Kalhatti Falls / Hebbe Falls / Mullayanagiri

My last trek was a difficult trek and hence wanted a leisure trek. Well… there were three leisure treks planned on same day by BASC and hence, which one to opt for was a difficult proposition.

I had contact with Priyanka… She opted for Mullayanagiri trek.. and hence I also registered for the same. The BASC organizer this time didn't reveal the names and hence, no idea who all the coming. On 25th March, I reached the Majestic bus stand by 10.00pm found Priyanka roaming :). After few chat, Ambareesh(BASC Organizer aka AK) asked us to come @meeting place and we reached by @10.30pm. Well.. I found quite a old trek mates thr.. Rajesh, Sourish, Tiger, Girish & Saurabh Thapar. Saurabh boarded the wrong BASC bus (1^st time Lost!!!). Rajesh called him to join us. Soon, he arrived and we started @11.10pm.

DAY 1:

After refreshing and breakfast @ Chikmagalur Bus Station, we headed for Mullayanagiri. Due to Ures Celebration, there were police restrictions. Rajesh & AK went for seeking permission. Initially they agreed on to allow us to walk/trek to the top with parked TT @entrance. However, they opposed the same later. It can be described like initially, **star policewala “granted” permission. But, later *** & **** star Policewala(s) rejected the offer.. :(. We satisfied ourself by clicking pics of Mullayanagiri from the entrance.

        Pic1: Mullayanagiri frm the entrance

Hmm.. running shot of what to do..AK decided we head for Kalhatti Falls. Still with low spirit we headed for the falls. The route of falls was through Coffee Estate Jeep Route + easy level of trek. We reached small stream @12.pm coming from Kalhatti falls... 

 Pic2: Small Stream on the way to Kalhatti Falls

Pic3: Coffee Estate Route

Pic4: Small waterfall.. Meet with other BASC team

While, we were having lunch & looking for next stop… Other BASC trek team organized by J² reached the place. They, told further up is the Kalhatti falls and is must watch... Well, with new regained energy we started for the falls. It is a cascading waterfall, flowing through the grass, crashing on the rocks and falling with tranquilness on the rocks...

Pic5: Kalhatti Falls

Most of us energized ourselves at the falls and then decided to move further Up… to reach the base of WaterFall and then trek to reach Kemmannugundi (KMundi). Well.. tht means we need to find a way to reach up.. Abhi with his torn sandal (Well Done!!!) lead the group through the ascend of 70deg and finally reaching the top. 

We njoyed reaching the top, took beautiful snaps… but our final destination of the Day to reach KMundi was halted by forest watchers who said we are in "Bhadra Tiger Reserve" and hence we have to move out. He guided us into the village.  We halted @Village, had cup(s) of tea before heading to KMudi by our TT.

 Pic6: View from Top of Bhadra Tiger Reserve

Pic7: View from Top of Bhadra Tiger Reserve

We reached KMudi RajBhavan by 6.15pm. We did missed the sun-set view but the color of the sky due to the sunset was left us amazed. As usual, members with DSLR started there pic session (even me with my Point-N-Shoot camera).

Pic8: Senset @Kemmannugundi  Raj Bhavan

Next -> Camp site ?

J² (Other BASC Team) had occupied the rooms in the Raj Bhavan. They said they have occupied 3 rooms and thr is big verandah outside there house. We went to saw that and was rejected within seconds as thr was no ventilation & was bit smelly. In the mean time we ordered for the food in the canteen & decided to have combined intro of two BASC team…(It didn’t happened).

Rajesh & AK headed for night halt spot search on the way to Z-Point & came back successfully. We had our dinner and proceeded to @Rock Garden for night halt.

Day 2:

Everyone woke up by 6.00am (again missing sun-rise frm Z-Point)… Someone, said an abandoned Tiger came @night to Rock Garden but the ROAR of so many sleeping animals scared him (Must have thought, what will happen if they woke up :P) & hence he/she left us unharmed. Well Done Team…

 Pic9: On the way to Z-Point

Pic10: On the way to Z-Point

Then, we headed for Z-Point to capture the Sun-Rise. Rajesh, Abhiram & Saurabh reached 1^st to capture the moment. They are bit disappointed as thr was no Sun..LOL. But, its rays through the clouds was captured. Soon; myself, Karthik, Priyanka & Sourish joined them. We also captured the sun-rays moment..

Pic11: View from Top of Z-Point

Pic12: @Top of Z-Point.. Analyzing next Trek Opportunity. 

While analyzing the sceneries around Karthik / Rajesh / Abhiram pointed out a L-Shaped school which was also visible when we were @Bhadra Tiger Reserve Top. Hence, we were on the right path may be two peak behind… Rajesh thought of exploring but since AK was not thr and considering this as leisure trek he dropped his plan. While we were returning, other members (Mahesh, Guru, Apoorva, Arun & Isabel) were going to Z-Point.

Next -> Breakfast and Hebbe Falls.

