Kurinjal Peak: A peak over the Sahyadri mountain range

 

Kurinjal Peak, Kudremukh

Location: Bhagwati Nature Camp, Jungle Lodges

Date: Oct 2nd, 2024

To get there: From Bangalore via Hassan or Sakleshpur on the Mangalore Highway. Buses are also connected. Resort does not have phone connectivity so you have to plan the last mile connectivity before hand.

Distance: Apprx 350km, 7hrs by car.

Kurinjal Peak Trail type: Initially flat, then moist rain forests, opens into shola grasslands for a bit. Final ascent is on a rocky trail which needs some scrambling. 7km from trailhead to peak.

Facilities: None. Carry all the food and water you need. Permission to trek is mandatory from the Karnataka Forest department. Pass has to be picked up from the checkpost morning of your trek. Guide is compulsory and provided by KFD.

Map: Kurinjal Peak. Trail head is from the Kalasa main road. Detailed trail infromation from Indiahikes.

Kudremukh (Malleshwara Mining Town for me), influenced my formative years the most making me who I am today. My father worked at Canadian Met-Chem, consulting for KIOCL to set up the infrastructure for mining Iron ore. Our family relocated for 2 of those years and I did my 6th and 7th standard at Giri Jyoti Convent there. It was always my desire to go back and see the town where I first learned to converse in English, appreciate nature, aped the kids in Enid Blyton in the forests around us, had a diverse set of friends ranging from smart city kids to tribal kids, and just grew up into the awkward teens!

River at Bhagwati

So it was, 45 years after those carefree days, my wife and I booked to stay at Bhagwati Nature Camp, Jungle Lodges. It is about 8 km from Malleshwara which we were told had become a ghost town. We drove past it to reach the camp, a typical Jungle Lodges setup with cottages and tents surrounded by Kudremukh National Park and a river flowing by it.

We had not really planned any activities other than exploring the abandoned town. But when the other guests, a young couple and four engineering students, started planning a trek to Kurinjal Peak, we joined enthusiastically. It checked off a long-standing box for us to trek in the Western Ghats shola forests, after several treks overseas and in the Himalayas. They helpfully took care of getting the trek permit from Karnataka Forest Department that required a drive to the checkpoint early on the morning of the trek.

Shola Grasslands

Kurinjal Peak Trailhead

The trek is 7km each way with some elevation gain and usually takes about 5 hrs. to complete. Our assigned guide Kumar was ready to start around 7am which is ideal as it was predicted to get hot and humid later with chances of heavy rain with lightning by late afternoon. Crazy change of weather from cold to hot/humid to monsoon. However, we decided to have breakfast before the trek which pushed our start to nearly 10am. It meant we would be under a time constraint and could not go slow or rest in between or on the peak to avoid getting caught in dangerous weather conditions. Of course, the abundance of leeches in the rainforests ensured we were not tardy anywhere! 

Bridge at start

We parked our vehicles at the Bhagwati Nature Camp turnoff on the main road and walked a few hundred meters to the Kurunjal Peak trailhead. After crossing a bridge across a scenic river, the trail winds through rainforests and shola grasslands. Birds were scarce but butterflies were plenty. I enjoyed and captured their images for later identification as best as I could, despite the fast pace we were maintaining.

Rain forests

As soon as we entered the moist forest trails of Sahyadris, we were greeted by leeches lying in wait for us on the ground, plants that we brushed, and one even dropped down from a tree, a la Mission Impossible style! Everyone was helping everyone else to flick the creepy crawlies which do a very quick downward dog asana climbing technique, to find a nice succulent spot to latch on and suck blood. They anesthetize the spot so that we won't even feel the bite until they drop off, belly full of our precious blood and the wound starts bleeding heavily because they also inject something to prevent clotting! Like they were vampire insects. By the end, we had all contributed to their meal for the day in spite of the precautions we took. 

View point 1km before peak

Good place to relax

After about 6kms which took 2 hours, we reached a lovely viewpoint. Here we could see the majestic Sahyadri range with its rolling shola forests covered in low clouds. Finally, had a breather, and took some nice photos, before we started the final ascent to the peak towering about 200-300 meters above us. Here we had the option of scrambling up a narrow trail or walking on a road that led to an abandoned house midway. 

