Bramhagiri

Fresh from the trek, i thought would be the best time to cover this one on my blog. Bramhagiri is located in the Coorg district and arguably has the best wildlife among all other treks in Karnataka! Known for the amazing wildlife and lovely landscape, Bramhagiri is one of the most popular treks in the region and is among the top 5 best treks for many trekkers in this region! Travel details are fairly simple:
Location: Gonikoppal(Coorg)- Srimangala-Irpu falls-Narimal Betta guest house- Bramhagiri- Thiruneli(Kerala)-Kutta-Gonikoppal
Duration : 2 nights and 3 days including travel(bangalore)
Trek difficulty: Simple to average
Ideal season: When ever permission available
Requirements :Back pack, sleeping bags, minimum 2 liters of water, snacks, ration to cook food for 2 meals, clothes as per requirement, comfortable foot wear, extra socks, warm clothing, towel, candles, torch, match box, knife, cup, plate.
Bus to Gonikoppal in coorg. From there a bus to Srimangala where the forest office is located. Permission to trek and a guide along with the trekking group is mandatory. After sorting out the permission, get to irpu falls. Enjoy the waterfall and if your mind permits then take bath also in it! It is quite a local attraction, so you are bound to have aunties and uncles alongside. Naked uncles and screaming aunties would make more sense actually!
On finishing with the aunties and uncles and the waterfall, start trekking with the guide! Trek is fairly simple and uneventful on the first day! Hardly two and half hours and the first camping location is reached! A really short trek this one. Narimal betta guest house is the only place where the permission to stay is given. Camp fire and such things are not appreciated. The guest house is quite well equipped with vessels and a cooking place. Just collect firewood and you are all set! If the trek seemed too small, then a place called Pakshi pathalam just 4 kms away from narimal betta is a worthwhile timepass. Sunset and sunrise are major photography events. Try wasting less time than my friend in adjusting the lenses and the focus and the aperture and wat not!!;)
Second day the trek gets interesting. For me the highlight of the trek was spotting deer! Also we spotted a lone bull at quite a distance. The funny part is that we spotted this lone bull at 5 30 while taking pics of the sunset and when we came back next day for the sunrise photography session, we spotted it at the same place. A friend of mine suggests that its the male thrown out of the herd by the dominant male since its attracting attention of the females in the herd. ;) Thank God human's rnt like them. Else most of us would be thrown out of a lot of places!!!!....lol!....
The trek on the second day gets to full swing when Bramhagiri stands in front of you and all you can see is that nicely cut path which runs straight up. This also is the boundary marking between karnataka and Kerala! Walk in the path and you are in no mans land...lolz!...So trek straight up to get an amazing view from the top of Bramhagiri!!!!! Steep trek down the hill and you reach Thirunelli temple village. Visit the temple and board a bus to Kutta. Kutta to either Mysore or Gonikoppal.
One of the easiest treks in the western ghats range, but also one of the most beautiful treks. Dense wildlife and enthralling scenes is the USP of this trek. Any trekker in Karnataka region would have guaranteed heard about this trek. On a personal note this trek was my first all boys trek so it was fun and it was even better since it was with an alien group of guys! Group turned out to be amazing and it was superb sharing stories from various treks! Do this trek even if you aren't a trekker!!!! Its worth the little bit of effort! Enjoy trekking:)

KP!!!!!

