Tadiyandamol peak is situated in the Kodagu district of Karnataka. Tadiyandamol means highest point and as the name suggests it is the highest point in Kodagu district.At a height 1740m, peak gives splendorous views of the western ghats.

Preparation of the trek:
The idea of the trek came up all of a sudden and the planning was done within 2 days. We were 3 people from Bangalore. Reservation of tickets, two and fro, was done by Pradeep. We took KSRTC Airawat  from Bangalore to Virajpete.

Trek day 1:
We reached Virajpete early in the morning at 5. Our next  stop was the Naalku Naadu Palace junction, on the way to Napoklu, Bhagamandala. Napoklu is well connected by public as well as private buses from Virajpete. Buses run between Virajpete and Napoklu every hour. We hired a room to get freshen up, and with the morning blues we were late to get out of the lodge. As the time was passing 10am we decided to take an auto to the Palace. After almost 1 hour of travelling in an auto we reached the Palace which is around 27kms from Virajpete

Nalk naadu Palace

The palace was built by the King  DoddaVeerarajendra in 1792. From the outside looks, palace looks like an old house which you will commonly find in the Malnad sides of Karnataka.

After wandering through the palace, we walked upon the tar road which passes through a  home stay place right at the junction. You have to take the road to the right, which is a fairly steep climb. The trek starts from there. From the palace, it is 2 kms to the the ghat section.

There is a forest guard staying at the foothills of the mountain. You can contact him for any assistance.
We started our trek around 12pm. As we were only 3 people and with the previous trekking experience we were climbing relatively faster.

Halfway through the trek we were already amid clouds as we had picked a perfect day for the trek. Drizzling had started halfway and we were not feeling tired at all. This amounted us to reach the summit within 2 and half hours. On the summit the cloud had surrounded us and the visibility fell to less than 5 meters. And the sad part of it, even today we dont know what is on the other side of the peak.


We pitched tent on the summit, collected wood from the nearby jungle and MTR's ready to eat Pav Bhaji was ready for our dinner.

Trek day 2:
We woke up early in the morning and started climbing down. We were at the foothills within an hour. And reached the bus stop within 1 and half hours. We took bus from here to Virajpete from where we had booked Airawat back to Bangalore.








WARNING:
Camping on the midway of the mountain or near the streams is not adviced since the recently, wild elephants have started wandering into the trail and around the patches of forests. If you intend to camp anywhere, keep a camp fire running.

On the summit there is place to pitch maximum of 3 tents.

Trekking details:
Base camp: Virajpete
Connectivity from Bangalore: Well connected by Govt buses.
Journey hours:  6-7 hours in bus.

Trekking distance: 7-8 kms

Trekking season:
October- January(advised)
You can also visit in the 1st week of June when the pre monsoon flourishes the grass and the place is covered in clouds.


Difficulty level:
Moderate for amateur trekkers.
Easy for frequent trekkers.

Must carry:

• Tent, sleeping bag and mat.
• Good trekking shoes.
• Water(2-3lts). You can find water streams on the hills till Jan.
• Leech repellent if you are going before november( Iodex spray, salt). Leech socks are the best options.
• Proper winter wear if you are going after Nov. Temp stays low in winter.
• Flashlight, First aid kit, Knife, rope, energy drinks and food items.

 Important guidelines:

• Reserve your tickets in advance.
• Start trekking early in the morning, sooner the better.
• Stay with the crowd always.
• Woods in the forest will be wet till October sic rainfall is often in the region.
• Keep your backpack as light as possible. Dont carry too much of food. 

  Total trekking time:

• If you are a frequent trekker, you can reach the summit  in 2-3 hours.
• for amateur trekkers it might take 3-4 hours.

Tips for photographers:

• Dont  forget to capture the macro beauties of the jungle.
• View from the mountain gives a perfect landscape.
• Get up early to capture the most beautiful sunrise you might have seen in your life.

Trekking rules:

• Do not carry alcohol. Do not smoke in the jungle
• Do not throw anything during the trek.  Keep the trekking place clean for the following trekkers.

 Happy Trekking :)