It was with some trepidation that we decided to embark on a road trip to Chikmagalur, firstly because it was our first road trip and secondly because we were a little apprehensive at driving on a hilly terrain. Our apprehensions were however soon dispelled once we started our drive.
It was four of us from office and we decided we would take turns to drive the whole way. We thought of cashing in on the weekend, so that we had one whole day in hand apart from the travelling. We decided to take off after work on a Friday and come back to Bangalore by Sunday evening. A word of advice from our experience keep your coffee supply running during the roadtrip, trust us you will need it!
Journey
Our destination was DMVilla, the best place to stay in Chikmagalur – having heard a lot of praise from my friends who had already visited the homestay and had partaken of the wonderful hospitality of the hosts. Chikmagalur is located approximately 250 km from Bangalore, it is well connected via road and the highway that you need to take is to say the least a pleasure to drive on. Wide, well maintained roads, a smooth ride, reminds you of the reason why you wanted to buy your car in the first place isn’t it? So this would be the perfect opportunity to indulge in your dream, get behind the wheel and get going.
We were 4 friends who after a long work week at office decided to hit the road. However it was not to be a smooth one in the beginning. As we were leaving the city it seemed as if the whole of Bangalore was driving that night which caused a huge traffic jam and it took us a considerable amount of time just to get out of Bangalore. But once we reached the Tumkur road traffic dissipated on its own and we could drive in a more relaxed manner at the pace we wanted.
It was a chilly night and while we were enjoying the wind in our hair, soon we had to roll up our car windows on the highway. The traffic was not much since it was night and we estimated that at the speed we were going it would not take us more than four and a half hours to reach Chikmagalur. It was a relief to find cafes and local shops on the way and we stopped at almost all of them to refuel ourselves.
As we drove on we reached Hassan, a main town on the route; the road that leads through Hassan has all the major shopping centres and shops so if you need any supplies this would be the perfect place to buy them. We stopped for some time in Hassan and were soon on the way towards Chikmagalur. As we left Hassan behind us we experienced first hand the charm of country life where everything is quiet after dark and only the cool wind is free to do as it pleases and free to go wherever it wants. Feeling the cool country air on our face as we drove on the tree lined highway we soon reached a place called Hiremagalur which is the entry point to Chikmagalur.
The Hiremagalur circle is a prominent point and you will certainly not miss it, from the circle a road leads towards the Chikmagalur – Kadur Bypass Road.
You need to drive towards the Kadur bypass road, once on that road you will pass the Doddakurbaralli Mutt. If you pass the Mutt you should know you are on the right direction to DMVilla. Drive on for approximately 200 meters more on the main road and you should reach a big Water Tank. When you reach the water tank an immediate right turn and another right turn following that should bring you to DMVilla. When you see a huge 12 feet wall running around a villa you will know you have reached your destination.
About DMVilla
A seemingly non assuming villa, you will be surprised to know and see how much this homestay has to offer. What was really assuring was that even though we reached quite late into the night, the hosts were there to personally greet us and made us feel very welcome. Even the staff members were very eager and happy to see us and dispelled our unfounded thought that we would be intruding.
Once we entered DMVilla we were greeted by a neat little garden, well maintained and beautiful. There is a basketball court and if you feel you have become too stiff from the driving you could always give it a shot, atleast that’s what we did! We were also quite surprised to see a sports room that was provided, now how many homestays would think of that, we were surely impressed. We however did not linger in the sports room and thought it better to explore the place instead.
We found that there was lots of space inside and we never for a moment felt as if we were inside a house. As we strolled along we came across a lawn where to our surprise our hosts had lighted a bonfire for us to enjoy and had also made preparations for barbecue.
Now it was really feeling like a roadtrip with its associated spontaneity and we had our hosts to thank for. But it was no run of the mill grilling, the chicken was wrapped in foil paper and grilled, giving it an excellent smoky flavor and making the chicken deliciously succulent. Everything was perfect the marinated chicken, the charcoal flavor and to add to everything the clear star studded night sky.
It was tempting to get into bed and snooze off especially after the excellent meal that we had, but my friends had other plans. I was told that we were to drive off to the Kemmangundi hills to enjoy a great sunrise. It was a roadtrip after all and it was logical that we stayed on the road!
Drive to Kemmangundi for sunrise
The drive to Kemmangundi was thrilling to say the least, slightly hilly roads that lead through forested land gave a sense of adventure and excitement as we drove. It was a completely different and unique feeling since we were driving at night. It was like a safari, but I also felt as if I had become one with nature, I had become one of its creatures prowling at night. It was especially the silence of the night which makes you feel alone and in union with nature.
As we drove, the only light that was available was from our car and though it was difficult to see clearly we knew we could not slow down. It was a race against time, for we wanted to reach the summit of the Kemmangundi hills before the sunrise. After a nerve wracking drive thinking “will we or won’t we” we finally managed to reach the top before sunrise. Infact it would be untrue if we say that, because the truth was the sun rose simultaneously as we reached. Nevertheless it was a sight never to be forgotten with the hilly terrain getting slowly illuminated by the powerful sun.
There were only a few occasions in my life that I had woken so early in the morning and this without any doubt was the most beautiful and memorable one. I definitely owed this to my friend who had coaxed me to go there. Once the sun was fully up, we decided to go for a hike to the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary.
We walked through dense forests through places that seemed to have never ventured forth by anyone. I knew I was very lucky to visit the sanctuary so early in the morning because there were atleast 10 different types of birds calling at once. However there was more surprise in store for us when we managed to spot a deer. These shy creatures are very hard to spot and we consider ourselves very lucky to have seen one of them.
After our lucky stint my friend suggested we go to a viewpoint and though I am not too fond of viewing points I will never forget the view from the old watching tower. It was a good thing I had listened to my friend.
As we finished our hike, hunger pangs struck and we realized that we hadn’t eaten after our late night barbecue and the memory of the barbecued chicken certainly did not help so we promptly decided to turn back to DMVilla.
After being stuffed with great food and getting thoroughly rested we returned to Bangalore. We returned to our lives, to the daily rush, the daily grind, the nerve wracking tension and the stress.
It has been some time now since the road trip to Chikmagalur Resort but we still cherish the memory and reconstruct the whole experience in our mind and in the process derive immense pleasure from it.
DMVilla Travel Blog | Chikmagalur resorts 
