Waterfalls in spate a big draw for Bengalureans

BENGALURU: Nagaraj Shetty made the most of his time during a weekend. The techie and three friends went on a long bike ride to Chunchi waterfalls, off Kanakapura Road, about 65km from the city.
“We had to park and walk some distance to the vantage point. The sight was worth the ride in the drizzle and the walk,” said Shetty, adding continuous rain has made waterfalls around the city a hot favourite in his friend circles.
Like Shetty, several Bengalureans are using their weekends to visit waterbodies nearby, which have turned spectacular following copious rainfall in the past couple of weeks. They are making a beeline to waterfalls 2-3 hours away from the city such as Thottikallu (33km away), Muthyala Maduvu (39km), Mekedatu (98km), and Ganalu (100km).
Not just waterfalls, lakes and other waterbodies have also become favoured weekend spots.
Aishwarya TV, an entrepreneur, headed to Arkavathi river in Bidadi, 30km from the city, earlier this week to enjoy a day of peace and calm with her extended family. “We got there after my brother stumbled upon the spot on an Instagram content creator’s profile. The stream was beautiful and it was not too crowded either,” the Kengeri resident said.
The Instagram content creator who posted the video, Karthik Santhosh (@Bengalurufoods), told TOI he found the stream during one of his unplanned, early-morning rides. Working full time as a systems engineer in an MNC, Santhosh, 23, spends his weekends discovering places around the city. “During monsoon, waterfalls and waterbodies are indeed the best places to visit. I have found small streams on my way to Sakleshpur, waterfalls near Bilkehalli forests and so many lakes around Kanakapura,” said Santhosh.
However, visitors’ entry is regulated when rain is heavy. “We had been to Gaganchukki recently, but it was closed and we were not allowed near the viewpoint,” he said.
Not all explorers are open to visiting waterfalls during monsoon. Sameer Khan, a businessman whose favourite hobby is finding scenic places around the city, plans to stay indoors till the rain abates. “It will be safer after monsoon. The sight will still be rewarding then,” he said.
Another trekker, Kavya Premkumar, said a recent video clip of tourists being washed away at a beach in Oman scared her. “I think safety is more important than excitement and adventure,” the 24-year-old said.