@karthik-shenoy
Weekend rider. If there are hairpins, I'm in.
Manchanabele Dam
Backwaters and hills just an hour out, with mist on the water if you're early enough. Carry your own breakfast; there's nothing much on the dam itself. The road in is good for a relaxed ride.
MTR, Lalbagh Road
A hundred years of rava idli. Silver tumblers, ghee on everything, and a dining room that hasn't changed in decades. Do a loop of Lalbagh first, then come in hungry. Order the rava idli and the badam halwa.
Bisle Ghat
Dense rainforest on both sides and a viewpoint that shows three mountain ranges at once. Feels wild for a road this close to Sakleshpur. Ride it right after the monsoon, when everything is green. Check road conditions first; stretches get rough.
Valparai via Aliyar, 40 hairpins
Forty hairpins from Aliyar dam into endless tea estates, with lion-tailed macaques watching from the trees. Do it over two days and stay in Valparai. Don't ride the ghat after dark; there's wildlife on the road.
Hesaraghatta Lake
Grasslands, birds, and a wide-open sky, 30 km from the city. Feels like you rode much further. Bring binoculars after the monsoon. Stop for a darshini breakfast in Yelahanka on the way back.
Masinagudi to Ooty via Kalhatti ghat
Thirty-six hairpins straight up from the forest floor to Ooty. Elephants and deer along the way through Bandipur and Mudumalai. The forest check-posts close at night, so plan around them. Go up the ghat, not down; it's easier on the brakes.
Kamat Lokaruchi, Ramanagara
Village-style North Karnataka breakfast on banana leaves, with the Ramanagara rocks (yes, the Sholay ones) behind you. Try the ragi rotti and the jolada rotti meal. The parking fills with bikes by 8.
Mullayanagiri, Chikmagalur
The last stretch to Karnataka's highest peak is a single-lane road above the clouds. Pure joy on two wheels. Ride up early on a weekday. On weekends the narrow road jams with cars by 10.