Isn't that a glorious sight! KP which stands for Kumara Parvata is located in South Canara, and is one of the nicest trek in this region.
Location: Kumara parvata, Kukke-Somvarpet.
Duration : 2 nights and 3 days including travel(bangalore)
Trek difficulty: Average
Ideal season: Summer
Requirements :Back pack, Tent, sleeping bags, minimum 2 liters of water, snacks, ration to cook food for 2 meals, clothes as per requirement, comfortable foot wear, extra socks, warm clothing, towel, candles, torch, match box, knife, cup, plate.
Travel plan is quite simple. Board a bus to Kukke or Somvarpet according to convinience. Trek can be started from either direction. Since I did it from Kukke, I will be providing more details form that end. Trek starts directly in front of the Kukke temple. There is a small path leading towards the starting point. Few hundred meters on this path will lead straight to a house. This is the starting point of the trek! A very good part of the forest has been cleared up to form the path, so there should not be any confusion about the path.
The initial part of the trek is in quite thick jungle. Try and enjoy this bit as you might not come across this kind of canopy after a while. After an hour and half of delightful trekking, bhatru mane(Mr Bhat's house) arrives. This is the last sight of people and the place for Lunch off course. Bhatru, i e the owner of the house, along with his few sons and relatives lives here and has a real good hand at cooking. He regularly cooks food for the trekking enthusiasts who come to this place in large nos. during the holiday season. The time I went also was one such period and believe it or not, at the peak there were around 8 different camps consisting roughly of around 60 people overall. That's a mess, so choose the dates you go to this place wisely since its one of the most popular treks in the region! Route to the peak is fairly straight forward. But the trek to the peak isn't!!! After crossing Bhatru mane, there is hardly a sign of shade anywhere! Not a tree is within sight for a long long tine. And the climb too is quite nasty and treacherous. Quite a short distance, but the sun, gradient of climb and lack of shade makes the trek seem like a very long one!!!On reaching the false peak, the actual Kumara parvata peak is visible. This false peak is called Pushpagiri. One of the most enthralling sights in the western ghats greets us on top of this peak. MAARI GUNDI is a breath taking fall right in front of this peak. A snap at the edge of this peak with Maari gundi in the background is a must!;)
Camping can be done in the small bit of jungle at the peak. Care needs to be taken in this place as this place boasts of a quite dense wildlife. Reports of bear attacks have been reported in the past. Tents would be ideal for camping but it is possible to camp without them also easily. Light a small fire, not too extravagant since this region falls under the reserve forest range and lighting an extravagant fire might not go very well with the forest officials. Temperatures fall drastically in the night, since this is the second tallest peak in the state. Take veru good warm clothing else you will suffer the fate that one of my friend's had to! He gave the rest of the team doubts about my sexual orientation! Btw i am straight!!!..;)
Rise early and start trekking. Reason I shall tell in a while. Enjoy the sunrise at the peak. Its an absolute delight. Then there are arrow marks pointing towards Somvarpet. Follow them religiously through out the trek. The descent is quite slippery at places and the gradient is surprisingly sharp through out. Descend safely but a little quickly since the last bus to Somvarpet from the forest office below is at 3 30 sharp. This is the reason I said start the day as early as possible! If you manage to reachthe forest office below(which marks the end of the trek) very early then try visiting Malvalli falls which is very close to this forest office. Have a nice shower and board the bus to Somvarpet!:)
KP is a very significant trek for me in more than one way. Firstly the sight of Maari Gundi is unparrelell to any I have ever seen. Second reason is a personal one, since I went with a small group and had a lot of fun trekking. This again is a must visit for trekking enthusiasts in Karnataka. Have fun and enjoy trekking :).

Sakleshpur Railway Track!

