Bengaluru: There’s a mass exodus of people from Bengaluru when it is close to December 31 every year. The main getaways are Goa, Puducherry, Kodagu, and Kabini year after year and this year is no different.
“There has been a spike in travel bookings for the first time since demonetisation thanks to New Years. Most of our 18 properties are filled already. Coastal areas will continue to remain popular among the party crowd. The fact that January 1 is a Sunday is convenient for working people,” said Tourism Minister, Priyank Kharge.
Going by Mr Vijay Sharma, Managing Director of Jungle Lodges and Resorts, Dandeli, Bandipur, Dubare, Kabini and other wildlife spots are a rage this New Years.
“The Jungle lodges here are all booked,” he revealed. For Bengalureans like Mr Pranav Mutalik, who love spending New Year’s eve in the quieter corners of the state, Kodagu appears an ideal destination. “We are a group of 30 people going to Kodagu this year. We will trek up to a relatively unknown place called Nishani Hill also head towards Kumta for a beach trek.
“We will visit a private beach called Nirvana. Near its waters, is a cliff with the ruins of the Kagal fort,” he said. Like him, Ms Aishwaraya Iyengar and eight of her friends, plan to head to Kemmangundi, near Chikkamagaluru for the New Year.
“The Hebbe falls in Kemmangundi are pretty commercial, but the trek to the peak is very picturesque and relatively unexplored. We don't want to party but only have a peaceful time. We plan to stay at the government guest house located halfway up the peak,” she revealed.
But there are some who prefer to do nothing on New Years
“I am waiting for the New Year weekend to end so I can head to Bethamangala next week. The place is unspoiled, has no camera snobs and drunk people making a fool of themselves. Two lakh birds migrate to it, and there are cottages and a trek to a rain forest,” said Mr Omer Khaiser, another Bengalurean who prefers to leave the humdrum of city life behind when he can.
“Water skiing in Bhadra dam and river rafting in the Dandeli in North Karnataka are both quite good. They are popular destinations but not crowded,” he noted, showing that adventure sports are sought after not only in Goa but in lesser known thriving water sports complexes of the state.
