Kumara Parvatha Trek
It was quite some time that we were reading and hearing about Kumara Parvatha’s strenuous trek experiences & the mind blowing scenic beauty. After spending a fair amount of time on planning the logistics, we departed from Bangalore on 24th Dec, 2011 at 7 am. The team was Alok, Abhishek, Mohan, Jamsheer & Myself. As usual, I loved travelling through Sakleshpur because of its hair pin bends & jungle on either side.
Kumara Parvatha, is a mountain located in Subramanya (village) of Sullia taluka, Karnataka. The village is known for the Hindu Kukke Subramanya Temple. The peak is at a height of about 1712m and it’s considered as one of the toughest treks in Western Ghats.
Kumara Parvatha, is a mountain located in Subramanya (village) of Sullia taluka, Karnataka. The village is known for the Hindu Kukke Subramanya Temple. The peak is at a height of about 1712m and it’s considered as one of the toughest treks in Western Ghats.
·Distance from Bangalore: Bangalore --- 290 Kms ---> Kukke Subramanya Town
·Getting there: Numerous KSRTC Buses are available.
·Difficulty Level: 3/5
·Distance: 15 Kms (One Way)
·Permission: Needed & the cost is Rs. 200/Head
·Best Time: Oct to Feb
·Contact Info: Bhatru Mane: 9448647947/9480230191.
·Getting there: Numerous KSRTC Buses are available.
·Difficulty Level: 3/5
·Distance: 15 Kms (One Way)
·Permission: Needed & the cost is Rs. 200/Head
·Best Time: Oct to Feb
·Contact Info: Bhatru Mane: 9448647947/9480230191.
Day 1:
We arrived at Kukke Subramanya at 1 pm and went looking for hotels/lodges to stay for that night. Luckily, we found a descent lodge which wasn't that expensive. Relaxed in the room for a couple of hours, we visited the temple and the town for some window shopping. I like roaming around the fair, hunting for any sort of new stuff/food which I’ve never seen before, unfortunately didn’t find anything that interesting here. Closed our day with a good meal at the local restaurant.
We arrived at Kukke Subramanya at 1 pm and went looking for hotels/lodges to stay for that night. Luckily, we found a descent lodge which wasn't that expensive. Relaxed in the room for a couple of hours, we visited the temple and the town for some window shopping. I like roaming around the fair, hunting for any sort of new stuff/food which I’ve never seen before, unfortunately didn’t find anything that interesting here. Closed our day with a good meal at the local restaurant.
Day 2
We all geared up and started our trek at 7 am. The initial 30 mins is within the village, we just walk through the streets to get to the starting point. The route is pretty easy compared to any other treks, we don’t need a guide. We started walking for 15 mins and we were all under the impression that the initial 3-4 hours is walking or about 30 deg steep walking, but it turned out to be right opposite. The first 4-5 hours of trekking is steep and I really mean it. We took frequent breaks and kept moving. We were carrying a lot of luggage, except Mohan each one of us had atleast 15 kgs on Rucksack with Tents, Food, sleeping bags, water, etc… which added to the tiredness. This part of the climbing is really challenging and has wonderful dense forest towards either side. Continuing the climb for the next 5 hours, we finally reached the grassland. Since it was dry and hot, there were no much of leeches. We encountered a couple, but we were least bothered to worry about them.
It’s about an hour climb from this point to Bhatru Mane. Bhatru Mane (Bhat’s House) where usually trekkers stop by for food, water & to rest. Bhatru provides vegetarian meals for the trekkers at a cost of Rs. 60 and yes, the food what you get there is simply designed to the trekkers. Rice, Sambhar, Buttermilk & Pickle are just about what you need. It’s good to let Bhatru know about the group’s strength much before the trek so that he’s prepared to serve all of them. After a comfort meal & a quick nap, we continued to trek further.
