Whenever somebody recommends a new place for visit, the first two questions I would always ask. How far is the nearest hill station ?. Ohh good, are there any waterfalls nearby ?. Ohh great!, the trip is definitely on, let me put a group together now.
I owe this passion for hills and waterfalls to the 4 years I spent in KREC Surathkal. An amazing campus with a private beach, which I would count as among the second best I have ever been to. KREC is perhaps among the few campuses, where standing on the hostel terrace, you can see the vast sea on one side, while just turning around you find the majestic peaks of western ghats at a distance. A liberal attendance rule and large group of friends high on Enthu, ensured each of the 8 semesters I had at least one very memorable trip to most beautiful places. While the visit to the campus beach required nothing more than a 5 minute stroll, a Sunday evening sunset watch was a regular part of our weekend itinerary.
Now trip to the hills/waterfalls was simple, book a Tata Sumo and pack in around 10 - 11 people and off you go. Overnight stay meant singing and dancing around a campfire, never once I remember booking a hotel room. If you ask me the best place I have been to, I would definitely rate the trek to Kumaraparvatha. This hill clearly visible to all visitors to Kukke Subramanya is considered by many as one of the most beautiful treks in Karnataka.
You may ask why?. It requires you to climb up and down a total of 24 km, at nearly 30 - 45 degree incline throughout, on jungle and hilly tracks with no roads, whatsoever. The uniqueness of the experience is in the night trek, whick you start off midway from your base camp at Bhatta's house at around 3:00 AM, so that you ascend to the peak by 9 - 10 AM. The experience of night treks is simply awesome. With torches as the only guiding light along narrow tracks, where a minor slip up with throw you down a deep ravine of hundreds of meters. In this pitch darkness, the attendance count is very important and also a source of great fun. The leader and his experience are critical, as his decision on the route will decide whether you will reach the peak or lose you way around the mountain and find yourself in a village in Madikeri on the other side of hill some 40 km away, as one of my friends found out on a recent hike. By sunrise, when you are halfway up hill, its the scenery that emerges that completely overwhelms you. In trekkers jargon, we call it Ksheera Sagara ( sea of milk).
At heights over 2000m, most of the clouds are well below your current altitude, this looks like milk overflowing around a vessel formed by the conical peaks of the surrounding mountain range. While you sit there and absorb this amazing feeling, you are reminded of the more than 3 hours of climb still remaining. While remaining trip is pretty much uneventful, the climb down takes another 4 hours. But the risk of injury is very high especially on the ankle. With no access to medication, the injured guy has to be walked down to Subramanya, with others sharing his baggage, while a few others lending their shoulders to support. One such accident on a trip with office colleagues, was probably the best team building experience that I have ever had in my life.
Second only to Kumaraparvata, comes the hike up the Kodachadri peak near Kollur, more famous for the Mookambika temple. The altitude here is much lower and also there is separate jeep track, an alternative to the trekking path. But if you are game, a third more difficuly route through the jungles might lead you near an amazing unnamed 100 m high waterfall in the valley , completely hidden from view across all directions.
Not every waterfall is difficult to access, there is Hanumana gundi waterfall near Karkala, as well the numerous waterfalls in Kemmanagundi - Kalahatti and Hebbe falls. These waterfalls present a different kind of trekking opportunity, which we call the "waterfall trail". Here you start off from the mouth of the falls and trek back towards the source . There is a very high probability you may end of finding another cascade completely cut off from tourists and visitors. The thrill of such a discovery is unmatched by any other experience.
While these are places close to Surathkal, there are of course very popular destinations like Coorg and Uttara Kannada. Any travel guide book would provide details about these places, so i would not delve into the details here.
Whats the big fuss about water falls?. For that you should sit right below a drop of a 10+ m high cascade and with the euphoria & excitement you experience from the force of the falling water on your head, you will find the answer yourself.
Now not to disappoint my beach crazy friends. For me the best beach to visit is Om & Kudle beach near Gokarna. A series of hills alternately separate these beaches, which count among the most beautiful. while being just 100 km away from Goa, it offers privacy and ambience that the beaches of Goa never can provide.
While I have been a few other equally beautiful places like Matheran and Panchmarhi, these were visited at a different time in a different phase of life. I would have to dedicate separate posts to those experiences. Trips around Surathkal would still remain among my fondest memories at a stage of adolescent life that I cherish the most.
