Into the Wilds of Kudremukh Forest: A Photoblog

Two years ago, I went for a road trip with my college friends to Chikmagalur, Karnataka. During this trip, we had visited many places around Chikmagalur but the most adventurous and beautiful among them was Kudremukh National Forest. Kudremukh peak is the second highest peak of Karnataka at altitude of 1900 meters.

In this blog, I have shared my experience of trekking to Kudremukh top through a Photoblog. Other important information about this trek is given at the end.

Important information about the trek

• Distance from Bangalore to Chikmagalur- 245 km

• Kudremukh trek basecamp is 100 km from Chikmagalur town

• Best time to visit- September to December

• Total trek distance (both sides)- 22 km

• Trek Duration- 1 day

• Difficulty of trek- Moderate to Difficult

• Time to reach at the top from base camp- 4 hrs 30 mins approximately

• The trek passes through reserved forest. Only 50 trekkers are allowed in a day.

• Permission to be taken from the forest Department at base camp before 9 AM in the morning.

• Remember to take a copy of identity proof in advance.

• There are no hotels available at the Base Camp. Few homestays provide accommodation on daily basis at cheap rates (800 Rs/day including breakfast, lunch and dinner)

• Homestays information are available on Google. Contact them in advance for booking

• Avoid trekking during a rainy weather. Trek path becomes really slippery and dangerous

• Put raincoat in bag for use, in case it rains during the trek

Some exciting things about this trek

• No plastics are allowed to carry during the trek. The trek is super clean and natural without a single bit of plastic.

• During the whole trek, multiple water streams passes by and it is the only source of drinking water.

• Since it is reserved forest area, no food or snack shops are available. Packed lunch will be given by homestays.

• No mobile network

• Local Karnataka food in breakfast, lunch and dinner

Other places to visit in Chikmagalur

• Mullayanagiri Peak (Highest peak of Karnataka at 1930m)

• Hebbe Falls

• Baba Budangiri

• Visit tea and coffee plantations