Somehow I missed blogging this trek. This trek was my first with Gallivanters in 2013 apart from a rock climbing session at Turhalli. Well, yeah but I had written a small blog in Kannada about the beautiful sunrise of Narasimha Parvatha.
http://www.offroadtrooper.com/2013/12/blog-post.html
This trip was filled with random people as friends of friends had joined in a tempo traveller. We had contacted a guide and he had taken care of forest department permission and all as this area is infested with Naxalites. A prior police confirmation is required for the trek.
Narasimha Parvatha comes under Kudremukha National Park in Agumbe region of Karnataka. This is the highest peak in Agumbe with a peak at 1150 meters above sea level. The peak can be approached in two ways. First one is rather longer router which starts from Malandur(Agumbe side). The second route is from Kigga(Sringeri side). We had chosen to climb from Agumbe side and get down at the Kigga.
We left on Friday night from Bangalore, to be reached to Agumbe by early morning on Saturday. Our guide Krishnappa met us at the Agumbe bus stand. We hired a room to freshen up and quickly assembled for breakfast. The trek from Agumbe side is 14kms and little difficult as there is no established trail. Without a guide it is difficult to approach via this route. After breakfast we left to Malandur, the base village for the trek.
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| Misty morning in Agumbe |
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| Start of the trek |
Soon after starting the trek we realised that it would have been nearly impossible to get to the peak without Krishnappa. There was absolutely no trail and Krishnappa sometimes cut branches to clear the path. He also told us about him featuring in BBC documentary about King Cobras. As you might know, Agumbe is notoriously infamous for King Cobras. He even invited us to the forest department to watch the documentary.
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| Trek path |
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| Sunrays |
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| Our trek group |
Our lunch stop was Barkana falls which is about 8 kms from Malandur. You will be trekking above the waterfall, hence you don't get to see the front view of the waterfall. The only view you get is the top view which is also after little bit of circus on the top of the rocks. The difficulty level till the Barkana waterfall is moderate-difficult as the trail is not clear in the forest.
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| Barkana waterfall |
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| Wood spider |
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| Top side of Barkana waterfall. This water forms the waterfall |
We had our lunches here and spent some time relaxing. Everyone was tired. The sun was hot and water bottles were refilled with fresh water.
From here the trail goes through thick forest which is also a steep climb. You will gain as well as loose altitude which becomes a frustration as you crave to come out of the forest. This trek path is the most difficult of the lot. Sadly I have no pictures of this trail, guess I was frustrated here.
Once you come out of the forest which is about 3 kms, you have to walk in sholas which is rather a pleasant experience as you know you are nearing the summit. The walk in the sholas is about 2kms before you have Old house on the peak in your sight.
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| Last mile |
There is old house on the top of the summit which must have been a forest guest house long time ago.
We pitched our tents right outside of it and started with usual procedure of collecting firewoods. Cooked meal for the night and played antakshari I think.
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| Meals |
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| Sunrise at NP |
After the sunrise we packed up and started trekking down towards Kigga which is about 5 kms.
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| Abhilash Trekking down |
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| Kigga trek starting point, from right side of the temple |
From Kigga we left to Sringeri for the temple lunch before heading out to Bangalore.
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| Sringeri math |
Important details:
Trek start point -
1. Malandur, Agumbe - 14km
2. Kigga, Sringeri - 5km
Transport from Bangalore -
Nightly buses to Agumbe or Sringeri. From there auto to starting points.
Trekking time -
Malandur - NP -- 8 hours
Kigga - NP -- 3 hours
Camping site -
At the peak (old house)
Water availability -
Drinking water available at the Barkana waterfall midway and at the summit there is small stream(not clean but manageable)
Permission -
Required from Forest department.
Beware of -
Leaches
Naxalites
King Cobras
Important guidelines -
Due to Naxalites activities, trekking from Agumbe side is now stopped. Please contact local guide Krishnappa for further information(08181292021)
Happy Trekking. :)
Tilmati beach, Majali is one of the most secluded beaches in India. The beach which is the border to Karnataka-Goa, is accessible only by 1 km hike. Hence the pristine beauty of the beach. This beach becomes completely inaccessible during harsh Monsoon, so the good season to visit it will be after monsoon.
Tilmati literally translates to sesamesand, or the sand that looks like sesame. Right, the entire beach is made of black sand of basaltic rock which is so finely grained over the course of thousands of years by waves hitting the rocks. To the surprise, this is the only 100 meters stretch of the beach where you will find such sand whereas to the south just 1km away, Majali beach thrives with white/yellow sand.
Approach:
The beach is about 14kms away from Karwar town and can be approached by any 4 wheelers till Majali. There is a govt bus which also runs this route once in 2 hours. Your car parking spot should be Gabitwada, Majali. From here the hike of 1km starts.
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| Majali beach |
The hike to beach covers crossing a small stream, then climbing a small hill with Arabian sea on your left side. There is a trail but you can even ask locals for help if you spot any.
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| The rocky path on the left side is your trail to the beach |
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| Tilmati beach |
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| Sand of Tilamti |
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| Tilmati beach from the other end |
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| Tilmati beach - other view |
Information:
Approach:
By bus - Hourly shuttle between Karwar to Gabitwada ( Get down at Gabitwada)
By car - Gabitwada
Distance - 14kms from Karwar
Hike time - 15 min
Commercialisation - Absolutely no, carry water and snacks.
People - Friendly.
Map -
Well, if you are planning for a weekend in Pondicherry and if its your first time visit, then read the blog below for the comprehensive details on the places to visit, eat and sleep. I visited Pondicherry twice in last one year. I will try to pen down the best way you can spend 2 days in Pondicherry.
