Ramnath Kamat

Savandurga is one of Asia's largest monolith hills situated about 60kms from Bangalore towards Magadi. It is very popular among climbers. 

Savandurga is formed by two hills known locally as Karigudda (black hill) and Biligudda (white hill). There is a Temple of Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy, where there is an Idol of Lord Narasimha has been worshipped.At the base you can park your vehicle, looks pretty safe for parking during day time. I had left home in the afternoon, so reached the base right when the sun was at its peak. 

Savandurga

There are steps carved onto the hill all the way till top. So climbing it is not a problem but make sure that you carry enough water for the climb. Being Sunday, there were lot of tourists to this spot. 

Manchinbele reservoir as seen from the top

 

Garden lizard

Story telling

Thats me

Temple at the top

View from the top

I spent an hour at the top exploring but the sun was hard to take. So, I climbed down quickly to the base and rode to the Manchinbele reservoir for the sunset. Going near this reservoir is now banned because of many drowning incidents.

 

Falcon at the reservoir

As the sun set I left to home..



Trekking details:Base camp: SavandurgaConnectivity from Bangalore: Better trust own transportJourney hours:  1 hour from Manjestic Trekking distance : 1 and half kms one wayTrekking season:All seasonsDifficulty level:Moderate for amateur trekkers.Easy for frequent trekkers.Must carry:
Good trekking shoes.
Water(1lts).
Food and water are sold here.
   Total trekking time:
If you are a frequent trekker, you can reach the summit  in 45 min-1 hour.

Tips for photographers:
View from the mountain gives a perfect landscape.
Visit early during the day to capture the beautiful sunrise.
Trekking rules:
Do not carry alcohol.
Do not throw anything during the trek.  Keep the trekking place clean for the following trekkers.

Ramnath Kamat's Happiness Index for the trek: 6/10

ಆ ಮುಂಜಾನೆಯ ಚಳಿಯಲ್ಲಿ  ಕಣ್ಣು ಬಿಟ್ಟಾಗ ಕಾಣಿಸಿತು ಕಿಗ್ಗಿಸಿ ಬರುತ್ತಿದ್ದ  ಚೂರು ಬೆಳಕು. ಮೈ ಕೊಡವಿ ಎದ್ದು ಮೇಲಂಗಿ ಧರಿಸಿ ಡೇರೆಯನ್ನು ತೆರೆದಾಗ ಜುಮ್ ಅಂತನೆ ಅಪ್ಪಳಿಸಿತು ಆ ತಂಗಾಳಿ. ಪ್ರತಿ ಪರ್ವತಾರೋಹಣದ ಸುಂದರ ಸೊಬಗು ಅದರ ಮುಂಜಾನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಅಡಗಿದೆ. ಸ್ಥಳವನ್ನು ಆಯ್ಕೆ ಮಾಡಿ ಪೂರ್ವದಲ್ಲಿ ನಭವನ್ನು ಗೋಚರಿಸುತ್ತ ಆ ಲೋಕದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಳೆದು ಹೋಗುವುದು ಒಂದು ಸುಂದರ ಅನುಭವ.

Kudremukha mountain range is in the Chikmaguluru district of Karnataka. The name Kudremukha refers to a particular picturesque view of a side of the mountain that resembles a horse's face. The Kudremukha national park is second largest declared wildlife protected are in the western ghats ranging from Dakshina Kannada to Chikmagaluru districts of Karnataka.

Preparation of the trek: This trek was planned well before a month by 7 of us. Tickets to the nearest town Kalasa was booked in Airawat bus. We had booked a local guy named Rajappa who takes care of food, accommodation and forest entry permisision. Jeep from Kalasa to Rajappa's house was also booked. We took Airawat bus to Kalasa from Majestic bus stand at 10:30 pm.

