Hogenakkal - Boating In Coracles Made Of Bamboo Begins With Major Attraction

CORACLES BOATING

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HOGENAKKAL

One kilometer Boating in Hogenakkal falls on Kaveri River in Dharmapuri District of Tamilnadu bordering Karnataka brings joy to mind. Boats are made of Bamboo.

Coracles in Hogenakkal

Boating in Coracles made of Bamboo is major attraction in Hogenakkal. The coracles are about 2.24 m (7 ft 4 in) in diameter, but still can take a load of eight persons at a time. The coracles are locally called parisal in Tamil and either teppa or harigolu in Kannada.

Boating Charges in Hogenakkal

Coracles can load of eight persons (7 visitors & 1 boatman) at a time. Don’t be surprised when a boatman asks you for Rs. 300 to take you on a coracle ride. Heavy bargaining is recommended. Boating Charges in Hogenakkal are Rs 250 per head for 3 hour boating and 160 per head for one hour boating.

Boating Tips in Hogenakkal

Heavy bargaining is recommended before Coracle ride

Boatman ask 100 Rs tip at end of boating time, give atleast 50 Rs per boat

One hour boating is enough if you not wish to take bath or oil massage

Don't take bath in heavy monsoon time

It's better to keep your high end smart phones in water proof cover becuase chances of phones dip in water can't be neglected near falls

Boating finishes near Karnataka Border and you can eat good Fish Fry here

Boating Attractions in Hogenakkal

No other way to see Hogenakkal Falls other than by boat. Small children dive from heavy rocks if you give 20 Rs in some season. Fishing is also an attraction during boating.

Boating Season in Hogenakkal

Boating Season in Hogenakkal is soon affter Monsoon. Check best time to visit Hogenakkal

Best Time to Visit Hogenakkal

Hogenakkal is a tourist destination for Water Falls and Boating in Tamilnadu. Best time to visit hogenakkal are non-monsoon season becuase only purpose of travellers visiting here is to have a boating in bamboo made item. Hogenakkal season starts soon affter monsoon and stops before water in Kaveri getting Dry

Best Time to Visit Hogenakkal

The best time to visit Hogenakkal Falls is from September to March right after the monsoon. If you want a nice bath in the water visit here before monsoon and if you wish to see the hogenakkal falls in its full glory definitely after monsoon. The monsoon months should be avoided as boating is not allowed and reaching the falls is also dangerous due to the slippery conditions. Some tourists prefer going to the falls during winter, which is the off-season time, to avoid the huge crowds.

Hogenakkal Season Months

November, December, January, February and March are Season Months in Hogenakkal

Hogenakkal Boating Season

Boating in Hogenakkal falls will be great experience soon affter monsoon. Boating is not permitted in Heavy Monsoon season

Climate in Hogenakkal

During winter, the temperature ranges from 13 to 27 degree Celsius whereas during summer the temperature ranges from 23 to 34 degree Celsius.

Changu Lake - It Is An One Kilometer Long Oval Shaped Lake With Around Hills

TSOMGO LAKE

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GANGTOK

Tsomgo Lake, also known as Changu Lake is a glacial lake in Sikkim and located at an altitude of 12,310 feet. The name Tsomgo means 'Source of water'. It's located 35kms from Gangtok town and on the steep route known as Jawaharlal Nehru Road which leads all the way to Nathula Pass.

 This is one of the few and awesome high altitude lakes in India. The lake becomes doubly attractive with the reflections of the surrounding hills on the water.

 From Gangtok which is at 5410 ft, the altitude rises to about 10,000 ft in just 15kms. You can imagine how steep the gradient would be in this stretch of the road.

It takes about 2 hours by car from Gangtok to reach the lake. The lake is filled with water of melting snow coming from the surrounding mountains. It's a one kilometer long oval shaped lake.

The average depth is about 50-feet. During summer and autumn, you will find Primula flowers and other Alpine vegetation around the lake. And during winter the lake becomes frozen and a snowfield.

You can not litter the lake. Installation of prayer wheels and a small temple of Lord Shiva by the lakeside denotes that the lake is considered sacred by the locals. Tsomgo lake is a stop over place for many different migratory ducks like the Brahmini ducks.

You should spend some time here and soak in the serene beauty of the lake and its surroundings. In the earlier days the lamas used to study the color of water in the lake and forecast the future. A darker color would indicate that the coming year in the state may be troublesome.

There is a pathway along the lake that leads to a resting place - about half a kilometer walk. Only about 200 meters away from the lake there are lots of stalls & shops selling tea, coffee and snacks.

You will get hot Tibetan noodle soup to combat the cold. Stalls rent out snow boots, jackets, gum boots etc. There are pay & use toilets inside the complex as well. However there is no lodging accommodation in this area to stay overnight.