Pondicherry or Puducherry is a city, an urban agglomeration and a municipality in Puducherry district in the Indian union territory of Puducherry. It is affectionately known as Pondy, and has been officially known by the alternative name Puducherry since 2006. Pondicherry is the regional capital and largest city in the territory.
Pondi is connected by bus,rail and air from Bangalore. The best option for the budget travel would be to take the night train on Friday. It will reach Pondi early in the morning. The station is quite near to the White town or the French colony. I would recommend you staying in the White town as this will be the centre to cover all the places.
Hotels to stay:
I will mention some of the hotels when I had done research for my stay. These are budget hotels and not above 3 stars.
Pondicherry or Puducherry is a city, an urban agglomeration and a municipality in Puducherry district in the Indian union territory of Puducherry. It is affectionately known as Pondy, and has been officially known by the alternative name Puducherry since 2006. Pondicherry is the regional capital and largest city in the territory.
Pondi is connected by bus,rail and air from Bangalore. The best option for the budget travel would be to take the night train on Friday. It will reach Pondi early in the morning. The station is quite near to the White town or the French colony. I would recommend you staying in the White town as this will be the centre to cover all the places.
Hotels to stay:
I will mention some of the hotels when I had done research for my stay. These are budget hotels and not above 3 stars.
Palais de Mahe:
Address : Bussy street
Tariff: ~4000 INR
Hotel Du Parc:
Address : Bussy street
Tariff: ~4000 INR
Hotel Du Parc:
Address: Romain Rolland street
Tariff: ~4000 INR
The Richmond:
Address: White Town
Tariff: ~4000 INR
[All images above are taken from google.com]
Now that you are freshened up, it's time to explore Pondi.
First thing to do would be hire a motorbike. You can hire a motorbike for a day from Mission street which is again should be walkable distance from the hotels above. The rent for the bike would be 250-1000 Rs depending on the bike. You will have to deposit any of your identity card for the rental.
Now that you have the transport mode first thing to visit would be Auroville.
Places to visit:
Day 1:Auroville:
Auroville was founded as a project of the Sri Aurobindo Society on Wednesday 28 February 1968 by Mirra Alfassa, "The Mother". In the middle of the town is the Matrimandir, which was conceived by "The Mother" as "a symbol of the Divine's answer to man's aspiration for perfection". Silence is maintained inside the Matrimandir to ensure the tranquility of the space and entire area surrounding the Matrimandir is called Peace area. Inside the Matrimandir, a spiraling ramp leads upwards to an air-conditioned chamber of polished white marble referred to as "a place to find one's consciousness". The population today is 2,345 (1,804 adults and 541 minors), coming from 50 nationalities. The community is divided up into neighborhoods with English, Sanskrit, French and Tamil names like Aspiration, Arati, La Ferme, Auromodel and Isaiambalam. [Source: Wiki]
To visit inside the Matru mandir you need to book one day in advance. You can hire cycles to roam inside the Auroville campus. There is a cafeteria and some shops if you want to carry some memento.
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| Matru Mandir at Auroville |
From here goto Cafe Xtasi for delicious pizzas. Details are given later in the article.
After lunch you can visit to Paradise beach.
Paradise beach:
Paradise beach is an island beach about 20kms from White town. You need to take a ride in the boat to reach the beach. The beach is well maintained and very scenic. DOn't expect here anything much except a small cafe for refreshments. During low tides you can walk a long way along the beach.
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| Paradise beach |
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| Paradise beach |
The beach gets closed before night, so you need to head back to Pondi in the last boat.
Give back your rented bike and walk to the Promenade beach which should be a walking distance from your hotel.
Promenade beach:
Spend the evening at the Promenade and freshen up in your dinner attire for some French/Italian delicacies. |
| 360 Promenade |
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| Promenade at night |
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| Old Light house |
Day 2:
The White town:
If you like cycling then hire cycles from the Mission street for 50Rs a day. You can enjoy riding in the French colony. There are lot of places to cover in the White Town itself.Pondicherry Museum:
Pondicherry Museum has a gallery with sculptures and has the remains of archaeological findings from the Arikamedu Roman settlement. The museum also has a collection of rare bronzes and stone sculptures from the Pallava and Chola dynasties and artifacts excavated from Arikamedu (an ancient port just 7 km from city that hadtrade links with the Roman empires). |
| Pondi Museum |
Arbindo Ashram:
The Sri Aurobindo Ashram is a well known spiritual ashram in India, with devotees and seekers from India and all over the world flocking to it for spiritual salvation. Its spiritual tenets represent a synthesis of yoga and modern science. The Ashram was founded in 1926 by Sri Aurobindo Ghose, an Indian freedom fighter, poet, philosopher, and yogi.
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| Arbindo Ashram |
Botanical garden:
The Botanical Garden is located south of the New Bus Stand. The gate leading to the garden is reminiscent of French architecture and it stands out from its immediate surroundings because it is in the middle of the old Tamil town. The Botanical Gardens were laid out in 1826 in the ornate French style, with pruned trees, flower beds and gravel lined paths and fountains. The garden also hosts a toy train.Church:
Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, situated on the south boulevard, is an oriental specimen of Gothic architecture. It contains rare stained glass panels depicting events from the life of Christ. This church was supposed to have been erected in the 18th century by French Missionaries. Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a Catholic church and is a white-and-brown structure
Temple:
White Town:
Places to eat:
Cafe Xtasi:
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| Making of Pizzas |
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| And its ready |
Zuka:
Best place for desserts.
Le Club:
One of the best places to Wine and dine.
[Information source: Wiki]
Happy travelling :)