This is the trek that got me really famous. Not for taking good pictures or anything but for a completely weird reason. We shall get to that later. Firstly lets get a brief idea of where we are headed. This is probably the most well published trek among all others in Karnataka. There isn't a trekker in recent times who hasn't done this one (if you are one then you better do it soon!!!) Location : Donnigal (near Sakleshpur) Duration : 2 nights and 3 days including travel(bangalore) Trek Difficulty : Average Ideal season : Monsoon Requirements :Back pack, Tent, sleeping bags, minimum 2 liters of water, snacks, ration to cook food for 2 meals, clothes as per requirement, comfortable foot wear, extra socks, warm clothing, towel, candles, torch, match box, knife, cup, plate. People in vicinity : rare but for fellow trekkers Let me first clear the doubt about this trek route being closed. There are 2 trains scheduled on this track everyday. The timings of which can be found out from the railway dept. Hence by avoiding those trains, you can actually do this trek. Bus to Sakleshpur and from there to Donnigal catch another bus. Else take a bus to mangalore and get down at Donnigal directly. At Donnigal you will find the Manzarabad fort. Famous for hosting an underground tunnel till Mysore, this fort is quite a delight for photographers. Try and catch the first rays of sunlight for the day at this fort. Walk down the road for a Km or so to find the abandoned railway station on your right. This is the starting point of the trek. For breakfast this could be an ideal spot if packed, else Sakleshpur does have some good restaurants. The trek part of it is fairly simple since the route is the railway track. The trek is unique for various reasons. Firstly the bridges are an experience that you will never get anywhere else. There are bridges to the length of more than half Km on along the stretch. Secondly there are tunnels. Once upon a time there were a lot of bats in them which made the experience even more adventurous but for now they are just tunnels where there is pitch darkness and nothing else. Thirdly you will find some of the most unforgettable water falls all along the trek. Known for its scenic beauty, this trek is any photographer's dream come true, so dont forget to take your camera along. Lets get to them one by one. The trek it self is based on counts as me and my fellow trekker discovered that the slabs form a particular pattern. So learn up the pattern and you are set. The bridges to some people are the really scary part. I dont blame them for being scared really. How would it feel if you are standing rite on top of a rapid which is more ferocious than the white waters of the Ganga. Yes, I am not kidding. the bridge passes rite on top of the KEMP HOLE which is known for its rapid intensity. Scared kids have an escape route at most places but for the big boys this is an experience they will never want to miss. There are lots of bridges which always bring some new excitement at the bottom. Some scare you with the height they attain and some scare you ny the lenght they reach out to and some just scare you by the slippery nature of the metal surface!!!!!...All in all if you are not scared at the end of this then you ought to get your brain checked! The tunnels are quite another zone of experience. Small tunnels show light at the other end and long one's only give hope of light. If you don't carry a torch to this trek hen I can guarantee you that you are going to have the most adventurous trek of your life. The darkness inside the tunnel is so thick that seeing thy own hand is quite impossible. Imagine a train coming when you are inside a long tunnel. That's an experience! My friend was lucky enough to witness this! Though the trek is long, the excitement of finding a tunnel or a bridge always makes this trek exciting! At the end of day 1, camping happens at EDUKUMERI! Personally I have never been there! Only heard stories of this place. So happened that when we went, there were land slides in the area. After crossing 3 of them and gaining knowledge of worse landslides ahead we decided to retrieve!. With quick sand that comes up to the height of your knees that was quite an experience! But then not completing the trek doesnt stop me from telling you the full story. Next stop happens at Edukumeri where there is a railway station. The railway platform serves the purpose of the bed that particular night. Next day is a walk up to Kukke Subramaya.
The most interesting thing about this trek when we went was the group that we went in. We were around 20 of us, comprising of both guys and gals. The group was a very special group which consisted of some really wonderful characters. Well the most special of all these characters happened to be a good friend. As usual in treks as it happens this one person was being teased and that person almost became the center of all discussions of the group. This was one of my very first treks so the early days excitement was still there in me. Seeing my great enthusiasm some of my great seniors thought that I could take more responsibility on a trek like this and named me the LEADER! How ever nice that sounds, trust me its not something that I personally enjoyed doing! So the terk went fine and my friend got teased and she was upset and she had a small fight with another friend of mine. Well not a very uncommon event on any trek. When more than 15 people are out together, doing nothing but gossip, a small fight is always on the cards! So there was a fight between the 2 of them. I was just a spectator till then. Then we all came back home safely in the bus. Less did I know that the adventures of Railway track had just begun. Back home after having a relaxed day at home, I went to college hoping to meet some seniors and tell them what an amazing trek it had been. Less did I know that I was in trouble! WHY? WHAT? WHEN? HOW?...I didnt know! But yes I was in trouble! My dear old friend had come back from the trek and told the seniors about the ugly teasing sessions that happened on the trek and the differences that she shared with a few members on the trek! So my great seniors zeroed in on me since I was the easiest target back then and off course the LEADER! So I was blasted left right and centre, black and blue for no real mistake of mine! Well the only mistake I had done was in accepting the juicy offer of becoming the LEADER! Later I was blessed with some amazing lectures on Leadership qualities by my amazing seniors, to which I wasnt allowed to retaliate, as my good friends present in that room, thought was the wiser thing to do! So the moral of the story is 'Never accept the role of being the leader unless you know what you are upto, and even if you do, never allow your friends in the room where there is an arguement regarding your leadership abilities'.
Fun apart and controversies apart, Sakleshpur Railway track trek is easily one of the most beautiful treks in the western ghats. The trek offers various relishing experiences that cannot be had anywhere else, be it the bridges or the tunnels. This trek glorifies the vastness and the beauty of the western ghats. I would mark this one as a must do trek for all trekking enthusiasts in Karnataka. Enjoy trekking!..:)

Bandajje!!!!!

Since my friend Harsha has branded this as travel details i ll keep it to almost just that with a little bit of masala added. This blog should be like a trekker's guide to any trek in the state of Karnataka. So now lets get down to business. Next trek and one of my personal favourites, Bandajje.

Location: Bandajje, near Dharmastala
Duration: 2days and 3 nights including travel (bangalore)
Trek difficulty: in between moderate and tough
Ideal season: Summer
Requirements: Back pack, Tent, sleeping bags, minimum 2 liters of water, snacks, ration to cook food for 2 meals, clothes as per requirement, comfortable foot wear, extra socks, warm clothing, towel, candles, torch, match box, knife, cup, plate.
Chance of finding people on the trek: none except for fellow trekkers!