Go pro leading the way up

Final ascent

A quick rest at the house and the final ascent to reach the peak with its magnificent 360-degree views. I found myself more tired than usual for a moderate climb. Maybe it was age catching up or the fast pace without breaks or just one of those days. I also felt quite nauseous and nearly threw up. This was because of eating the excellent but oily Mangalore Buns for breakfast. Lesson learned. Avoid oily food before any serious treks.

Kurinjal Peak conquerors

Tailed Jay

Some rest. Obligatory photos. Phone calls as this was the only spot where we got a signal. Group shot. And down we started to avoid getting caught in the lightning, rain, or mist. Guide chose a shorter route but steeper descent which supposedly was 2 km less but felt same for us. After an eventless trek down, with beautiful butterfly sightings, we were back in our camp for a well-deserved lunch and a relaxing afternoon nap. 

Kudremukh View point

Overall, Kurinjal Peak is a wonderful beginner trek, easy to moderate level of difficulty, that lets you enjoy the lovely Sahyadri mountains. We were quite disappointed with the lack of any avian activity but the views, butterflies, and wildflowers made up for it. Another activity offered at Bhagwati is a landscape Safari to the Kudremukh view point. It is worth doing as jeep ride and views are very fun and enjoyable.

Abandoned Apartments

Of course, I didn't miss out on visiting my childhood home in Kudremukh town, about 8kms from the camp. On our way back to Bangalore, we drove around it for a couple of hours visiting the Helipad, the apartments where we stayed, and my school Giri Jyoti Convent. All were still standing but dilapidated. They did jog my memory and I enjoyed the wave of nostalgia leading me to share some inane events from that time of my life with others who listened patiently and hopefully enjoyed too and did not get bored. The town did give us a sighting of the Malabar Barbet and Malabar Giant Squirrel, which was a bonus.

Click here for some more images from the trek and trip.

Switzerland: Land of organized beauty

Glacier Express on Landwasser Viaduct

Switzerland had been on our wishlist for a long time. So, our 2024 Europe schedule was around Switzerland with a meetup of our European friends who flew over to trek its famed mountains together.

Chapel Bridge, Lucerne

Our first sight of Switzerland was early morning on our overnight bus from Brussels to Lucerne where we stayed the longest, 4 out of the 9 days. Lucerne is a quaint city centrally located for many popular tourist spots. Our Airbnb host graciously offered to pick up our luggage after we reached early in the morning so we could do some local sightseeing before our late afternoon check-in. That worked out perfectly. We freshened up in the nearby railway station and then wandered around. We visited their famed Chapel Bridge,

Chateau Gutsch

 

Lion Monument, and Chateau Gutsch. At Gutsch our Google map showed that there was a Funicular to go down but we couldn't find the entry point even though we could hear the train! After searching for a bit, we saw some people come out from behind a building and point out the entry. Another surprise awaited us as this funny (first time for us!) train ran without anyone at its controls like an elevator in a building. There was no one else taking it to guide us! We read the instructions... got in... door closed... down it went at a very steep angle.. and got us to the foothills safely. *phew*. Quite an experience indeed. 

Water fountain, Lucerne

So many things were new and interesting for us on our first day in Switzerland. Water fountains with cute spouts that gave drinking water continuously, on-time buses (we had city passes for free rides), nature all around, etc. Finally, we visited the wonderful Museggmauer Fort with incredible views before heading to our Airbnb and finally checking in exhausted after a full day of walking and sightseeing.

Lion Monument, Lucerne

From the many possible destinations to experience the Swiss mountains around Lucerne, we chose to visit Mt. Rigi. It is known for its views, ferry ride, cable car, and cogwheel train. The ferry gave us some fantastic views whichever way we looked with idyllic sailboats, towering mountains, birds, quaint lakeside towns, and so on. The ferry itself was quite an experience with exposed engines and drink services on board for first-class passengers. 

On Ferry to Mt. Rigi

We chose to get off at Weggis, took the cable car to Kaltbad and then the Cogwheel train for the final leg. All are free with a Swiss Rail pass and you don't have to worry about buying tickets. Mt Rigi was a fun experience with short trails at the top to enjoy 360-degree views. There are also several trails to go up or down by foot but we had not planned to do them. 

