A pilgrimage trip turned into trekking trip. Thats what this trip is all about :). Sometime back in 2009, myself with my brother Sunil & his friends from SONY company decided to goto Mookambika temple. Its one of the famous temples in South India. At that time I was working in a small company called NTPL. We booked tickets in buses from Bangalore well in advance. On the journey day we all reached on time at Bangalore Majestic Bus terminal. The buses normally goes to Mangalore & then to Mookambika temple instead of directly going to temple. So to sum it short it was a tiresome journey. I believe it took more than 12 hours as we were welcomed by some hectic traffic jams & bad roads towards Mangalore. As soon as we started approaching the temple we could see dense forests all around. The climate was also super cool with showers every now & then. Once we reached destination we took rooms in one of the lodges/tourist homes nearby the temple. Sorry don't remember the name as it was some long time back. Anyway the availability of rooms depends on the festival time. If going during the summer vacations we should book the rooms in advance. We refreshed, had breakfast & then walked to the temple nearby. It wasn't that rush & so we all could easily manage to finish the prayers soon & come out.
Inside the temple:
Inside the temple:
As our return trip bus tickets were also booked we had enough time to spent. Now that we have hell lot of time left we thought whats next?? We had options like go back to room and rest as return journey is again a tiresome one. Or else roam around the nearby places to kill the time. We knew about the river nearby. So, we walked to Souparnika river. Its considered to be medicinally rich as it flows from the mountains of the forest were lot of medicinal plants grow. We spotted some boards saying "Beware of monkeys". Just after that we saw some college girls running back laughing & shouting monkeys. We were least bothered about it & said "Scary cats!! 8)" and kept walking towards the banks of the river.
Souparnika river:
As mentioned there were some gangs of monkeys nearby the river. At first we didnt mind them at all. Soon after we started taking pics of the river they started acting like landlords of the area. They didnt like we sticking around the river & started to show who is the BOSS. There is a saying "Never Argue with an idiot or else he/she will bring you down to their level". So we thought its better to get of that place before they drag us down & beat the hell out of us... :D
Souparnika river:
As mentioned there were some gangs of monkeys nearby the river. At first we didnt mind them at all. Soon after we started taking pics of the river they started acting like landlords of the area. They didnt like we sticking around the river & started to show who is the BOSS. There is a saying "Never Argue with an idiot or else he/she will bring you down to their level". So we thought its better to get of that place before they drag us down & beat the hell out of us... :D
We enquired with the shopkeepers regarding the nearby places to visit. It was at that time I heard about Kodachadiri. Its a hilly spot with a Sankaracharya Temple at the top of the hill. People trek all the way from the foot of the peak covering some 10+ kms. From the temple its around 40 odd kilometers. To know more details please check the link given below:
Kodachadri Hills
Route Map from Mookambika Temple to Kudachadiri:
View Larger Map
As we were all lazy enough to do such a daunting task of trekking all the way, we hired Jeeps as they are the only vehicles that can climb the hills owing to its tough terrain. The jeep drivers quoted some 2k & we negotiated it down to 1000rs.
Initially the roads were ok as shown below, though they were narrow.
Then it started to be pure mud road & there was no more tar to be seen.
We could spot some trekkers walking all the way up.
In some stretches the roads were damn slippery..
At one point a jeep which was behind us lost its traction in one of the corners and started sliding back. The tree which you see behind the jeep lies so deep down & if the jeep had fallen it would have been a disaster. Luckily the jeep regained its traction & was back on course.
Then it started becoming more rough terrain with big sharp pointed stones..
This is one section why I understood only jeeps are allowed. Even if you are going in bike the risk is high due to slippery path & sharp stones. But its still not impossible because I did spot some Jeeps, Scorpios & Bikes at the top of the hill.
Finally we reached till the spot where the vehicles go. After that point we are supposed to trek by our self.
As we started trekking we could spot a secret passage kind of pathway. Im pointing towards that passage in the below pic.
We were cracking some jokes on the way.
While climbing the scenary on your both sides is just spectacular.
We are almost half the way at this point.
It's a deep cliff on one side.
We thought that's the dead end. But the pathway still continues.
We could spot some leeches on this section. So be careful especially during monsoon time.
One of my favorite pic with my brother.
And finally we reached our destination..The Sankaracharya temple..
Even though the trek was bit tiresome, the scenery is just breathtaking that you will forget about all your pains. Its in every means a place worth to visit.
Best Time to visit the place:
Even though monsoon is best time with all the greenery, I would suggest October to Feb as the feasible one.
People go there mainly for viewing sunset because on a cloudless day Arabian sea is visible from the peak.
Things to Note:
There wont be any eatables available at the top of the hill. If you are lucky you can find some vendors on the way. So carry some snacks if required. Have food from nearby Mookambika temple. There are hell lot of hotels there. Also carry a bottle of water because you cant find any shop at the hill. Well atleast this was the scenario when we visited the place back in 2009. It might have changed now.
So next time add this place into your list of places to visit.
Kodachadri Hills
Route Map from Mookambika Temple to Kudachadiri:
View Larger Map
As we were all lazy enough to do such a daunting task of trekking all the way, we hired Jeeps as they are the only vehicles that can climb the hills owing to its tough terrain. The jeep drivers quoted some 2k & we negotiated it down to 1000rs.
Initially the roads were ok as shown below, though they were narrow.
Then it started to be pure mud road & there was no more tar to be seen.
In some stretches the roads were damn slippery..
At one point a jeep which was behind us lost its traction in one of the corners and started sliding back. The tree which you see behind the jeep lies so deep down & if the jeep had fallen it would have been a disaster. Luckily the jeep regained its traction & was back on course.
Then it started becoming more rough terrain with big sharp pointed stones..
This is one section why I understood only jeeps are allowed. Even if you are going in bike the risk is high due to slippery path & sharp stones. But its still not impossible because I did spot some Jeeps, Scorpios & Bikes at the top of the hill.
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| Myself, Kailash, Saneesh & Sunil |
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| Myself, Manish, Saneesh & Sunil |
As we started trekking we could spot a secret passage kind of pathway. Im pointing towards that passage in the below pic.
 |
| Spot the clouds below us |
We are almost half the way at this point.
 |
| Sunil & Manish |
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| Myself with my brother |
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| Inside the Ganesh Cave |
 |
Best Time to visit the place:
Even though monsoon is best time with all the greenery, I would suggest October to Feb as the feasible one.
People go there mainly for viewing sunset because on a cloudless day Arabian sea is visible from the peak.
Things to Note:
There wont be any eatables available at the top of the hill. If you are lucky you can find some vendors on the way. So carry some snacks if required. Have food from nearby Mookambika temple. There are hell lot of hotels there. Also carry a bottle of water because you cant find any shop at the hill. Well atleast this was the scenario when we visited the place back in 2009. It might have changed now.
So next time add this place into your list of places to visit.
