Kabbalidurga Trek

KabbaliDurga - one more monolith just like – SavanDurga and Madhugiri

After a long gap of more than 2 months, I badly wanted a trek and just checked my list of ‘To be visited’ places and found this one as the best for the day.

Just like any other trek which falls in Kanakapura area, had breakfast in JP Nagar Davanagere benne dose which gives the best start to any trek. J

KabbaliDurga is a shrine and devotees from nearby villages and even neighboring districts come here. To my wonder, I saw a person lifting around 8-10 Kg weighing stone in single hand to the level of his shoulder and climbing the hill and I must say I was shaken by his devotion..!

The hill is quite challenging and gives a nice trekking experience. Even though the distance to climb doesn’t seem to be much, the inclination is more and hence the difficulty. You will need maximum of 2-2.5 hrs to climb and less than 1 hr to come down. Again, the breeze can be compared with the one in Madhugiri, SavanaDurga etc.

How to Reach?

Bangalore -> Kanakapura(~50kms) -> Sathanur (17kms) -> Kabbali (6Kms)

The more you take unusual route in the hill, the more exciting is the trek. Just that be careful in hard rock. Not advisable in rainy season.

Photos

ShivanaSamudra

Shivanasamudra is a place which is one of those MUST VISIT places near Bangalore. But, choose the right time to visit the place as it would be great only when water level in Kaveri is good.

There  are 3 places in Shivanasamudra to be visited. – Bluff (or Gaganachukki), Gaganachukki start point and Bharachukki.

Bharachukki is the best of all and gives a heavenly feel. ‘Teppa’ service is available here and for around 10mins ride they charge Rs100. The view is excellent. However, the place will be very much crowded most of the time.

If you just want to see the turbulence of river, then visit only the place from where GaganChukki starts. (Also called as Gaganachukki Madarasa view point. This place is on the way to Bharachukki falls and definitely a place to visit.) But, if you equally enjoy the beauty of falls, then you have to go to place called Bluff and feel the real beauty of ‘Smoke’ created by the water fall. In Gaganachukki, they have put fences and hence you cannot go near the waterfall.

How to reach?

Riding/Driving on your own is the best option since there are multiple places in and around to be visited and taking a public transport is not a good idea.

There are 2 routes to Reach Shivanasamudra

1)      Bangalore -> Kanakapura -> Malavalli -> Shivanasamudra

2)      Bangalore (take Mysore road) -> Maddur(take a left from Maddur towards Malavalli) -> Malavalli -> Shivanasamudra.

Distance from Bangalore to Shivanasamudra (~170kms) and also the road condition is almost the same in both the roads. However, in Mysore road, you have a National Highway till Maddur.

If you are visiting Shivanasamudra, then plan it well so that you have enough time to visit Talakadu and Somanathapura temple. (I could not visit Somanathapura temple since it closes by 5.30 and you should be there atleast by 4.30)

Talakadu is a place to get amazed that how come so much of sand here and come back. Not anything great except that in my opinion. However, the temples there are good and definitely a must visit when its just 10-15kms away from Shivanasamudra.

If you are planning to stay in Mysore then, the best way to reach from these places to Mysore is via Narsipura. Road condition is good too.

If in Mysore then visit -> GopalaswamyBetta  (Can say a Must visit)

Photos

Gopalaswamy Betta

Wanna Enjoy Heaven on Earth? Ask me. I have seen it in a few places and one of them is Gopalaswamy Betta. I have not yet been to Northern parts of  India, or else would have encountered quite a few Heavens.!

Why heaven?

The scenic beauty will make anyone utter this if he loves the nature. The place is totally covered with mist and fog. The weather is so chilled and great. Perfect place to enjoy the beauty of nature for some time and then have a nice ride.

Since its thick forest all around, there is high security and lets all not breach it and enter forest creating nuisance and then making it a place banned for visit in future.

There is a temple as any other hills in this country. However, I saw god outside the temple in the nature J

How to reach?

From Mysore, take Ooty road -> Gundlupete -> Nanjanagudu -> Gopalaswamy Betta. Its around 70kms from Mysore. Road condition is excellent.