Trek day:

Rajappa's home

Bus had arrived Kalasa around 6 am and the jeep was waiting for us at the bus stop. Kalasa is a holy hobali town  situated on the banks of Bhadra river. Kalasa has many lodges and restaurants incase you are planning to stay in Kalasa. Distance from Kalasa to Rajappa's house is around 30 kms out of which 20 km is a tar road and the rest is a rocky mud road which climbs the hills of the range. Rajappa's house is situated right below the the Kudremukha peak from where you start the trek. We reached Rajappa's house by 7:30 in the morning and a nice cup of Coffee made from homemade seeds. After getting freshen up, hot Ambode for breakfast was waiting for us. Its kind of idli but will be litlle hard and round in shape. 

We started the trek around 9 o clock. Rajappa's nephew Arun was our guide. He was carrying Uppittu for our lunch and Rajappa's 2 dogs were following us. Trek to the peak is around 10 kms in distance and goes through vast shola grasslands and forests. You will find water streams every 2 kms till the top and as per Arun they will be flowing all 12 months. So, you need not worry about carrying lot of drinking water as these streams are pure natural water to drink. There is a well defined trail till the peak which can be followed and there are not to many diversion paths to get confused. In my opinion, you need not necessarily have a guide but its better to have one.

Lonely tree, not sure of its real name  but we named it lonely tree

Our first pitstop was a lonely tree as you can see it in the picture this tree was a picturesque and my friends has started taking photos. We started again after taking rest for 5 minutes. The route was easy from here as we just had to walk amid dry grasslands. Every 1 km of walk you encounter a small forest and stream flowing in it. This repeats for most of the trek atleast till you cover half of the distance. 

Our next pitstop was just down the hill near the lobo house. Lobo house is a an old house in ruins now. Arun said people used to stay there once upon a time and they had beetlenut farm. 

Encounter of first forest and the small stream.

Third  pistop.

Trek from here gets real as you have to climb pretty much steep hill. If you ask me, Kudremukha trek is all about climbing 3 difficult steep hills and rest is pure walk among the grasslands. This hill is the first steep hill but a short one.After climbing this hill everyone was tired and we stooped for quick drinks break cum photography session at another lonely tree. Lonely trees are markings for our navigation to know how much we have covered. This helps while climbing down as you know how much more you have to go.

We saw a group of Sarangs( Stags) here. This is the first time I have ever seen any animal during treks. But they ran away into the jungle as soon as they saw us coming.

View from the 3rd steep climb.

As we continued our trek we encountered our second steep hill, this hill is about 100 meters long but inclined upto 60 degree climbing. After climbing this small hill there is a small forest and you can see a small stream of water flowing on the rocks. Arun said during rainy seasons its very difficult to cross this since rocks will be slippery and the current of water is very high.

After this, you can actually see the peak but the trail to the peak doesnt go in a straight path rather it goes in a zig-zag way making you trek for some more 4 kms even though the peak is very near. Here you will encounter the 3rd and the last steep climb which is about 500 meters long. Once you climb this hill you are almost at the top of the range but still lags around 1 km of walking distance. 

Myself with the flag at the peak

On the peak there are ruins of a Bungalow. According to Arun it was built by British in early 19th century and the building is still strong. I was planning to visit it while climbing down but all plans shattered for the reason I will mention later in this blog. Almost at the peak we found a small tent made from plastic sacks, nicely built. Arun dismantled it saying they were not allowed to camp here and he made  a flag out of it. We carried that flag to the top and hoisted it on the peak. Next time you visit there if you find a white flag, remember it was hoisted by us.

It was cloudy on the peak and we couldn't see anything down. It has happened with me many times before so I didnt have any big expectations. We had Uppittu and took rest. Then it was the time for Harlem shake and photography.




