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.:)