Note – They allow you to the hill only after 8.30. (We had been at 9.15 on July 14 2013 and no worries.. During this time, reaching after 9 is not an issue at all. Its perfect)

Photos

SaavanDurga

SaavanDurga - Largest Monolith in Asia

Saavandurga is said to be the largest Monolith in Asia (Wiki) and if you are hiking the place, you can always be proud that you have trekked to the top of the largest monolith in Asia. J

On 07-07-2012, it was Saavandurga in my mind and I had 3 friends of mine with me – Abhilash, Charan and Vishwas. 

We took a bus from Kalasipalya and reached Savandurga base. The very view of the huge rock itself was great and we headed towards the top. With all sweat, we reached the hill top, little tired since the rock challenges you a bit. But, the same rock provided all reason to be happy at the moment and the cool breeze blew all the sweat away along with our tiredness. After taking good view from the hill top, carrying memories, we headed back to the base.

Can say the toughness to be medium when it comes to Saavandurga. But, definitely one to be visited if you are someone who climbs mountains – ‘Just for the heck of it’ !

How to reach?

Public transport available but from Kalasipalya. Take a bus from Kalasipalya to Hosapete (Buses present are to Magadi and Hosapete is on the way to Magadi).

Return bus available to Bangalore directly at 3.00pm and is the last bus from the place.

If you are riding/driving on your own, you don’t have to worry all these. All you have to do is to ride ~60kms from Bangalore on Magadi Road and then towards Savandurga. J

PS - I am writing the blog close to an year after I have visited the place, but it still stands among one of the special ones near Bangalore. Definitely a worth visit trekking peak.

Siddara Betta

Siddarabetta – As the name says, it’s said to be hill of Saints. It’s believed that, hundreds of saints performed meditation in the hill.  It’s a shrine and hundreds of piligrims climb the hill bare foot here. Climbing the hill is not a big deal, there is a shivalinga on Hill top. Rituals are performed in the place. All these are done only till afternoon and later the crowd will be little less. From the temple, there starts a cave and if you can get some guide to take you in, the visit becomes a worth one. Because, for trekking enthusiasts, the real fun is going in the cave.

The cave is the one where people believe there were saints meditating and definitely the cave is a perfect place to meditate. It’s not exactly a cave, but a place between/beneath rocks and there is good chance of getting lost if you  go by yourselves. There are places which are totally dark and hence just like any other place, carry a torch which is always helpful

One unfortunate thing here is that the hill is not kept clean and soon the hill will be covered completely with plastics and I wonder people climb with so much of holy feel but never thought of keeping it clean and healthy. Unless the hill is clean, there will be hardly any power existing there. 

How to reach?

If you are taking public transport, reach Koratagere (Pawagada bus from bangalore) and then from Koratagere, private buses are available to Siddarabetta. However, the frequency is very low and its better to go by your own.

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Kodachadri

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Out Of Office - Kodachadri Trek


Kodachadri aka Mugilu Pete aka Kutachadri aka Heaven on earth !

Kodachadri is one of those peaks in Karnataka which was rated to be in top 3 peaks of Karnataka by 'Jnana peeta' awardee and the vivid traveller Sri Shivarama Karantha.

In a fine season, probably this is the best place you can think of. If you do not have the strength to trek, but have a gut heart to sit in a jeep droven in the worst ever road you  can think of, then you can even take the option of going by Jeep to the peak and enjoy the scenic beauty of the place. Several movies are being shot in the place and is rated to be one of the finest place by any travellers.

However, we had least interest in going by jeep (but I would go to same place again and take the jeep drive since it is called to be a great thrilling experience) We trekked to and fro. Till Hidlumane falls, its a very regular road from the base and you can enjoy sometime in the chilled water of falls if the water level is less. From Hidlumane, its grassland and forest area and an enjoyable trekking experience. Plan such that you dont miss the sunset.

Our greatest experience was trekking back and it was night trek in all DARK..! To add to the trill was one place which was skidding very much and in that night, we felt someone has increased the length of that area because we did not feel it to be that long when we hiked.