View from Mt. Rigi

The next day we chose to go to Trummelbach Falls on a recommendation and enjoyed it thoroughly. The train from Lucerne is the same one that also goes to Grindelwald and the popular Jungfraujoch. How is that possible? Well, it splits at Interlaken with one part going towards Lauterbrunnen and the other Grindelwald! So, one has to board carefully at Lucerne paying close attention to the A/B part of the platform number. As expected we didn't, and had to switch over later in a mad scramble. The falls are a great experience to witness the power of water up close. 

Trummelbach Falls

We chose to walk back the 3km which turned out to be the highlight of the day as the views were mesmerizing and better experienced on foot. We also painted small personal canvasses midway to capture the ambiance, which was quite fun.

Walk back from Trummelbach

Our Airbnb was called Apartment Mount Pilatus, so named because we could see Mt Pilatus from the windows and the Kriens Cable car station was walkable from there. So, this was a must-do for us. Our host recommended that we check the cloud cover before visiting it. But, since this was our last day in Lucerne it was then or never. We were lucky to get great views with clear blue skies as we went up on the cable car to the first stage, Frankmuntegg. We walked around there and enjoyed some exhilarating toboggan in a bobsled-like setup before taking the Gondola to the top or Kulm. And yes....  the top was completely under cloud cover. 

Dragon Path, Mt. Pilatus

We walked the Dragon Path around the mountain top that was very deserted, freezing cold but thoroughly adventurous and enjoyable even without the views. There were rare (I think) high-altitude plants tagged with scientific names making the trail special. We headed back down via the worlds steepest cogwheel train  which was quite an experience. 

Lucerne is a wonderful city that helped us explore Swiss culture for the first time. It is located perfectly to visit many popular spots and mountains of Switzerland. 

This, useful link to compare the mountains we could visit from Lucerne, helped us tremendously. Thanks, Alexx!

Zurich from Grossmuenster Tower

Next was our meetup with my wife's school friends to bond and trek in the Swiss mountains. We took the train to Zurich to join the group. We spent half a day exploring the city. In that short time we managed to visit the huge National museum or Landesmuseum of which we hardly explored 10%, Grossmuenster church with its city views from the tower, and even had a lunch picnic along with the locals on a city bridge.  We caught up with our group for dinner at Hiltl after a lot of excitement with the 3 college classmates meeting after many years. Our treks were planned at Lugano but our stay was in Bellinzona, a quaint little town close to it. The train journey from Zurich to Bellinzona was quite interesting as two young friendly Swiss professionals riding along with us shared many aspects of Swiss culture.

Lido San Domenico, Lugano

Our first trek was the scenic Olive Grove Trail along the Lake Lugano shore. There were cute restaurants all along the trail. We relaxed at one, Lido San Domenico, for some drinks, after just 10 minutes into the trek! They were that irresistible. 😄. The trail winds through some extremely picturesque villages. We met a German team cycling all the way across Switzerland and beyond. 

Monte San Salvatore to Melide

The longer trek we did was the trail down from Monte San Salvatore. The Funicular to the top was fun, the views at the top were spectacular. We could even see Italy. Since our goal was to trek down we could not explore the area which included a museum. We chose the trail down to the lake, that descended most of the time winding through villages along the way. From the lakeside near Melide, we took a bus to Morcote for our Ferry back to Lugano. Morcote was another lovely lakeside city where we had our Lunch with beautiful lake views. As a bonus, we got to witness a Harley Davidson rally who were in that area for an event. 

View out of Glacier Express

Our next big Swiss adventure was the famous Glacier Express. We had booked the leg from Andermatt to St Moritz. Unfortunately, because of flooding in the area, we had to take the local trains for part of the itinerary, from Andermatt to Chur. So, we got to experience the Swiss mountains on both the local trains and the Glacier Express. The local trains were quite good. However, Glacier Express had larger windows, personalized service, and onboard catering. Regardless of which you choose to go on, the mountains and the vistas are truly magical to watch from a train window. As another blog described, no camera can do justice. Just put it away after a few images for nostalgia and enjoy the sight of mountains that go by. Highlight was going over the 122 years old picturesque Landwasser Viaduct. 

Swiss Alps from GE

We planned only an overnight stay at St Moritz, a picturesque upscale ski city. Our stay was in a lovely youth hostel next to the forest into which we did a quick morning walk before heading off to the railway station to begin our Austrian adventure.

