Sakleshpur is a beautiful hill station nestled in the magnificent Western Ghats in Hassan, Karnataka.
It is sandwiched between the famous coffee estates of Chikmaglur and Coorg in South India.
No wonder Sakleshpur is so green throughout the year with its own coffee, cardamom and pepper plantations.
It is about 220 kms away from Bangalore and a great place to go on a weekend trip from the city.
Travel tips
Best time to visit: This place is pleasant year-round. Post monsoon, the months of October-December are best for trekking and it is wonderfully green all around.
How to get there: From Bangalore, you can either hire a van for a fun-filled road trip, which takes about 4 hours or take a train to Sakleshpur (Train numbers: 16515, 16517, 16523).
Things to do: Hemavathi River, Coffee, Cardamom, and Pepper plantations, Bisle ghat viewpoint, Trek on the near by hillocks, hills and mountains, the start shaped Manjarabad fort, Hoysaleeshwara(Belur) temple.
My Sakleshpur experience
As I went in the dry season, the area was not as green as it would get in monsoon. But the trip was wonderful nevertheless.
We hit the road early in the day and enjoyed lots of photo stops on the way.
The beautiful Hemavathi river looks so picturesque that one can click a photo and make wallpaper out of the scenery.
Bisle ghat viewpoint offers magnificent views of the surrounding mountains including the impressive Kumaraparvata, which is a trekker’s dream destination.
There used to be a fantastic scenic railway track trek open to public. But in 2007, the track became operational again and is used by Indian Railways, so the scenic trek is not possible anymore.
But, not to worry, there are many thrilling hills and hillocks dotting the area from which you can choose and go trekking.
Manjarabad fort
The formidable fort of Shakleshpur called Manjarabad fort is a star-shaped fort designed for offering top-end protection.
Though it is not really well-maintained, it is very informative and history lovers must visit this fort. In monsoon, the fort is even more greener.
Hoyasaleeswara temple
Our next stop was the Belur temple called Hoyasaleewara temple, which was a wonderful treat to architecture lovers.
We hired a guide who explained the magnificent history of the temple.
We saw many stone sculptures beautifully carved in this ancient temple.
The pond in the temple is very lively in monsoon and has abundant water in other seasons also.
All in all it was a wonderful road trip with so much fun and frolic.
Have a great trip and post your great moments here too!
Check out fun games to liven up your journey time in my post Easy to play – fun games.
For more wonderful getaways around Bangalore:
check out my post, Top Weekend Getaways around Bangalore.
Did you do this trip already? Let me know your thoughts.
Do not forget to like and share this post!
Great place !
That looks like a very interesting place to go around! That must be a beautiful roadtrip… Would you say a car is best to visit ?
Absolutely, we did it by a four-wheeler too!
It looks beautiful! I’m definitely adding this to my bucket list!
Cool! Have a great trip:)
Thank you for sharing! Beautiful pictures, such a fun trip! Do you live in Bangalore?
I used to live in Bangalore.. now I am traveling in the USA 🙂
Haven’t been to India, but reading post such as this gives a lot of insight about the country. Taking notes of this in case I got the chance to visit India. 🙂
I have been thinking about visiting during monsoon season, primarily because it will be less expensive and I don’t mind the rain. I would be interested in visiting temples and the fort. Do you think it would be a mess during monsoon season or just pack a poncho and roll with it?
I had never even heard of Sakleshpur and now I just added another place to my bucket list! lovely post
Thanks Jacklyn, have a great trip 🙂
Looks beautiful, thanks for sharing your experience!
welcome 🙂