Hebbe Falls:

It was inside the coffee estate can be accessed by Jeep Route.. It was 8Km trek. There is shortcut just after the place where 1^st glimpse of the fall can be seen while going by Jeep route. Everyone trekked with thr own pace to reach the fall. Rajesh reached at brisk pace to astonish the Jeep Driver who started after 5min of we started for the trek. Well… Saurabh was missing after last set of people (which includes me) arrived at the falls. The falls was mesmerizing, gushing down from a height of 551 ft. There was a kinda swimming pool where the water falls… Everyone had refreshing dip in this herb-infused water. 

Pic13: Hebbe Falls

Soon, J² BASC team reached & Saurabh was still missing… We started our trek back and shouting “Saurabh , Saurabh ”.. But no +ve response (We did received fake response). We hoped to see him @base.. we were again disappointed. At this moment we were literally thinking of all possible thgs tht might have happened to him (He was having head-ache the day before & also didn't halted with us in the forest). We were just not able to figure out where he might have taken wrong turn... since it was completely through the Jeep Track. We were abt to go for search via Jeep and then halted for while.. Well, tht was good decision as after few minutes we saw Saurabh climbing back fast…..

Missing Link -> Well, just before the fall someone guided him to follow the straight path rather than taking the left towards the fall. The path led him into dense forest. He saw fresh Elephant dung and soon realized he is in deep shit. He prayed by sitting on a rock in the middle of the stream. Soon, his prayed was answered and Estate GM reached the spot with his Jeep, dropped him nearby. To reach fast he decided to take Jeep instead of trekking.. Well, his luck was not with him. The jeep had tire burst and he came back running. We left him un-hurt (Lucky Guy)

Then, head for Lunch @ Kemmangundi and then started for Bangalore… In the meantime, we also received permission to visit Mullayanagiri. The hill road to the Mullayanagiri was scary at times… We reached on time not to miss the sunset from the top of Karnataka’s Highest peak... :) There was small temple and also people living there. 

Pic14: Sunset @ Mullayanagiri Peak

 Pic15: Sunset @ Mullayanagiri Peak

Pic16: Sunset @ Mullayanagiri Peak

There was a small cave few notches below. It was my 1^st visit in any cave. While taking one of the pic, a bat came in front & was splendidly captured in the pic. (personal pic won’t be shared). Had dinner at Chikmagalur @Mayur hotel and reached 28^th morning by 4.30am.

Summary:

Day 1: Kalhatti Falls / Trek to Tiger Reserve / Kemmannugundi Raj Bhavan.

Day 2: Hebbe Falls / Mullayanagiri
Team: Ambareesh, Priyanka, Rajesh, Karthik, Abhiram, Mahesh, Guru, Apoorva, Arun & Isabel, Saurabh, Sourish and Myself :)

Kudremukha

Kudremukha, literally means 'Horse-Face' and refers to a spectacular picturesque view of a side of the mountain that looks like a face of the horse. It is a small town in Chikmaglur district in Karnataka and situated close to the mountain range with the same name - Kuduremukh. On clear days, Mangalore city is said to be visible from the top of Kudremukh.

Trek Details:

It all started with a mail from my colleague about trekking to Kudremukh with "Bangalore ASCENDers". With the images shown in the mail, I was thrilled and Joined immediately for the expedition. On 5th March 10, about 13 BASC members (including me & my colleagues) met @ Majectic and started for the Journey after brief introduction.

Day 1 (6th March 10):

We reached Kalasa early morning. On the way to Horanadu to visit Annapoorneshwari temple, we halted @8.00am near a river bridge to freshen up. Since, the river didn't seems to fresh, someone suggested to walk Upstream to about 1Km. We followed the suggestion and soon seems to be in different world. The entire place was covered with FOG...

 

It was perfect start to Trek. We refreshed/rejoiced ourself in the cold water and headed for temple. Next we headed for Hanumanagundi falls. We packed our lunch over here only. 

The falls were heavely guarded due to Naxal threat. Anywayz, we went down, some took bath and after that we had our lunch. After a nice bath, showed some concern to the stomach, emptied all our lunch packets . Then we headed back towards kudremukha, en route covered Gangamoola & lakya dam. Gangamoola is few kilometers from Hanumanagundi falls & it is said to be the birth place for river Tunga, Bhadra & Netravathi. A kilometer walk from the road we reached Gangamoola, as it was summer the place was totally dry. Then we reached Lakya dam by 4pm. This dam was built by kudremukha iron ore company (KIOCL) to collect the waste materials from the mining operations and it is a dam of silt not water. From far the view of dam was just like a desert & it is surrounded by hills. The view just seemed like all the hills are holding together & hugging this dam. It was time now to head towards for what we have come for, to conquer kudremukha peak. We parked our vehicle(TT) in Balagal and after some refreshments & tender coconuts, started our trek to by 5.45 pm & reached Mullodi by 7.15pm.  There our guide was waiting for us. We took bath over his place, meantime he prepared pain-relaxing tea for us. After detailed into, we went for sleep with the enthu to conqure the Horse-Face mountain.

Day 2:

It was a starry night. After freshen up, we started @6.30am.

Just a Km after we saw the cloud cover over distant hills... It was an awesome sight, still fresh in my memory. The trek distance was about 10Km and was mostly through Jungle & open grassland. It was up...down...a few walk along the ridges with a view of valley on one side...and good source of water @alltime whenever we were short of it.