Forest trails, St. Moritz

Many more images with captions in the photo albums below. Enjoy.

Lucerne and Glacier Express

Lugano with friends

Mussegmauer Fort, Lucerne

Cogwheel Train, Mt. Rigi

Top of the World, Mt. Rigi

Wild flowers, Mt. Pilatus

National Museum, Zurich

Picturesque Cottage, San Salvatore trail

Glacier Express

Huthridurga Trek : When wet and misty

 

Location: Huthridurga

Date: Dec 10th, 2022

To get there: From Bangalore, go on Tumkur Road, and take the left to Hassan/Mangalore at Nelamangala. Take a deviation towards Hutridurga before you reach Kunigal.

Distance: Apprx 80km. 

Trail type: We were able to do only about a kilometer to the abandoned temple. This part had manually cut steps on the rock with railings for the most part. Rest was easy to walk trails with man-made or organized steps. The final part was a bit steep but still fairly easy.

Facilities: There is a temple with plenty of paid parking hosted by the family staying there. We paid 50rs for our car. Small shops in the village nearby.

Map: Trek Start point 

This was one of those constantly talked about but always postponed plans with our Saturday basketball group. Finally, only 4 of us managed to shake off scheduling conflicts and ignore weather predictions (rainy!) and gathered at my house near Thalagattapura around 7am. We carpooled and started off promptly under misty, cloudy, and intermittent drizzle, with rain gear and snacks!

The drive was comfortable on mostly NH roads except for the last 10 or so kilometers. The trek start point is just past a village temple which also provides ample parking space. The family there maintains that and charges a nominal fee to leave your car. Since it was already close to 9am we chose to eat up some of the food we had bought then itself before heading out. I chose to leave my camera behind because of the weather and the threat of heavy rains later. Therefore, our photo shoots had to be with the mid to high-end cell cameras that all of us carried.

So, it was in uncomfortable ponchos and bulky rain jackets that we started up the paved path toward the hills of Hutridurga. However, the ethereal look of the hills shrouded in mist and clouds at the top, wet paths, and washed clean nature more than compensated for the dreary weather. We trudged up the sloping rocks with cut steps with a lot of expectations and energy. Bird watching was minimal with most IDs by calls and little visual activity by Sunbirds, Munias. 

The views were spectacular as we progressed at a very leisurely pace.  Even at 10am, we were the only ones trekking up, understandable as ours was the first car parked and the weather was still poor. It made the trek experience that much more special and personal with invariable photo shoots every 10 steps or so!

After about a kilometer, we reached an abandoned temple structure to the right of the path perched on the edge of the hill. It had a small Kalyani with water. We chose to stop here and go through the rest of our snacks. The place was isolated at that time with spectacular views all around. We stayed there for almost 30 mins, just munching on food, chatting, and catching up with nostalgic, often hilarious stories mostly from our school and college days.

As the weather still did not clear and the higher reaches of the hills remained shrouded in clouds/mist, we decided to climb down and head back. This time we encountered several parties making their way up including a large trek group. Better late than never, I guess. 

We were back at the trailhead by 11am and enjoyed a "productive" photo shoot with the weather clearing a bit and the trail and hills giving us wonderful clean backgrounds. Shortly thereafter, we were back in the car and planning a much-deserved (or not!) lunch self-treat!

As always, when on a trek anywhere, take only memories and photos and leave behind only your footprints. Avoid disposing of all kinds of trash.

Click here for more images.

Ebird Checklist

Return to Hutridurga on 21st Jan 2023

I returned to Hutridurga with a larger group and better weather. This time we reached around 9am after stopping for breakfast at Paakshala@solur on the Mangalore highway. As the weather was good and it was a saturday, we found out just how popular this trek was. Parking was almost full with more cars parked outside the village. The climb until the Temple point was still good though not as scenic. We stopped for 10 mins at this place to rest and continued along the path for another half kilometer or so where we came upon a nice flat area of the peak, which turned out to be an excellent spot for picnic and views. We relaxed here for almost 30 mins with various photo shoot attempts before heading back. Reached the parking place before 12 noon and headed back to Bangalore.

Birding was very poor because of the time of day and lack of focus. However we were lucky to spot the vulnerable Yellow-throated Bulbul and a pair of Egyptian vultures.

Click here for more images.

Ebird Checklist