog by 7.30 pm and had to find a place to stay. We checked out Hotel Mayura but it was fully booked. We asked around for other places and a guy directed us to few homestays. We checked in at Aloka homestay near Jog Police station. The room was decent, with TV (which we didn’t even turn on) and friendly owner. He offered us dinner but we denied and went to roam around the place.
Aloka Homestay (Credits – Google maps)
There are no restaurants in Jog except Mayura. So if you are planning to visit book a room beforehand. There is a complex just at the entry to the falls viewpoint having many small food shops. All the shops sell homemade food and you can get non-veg also. We decided to call it a day as we had to get up early the next day.
I was sad that I missed the epic World cup match between France and Argentina. But I never knew it was worth missing until the next morning.
Waking up at 5.30 am on a chilly Sunday morning was hard. But we had to see Jog at sunrise. And we eventually reached the falls before sunrise.
Even the sun doesn’t want to come out of the blanket
The view was just AWESOME. So calm and peaceful. Only the 2 of us were up this early. We were so captured by Jog’s beauty that we eventually sat and admired her without uttering a word for some time.
Jog falls… Just majestic
I was so mesmerized by the refreshing sight that I was not even clicking photos. I just wanted to sit there and stare at her forever.
Dew drops on the railings
Even this little guy was climbing for a better view
It felt so good to roam around the deserted place and click photos.
Nature at her best
A small falls by the side
There was a power station to the left of the falls.
Jog power station
Again Jog... With all its beauty
We can go to the bottom of the falls but we had to wait till 8 for the path to open.
The way down
Without even realizing its 850m downhill and eventual walking distance of more than 4 km we decided to walk towards the bottom of the falls enchanted by its beauty.
Couldn’t stop staring at her
Going downhill was not a problem and it took us around 15-20 minutes.
From the bottom of the falls
Walking back uphill was something we didn’t expect will be so long and tiring. It took us in excess of 30 min and we were drenched in sweat and were panting throughout the way. But it was totally worth it.
We got something to eat from the food shop complex and decided to go to the viewpoint diametrically opposite to this one.
Food shops complex
The opposite viewpoint
It started to drizzle when we reached there. But it soon began to pour down heavily in a few minutes and fog appeared out of nowhere.
Of course, it had to rain
The place was soon covered with fog that we couldn’t see anything.
Fog appeared out of nowhere
Now you don’t see me
Thank god it didn’t stay for long. As the view was breathtaking.
See the fog disappearing from the above photo
The soft touch of rain, the cool sight of fog playing hide and seek with the falls and the sweet music of water flowing… It was so blissful…
I miss you Jog…
We checked out of our homestay after freshening up and got the things packed on our bikes for the long ride back to Bengaluru. They charged us 1200 for the night, a bit high for the place. We started our journey from Jog by 1 pm.
All set for the ride home
My bike’s chain became loose a few kilometers into the ride from Jog. We stopped at Talaguppa, the same shop we stopped the previous day and he repaired it swiftly. We thanked him for working on a Sunday and set out again.
Next it was Unni’s bike’s turn to halt our ride. His horn had stopped working. We stopped at Shivamoga and got it repaired.
The ride from Shivamoga was going very smoothly and we were enjoying every kilometer of it. It started to drizzle by the time we reached Kadur (Around 4.30pm). We stopped, refueled ourselves and our bikes and changed to full rain gears.
Rain didn’t spare our return
Rain was kind on us for about an hour and then it started to rain heavily and it was pitch dark with no street light. We were following the directions on the road and we missed the turn to Chennarayapatna and ended up taking the Arsikere-Tiptur-Tumakuru road. Roads were good, but it was double lane, narrow with moderate traffic.
Riding in the rain at night is always fun especially when you are on the way back home from a long trip and I enjoyed it to the core. It was like… Only thing missing from this trip was a rainy ride and voila… It pours!
My bike’s chain again went loose and we couldn’t find any place to repair it. So I was riding at a pace the noise was least so that the chain won’t get stressed. We stopped for a break at Gubbi, around 90 km from Bengaluru at about 7.45 pm. Hot coffee after a freezing rainy bike ride… It was perfect.
It would take us in excess of another 2 hours to reach Bengaluru. I was about to miss the Spain vs Russia match (am a huge Spain fan).
Return route
The Tumakuru – Bengaluru highway was having heavy traffic and had 3 toll booths. If you are returning by car avoid this route and take the Chennarayapatna – Bengaluru road as the traffic was less and also doesn’t have toll booths.
We entered Bengaluru city by 9.30 pm and it stopped raining. With every chance I got at traffic signals I was checking the scores of the match in my phone. Finally the match went into penalty shootout and we stopped our bikes on the side of the road to watch the shootout. A Spain win would have made it a perfect weekend but we lost 4-3.
We reached back at Unni’s place by 10.15 pm. I was relieved that my bikes chain didn’t give way as it was making lot of noise for the last 50 km. We returned the Thunderbird next day morning to Onnbikes and explained regarding the chain issue. They checked and told there might be problem with the chain sprocket but didn’t charge anything from us.
Overall, the ride was just awesome. 930km, 36 hours, 2 friends on two Royal Enfield and a serene place. Thank you Jog!
Until next time,
Arjun
Thank you
A short video of Jog
My previous blogs
Mesmerized by the Beauty of Munnar!
Ride to Ooty on a Desert Storm Classic 500
[Photo Feature]: Riding the Lush Green routes of Vazhachal-Valparai-Pollachi
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