It was a total ~18-19Kms in a day and we were totally broken when we reached back to the Home stay which we had booked. The homestay provided good food and a normal stay. Enjoyed the Trek Overall.
For people planning to stay on hill top, Tents are not allowed strictly and hence you can stay back in Bhattara mane which is very close to peak. I unfortunately have no contact details, but I feel they provide you  the stay even if you dont inform before hand unless they dont have any space to adjust.

Second Visit Experience
First visit was 100% satisfying with respect to trekking since we had trekked back to base in the night! But with respect to view and nature, I was not satisfied. Also, had not got the experience of Jeep ride.. So, visited second time to Kodachadri with my friends from Manipal. This time we decided to stay at top of the hill. Tenting in hill top is strictly prohibitted and hence we stayed in one of the Bhattara mane present at hill top. If you can book PWD guest house, then there is one at hill top. Advantage of staying there is getting the morning view. We woke up early and trekked to peak from Bhattara mane which is just 1 or 2 kms from peak. Had wonderful view. Believe me, if it was somewhere in Oct-Dec, then it would have looked like heaven, but even otherwise it was not bad, just that greenery was missing a bit. But the morning freshness is so amazing at hill top. We danced for sometime and while coming back came in Jeep. Jeep ride is fun in its own way and need to experience once in life.. :)

How to Reach ?
There are 2 ways to reach, One through Udupi and other one through Shimoga.
We went through Shimoga and early morning we had to wait for more than an hour for the buses to start. From shimoga, you have to reach Nittur. You can go to Hosanagara and then to Nittur. Hiring a vehicle from Shimoga is also not a bad idea.

Photos
The below one is Shankaracharya peetha present in the hill top.

Antharagange

ANTHARAGANGE

This was my first ever trek after coming to bangalore and after getting into a busy work life. As any firsts, this  first also remains a special one forever.

I had just 2 previous trekking experience and this was the 3rd one.

After checking hundreds of blogs and sites, finally decided, yes this is the one which I want to start with and just needed a company and Vineeth was there for me the day.

Climb a couple of hundred steps, you find a simple temple with few shop keepers and hundreds of monkey around you. A clear path leads you to the hill top and once you reach hill top, local school going kids will be waiting for people like us to guide. Yes, we need them or else, we will not be able to see the real beauty of Antharagange - the caves. The kids will lead you to 2 caves present near by which is what you have come for.
When it comes to difficulty level, can say Antharagange is in Easy level

Antharagange has given me one of those profile pictures which I would like to post it for ever and here it is.!

Reaching Antharagange is as simple as it is.

I would prefer Riding to Kolar from Bangalore as it is one of the finest roads. Kolar is ~65kms away from Bangalore and once you cross all traffic hurdles of bangalore, its hardly an hour away from you. Take left just before Kolar bus stop and 2kms away is the base of Antharagange :)

More Photos

Meghane

Meghane Rain Trek – Sharavathi Valley.

This time my Visit was to one of the most beautiful belt in entire country and a bio diversity hot spot – Western Ghat’s Malenadu (‘Malenadu’ - A portion of Western Ghat which covers portions of Belgaum, Shimoga, Chikamangalore, Uttara Kannada, Kodagu and Hasan district)

We were a 10 members group this time and I had 4 of my friends from my office (Abhishek, Dayanand, Manohar and Rohan) and 5 friends of Abhishek (Badri, Nityanand, Somanath, Shubhoday and Venkatesh) with me.

Meghane was once a place which was visited by only Hard core trekkers and a very few people who stay there. It hardly had any roads which connect the place with rest of the world and the forest never heard any vehicle sound and before we visited, we expected the same, but to our disappointment, the place has found a lot of changes in last 2 years. Roads are constructed. However the roads are not good enough to travel in any vehicle in rainy season, but good enough to spoil the true forest scene. L

We reached the so called ‘Onti mane’ and found that it is just the 1^st house which you reach. However, there are not many homes near by and is a very small village.

Close to the Onti mane is a peak and the place is little challenging and since we visited during rainy season, we had absolutely no visibility. We had just 10 mts visibility and beyond that, what we saw was only Mist, Mist and Mist.

