Magical Mookanamane!
While reading travelogues online I came across this small waterfall called Mookanamane falls. This is also called Mookanamane Abbi falls. Two of the blogs I read mentioned that this can be done in a day and so we chose one fine Saturday and left Bengaluru around 5.30 in the morning.
Hassana-Mangaluru highway was smooth and rains welcomed us past Hassana. We stopped at some scenic spots to click the pictures. Roads increasingly started becoming bad to worse after Hethur and we couldn't go beyond 30km/hr. We finally reached the place which Google Maps pointed but there was neither a sign board nor anybody to ask and we knew we'd to walk for a km or so inside. Not wanting to take the risk we went back few kms and asked a localite in a bus stand and the lady pointed us back to the same place we'd seen earlier.
We went in till some distance and found a house where there were a couple of cars already parked. So we did the same and started walking. There were no signs and we just took whatever looked like the most treaded path when deviation came!
Finally we reached at what looked like a homestay and we asked them how to reach the falls and he just pointed ahead. But the end was a small bridge with heavy muddy red water gushing and we even passed it and went beyond but nothing. We could hear the falls but no sight of it.
So we went back to the homestay place and spoke to those people and they instructed us to go right next to the water flow. It looked as if there was no path (there actually was none, there was too much water flowing) but we somehow held on to the climbers and made our way. Sadly the entire path was filled with broken beer bottles and plastic covers and we couldn't place our foot anywhere without smashing a bottle.
After careful walking and climbing down for some 10 minutes we finally got the side view of the falls and the sheer amount of water was amazing and looked dangerous too.
Falls was majestic and we couldn't go anywhere near it because of the volume of water that was flowing through. We struggled to find a foothold in the middle of all the slippery rocks and bottles around and managed to click a few pics. It was getting cloudy and dark and felt like 5 in the evening when the time was just 12.30 in the noon! Slowly mist covered the view and we decided to head back.
We saw another group of men approaching while on our way back. They had come ready with bottles and food. I requested them not to litter the place but they seemed not to care.
While asking for directions to the falls the homestay guy said he can prepare lunch for us and by the time we returned he was making hot chapathis. We got to talking with this guy called Prajwal and he said the falls is relatively unknown to tourists but well known among locals and they litter the place. He even informed that he arranges 4*4 trips to nearby hill as well.
We had simple home made lunch of chapathi, palya and rice-rasam. Prajwal informed us that falls comes under forest department but his homestay is private land (whereas somebody else later told that this is encroached land and he's running the homestay illegally).
The best time to visit the falls is soon after monsoons and even till December when you can get in to the water and play. There is no food available anywhere nearby (other than that newly cropped up homestay) so plan accordingly.
With a promise of returning after few months we headed back to the traffic filled Bengaluru.
PS: Those who drink please be responsible. Do not litter. Mookanamane falls without being well known among tourists is already ruined. Within a few years this will be another 'was' place.
I hope Government will take action and make some facilities soon.
Hassana-Mangaluru highway was smooth and rains welcomed us past Hassana. We stopped at some scenic spots to click the pictures. Roads increasingly started becoming bad to worse after Hethur and we couldn't go beyond 30km/hr. We finally reached the place which Google Maps pointed but there was neither a sign board nor anybody to ask and we knew we'd to walk for a km or so inside. Not wanting to take the risk we went back few kms and asked a localite in a bus stand and the lady pointed us back to the same place we'd seen earlier.
 |
| One of the many views from the road |
We went in till some distance and found a house where there were a couple of cars already parked. So we did the same and started walking. There were no signs and we just took whatever looked like the most treaded path when deviation came!
 |
| Walking to the falls, mist kissed mountains! |
Finally we reached at what looked like a homestay and we asked them how to reach the falls and he just pointed ahead. But the end was a small bridge with heavy muddy red water gushing and we even passed it and went beyond but nothing. We could hear the falls but no sight of it.
 |
| Bridge before the falls plunges |
 |
| Another dead end after the bridge |
So we went back to the homestay place and spoke to those people and they instructed us to go right next to the water flow. It looked as if there was no path (there actually was none, there was too much water flowing) but we somehow held on to the climbers and made our way. Sadly the entire path was filled with broken beer bottles and plastic covers and we couldn't place our foot anywhere without smashing a bottle.
 |
| Bottles everywhere |
 |
| Making way in between the rocks! |
After careful walking and climbing down for some 10 minutes we finally got the side view of the falls and the sheer amount of water was amazing and looked dangerous too.
 |
| Side view of the falls |
 |
| Front view |
Falls was majestic and we couldn't go anywhere near it because of the volume of water that was flowing through. We struggled to find a foothold in the middle of all the slippery rocks and bottles around and managed to click a few pics. It was getting cloudy and dark and felt like 5 in the evening when the time was just 12.30 in the noon! Slowly mist covered the view and we decided to head back.
We saw another group of men approaching while on our way back. They had come ready with bottles and food. I requested them not to litter the place but they seemed not to care.
While asking for directions to the falls the homestay guy said he can prepare lunch for us and by the time we returned he was making hot chapathis. We got to talking with this guy called Prajwal and he said the falls is relatively unknown to tourists but well known among locals and they litter the place. He even informed that he arranges 4*4 trips to nearby hill as well.
We had simple home made lunch of chapathi, palya and rice-rasam. Prajwal informed us that falls comes under forest department but his homestay is private land (whereas somebody else later told that this is encroached land and he's running the homestay illegally).
The best time to visit the falls is soon after monsoons and even till December when you can get in to the water and play. There is no food available anywhere nearby (other than that newly cropped up homestay) so plan accordingly.
With a promise of returning after few months we headed back to the traffic filled Bengaluru.
PS: Those who drink please be responsible. Do not litter. Mookanamane falls without being well known among tourists is already ruined. Within a few years this will be another 'was' place.
I hope Government will take action and make some facilities soon.
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