Beating the monotony - Kodachadri trek

If you are seeking a get away from your routine hustle and monotonous life, Kodachadri is the place to go. 430 kms from Bangalore in North-West Karnataka, Kodachadri trek is considered one of the best treks in South India. A believer of unplanned journeys, I along with a bunch of friends, packed our rucksacks and set forth.

We boarded a night bus to Kollur, with the plan of starting our trek early morning. We reached Kollur at around 5 am, in the morning, freshened ourselves at Kollur with idlis and an early morning visit to the famous Mookambika temple. We boarded a bus back towards Sampekette and got down at a place 2 kms after Nittur. There is a road towards right by which jeeps and buses go up the hills.

Let me tell you, that there are 3 ways to reach the peak of the Kodachadri hills. One of the trek trail starts from Karekatte (2 kms before Nittur), which is the most common among all. We walked for 2 kms on the jeep road, till we came across a primary school, where we took a right turn towards the forest. Another 1 hour of trek and you will reach a place where you can get butter milk. Another 30 minutes of trek, and you will reach the 1st water source. There are 7 water sources, the highest being the Hindlumane Falls, where the water falls from a height of 60-70 feet. Most of the water sources can only be witnessed in monsoon. There are some small shops along this trek trail, so if do not have enough eatables, there is nothing to worry. Another 20 minutes of trek from the 1st water source, and you will reach the Hindlumane falls. You can relax and enjoy for an hour or so.

The trek gets steeper from the Falls. The trek trails becomes 50-60 degrees inclined, and you might have to take several breaks if you are less on stamina. Do not forget to take energy drinks and plenty of water as you would definitely need them during this part of the trek. We climbed for another 40-45 minutes till we reached the peak of the 1st hill. We were longing for rest as the sun was too cruel on us so we tried to find a place with a good shade, and we came across one downhill. We took rest for around 2 hours, and continued our trek towards the Kodachadri hill top. There are multiple view points in the Kodachadri hills, hence we decided to go to the sunset view point. We decided to leave early as the jeep drivers were insisting us to leave early, hence we missed the sunset. But it would had been great if we had the time to stay back, as the fog was starting to cover the hills. The beauty of the place was enchanting. It was hell of a jeep ride on our way back to Sampekatte. There are few restaurants at Sampekatte where you can sort out your dinner as we did. Finally, at the end of the tiresome day, we bid adieu to the amazing place and boarded the bus back to Bangalore.

Recommendation: Board a bus from Bangalore to Kollur. But get down at Sampekatte. Book a jeep and go up the hills. Once you reach the top, walk for 30 minutes from the jeep parking to the sunrise point and witness the thrilling beauty. Climb back down to Hindlumane Falls and then walk back to start of the jeep road (2 kms ahead of Nittur). Board a local vehicle bound for Kollur. Visit the Mookambika temple, stroll around the village and board the bus from Kollur to Bangalore.

Click on the image above to enjoy the amazing video on our travel.