Balda Caves, Lake above the Mountain!!!

We 8 friends planned for a bike trip to Balda Caves in Orrisa.

We fueled our bikes and started on Saturday. The breezy wind welcomed us for the refreshing trip.

We choose the Vizianagaram, Bowdara junction Araku route for better road conditions. Said hi to the Thatipudi Reservoir and continued our Journey.

After few Kms from Bowdara Junction nature started treating us for wonderful views and hues.

The Araku roads are freshly laid layers of tar made our journey buttery smooth. 

Once the Ghat road section started the sudden turns and pin bind curves made our bike journey exciting. Many cottages, tent houses for accommodation are being added to meet the ever increasing tourist flow.

We wizzed past the aromatic flavors of Araku coffee stalls and view points marking them for stop overs in the return path.

We reached Araku by 3 pm, refreshed and ready to go.

We paid a visit to the RanaJillada waterfalls, journeying through the wonderful Nature landscape with Yellow flowers, Bee Keeping fields and the tall green mountains.

We also covered the tourist leg by visiting the touristy spots like the Tribal Museum and Coffee Museum. The Dhimsa dance in the Tribal museum is good and even you can join your foot for the beats of rhythmic drums.

The Main Tribal Museum building had got the inside upgraded with fresh and lively pictures of Tribal culture, their marriage, customs, hunting etc. Worth a revisit.  

We had dinner and called it a day, as we have to start early morning to reach the Caves. Its 50 kms distance from Araku.

We started early morning at 6 AM and the fog is everywhere. We cant see mre than 10 feet distance. The bike ride through the fog is an awesome experience. The fog is so thick the phone got drenched in water while trying to capture the videos. 

We crossed into Orissa border in just 15 minutes and continued our journey through the fog filled roads.

Saw people on their daily routine like washing clothes and Jogging in that cool temperature. May be they got accustomed to it.  We had a piping hot idly and puri as breakfast in Orrisa. The people here will have a desert(Gulab Jamun) with their breakfast.

We reached the foot of the Hills by 7.30 Am and started climbing the mountain on our rides. One need a sturdy Bike as Bullet to journey comfortable on these rocky path.

With a few slips here and there we reached to the top of mountain. Behold in front of us there is a Big lake!

A big lake on top of Mountain a rare sight. We had a bonus here, we could see the clouds hugging the mountains, a breathtaking view similar at Vanajangi tourists are flocking to.

We had our dose of clicks of the Nature from four sides of the mountain. We travelled around 5 kms on mountain top which resembles plains on no roads! That's another awesome experience.

Finally we went a level down to visit the Actual caves. There are series of small caves in to the mountain we visited. The sunlight entering into the cave from a huge hole is a mesmerizing moment.

And entering a dark cave is another experience. Had a nice time there.

We returned to Araku by Afternoon had a sumptuous lunch.

On return clicked the Sunkarimetta Church standing tall. Visited the local Santha where tribal sell their produce and buy the products they need. Bought some tasty Juicy organic Sithaphal and Oranges.

Continued the Journey down the cool breeze and hilly roads. Reached home by 6Pm had a nice hot shower and hanged the boots for the day.

I had to thank 2 people for this mesmerizing travel experience. One my colleague who is a fitness and travel freak and another my better half for permitting to roam on a weekend :)