10 mins walk from Bhatru Mane, we reach the forest department to take permissions since we are going to trek through the Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary. The forest department costs us Rs. 200/head and they guide us not to litter or consume Alcohol. Moving forward, couple of hours it flat land and picturesque spots followed by climbing for about an hour or so. Our initial plans were to camp at Mantapa where there is water source. Since we were running out of time and it was already 6.30 pm, we choose one of the locations to camp for the night and continue our trek the next morning. The location was lonely and as scary as it can get. Jamsheer was really worried about wild animals attacking us. While Jamsheer & Abhishek went to collect some firewood others worked to setup the tent & arrange our sleeping bags.
10 mins walk from Bhatru Mane, we reach the forest department to take permissions since we are going to trek through the Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary. The forest department costs us Rs. 200/head and they guide us not to litter or consume Alcohol. Moving forward, couple of hours it flat land and picturesque spots followed by climbing for about an hour or so. Our initial plans were to camp at Mantapa where there is water source. Since we were running out of time and it was already 6.30 pm, we choose one of the locations to camp for the night and continue our trek the next morning. The location was lonely and as scary as it can get. Jamsheer was really worried about wild animals attacking us. While Jamsheer & Abhishek went to collect some firewood others worked to setup the tent & arrange our sleeping bags.
We got the fire on with the help of some kerosene and got the cooking going. We carried some ready-to-eat MTR food packets like Sambhar Rice, Veg Curries & Parotas. After a lot of cooking hassle, we had our food which barely filled our stomach; by the way we were aware that we can’t expect a buffet with starters and main course in the middle of the jungle. After our dinner, we were just lying around looking at the Sky filled up with thousands of stars. I’ve seen so many stars for the first time in my life and a location like that, it was just incredible and made it worth all the pain to get there. With fire on the other side and some haunted talks, we closed our day around 11.30 pm.
Day 3:
It was so cold and with wind bashing our tents, it feels like an animal banging the tent with its paws. Got up by 5 am and spent some time to keep the fire on to beat the cold. By 6 am, we were all up except our Legend Mohan. We left him to continue his sleep and we started trekking towards Mantappa. It was just 30-40 mins trek to Mantappa from our camp. Finished the nature calls, had wonderful face wash with that cold & refreshing water and we decided not to trek towards the summit since we already were late & were out of stamina to go for it. By 9 am, we packed are tents, collected the litter around and all good to descend.
It was so cold and with wind bashing our tents, it feels like an animal banging the tent with its paws. Got up by 5 am and spent some time to keep the fire on to beat the cold. By 6 am, we were all up except our Legend Mohan. We left him to continue his sleep and we started trekking towards Mantappa. It was just 30-40 mins trek to Mantappa from our camp. Finished the nature calls, had wonderful face wash with that cold & refreshing water and we decided not to trek towards the summit since we already were late & were out of stamina to go for it. By 9 am, we packed are tents, collected the litter around and all good to descend.
Descending in a good pace, we reached Bhatru Mane in a couple of hours. Had food and rested a little longer thinking that we can make it before 6 pm. After refilling our water bottles & a good nap, we continued our trek. The descending was pretty hard because of movable stones and dry mud. Almost 1 in 3 steps were slipping and we had to watch for it. We all slipped and fell atleast once. It started getted darker and we had to cover a good 2 hours of trek to reach the civilization. With Alok’s ankle twist and scary jungle on the either side, it does look haunted. We didn’t take much of breaks and we continued our trek with a good pace. After a long waiting, we finally reached the civilization. Almost all of us unable to feel our feet, we took a break near the village. Cool drinks, refreshing smoke & a place to sit, that is all we needed. We got back to our lodges, while others were getting ready Abhisek & I got ready quickly and visited the temple again. We boarded the bus around 9 pm and were back in Bangalore at7 am.
Kumara Parvatha is one of the challenging treks and I would surely give it another try to reach the summit. With all the wonderful memories, we branched out to our homes.
Kumara Parvatha is one of the challenging treks and I would surely give it another try to reach the summit. With all the wonderful memories, we branched out to our homes.