After spending almost an hour at the peak, Arun warned us that it might rain. We finished our photography in hurry and started climbing down. It was just 100 meters of climb down and the rain started pouring. Well, this was unexpected for us in March. We didnt carry any rain sheet. We kept all our mobiles, wallets and cameras in waterproof backpacks and decided to climb down in the rain as you can never guess when the rain will stop on the peak. We were literally running down shouting slogans 'Vande Mataram' 'Bolo bharat mata ki jai' etc just to boost us up in that literally shivering cold rain. This is how i missed to visit that British tourist bungalow. By the time we trekked half down, rain had stopped but we were not in a mood to stop anywhere. We trekked almost 9kms without even stopping once and took our first pitstop at the lonely tree. From here Rajappa's  house is just 1 km and we covered that with almost no effort. 

At Rajappa's house hot coffee was waiting for us and Arun had boiled water for taking bath. Whats more comfortable than taking bath in hot water after trekking in storm. Every one was waiting in queue to take bath and we relaxed till night. 

WARNING:
Camping at the peak or anywhere inside the national park is strictly prohibited. We saw tiger litter on the peak, so please follow this advice, do not camp on the peak.

If you are trekking in summer then wear full pants( a formal pant will do, a track pant will be amazing). I was wearing shorts and dried up grass really turns itchy as you have to walk for a long distance amid grassland.
 
Heard from Arun that during Monsoon, even 2 hands are not enough to take out leaches from your body. So, do not plan to trek during mosnsoon.

Trekking details:
Base camp: Kalasa
Connectivity from Bangalore: Well connected by Govt buses( Airawat  and Rajahamsa)
Journey hours:  6-7 hours in bus. Airawat bus reaches Kalasa at 6 in the morning.

Trekking distance: 9-10 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:
Difficult for amateur trekkers.
Moderate for frequent trekkers.

Must carry:

• Tent, sleeping bag and mat. ( Not required if you are planning to stay at some local's house)
• Good trekking shoes.
• Water(1-2lts). You can find water streams on the hills all the time.
• 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, 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 3:30 - 4:00 hours.
• for amateur trekkers it might take 5 hours.

Tips for photographers:

• Dont  forget to capture the macro beauties of the jungle.
• View from the mountain gives a perfect landscape.
• Kudremukha is home to amazing wildlife especially birds and butterflies. I saw atleast 30 types of different birds and butterflies. You can see some of the birds below:

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 :)

       Makalidurga is a hill fort situated about 60 km off Bangalore towards Doddaaballapura. Summit holds the temple of Lord Shiva with a Nandi.

Approaches:
         One can reach Makalidurga via train, private transport or public transport. Best would be to use private transport as it will take you right below the hill thus reducing strain.

Trekking:

Temple at the summit

         We started our trekking around 11 am. The trekking path goes around the temple at the base. The path is scarce though indicated by some white color painted arrow marks on the stone and is eventually difficult to find. Once you lose your way, you have to make your own way to the summit as we did and this includes climbing big rocks,making your own way through the bushes etc. At the summit there is a temple inside a fort wall alike compound. There is no absolute availability of water from the base till the summit, so don't forget to carry water on your own. Trekking down is an easy part, once you are on a right way you will not lose it.

View from the top

On the way to the summit

Trekking details:
Base camp: Makalidurga  
Connectivity from Bangalore: Well connected train, bus.
Journey hours:  2 hours in bus.

Trekking distance: 2-3 kms

Trekking season:
All time
Difficulty level:
 Happy Trekking :)  

    Valley of Flowers National Park is located at  west Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. The trek to the valley is a long one and requires pre planning and preparation. There are lot of tourist packages which provide affordable service few of which are YHAI and GMVNL.

Our tour was planned for 15 days including travelling from Bangalore.

Day 1: 
    We took Rajdhani Express from Bangalore. Train provides 1AC,2AC and 3AC classes. Total journey duration is  36 hours.Train leaves Bangalore Central at 8pm.

Day 2: 
    Second day of the tour goes in the train journey, Rajdhani express passes through AP, Maharashta, MP before reaching Delhi. Food is served on the train and the service is pretty good.

