Virupasandra - Countryside experience closer to Bangalore

It was a regular weekend, and we needed a break from the hustle bustle of city life. So, we booked a full day package at a resort near Kanakapura - Hombale resorts. Kanakapura is a town near Ramanagara district of Karnataka which is also at a distance of 50 Kms from Bangalore.  

Our journey from Bangalore to Hombale resort itself was very adventurous. We had booked Ola outstation but most of the drivers cancelled our trip. We called resort front desk, and they told us to reach Kanakapura KSRTC bus stand and we would get an auto from there. So, without a second thought we picked our backpacks and headed straight to metro station. We hopped off at Silk Institute Metro Station and waited for Kanakapura KSRTC bus at the bus stop right below the metro station. We hardly waited for 2 minutes, and the bus was here. From here our journey into KSRTC bus towards Kanakapaura began. Bus was comparatively empty, and we got seats. Drive along the countryside was very refreshing as we saw lot of lakes pass by and lush greenery around. 

Finally, we reached Kanakapura KSRTC bus stand in an hour. Our resort helpdesk had called us to check upon where we had reached. They asked us to wait at the bus stand since their own local auto was on the way to pick us up. So, we had to wait here for 5 minutes and our 6-seater auto was here. 

From here our countryside drive began deep inside villages of Kanakapura. It was an adventurous ride in this auto with old Kannada melodies played by our auto driver. Totally refreshing. 

After 20 minutes of roller-coaster ride, we reached Hombale Resort which is located in a small hamlet called Virupasandra. 

Hombale Resort - first of all let me clear one misconception which even we had that this resort is not run by the makers of Kantara movie (Hombale productions😊). But this resort serves as a perfect weekend getaway from Bangalore providing you with all the basic amenities, varieties of sports and adventure activities, lip smacking food, early morning trek up-to a hill-top and soul-soothing countryside experience. They provide various stays like room stays for families and tent stays for those who opt for budget friendly packages. 

After checking into our room, we first went to the dining area for lunch. After having a wholesome lip-smacking lunch, we relaxed in the resort premises for some time. This resort offers you the experience of living amidst nature along with comfort and other recreational elements like adventure activities, Swimming pool, rain dance, indoor and outdoor games.

It was evening and they served us hot tea and pakoras at around 5 pm. After this refreshing evening snacks, we now decided to go on a village walk and explore this small hamlet Virupasandra. 

The Rustic Walk 

We started walking along the quiet bylanes of the village. The best part of village walks is the slow pace of the village life, villagers sitting on each other's home verandas and chatting, animals grazing, colorful home decors and all these elements just add upto your experience. 

In fact villagers are more than happy in engaging with you in interesting conversations. We met one old lady who asked us where have we come from and she was happy to know that we were interested in exploring the village since most of the guests would just come to the resort to play, drink n have fun only. She told us to visit a temple and a lake behind this temple. She gave directions too which we should take to reach there. We were delighted with her sweet gesture. In fact during our return as we passed by her house she asked if we could see the spots as per her directions. 

We prayed to the deity and then took the path behind the temple to see the lake as mentioned by the old lady. 

We reached resort and it was full in action with some music, bonfire, evening snacks and lot more. People in small groups were dancing, playing, singing and having fun in their own way. Since it was dark by now we played some indoor activities and enjoyed good quality family time. 

It was dinner time and we headed to dining area. We were served yummy fish curry. When asked about the fish recipe, the kitchen coordinator told us that they serve fresh catch to their guests daily. We were overwhelmed with the hospitality of the resort staff. 

Since there was a trek planned next day morning at 6:30 am, we hit bed early. 

The Trek

We were asked to assemble at the dining area by 6:45 am.  Our trek lead came with a whistle, and he took a walk around the resort informing all the guests that its time to leave for the trek. 

It was quite a big group with college goers, IT professionals and families. We started off at 7 am and our walk involved mango plantations, fields, slight up-hill, rocky terrains, running streams and finally the peak. 

It took us almost an hour to reach hill-top. 

We clicked few pictures of the stunning panoramic views of the surroundings. 

We then sat here absorbing the view in front of us. It was so relaxing here with the calm breeze caressing your face. 

After sometime we started our descend and this time our trek lead took us back through different route which was again a daunting task as we had to crawl down through big boulders literally like monkeys. We had good trek mates with us who were helping people at every milestone. 

Finally we made it to the resort at around 9:30 am. We headed straight to the dining area for breakfast. There was a buffet with lot of options for breakfast. We literally hogged to our heart's content. And then we reached our room, freshened up, packed and checked out at 11:00 am. The same auto-driver came to pick us up and drop back to the KSRTC bus stand for us to board a bus back to Bangalore. We enjoyed our roller-coaster ride along the rustic roads with refreshing breeze once again. 

Overall, this was a perfect weekend getaway for us which not only allowed us to experience and admire our beautiful local countryside but also allowed us to relax and unwind in the abode of nature.