@9.00am we halted for breakfast. Our guide carried the carrier with Idly/Dosa which made the way to our hungry stomach. We resumed @9.45 am. After a km, there was a steep climb (40deg, considering my 1st trek), water source and few 250meters later an awesome panoramic view. We sat at this place for quite some time; everyone had their personal photo session. 

Then, again a steep climb of about 60deg and the final one. After this climb, just before few hundred meters from peak, there is an old church. Few of us (Not ME!!) ventured there for photo-shoot suddenly someone told that there is a Brown Beer near by. They came back immediately. We reached the top @12.00pm and njoyed the sceneries... 

 

For most of the Trek, we wondered why this is called Kudremukh (Horse Face), everyone giving their way... and trying to convince the other about the same. Well, few members Saurab, Rajesh, Sridhar Srikanth & Satish headed towards the other peak in curiosity. On the way to the other peak, in the mid they just turned back; We could not believe what they were seeing. It was actually a Horse Face to be seen from the other end though... In fact, BASC is the first trekking group to find the real Kudremukh, I am happy to be part of that group :)

During the trek, few of us (including me) saw 2 Brown Bears, 2 Deer & peacocks roaming in their natural habitat. If any willing to trek.. Do trek ASAP, heard trekking will be banned in the following months!!!

Happy Trekking...

Summary:

Nearby Places to Visit:  Horanadu Temple, Hanumanagundi falls, Gangamoola, Lakya dam.

Day 1 – Kalasa – Horanadu – Hanumanagundi falls – Gangamoola-Lakyadam – Mullodi(home stay/Night camp)

Day 2 – Kudremukha peak – Mullodi village water falls & river

Dudhsagar Falls

This transcendent fall is located on the Mandovi River on Karnataka-Goa border. It is listed as India's 5th tallest waterfall at 310m. During Monsoon, it is a sight to behold when it is in full & furious flow. From a distance, the waterfall appears like streams of milk rushing down the mountainside.

The Legend:

The legend tells the story of a powerful and wealthy king who ruled a kingdom in the Western Ghats. The King had a beautiful daughter, who used to enjoy taking a bath during the hot summers, in the picturesque lake near the forest on the edge of the King's palace grounds. It was her habit to finish her bath and have a Jugful of sugared milk in a jug made of pure gold. One day when she was finishing her usual jug of milk she found herself being watched by a handsome prince standing amongst the trees. Embarrassed by her inadequate bathing attire, the resourceful Princess poured the sugared milk in front of her to form an improvised curtain to hide her body, while one of the maids rushed to cover her with a dress. Thus was the legend born... The sugared milk (dudh) poured down the mountainside and continued to flow in torrents as a tribute to the everlasting virtue and modesty of the Princess of the Ghats. The Dudh Sagar (Sea of Milk) continues to flow to this day and attracts thousands of visitors to one of the most popular and famous tourist spots in the state of Goa.

Trek Log:

As mentioned above, the sight will be majestic during monsoon, I joined BASC team to visit the falls. The trek for dudhsagar starts from "CASTLE ROCK" railway station to "Kulem Station", while visiting Dudhsagar. The trek distance is roughly 25Km. (It is 10Km from Kulem station). 

We a group of 30 started from Bangalore and reached Hubli Junction. We did some freshen up @Hubli junction. Then, we boarded the train for Castle-Rock. We reached by 9.30am and just then it started raining heavily. 
Until rain became slow, common food (Apples, Chocolate, and Energy stuff) was distributed to us. After brief intro, we started for the trek.

 

The whole trek was on the Railway track and there are no Hurdles expect from rain that anyhow was the best part. As we go from one tunnel to another, the view becomes splendid. On one side, we have mountain and on the other side we have valley. We reached Caronzole station by 3.00pm. We halted here as it was raining heavily and we had to have our lunch.

At Caronzole station around 20 member boarded the mail train to reach dudhsagar station as they where not njoying the rain. While others (including me), started @3.45pm and reached Dudhsagar fall by 6.00pm. The rain didn't left us till we reached the falls. It was Love at first Sight. The "dudh" was pouring from heaven and it was roaring like Lion hungry for food.

Since, others members reached early, they were able to set-up the camp inside the small room. That room was insufficient to hold such a high no. of people we were, hence eight of us decided to set our base outside using tarpaulin. Thks to Sushil & Vinnet for setting up the camp with help from others. Sushil quickly made refreshing soup using his portable stove.

 

Next day, we refreshed ourselves and started for further journey. Again, those 20 members waited for mail train to reach the next station. We started 10.00am and reached Kulem station by 1.00pm (reached quite fast). There is a small stream of water, where all of us went to refresh ourselves. We started from Kulem station by 5.00pm to reach Hubli Jan, from there we had direct train to Bangalore.

Summary:

Day 1: Bangalore - Hubli Jn – Castle Rock Station – Caronzole – Dudhsagar Falls 

Day 2: Dudhsagar Falls – Kulem Station – Hubli Jn - Bangalore