Day 3: 
    We reached Nizamudin station in Delhi at 5am. Our next catch was Shatabdi Express from Nizamuddin to Haridwar. Train was scheduled at 7am and it was on time. I was standing at the train door during this entire journey, train doors always give you picturesque landscapes. Shatabdi is supposed to be fastest between Delhi and Haridwar, so it is advised to take this one and avoid rest. Train reached haridwar station by 1pm. We were hungry and tired of the continuous journey. Outside of Haridwar station, waiting was hotel 'Pavitra Bhojanalaya'. We had our lunch here. Lunch was yummy.

Ganga pooja at Ram jhula

    Our Check in place was GMVNL resort in Rishikesh. Haridwar to Rishikesh is around 25kms and there are lot of buses running between them. There are ricks also available and they charge around 300-400rs depending on your bargaining skills. We reached GMVNL hotel by 4pm, freshened up and were out of the hotel to explore Rishikesh.
 
  Rishikesh is a holy town situated across Ganges. Main attractions in Rishikesh are the Ram Jhula, Laxman Jhula and Ganga Pooja which is done every evening during twilight time. We made it to Ram Jhula and Ganga Pooja. Ganga Pooja was blissfull. We had famous Aloo tikki  and made back to our hotel by 9pm.


Day 4: 
    The actually journey to valley of flowers starts from day 4. Our bus left Rishikesh at 7 am . We had to travel 250kms from Rishikesh to Joshimath. The road is narrow and passes through west himalayan mountains. Landslides are very common here on the road during rainy season and dont be surprised if you get yourself stuck in traffic jam for hours. Entire journey Ganges will be flowing on your right side, so make sure that you take right side window seat in your vehicle.

Dev Prayag

    You will meet three Prayags(means confluence) on your journey. These are
     1. Devprayag: Here Alaknanda and Bhagirathi river meet to form Ganges. This is the actual birthplace of Ganges
     2. Rudraprayag: Here Alaknanda meets Mandakini river.
     3. Karnaprayag: Here Alkananda meets Pindar river.

Travelling 250kms takes 8-9 hours since avg speed of the vehicle is 40kmph. GMVNL has resorts in all major towns in Garhwal region. We reached Joshimath by 8pm.

Day 5: 
    We had to goto Govindghat, trekking starts from here. Govindghat is around 22kms from Joshimath. On the way you meet Vishnu prayag which is one of the panch prayag. Here Alaknanda meets Dhauliganga river.

On the way to Ghanghria

    Govindghat is located at the confluence of Alaknanda and Laxman ganga rivers. Trek to both Valley of flowers and Hemkund Saheb starts from here. You can find hundreds of Sikhs here who come to the holy shrine of Hemkund saheb.  We had to trek for 15kms this day from Govindghat to the hill town of Ghanghria. One can take horse to goto Ghangria and luggage can be given to porters who carry your luggage till the top. They charge around 500rs for it. There is a well built pavement from Govindghat to Ghanghria, so there is not much of tiring. You can find many hotels and shops on the way. MRP of all food items increases as you hike up. Entire trek you find Pushpavati river flowing next to you. It takes around 6-7 hours to reach Ghanghria by walk. We reached Ghanghria by 4pm. This town has recently got electricity so you wil not find geysers in hotels and they charge 50rs for a bucket of hot water. All food items are sold at thrice the MRP price. You can find only Idea network here, there are PCOs which charge 10rs/1min of call.
Documentary about Valley of Flowers is shown at the tourist center in the evening, We had nice dinner in the evening and went off to bed early.

Day 6:

@ the heart of the valley

    We got up early in the morning and packed our lunch. Around 1 kms from Ghangria is the entrance gate to the Valley. You have to pay trekking fees of 150rs here. Valley of flower trek from Ghanghria is quite easy one and you dont  get tired as you feel like you are walking in the heaven. As you enter the park you can see flowers around getting denser as you move ahead. The trek to the park depends on how much you want to trek. If you want to cover the entire valley then the valley stretches upto 10ks otherwise you can visit Mrgaret Legge's memorial which is around 7 kms from Ghanghria.  Throughout the valley you can see Pushpavathi river flowing adjacent to you. Sometimes you need to cross small streams of water over logs or small bridges. We had our packed lunch here. I went till the end of the Valley where you find the glacier.