You can take a ride on colorfully adorned yaks and ponies. One more terrific activity is being planned at Tsomgo. Foundation stone of a 957-meter ropeway (cable car) has already been laid here in 2010. Once implemented, the cable cars will carry passengers from the lake to a hilltop nearby.

You should reach Tsomgo lake before noon because in the afternoon the weather here usually turns inclement. In fact best is to start from Gangtok by 7:30 to 8am and reach here by 10am so that you get clear 2 hours to enjoy.

 In the winter however the route sometimes get closed due to heavy snowing. 

Photography is now permitted and foreigners are also allowed to visit the lake. However since this is a restricted area, you are required to take a permit (you need photo identity proof and two passport size photos).

 You can get the permit from the Sikkim Tourist Information Center at MG Marg Gangtok, or ask the hotel or a travel agent to arrange for it.

From April to July, you can witness a good bloom of flowers. Most of the year, Changu Lake experiences a sparkling weather

By Air

Bagdogra airport is the nearest and major airport. Gangtok is linked to Bagdogra airport by a daily helicopter service that operates only once a day and carries four passengers.

By Rail

 The nearest major railway Station is New Jalpaiguri Railway Station (NJP). From New Jalpaiguri Railway Station one has to drive to Gangtok nearly 130 kilometers. From Gangtok one has to drive to Tsomgo Lake and is nearly 42 kilometers from Gangtok.

By Road

 Roads till Gangtok is national highway 31 A. Guest has to drive to Gangtok nearly 130 kilometers from Siliguri. From Gangtok one has to drive to Tsomgo Lake and is nearly 42 kilometers from Gangtok.

Ministry Of External Affairs Decided To Host The Country's First SAARC Tourism Summit In Aurangabad

AURAGABAD

In a bid to explore opportunities in tourism promotion, the ministry of external affairs has decided to hold the country’s first SAARC Tourism Summit in Aurangabad, the tourism capital of Maharashtra in the second week of October.

The announcement of the two-day summit, also being aimed at tapping FDI under Make in India and Make in Maharashtra schemes was made by Smt. Valsa Nair Singh, IAS, Principal Secretary Tourism and Culture, Government of Maharashtra at the Sensitisation Session on Aurangabad Tourism Development Program organised by the State Government, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) and the Confederation of Indian Industry in Aurangabad on Monday 4th July, 2016.

Highlighting the reasons behind the decision to host the summit in Aurangabad, Smt. Valsa Nair Singh, IAS, Principal Secretary Tourism and Culture, Government of Maharashtra said “The Ajanta-Ellora caves have always remained the biggest tourism attraction in the state among foreigners and Indians. 

The historical silk route and connect of the place with the Buddhist circuit across world, including China, is significant. Ajanta also has one of the world’s best visitors centre with several life size replicas of Padmapani (sculptures of Buddha). All these are reason enough for Aurangabad to be the preferred choice. The conference aims at promoting Aurangabad and other destinations of Maharashtra.”

“The Department of Tourism (DoT) is trying to seek appointment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate the event. On the first day, officials from SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries, which include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, would attend the conference.

 On the second day, the ministers of tourism from these countries and from Indian states would participate.” said Smt. Valsa Nair Singh.

The Principal Secretary, Tourism and Culture added “The coming two years are very important for the progress and prosperity of the tourism sector. The year 2017 will be celebrated as Visit Maharashtra Year and the year 2018 we will be celebrating completion of 200 years of the discovery of the world heritage Ajanta Caves by British officer John Smith.

 A campaign to promote tourism destinations of Maharashtra all over the world will be undertaken aggressively under Visit Maharashtra 2017. In 2018, many events will be hosted to attract international and domestic tourists to Ajanta and other destinations of the city.

 There is a huge scope to organise Food Festival and Handicraft Festival in the city, apart from Golf Tourism. A proposal to set up Buddhist Centre on MTDC’s 900 acres land at Ellora is under consideration.”

The announcement of providing financial assistance upto Rs 50 lakh to the desirous persons in the tourism business set up under Start Up scheme was also made.

The three-day Ellora-Ajanta Festival will be held with the help of the MTDC from October 14 to 16, said the principal secretary suggesting the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation to run an excursion bus to conduct City Tours connecting all the tourist places. 

She also underlined the need of enhancing the air connectivity of Aurangabad with cities like Jaipur, Udaipur, Nagpur and Pune other than Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad.

Mentioning the need for hosting film shootings at Ellora, Ajanta and other important places in Aurangabad, Smt. Valsa Nair Singh commented “The countries like Switzerland and Spain witnessed a boom in tourism due to film shootings. 

A beeline was formed to see the tomb of Mastani due to Bajirao Mastani film. The shooting of one big budget film featuring big stars like Shah Rukh Khan in Aurangabad will give a major boost to the tourism sector.”