Hello there - hope everyone is doing well. At the onset, my apologies for this late post which should have been up a in the beginning of the week! Now that I have finally found time to jot down my ride experience to this pristine sanctuary and waterfall, let me quickly take you through this ride so that you can also plan a quick getaway to this lovely destinations.
As is the case with me, this trip was also planned at the last moment only to land up in the lap of nature that is yet to be spoiled by the human presence. I started from my home around 5 AM in the morning with Ethipothala Falls as the first destination in mind. It took me quite some time to get out of the city due to traffic which was kind of strange since it was too early in the morning. The best part that I have always loved about moving out early morning has always been the lovely sunrises that I get to see and never seem to get enough of it in so many years of traveling.
I had rode for almost 56 kms from home; I started to notice the sky slowly turning into a beautiful orange hue indicating yet another beautiful sunrise, and decided to halt and soak in this beautiful experience yet again along with a small water break.
It was during this first break that I decided to change my destination to the Chincholi Wildlife Sanctuary since I felt that reaching this place early would allow me to enjoy the forests in all its glory in the early hours of the morning. I took a left from the Mumbai - Pune Highway towards Zaheerabad, the right turn would have taken you to Bidar, another lovely weekend destination close to Hyderabad.
A few kilometers down the road to Zaheerabad, you need to take a right turn and as you keep riding, you could feel the fresh air with lush green farms all around. As you ride further towards the sanctuary, you would end up on a road that has lush green trees on your right hand side and on your left hand side you would see large area of farms overlooking the mountains - for a moment I felt like Alice who went down through a wormhole only to land in a wonderland!
As per the Department of Tourism, Karnataka, Chincholi was declared a sanctuary in 2011 and covers an area of 134.88 Sq. Kms. - it also happens to be the first dry land Wildlife Sanctuary in South India. The sanctuary is home to the Black Buck, Common Fox, Four-horned Antelope, Fruit Bat, Hyena, Indian Wolf etc. - the primary attractions being the Wolf and the Hyena. In addition it has also a variety of bird species - Black Drongo, Black-winged Kite, Blue pigeon, Black-headed Oriole, Grey partridge, Peacock etc. to name a few. The sanctuary is also home to the Lambani Tandas - a protected tribal community that lives in the forests.
As I reached the gates to the sanctuary, it seemed that I was the only visitor at that point in time and the best part was that the gates were open - the worst part was that there was no one present at the gates for me to check out if entry into the sanctuary with a motorcycle was allowed or not since in certain palaces only 4 wheeler are allowed. In a way my decision to go to Chincholi first turned out to be real good.
📍 Kalaburagi | Karnataka | India
Distance (from Hyderabad): 120 kms
Google Map Link:
I was kind of in two minds whether to proceed or to wait since the sign boards also were of not much help to me - it was in vernacular language which was foreign to me. After a quick stopover, I decided to move on and explore what lay ahead - ignorance is indeed a bliss at times.
As I entered deeper into the forest, the only things that I could hear was the lovely sound of my machine at lower RPMs, birds, monkeys and the rustling of the leaves as the wind kissed them - it was quite an experience and in the course of my ride further into the forest, I would make a quick halt or two to capture some of the beautiful memories so that I could share those with the world.
Another thing that really intrigued me was the presence of stone sculptures that looked quite old and you could find it lying at random locations inside the sanctuary - did this place also have some ancient temples that is now in ruins?
I finally reached the Bakka Prabhu Temple - dead end of the forest trail beyond which it was not possible to take your vehicle, however a few kilometers of trekking from there would lead you to the breathtaking view of the Chandrampalli Dam. I decided to halt here for sometime, have my breakfast and then move on to my next destination - the Ethipothala Falls - another 22 kms from the locations. I did want to complete the trek for the view of the Chandrampalli Dam - but decided it for another day and another blog.
Having spent close to an hour inside the sanctuary and having enjoyed the lovely jungle trails, I finally moved on to my next destination and what I came across now makes me want to come back for more.
Stay tuned for the next part of this blog where I will take you through my ride to the lovely Ethipothala Falls.
As usual before I end this blog, I would request everyone not to litter and leave every place better for our future generations to be also able to enjoy the beauty that these places have to offer.
Travel Tips: Carry sufficient water - and ensure to carry a garbage bag to ensure that you do not leave the waste and litter behind. There are sufficient restaurants just as you take the turn to Zaheerabad where you can have your breakfast, however I prefer to carry my own.
#leaveeveryplacebetter #ridewithjp #royalenfieldhimalayan #karnatakatourism #incredibleindia #hyderabad #chincholiwildlifesanctuary #gottamguttafalls #weekenddestinations
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