Lets just get through the initial travel details really quickly. From bangalore catch a bus to Dharmastala. Freshen up in Dharmastala, have breakfast and get set to go. From Dharmastala you can take a bus to Ujjire. From Ujjire you will need a jeep or a van to take you to the starting point of the trek called 'GOWDRU MANE'. The name of the place actually is Mundajje. Alternately a jeep or van can be hired directly from Dharmastala to Gowdru mane.
Once at Gowdru Mane kindly take permission from the owner of the house to move ahead. Dont get scared by what Gowdru has to say. He does blow things out of proportion. Confirm the route before you start, since telling you the route out here is not possible. As soon as you start the trek you will enter a good thick canopy of trees. Take note of going in the correct direction. there is a clear and defined path which goes till the first water source. On reaching the first stream remember to cross it and move straight through. You will be able to find the route easily on the other side of the stream. Remember to cling on to a definitive path through out this trek. On trekking for a long stretch for about 4-5 hours in the thick canopy of the jungle you will reach the grassland. Thats it! There starts your actual trek! Dont be surprised. Once you start your climb on the grassland you would know i was right. The grasslands anywhere are the most deceptive parts of the trek. Drawing an estimate of how far or how long the trek might go on for is the biggest mistake most of us have done. On climbing a little on the grassland you would see the the water fall of Bandajje! The sight of the falls is so refreshing to the eye that you will almost forget how tiring the trek was and start walking towards it. Only later will you realize that its just a vision! A vision that ll haunt you for the next 3 hours when you trek towards the falls that has looked just hundred meters away from the past one and a half hours. Save water from the forest for the grassland.
The waterfall is your destination for that day. Camping can happen at the waterfall or just a little upstream where you will find a small cave. Cave might not be ideal for sleeping. This trek has a definitive requirement for a tent. Depending on the number of people, carry a big enough tent. Camping could be done just next to the cave where there is a 100X100 site cleared up ideally for camping. Camping there also helps because it is right next to the stream which helps while cooking. This trek is absolutely in the wild. No villages like in many other treks! So be a little careful about the wildlife. The forest of which you are currently a part off is home to a lot of wild animals. There are instances where people have found wild buffaloes and many other wild animals. But again there is no reason to fear since even the wild animals fear the most foulest creatures on this planet, The Homo sapiens!!! Sleep well that night coz the next day is going to more treacherous than the first day.
Rise early next morning and walk up to the falls. Sunrise at the falls would be some sight! Dont get over adventurous. Reminds me I should share a story with you now. On my first visit to this place, 3 of my friends went up to the falls and decided that they ll venture out a little and see the place around. They tried to walk back to the cave by a different route. After walking up for more than an hour, they came down to the conclusion that they are lost. A realization that should have hit them 45 mins back since the cave is just a 5 minute walk up the stream. So these 3 adventurous soles of my group decide to retrace after an hour of walking! But before doing that they have short little discussion. Discussion starts with a chopper coming down to pick them up and ranges till eating each other if not much food is available!!!!!!! I must say getting lost was quite an experience for them.After retracing or may I say attempting to retrace their path for the next hour and a half, these lost souls find that New Zealand cap which they always hated through out the trek. Yes!!!!, it was on the head of a completely headless guy, who just came there to get a view of the falls and ended up looking like GOD to these lost souls. Rest of the group hardly realized that these guys were lost and they prepared breakfast and took bath in the stream water happily. They were back after their most adventurous two and a half hours of their life where they even went on to understand that adventure is clearly not for the faint hearted!..:)
So, 2nd day starts by walking up from the stream straight up in the opposite direction of your arrival. On climbing to the peak you will find be able to see the BALAL RAYAN DURGA FORT. Walk around a few peaks and climb a few steep hills to reach the fort finally. Remember there might not be a defined route initially while you try to reach the peak but later you will find a very clear cut path leading straight to the fort. At the fort take rest for a while. Finish the snacks that were left. Do not go hunting for water like my dear friends tried to do! Its a little to far and a little too less to actually attempt for! From th etrek you should be able to find a defined path which leads you straight down to a village. Don't waste too much time in the village because there is some trekking left to be done on road. There still is another furlong according to the locals but let me tell you that another 2 kms on road is still to be covered. After this long stretch you will reach the main road where you should be able to get a bus which could take you towards Dharmastala or Shimoga based on the availability of the bus. Ideal would be to get down at Tarikere and have NEER DOSA for dinner and then catch a bus straight to bangalore from there!..:)
Bandajje is one of my most favorite treks till date. The place is so cut out of humans that it almost gives you a feeling of actually being in the jungle which is rare to find in most treks these days. Also the thick forest and vast grassland are a treat to any nature lover. The water fall would be one of the best you can find in any trek in Karnataka. All in all its a complete trek. Tires you out and shows you some of the best sceneries you would ever witness and takes you away from people. This trek would be on the top of the list of more frequent trekkers in this region.
Enjoy trekking.:)

First and foremost!