If you go only till there, then you have no reason to be happy. You pay huge amount to the guide and all you get is some walk and Excellent food on top of the hill. But, that not just what you have gone for. We had to go to some untouched place and we asked for it. Finally, we got something which we will carry in our memory for life time- The visit to a falls near by.

To guide us was the person from Onti mane who knew nook and corner of the forest and on 2^nd day early morning we started towards the falls. The falls was hardly 2-3kms far, but there was no connecting path at all. The guide made the road for us cutting the bushes and it was a great experience to reach the starting peak of waterfall. Later we walked back in the water stream itself till Onti mane and came back to the base where our Scorpio was waiting for us. Inspite of getting wet in rain for 2 days, we had to take one more bath in the base, get set and head back towards Sagara.

Could not take much photos since it was raining heavily and we had gone for a trek in rain and not really for the purpose of photography. J

Along with this, we also visited the Jog falls and got the stunning view from the famous - Mungaru male spot. here it is -->

How to reach.

Take a bus from Bangalore to Sagara/Bhatkala and from there, either engage a vehicle to reach Nagavalli (Nagavalli is 25kms from Bhatkala and 75kms from Sagara) or wait for the local bus.

You will need a guide to take you in the forest or else you will simply end up in trekking in the existing road. Also, there is a risk of getting caught by forest officials if you don’t have some localities with you.

Can contact me at travelntrekworld@gmail.com for contact details of the Guide.(The expense is high but I can say you get a good food and food becomes main part of the memory for sure.However I dont guarantee the money you pay is worth that much or not. )

Raamanagara Betta

Ramanagara or Rama devara Betta is one of the most famous hill in entire country because of the movie whose record is yet to be broken – The Sholey.

The huge rocks of Ramanagara populary called as ‘Ramanagarada Bandegalu’ attracts everyone who passes by Bangalore Mysore road. But, very few actually go and feel the roughness of it.

There are many hills in this place and you can choose any of them. The place is pretty calm and nice. On a sunny day off course Hot, but still contains the breeze.

Climb a few steps, you reach a temple and from there is where your actual trekking starts. Huge rock and take the support of the railings and steps (not really :P) and climb to the top, you find some wonderful view and definitely a satisfaction of being to the place.

If you are to this place, then you will be able to finish the trek in half a day and you can also plan to visit Jaanapada loka which is near by. I would call Jaanapada loka as one more fine place near Bangalore which is a must visit if you are on the way.

Trekking level is in between low and medium.

How to reach?

Ramanagara is one of the easiest to reach place as it falls in Bangalore Mysore High way. If you are towards Mysore from Bangalore, take right just before you reach Ramanagara and go forward a couple of kms, you are there..! J

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Raagalli Betta

Raagalli Betta is one of those dangerous hills which have come in news quite some time.

It was just 2 months after our visit to the hill, we learnt from the news that an engineer was killed by elephant attack.! So, I am not sure how much safe the place is.

When we visited, even we came to know that there are a lot of elephants in the hill and surrounding forest and its very dangerous to go all by yourselves without any localities accompanying you. Luckily(?) we got a villager and went for trekking. Without a local company, there is heavy chance of you getting lost in the forest, so it is always better (can even say a must) to have a local company.

It’s a deep forest of Bannerghatta range. You get an elephant or not, but definitely you will get a clue of elephant having a walk in same place sometime before. Also, you can find foot marks of wild bear.  (One of my friend who visited somedays later found 2-3 deers in same place. Unfortunately I dint find one. L) Also, most important thing is, don’t get messed up with forest officers since we would have almost done if they had been near to where we were. We were close to a Km away from them so we were safe. Overall, if was one of the most thrilling experience ever in my life.

I don’t want to suggest this to anyone since I don’t want someone to mess up with the problem, but if you want a good trekking experience, definitely this is one.

How to reach?

Raagalli betta is one more trekking place present in Kanakapura road. The nearest landmark can be said as APS college. 2 kms after APS college, take left and continue for 4-5 kms, you reach a small village minikola and from there you start your trek. 