Valley of flowers

     It is adviced that you should start trek early in the morning. After 1pm clouds cover the park and it starts raining. Same happened with us while coming back. We were drenched inspite of wearing raincotas and the temperature was very low, freezing cold you can say.

    We reached back to Ghanghria by 5pm, had hot tea which gave us our life back.


Day 7: 

On the way to Hemkund

 Our today's destination was Hemkund Saheb , a holy Sikh shrine. It is about 6kms from Ghanghria and the trek is a difficult one. You can take Horses or porters. Two of us took Horses. Me and Pradeep started walking. The trek was steep and tiring. It took us 4 hours to cover 6kms. On the way we had some amazing landscape views. At the Hemkund there is a Gurudwara and a Laxman temple. You get Khichdi and Tea in Gurudwara which is very refreshing in the cold weather. We stayed here for 2 hours and took some pictures and started climbing down. It took us 3 hours to climb down. We came back to Ghanghria and rested here.

Hemkund

Day 8:
    We started climbing down early in the morning. We were at Govindghat by 12pm. We took bus to Badrinath and had lunch there. Evening time we visited the temple and did some shopping. Bath in the hot water spring at Badrinath was amazing.

Day 9:
     We visited last village of India, Mana. The village is on the border with Tibet/china. In the village are the Vyaas gufa nd Ganesh gufa where the Saint Vyasa narrated Mahabharatha to Lord Ganesha. We started our journey back to DevPrayag. It took us arond 5 hours to reach Rudraprayag.

Day 10: 
    We started journey from Rudraprayag to Rishikesh. We reached Rishikesh by 1pm. We booked our train tickets to Delhi and went back on that day itself.

Day 11,12, 13: 
    We visited India gate, Qutub Minar, Jantar Mantar, Red fort in Delhi.

Day 14, 15: Travel back to Bangalore in Rajdhani Express.


   

         At a height of 2100m, Chembra peak is the highest peak in Waynad, Kerala. The peak is located near the town of Meppady and is 8kms away from Kalpetta. Permission from the forest office in Meppady is required for trekking up to Chembra Peak. 


Preparation of the trek:

Soochipara falls.

Heart shaped lake

A barn with Chembra peak in the backround

Trekking details:
Base camp: Kalpetta or Meppady 
Connectivity from Bangalore: Well connected by Govt buses.
Journey hours:  7-8 hours in bus.

Trekking distance: 3-4 kms

Trekking season:
October- March.

Difficulty level:

         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 :)

Kodachadri is a famous trekking place in the Shimoga district of Karnataka. At an altitude of 1312 meters it  is surrounded by Western ghats. Situated in the middle of the Mookambika National Park, it is home to several endemic and endangered species of flora and fauna.

Preparation for the trek:
We were a group of 8 from my office and a college  friend of mine was supposed to join us on the way. We hired a tempo traveller. Tents and food were arranged. We left Bangalore on friday night at 9.

Trek day 1:


We reached Shimoga early in the morning at 5. We hired rooms to  get freshen up but ended up sleeping till 8am which resulted in reaching the trekking place quite late. At the foothills of the mountain jeeps are available which take you to the top of the hill. We hired a guide at the foothills as we thought it would be helpful in finding the path to the summit. There are several waya to reach the summit, we decided to take the route which goes through Hidlumane falls. The trekking route goes through the dense and pretty much steep forest. As we had chosen a wrong time for the trek(April), dehydration had started its effect on us and we were loosing energy. After walking for some 4-5 kms we found a house at the base of the Hidlumane falls. Butter milk at the house was refreshing for the people.