Well let me start off with my most favorite trek. This was my first ever overnight trek.
Location: Kodachadri
Duration: 2days and three nights including travel from bangalore
Trek Difficulty: Moderate
Since i live in bangalore most of my travel instructions will be with travel in mind. Firstly catch a bus or train to Shimoga. Reach Shimoga early in the morning. Catch a bus from Shimoga that goes to Kollur. Elite at a place called Gowrikere. This is where the trek begins. From Gowrikere by road, trek another 2kms to reach the local school. Here starts the actual trek to Kodachadri.
Once you take the turn towards Hindlu mane falls at the school, you will see the vast expanse of the thick jungle in this region. Though you will find a jeep track running till the Hindlu mane, its still quite a nice pleasent trek till there!. Once you reach Hindlu mane ask the local people in the house for directions. Also ask them for some local made jaggery. A friend of mine got me this on my second visit. Its really tasty and its made by the locals. Speaking of jaggery, off course there are sugarcanes which are grown in their backyard which are not to be plucked[must tell you, they are really tasty .First hand experience you see...;)]. Once you get to Hindlu mane not many would disagree with me at the fact that its one of the best waterfalls to take bath in[assuming that you have come here in summer.In winter getting a glimpse of the falls itself is a big thing]. Not the biggest of falls but the sheer smallness of it is what makes it really special. They say a bath in one such falls is a cure to many diseases. Who cares if it is!. All that matters really is that its fun to take bath so shed ur clothes and get under the falls! After having a bath for around a half n hour its time to leave else the night mite have to be spent at the falls!. Not very ideal!!.
Once sone with the falls make sure you fill in a lot of water in your water bottles and move on!. WEll as one of my friend once on this trek said "Take a left after the Tree". So you know where to go now exactly, except that the jungle is full of trees!. On your climb up after the falls make sure you are a little left oriented. Once you cross the thick woods, you will find vast expanse of grassland!. No the trek is certainly not over yet! If anything its just started. On keen observation you will be able to find a nicely defined path which leads straight to a jeep track but after a little bit of trekking off course!. Make sure you have some time time in hand before you reach the jeep track. On the jeep track its another 3-4 kms trek. Dont mind asking the locals there since they do not know anything above a furlong's measurement. Taking their words seriously could lead to severe mental stress since that furlong is never ending.
The jeep track will lead straight to the top of Kodachadri. Up there is a temple and a guest house. What this means is that there is a comfortable place to stay in and there is good provision for food!. Try taking your own ration along as the hotel up there is quite highly priced!. You can probably cook in the hotel's kitchen and pay him a little for it later!. Stay at the guest house if available. Post 'GAALIPATA' the place is infested with too many people so be ready with an alternative to camp. Carry a tent along if possible. Savor the food, get a massage done by a friend and have a good nap. Try and wake up early and catch up with Sunrise at the sunset point at the peak of this hill!. DO not miss this opportunity of catching the first rays of sunlight at the peak! Once finished with the click clicks! get set again for another arduous 2-3 hrs of trekking down the hill. On asking the locals they will show you the route downwards. Follow the trail to reach a jeep track at the arrival of which there is KAKA ANGDI. Have a cuppa coffee and move on!.
On reaching the main road on this jeep track you have completed the trek successfully. Pat yourself on your shoulder a few times on this achievement. Try getting a lift to Kollur in one of the local vehicles out there, else wait for the bus which might come anytime soon!. If finished early this day, you could check out the KOLLUR MUUKAMBIKA TEMPLE. Quite a beautiful place or go to some beach near kundapur which is what we did the first time we went there!. Go play with the mermaids on MARVANTE beach and then head towards a bus stand once it gets dark!. Catch a bus directly to bangalore but only after tasting the local made fish curry or fish fry at kundapur's Shetty's Tiffan House!
Get back home and plan for the next trek which will be the next post on this blog...;)

blogging and me!!!!!!!

Well apparently blogging is an in thing these days. Even Amitabh Bachan and AAmir Khan do it so why not me. Well the only difference between them and me being that their blog is viewed by millions and mine is viewed by losers like you. The main intention behind creating a blog was to give an insight into the trekking locations in and around Karnataka!. Why this?. Because very recently i got lost in a trek yet again. And this is not a new thing with me or to better say with most of us trekkers. Getting lost as most would agree is fun in a trek until it all ends up safe at the end. So i dedicate this blog of mine just to explain a few trekking routes and my experiences at those treks. I will only talk abt the treks that I have been to. Ok thats enough for a start. Shall soon be coming up with my first trek experience and details abt the place.