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Siddarabetta

Siddarabetta – As the name says, it’s said to be hill of Saints. It’s believed that, hundreds of saints performed meditation in the hill.  It’s a shrine and hundreds of piligrims climb the hill bare foot here. Climbing the hill is not a big deal, there is a shivalinga on Hill top. Rituals are performed in the place. All these are done only till afternoon and later the crowd will be little less. From the temple, there starts a cave and if you can get some guide to take you in, the visit becomes a worth one. Because, for trekking enthusiasts, the real fun is going in the cave.

The cave is the one where people believe there were saints meditating and definitely the cave is a perfect place to meditate. It’s not exactly a cave, but a place between/beneath rocks and there is good chance of getting lost if you  go by yourselves. There are places which are totally dark and hence just like any other place, carry a torch which is always helpful

One unfortunate thing here is that the hill is not kept clean and soon the hill will be covered completely with plastics and I wonder people climb with so much of holy feel but never thought of keeping it clean and healthy. Unless the hill is clean, there will be hardly any power existing there. 

How to reach?

If you are taking public transport, reach Koratagere (Pawagada bus from bangalore) and then from Koratagere, private buses are available to Siddarabetta. However, the frequency is very low and its better to go by your own.

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Shivagange

Shivagange - I don’t know how should I describe the place? A trekking place or a shrine?

Hundreds of people come to the place daily and climb here and hence I cant really call it a trekking place. You can call it a trekking place since you get enough to hike.

Half a way is the temple to which most of the people come and there will be a huge Q lined up to go inside as there is where the ‘ganga’ of the place is available. There is a small well kind of in which water is reachable and not everyone get the water in it. People feel so blessed if they get to touch the water from the well.

From that place, nearly a km away is the peak where there is a Nandi statue. There is a good view from there and once again the place is not free from crowd.

How to reach?

Shivagange is ~60kms from Bangalore and you can ride on your own or even take public transport. Both ways, you have to reach Dobespet which is in Bangalore – Tumkur high way. Take left from Dobespet and go for 8kms, you reach Shivagange.

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Madhugiri

Madhugiri is one of those places which provide a true trekking experience and aslso enough opportunities for rock climbing etc.

It is the 2^nd largest Monolith in Asia and adding to it is the beauty of the fort.

Even if I like travelling alone, never thought I will have that hunger to complete a trek all alone. Wanted to test if I can complete it all alone or will I quit half a way feeling bored to climb alone. It was all together a new experience. Everyone whom I interacted with asked if I am I trekking alone? I even got some free suggestions not to trek that way. 

I met a great dad in the trek and I would remember him for really long time. He had come with his 2 kids. One aged around 10 years and another aged around 6. He was not rich in his gesture but am sure he was really rich from his heart. He had already climbed the Madhugiri hill as he was from a nearby place and this time he wanted to show it to his kids! All he had with him was a pack of Biscuits and a water bottle. Unfortunately the bottle fell from his hand and it rolled down the rocks in a speed that can scare anyone! Fortunately I had an extra bottle of water which I could give him. These are some of the special experiences which you can get when you travel alone. You can speak to unknown people, share experience and gain some too.

The rocks are deceiving  and when you feel you are done, you find the next. However, once you finish the trekking, there is a great view waiting for you. Hill top has an old fort which is just not ready to accept its defeat against the nature and time. More than anything else, even if the area around is very hot, the cold breeze takes away all the heat from the place and gives an amazing feel.

Madhugiri is one of those trekking place which I wish to go again and again.

How to reach?

Taking public transport is also not a bad idea since enough buses ply from Bangalore to Pavagada which goes via Madhugiri.
If you are going by your own, reach Dobaspete in Tumkur Highway and take right from there. Road condition is excellent til dobespet and average from there. Trekking takes around ~2.5hrs and travel takes way more than that. But I promise you will carry a lot of memories from Madhugiri. A worth visit place.