I owe this passion for hills and waterfalls to the 4 years I spent in KREC Surathkal. An amazing campus with a private beach, which I would count as among the second best I have ever been to. KREC is perhaps among the few campuses, where standing on the hostel terrace, you can see the vast sea on one side, while just turning around you find the majestic peaks of western ghats at a distance. A liberal attendance rule and large group of friends high on Enthu, ensured each of the 8 semesters I had at least one very memorable trip to most beautiful places. While the visit to the campus beach required nothing more than a 5 minute stroll, a Sunday evening sunset watch was a regular part of our weekend itinerary.Now trip to the hills/waterfalls was simple, book a Tata Sumo and pack in around 10 - 11 people and off you go. Overnight stay meant singing and dancing around a campfire, never once I remember booking a hotel room. If you ask me the best place I have been to, I would definitely rate the trek to Kumaraparvatha. This hill clearly visible to all visitors to Kukke Subramanya is considered by many as one of the most beautiful treks in Karnataka.
You may ask why?. It requires you to climb up and down a total of 24 km, at nearly 30 - 45 degree incline throughout, on jungle and hilly tracks with no roads, whatsoever. The uniqueness of the experience is in the night trek, whick you start off midway from your base camp at Bhatta's house at around 3:00 AM, so that you ascend to the peak by 9 - 10 AM. The experience of night treks is simply awesome. With torches as the only guiding light along narrow tracks, where a minor slip up with throw you down a deep ravine of hundreds of meters. In this pitch darkness, the attendance count is very important and also a source of great fun. The leader and his experience are critical, as his decision on the route will decide whether you will reach the peak or lose you way around the mountain and find yourself in a village in Madikeri on the other side of hill some 40 km away, as one of my friends found out on a recent hike. By sunrise, when you are halfway up hill, its the scenery that emerges that completely overwhelms you. In trekkers jargon, we call it Ksheera Sagara ( sea of milk). At heights over 2000m, most of the clouds are well below your current altitude, this looks like milk overflowing around a vessel formed by the conical peaks of the surrounding mountain range. While you sit there and absorb this amazing feeling, you are reminded of the more than 3 hours of climb still remaining. While remaining trip is pretty much uneventful, the climb down takes another 4 hours. But the risk of injury is very high especially on the ankle. With no access to medication, the injured guy has to be walked down to Subramanya, with others sharing his baggage, while a few others lending their shoulders to support. One such accident on a trip with office colleagues, was probably the best team building experience that I have ever had in my life.Second only to Kumaraparvata, comes the hike up the Kodachadri peak near Kollur, more famous for the Mookambika temple. The altitude here is much lower and also there is separate jeep track, an alternative to the trekking path. But if you are game, a third more difficuly route through the jungles might lead you near an amazing unnamed 100 m high waterfall in the valley , completely hidden from view across all directions.
Not every waterfall is difficult to access, there is Hanumana gundi waterfall near Karkala, as well the numerous waterfalls in Kemmanagundi - Kalahatti and Hebbe falls. These waterfalls present a different kind of trekking opportunity, which we call the "waterfall trail". Here you start off from the mouth of the falls and trek back towards the source . There is a very high probability you may end of finding another cascade completely cut off from tourists and visitors. The thrill of such a discovery is unmatched by any other experience.
While these are places close to Surathkal, there are of course very popular destinations like Coorg and Uttara Kannada. Any travel guide book would provide details about these places, so i would not delve into the details here.
Whats the big fuss about water falls?. For that you should sit right below a drop of a 10+ m high cascade and with the euphoria & excitement you experience from the force of the falling water on your head, you will find the answer yourself.
Now not to disappoint my beach crazy friends. For me the best beach to visit is Om & Kudle beach near Gokarna. A series of hills alternately separate these beaches, which count among the most beautiful. while being just 100 km away from Goa, it offers privacy and ambience that the beaches of Goa never can provide.
While I have been a few other equally beautiful places like Matheran and Panchmarhi, these were visited at a different time in a different phase of life. I would have to dedicate separate posts to those experiences. Trips around Surathkal would still remain among my fondest memories at a stage of adolescent life that I cherish the most.
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