The district of Shimoga in North Karnataka is surrounded by mesmerising natural wonders. From one of the tallest waterfalls of India – Jog Falls to the wettest place of India – Agumbe. Shimoga has old forts on hill tops surrounded by mist and clouds on one hand. And wildlife sanctuaries or elephant camps on the other hand to excite the kids and adults equally. But, little did I know that on my recent weekend trip from Bangalore to Shimoga, I was in for one of the biggest surprised in the form of Honnemaradu.
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What is Honnemaradu
Honnemaradu is a beautiful place, tucked away from the general public, on the backwaters of the Sharavathi river. Interestingly, it derives it’s name from the word “honne” which is name of a tree. But, the meaning of “honnemaradu” is also “golden lake”. And rightly so. As this backwater body basks in the sunlight, it glitters like gold.
How to reach Honnemaradu Shimoga
After witnessing the majestic Jog Falls, we were wondering where to head next. Browsing through the pictures of places to visit in Shimoga, I stumbled upon the pictures of Honnemaradu. And it immediately stuck a chord. Just as how it had happened when I had visited the Emerald Lake in Ooty. And then embarked on an adventurous journey to Destiny Farmstay in Ooty. However, little did I know that the journey to Honnemaradu Shimoga was going to be equally adventurous.
Although the village of Honnemaradu is located just ~12 km from Jog Falls. We left the highway when it was still 9km to the spot where we wanted to reach. As we drove inside, the road continued to get narrower and the forest denser. It was the rainy month of June. And with the clouds overcast and rain pouring down in bursts now and then, the forest seemed to get darker and darker. Soon we were on a patch of road which was completely tarred, winding through the hills and so narrow that only one vehicle could pass through it at a time. Taking a U-turn was not even a question. For, there was no space for it 🙂
Keeping each other’s mood uplifted, we continued going on and on. Finally after driving ~8km, we came to a clearing in the woods. By this time, we had made up our mind to give up on the quest of the heavenly picture that we had witnessed on our phone. And we were ready to take a U-turn. When we decided to park our vehicle and just go ahead a few meters to see how the road ahead looked.
The tourism office near Honnemaradu Shimoga
As we headed further, luckily, we encountered a small building. There was a lady there and a man. Although, we couldn’t understand much of what they communicated. What we figured out was that it was a tourism office kind of place. They had a register where all incoming vehicles and tourist heading to Honnemaradu were to sign. This place also had a shade in front where 2 cars could be parked. After parking here and putting in our signatures, we asked them for directions to Honnemaradu backwaters. And the trail was just a few meters ahead.
The trail leading to Honnemaradu Shimoga Backwaters
It was a steep trail to the backwaters. Almost 200 meters. We carefully embarked on it, so as not to slip. It must get difficult to navigate in heavy rains. But the drizzling had just stopped. And the evening sun was slowly peaking out of the clouds. I guess since it was just the start of monsoons season, the trail condition was not so bad. Dry leaves covered the path, giving us much needed grip as we walked forth.
Finally – at Honnemaradu Backwaters
After navigating this path, as I came face to face with the backwaters, I was overwhelmed with emotions . It was a slice of heaven that we were witnessing after one of the most difficult drives of our lives. Far and wide stretched the crystal blue backwaters of Sharavathi river. In between there were multiple islands – some dense and green, some bare and brown. Also, there was a beautiful backdrop of layers of hill behind the waters. Somewhere in those hills, I could feel the Jog Falls falling with all it’s might.
There were boats parked by the shore. Which indicated that tourists do flock here and are offered boating. I also read later on that people boat to different islands in the middle of the river. And even camp there. The scene, on the one hand, reminded me of my travel to Thekkady years back on my trip to Kerala. Where I had witnessed a similar kind of backwater – with bare trees rising out of it – scene in the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. And on the other hand, it reminded me of the expanses and blue beauty of the Banasura Sagar Lake in Wayanad Kerala – which I am yet to witness with my own eyes. Nevertheless, the scene was simply mesmerising. With the sun setting slowly, half the lake shimmered like gold while the other half looked emerald blue. Even some of the hills had the sun shining on them while others basked in the cool shadow formed by the clouds.
Things to do in Honnemaradu Shimoga
You can take a boating trip to the islands on the Honnemaradu backwaters. And you can also camp on some of these islands. However, I am not sure of the details and timings as there was no one around when we reached here. Maybe the activities are allowed before 5:00pm only. However, my most favourite thing to do here would be to come with my picnic basket. And just spend the day go by, lazying around here. I am sure, time will still not be enough the grasp all the beauty that this place has got to offer.
My only regret from this trip remains that I could only arrive here by 4:30pm in the evening. And because of that I couldn’t stay back longer. Our target was to return back and hit the main road before sunset and dark. As it was impossible to navigate the 6km or so to the main road through the winding dense forest without natural light. So, with heavy heart, I had to say goodbye to Honnemaradu by 5:30pm. And we headed back to our hotel – Royal Orchid Shimoga.
To be honest, I have visited many river and see backwaters on my previous trip to Rameshwaram, on Agonda beach Goa and the backwaters of Alleppey and Kumarakom in Kerala. Yet, I have never witnessed something as mesmerising as Honnemaradu Shimoga. If you have a 4X4 or a strong SUV, do not hesitate to add this place to your list of places to see in Shimoga.
What are other things to do in Shimoga
There are many other places to see and things to do in Shimoga apart from Jog Falls (which is ofcourse the most famous) and Honnemaradu Shimoga (which is so offbeat place to visit in Shimoga). On our trip to Shimoga, we also visited the Shimoga zoo and safari park, and the Sakarebeilu Elephant Camp Shimoga. If you are interested in planning a trip to Shimoga, here’s our complete guide to plan a trip to Shimoga which includes places to visit in Shimoga, where to stay in Shimoga, famous cuisines of the Malnad region to try, best time to visit Shimoga and everything else that you will need to plan a trip to Shimoga.