Photos – 

Hogenakal

Hogenakal is one of the finest waterfall near Bangalore. Even if the height of the waterfall is not great, the beauty mesmerizes you. On a sunny day, the area is hot enough to burn you. Unfortunately I had been on a very bright day and to add to it, I took public vehicle and can say that was a bad idea. L

However, the time I was in Hogenakal was worth it. Got some good photos. I had been to the place alone and I did not mind going alone as long as I was sure that the place I am visiting is good.

To the people who love Fish, probably you would enjoy it a lot since they fry the fresh water fish which they catch from there only. I somehow felt the tourism Dept should take care that the beauty of the place is not spoiled because of this. Unfortunately we Indians are not taught the usage of Dustbins and we find each beautiful as the best dustbin in the world. You find the fish bones lying everywhere you go. L

Forget the fights between Karnataka and Tamil nadu, just enjoy the beauty of mother nature who never saw differentiated between us. She looks beautiful the way she is.

Hogenakal can be said as a ‘Must Visit’ place near Bangalore. And the pictures below say it again to you.!

How to reach?

I would say, take your own vehicle since the public transport available is not that great inspite of Hogenakal being one of the finest tourism spot. There are buses available but the quality of service is not even in acceptable standards.

DudhSagar / Doodhsagar trekking + Belgaum tour

Belgaum is one of the most beautiful district in Karnataka with an ideal weather and scenic values. It falls under Malnad area and has some mind blowing scenic ghat sections and forests.

In the tour, could not cover many a places and I keep the Belgaum spot open for a second tour.

My school friends Abhilash, Charan and Vishwas were with me this time. Even though it was not the perfect time to visit Doodhsagar and Gokak falls, I just did not want to postpone the tour and hence went for it on – 13-10-2012.

We visited many a places on first day and special one was off course Gokak falls which gave me a few memorable photos like –

We had mainly gone for the trek to Doodhsagar falls and on the 2^nd day, we planned for it and I must say, it was one of the most different trekking experience since there were no Ups and Downs, but was a railway track trek. The distance and also the boulders present in railway track make the trek a challenging one.

Can say difficult level to be high considering the distance. One way distance comes no less than 15kms and you can return from doodhsagar in the train which halts in the small railway station (?) just for a minute or 2.

Until above, what i wrote is my 1st experience with Dudhsagar. But, to be frank, I had missed 80% of dudhsagar's actual beauty in my 1st visit and had I not visited for the second time during september 2014, i would not have realized that I had missed it last time. The place is at its best during monsoon and I would say I have not seen any falls to give so much of fun when visited in right time. The rain adds to the happiness and all these are only or those who enjoy water falling on them and those who love getting wet in nature..! Did not get good photos during the second visit but have got a lot of memories in second visit to dudhsagar. (However, not really happy the way so called 'Educated people' behave. I have seen educated people throwing plastics, bottles everywhere around. I heard someone asking to his friend- "How does it feel to be in nature..?"  and unfortunately I saw same person throwing some waste into nature. If we feel like enjoying the nature, lets keep it the way it is supposed to be.!)

If on any day other than sunday, then direct train is not available from Belgaum to castle rock. So, following would be a few alternative plans.

Reach Londa By road from Belgaum (Or via train. Bangalore - Belgaum trains go to Belgaum via Londa.) and reach Londa by 8. Catch Chennai - Vasco train from Londa at 8.30 and reach Castle rock.

Return Train comes to Belgaum directly but one needs to buy the ticket from Castle rock in the morning itself since tickets are not given in Dudhsagar.

In the second visit, had been to places nearby Belgaum and details of them available here - Swapanveil and Amboli Ghat which are once again amazing places nearby.

A simple plan of 3 days in Belgaum would be -
Day 1 - Visit Amboli ghat , Swanpanveil, Hiranyakeshi , Thillari falls
Day 2 - DudhSagar
Day 3 - Gokak Falls, Godachinmaki falls.

How to reach?

The only path available to Doodhsagar is Railway path and if you want to trek, you have to choose it from ‘Castle rock’ station which is the station before doodhsagar.

Below are a few photos from second visit. However could not take photos of the falls properly since hardly got any chance to take the camera out near falls.

Railway track to Dudhsagar - Completely covered with mist during Rainy season

Gokak Falls during Rainy Season