All Work and no play makes Jack a dull boy…I am a strong believer of this quote but in my case this “play” gets replaced with “travel”. I like travelling and trekking has become my hobby now a days. But I was not like this before, I have recently developed this trekaholic nature after I got separated from my family. Now trekking and travelling are the two things in which I find my happiness…
Let’s not make it a boring biopic and come to the main story…
This time I decided to explore Chikmagalur in the weekends. My companions were my office colleagues. The trip was planned as a 2 day trip to make it affordable and cheap for everybody. During the discussion, hearing at the budget, it was clear to everybody that the trip was not going to be a easy one, everybody has to compromise to some extent.
Chikmagalur is a hill station in Karnataka, a state in southwest India. To the north is Baba Budangiri, a mountain range in the Western Ghats, with 3 large caves said to be holy. Trails through forests and grasslands lead up to Mullayanagiri Peak. The cascading Hebbe Falls lie in an area of coffee plantations.
A Tempo Traveler was arranged. We started our journey on Friday (10th May, 19) at 10:30 PM. Everybody was pumped up and ready for the weekend trip. The TT driver had a pair of efficient hand and was able to reach Chikmagalur by 8:00 Am next day. The credit doesn’t not go to the driver only but the road till Hassan was also very good. If you are travelling in a four wheeler and you are a skilled driver, you can enjoy driving and you can touch the speed of 100km/hr to 120 Km/hr easily.
We already knew that out trip was short the number of places to be visited were more. So without wasting any time we all freshened up, had our breakfast and got ourselves ready for Ballalarayana Durga trek as quickly as possible. We went till the foothill in a small carrier. It was an off-road bumpy ride. It was fun for the people who are taking such rides for the first time till the time they are not getting their bones dislocated due to heavy jerks. We started our trek late by 10:30 Am. After trekking for 2 kms, I understood this trek was not going to be easy for me as it was getting hotter and humid slowly. But the only good thing was that 70% of the trek was through the dense jungle which was providing shades to us during the trek. We completed the trek in 2.5 hrs. We reached the top by 1:00 PM. The view from the top was fantabulous. We were walking through the clouds. We were only able to see the ruins of the fort. The place is good for photography and scenic beauty. Other than that, there is nothing much to see. After spending 1 hr over there, we started coming downhill. Although the climbing was tough and time consuming compared to coming down. We came down in 1 hour.
Although we were exhausted, but we headed towards the waterfall as per the plan. We had planned to take shower in the waterfalls. The waterfall was not too huge but still it had enough water to take a proper bath. The water was deep in few places, so the person who does not know swimming had to be very careful while getting into the water as the rocks and boulders would be very slippery and capable enough to cause an unconditional fall. Also one more thing to be remembered, Western Ghats is the Disney land for the snakes. So the people who are not familiar in seeing snakes need to be careful. I am telling this from my experience as I had an encounter with one of it in the waterfalls.
After taking the shower we came back to our home stay, had lunch and had a good sleep for 2 to 3 hours. In the evening there was bonfire arranged by the home stay and everybody had a lovely time around the fire.
Next day morning, we checked out from the home stay and headed towards Bangalore. On the way we visited the Temple of Belur and Annapoorneshwari temple at Horanadu.
Although the trip was hectic but it was also fun at the same time. I enjoyed the trek and the shower in the waterfalls. But there are few things to be remembered if you are travelling Chikmagalur for the first time…
During the trek, you should carry enough water and Electral or other salts to keep yourself hydrated. Once you start the trek, you will not get any source of water on the way.
The trek is not difficult but you should have proper hiking shoes for the rocky terrain.
Try to start trekking in the early morning as it will be less tiring.
The forest that you will be trekking through is also famous for wild animals sighting. It’s not tiger but instances of encounter with bears and snakes are heard. So it’s advised to carry a strong branch or stick during the trek.
By mentioning these above points, my intention is not to make people afraid but to make them aware and prepare for the situations that they may get into…
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