Kodachadri Trek
Being one of the must do treks in our list, we planned to head before next year. Spent some time reading Blogs, Maps & Logistics, we boarded the KSRTC Bus from Majestic on the last week of Nov, 2012. This time it was Alok, Subish, Harish, Shashi, Giri, Mohan, Marshall & Myself.
Kodachadri is mountain peak in the Western Ghats at an altitude of 1343 mts. The name comes from native word "Kodacha" or "Kodashi" which means hill of Kutaja flowers and "Adri" a Sanskrit word, both combined together coined the word Kodachadri. Kutaja in Sanskrit means Girimallika or Jasmine of the hill. The hilly region that is full of 'Jasmine of the hills' plants is "Kutajadri". It is also called "Kutachadri" and "Kodashi Parvatha". (Source: Wiki)
·Distance from Bangalore: Bangalore --- 380 Kms ---> Nittur
·How to get: KSRTC Buses from Majestic
·Difficulty Level: 3.5/5
·Trek Distance: 18 Kms
·Water Source: We have localites selling Buttermilk & Lemonade on the trek route and also there are a couple of streams on the trail.
·Best Time: Except Monsoon
·Contact Info: Rajendra: 09449145540/09242892299
·Cost: Rs. 1750/Person
Kodachadri is mountain peak in the Western Ghats at an altitude of 1343 mts. The name comes from native word "Kodacha" or "Kodashi" which means hill of Kutaja flowers and "Adri" a Sanskrit word, both combined together coined the word Kodachadri. Kutaja in Sanskrit means Girimallika or Jasmine of the hill. The hilly region that is full of 'Jasmine of the hills' plants is "Kutajadri". It is also called "Kutachadri" and "Kodashi Parvatha". (Source: Wiki)
·Distance from Bangalore: Bangalore --- 380 Kms ---> Nittur
·How to get: KSRTC Buses from Majestic
·Difficulty Level: 3.5/5
·Trek Distance: 18 Kms
·Water Source: We have localites selling Buttermilk & Lemonade on the trek route and also there are a couple of streams on the trail.
·Best Time: Except Monsoon
·Contact Info: Rajendra: 09449145540/09242892299
·Cost: Rs. 1750/Person
Day 1
The Bus arrived at Nittur at 5.30 am, we were waiting near the Vinayaka Hotel as per Rajendra's instructions. FYI - None except BSNL works here. We reached the homestay by Jeep, its a 3 Kms drive from Nittur. The Homestay was pretty neat, clean toilets with hot water which we didn't expect. We were all ready by 8 am at the Kitchen for breakfast. We had Idly, Lemon Rice, Sambhar & Coconut Chutney, it was good quality food I should say. At 8.45, we were all geared up for the trek and started with one of Rajendra's boy, I mean the guide. The first hour is very much like a Nature Walk, it goes through a couple villages like Kumble & Sarangadhama. Pit Stop for an amazing sip of Buttermilk, resumed our trek again. The initial walk goes through the Sugarcane and other fields and we eventually start trekking parallel to the falls. Shoe - the most imp part of trekking can be proven here, the rock is slippery and with the bad shoes, one's life can be a disaster. After an hour of steep climbing at around 11 am, we reached the Hidlumane Falls. We spent ~30 mins taking some snaps & playing in the water.
The initial climb after the falls, is the most enjoyable climb ever. Its steep and muddy, sometimes we had to literally use our hands to climb. This went on for another hour, finally we reach the terrain. The worst part was the Sun, right on your face. From this point, it took another hour to reach the Lunch point. On the way, we found a couple localites selling Lemon Juice & Buttermilk for Rs. 10/glass.
The Lunch point diverts into two ways, one is to the Peak and another to the Gaalipata Shooting Spot. This point also intersects the Jeep Track and the trek route. It was 2.30 by the time we reached here, the meal served was just a perfect meal. Rice, Sambhar, Holige & Ghee, Pickle, Buttermilk, Rasam...I should say the best meal at a best time. We slacked for sometime after the meal and started our trek towards the peak. The initial 30 mins is steep walk on the jeep tracks and about 45 mins to the peak. We reached the peak at 4.45 and with some snaps and snacks, we started descending right away to catch up with the SunSet view.