Trek continued to the Hidlumane falls which was around 2-3 kms from the house. Even though we were there in the summer, water level in the falls was quite remarking. And the falls amidst the dense jungle reminded me of James Cameron's Avatar movie. After a lot of photography sessions we started climbing a pretty steep rock. And we continued our quest to the summit. We hiked across landscapes, grasslands, mountains, climbed up and down many hills before reaching the Moola Mookambika temple on the hill. There is a traveller's bungalow with basic facilities which should be reserved well in advance. We took rest at the temple for a while as this pace has water taps, spilling the water on the face was quite refreshing in the hard sun.




From here the trek is around 2-3kms which takes you to the top of the hill. At the summit there is small a temple near the peak where Shankaracharya did meditation and ancient Sarvajna Peeta (built out of rock) at the top.We were on time to see the sun setting. we pitched up tents on the top, put up campfire and had dinner.




Trek Day 2:

We got up early in the morning and packed our things and started trekking down till the temple. as most of us were tired and we had to reach Bangalore by night, we took a jeep till the base. They charge 150rs/head and it is about 45min body-shaking journey.



Trekking details:
Base camp: Nittur
Connectivity from Bangalore: Well connected by Govt buses.
Journey hours:  7 hours in bus, 8 hours in train.
 Trekking distance : 12-13 kms


Trekking season:
October-Jan(advised)


Difficulty level:
Very difficult for amateur trekkers.
Moderate for frequent trekkers.

Must carry:

• Tent, sleeping bag and mat.
• Good trekking shoes.
• Water(2-3lts). You can fill it up at Bhattarmane
• 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 on the hill slides to 5c during 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. Try to reach the summit by eod.
• Stay with the crowd always. Kumaraparvata is safe though.
• 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 6-7 hours.
• If trekking is rare for you and your stemina is relatively less then you will reach mantapa by the eod.

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. Dustbins are seen at many places. Keep the trekking place clean for the following trekkers.

 Happy Trekking :)

         Muthathi (or Muttatti) is a settlement situated on the banks of the Kaveri river near Malavalli in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is surrounded by a dense forest which is the home of the Kaveri Wildlife Sanctuary. Muthathi is around 90kms away from Bangalore, off Kanakapura road.

Trek as we progressed:





We wanted to go for a small trek as we had girls in our group. Muthathi came out as a first choice since it had many small trek routes and it was nearby to Bangalore. We followed http://www.mysterytrails.com/BheemeshwariToChellurehill.htm  to book the trek. mysterytrails.com is operated by The Eco - Development Committee reporting to Cauvery Wildlife Division, Karnataka Forest Department. But when we reached Muthathi forest departmentit turned out that these two departments had no synchronization in between and the actual trail route we had booked Bheemeshwari To Chellurehill doesnt fall under Muthathi forest department. The forest department officer agreed to take us to a small trek around the jungle. As we had no other choice left, we decided to go with  this offer. He took 200Rs per person as trekking fees from all of us.

Trek began from Muthathi forest department. Destination was a watch tower in the jungle. We walked for about an hour. The weather was pleasant and drizzling, the route was green. So, didnt feel tiredness. The view of the valley from the watch tower was pleasant to the eyes. We had a light food on the towers.

While coming back we took the river bank way. Walking on the river bank of Cauvery was a different experience. We found a small rock in between the river Cauvery. The path to the rock had small stream and we could cross it. We had lunch here. Relaxed for an hour so. And started walking back to the forest dept in Muthathi where we had parked our cars.

Trekking details:
Base camp: Muthathi
Connectivity from Bangalore: Connected by Govt buses.
Journey hours:  2 hours.

Trekking distance: 8-10 kms(both ways)

Trekking season:
You can visit Muthathi any time. 




Difficulty level:
Very easy
 
Total trekking time:
2 hours max one way


Tips for photographers:
Cauvery river gives a good frame for landscape photography.

Trekking rules:

• Trekking without the forest dept permission is punishible.
• Do not carry alcohol. Do not smoke in the jungle
• Do not throw anything during the trek. Dustbins are seen at many places. Keep the trekking place clean for the following trekkers.

 Happy Trekking :)