We descended all the way to the point where we had Lunch and trekked another 15-20 mins to the SunSet view point. The Sun Set is not one of the best that i've seen, but the Sunset is always beautiful irrespective of the location. Good number of Snaps, we descended to the lunch point. Since it was already late, we chose to go back by Jeep. A good drive for an hour and there we go..back to our Homestay at 8 pm. We did read a lot of blogs with info about snakes & leeches, we didn't encounter even a single one all day.
Freshened up and ready for the dinner. We chose to sleep in tents, so Rajendra put up some tents outside the Homestay. With White Rum, Vodka & Chicken, around the campfire after a strenuous trek, you know how it feels :-) We talked..talked & talked till 2 am and went to sleep.
The initial climb after the falls, is the most enjoyable climb ever. Its steep and muddy, sometimes we had to literally use our hands to climb. This went on for another hour, finally we reach the terrain. The worst part was the Sun, right on your face. From this point, it took another hour to reach the Lunch point. On the way, we found a couple localites selling Lemon Juice & Buttermilk for Rs. 10/glass.
The Lunch point diverts into two ways, one is to the Peak and another to the Gaalipata Shooting Spot. This point also intersects the Jeep Track and the trek route. It was 2.30 by the time we reached here, the meal served was just a perfect meal. Rice, Sambhar, Holige & Ghee, Pickle, Buttermilk, Rasam...I should say the best meal at a best time. We slacked for sometime after the meal and started our trek towards the peak. The initial 30 mins is steep walk on the jeep tracks and about 45 mins to the peak. We reached the peak at 4.45 and with some snaps and snacks, we started descending right away to catch up with the SunSet view.
We descended all the way to the point where we had Lunch and trekked another 15-20 mins to the SunSet view point. The Sun Set is not one of the best that i've seen, but the Sunset is always beautiful irrespective of the location. Good number of Snaps, we descended to the lunch point. Since it was already late, we chose to go back by Jeep. A good drive for an hour and there we go..back to our Homestay at 8 pm. We did read a lot of blogs with info about snakes & leeches, we didn't encounter even a single one all day.
Freshened up and ready for the dinner. We chose to sleep in tents, so Rajendra put up some tents outside the Homestay. With White Rum, Vodka & Chicken, around the campfire after a strenuous trek, you know how it feels :-) We talked..talked & talked till 2 am and went to sleep.
Day 2
Awake at 9 am, we had our breakfast and just didn't want to hurry things up. So, we took good amount time to take bath and get ready. We left the Homestay around 1.30 to catch up with the bus to Kollur at 1.45. We reached Kollur in an hour and had our Lunch at a local restaurant. We visited the Kollur temple, as usual filled up with positive energy. Walked to the Souparnika River, which is about half a km from the temple.
Relaxation dip in the river was just out of the world, unlike other river banks, this one was clean and we had a lot of fishes. Everybody experienced a Fish Pedicure free of cost, amazing feeling with the fishes! We were all done and stopped by a tea shop, spent some time munching Hot Bajjis and tea. The Bus left Kollur at 9 pm and we arrived at Bangalore at 5.30 am.
With Kodachadri being one of the best treks and easy one to plan, I will surely visit again. Overall, Kodachadri was one of the tougher and a must do treks. Check some more pics below:
Relaxation dip in the river was just out of the world, unlike other river banks, this one was clean and we had a lot of fishes. Everybody experienced a Fish Pedicure free of cost, amazing feeling with the fishes! We were all done and stopped by a tea shop, spent some time munching Hot Bajjis and tea. The Bus left Kollur at 9 pm and we arrived at Bangalore at 5.30 am.
With Kodachadri being one of the best treks and easy one to plan, I will surely visit again. Overall, Kodachadri was one of the tougher and a must do treks. Check some more pics below: