Brahmagiri

Brahmagiri Trek : One of the most popular treks in Karnataka and one of the few which strikes a balance between awesome views and being first-time-trekker-friendly. This trek takes you inside Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary, which borders with Kerala and home to large herds of elephants. Wild elephant sightings every now and then are not uncommon. With the trail passing through dense forest, endless grasslands, river streams and water falls (Iruppu Falls) , a trekker's interest never really wanes. Another unique thing about this trail is the permanent shelter (Narimale Guest House), making it a monsoon-friendly trek even when it is pouring cats and dogs

Along with the change in season, changes the character and the mood of the Nature. And its always fun to explore nature in all its forms and we usually make it a point to have atleast one trek in every season, be it rain, sunshine or chill zones. Within a week of monsoons hitting the west coast and Karnataka we were all set for the 'Monsoon Trek ,2011', and Brahmagiri (1608 m) was our choice. The reason being this trek is reasonably easy in normal sense(read post monsoon, winter etc) and it has got a forest guest house enroute, a permanent shelter so that we wont have to slog out getting drenched in the rain during the nights. Since we were 12 people we decided to hire a mini bus.

Day 1 : June 11, 2011 (Irupu Temple- Irupu Falls - Narimale Guest house ---> 5 kms) Since the distance to Srimangala from Bangalore is just 250 kms we decided to leave quite late in the night and we left Bangalore only at 12.30 am with everyone picked and tucked in their respective seats. We took the route of Blore-Srirangapatna(Bypassed Mysore)-Hunsur-(Virajpet Route)Gonikoppa-Srimangala-Irupu Temple. The deviation route after Hunsur towards Virajpet was potholed and the bus kept jumping over them like crazy.

Reached Srimangala at around 7am and started to wait for the forest officials to arrive. Meanwhile had our Breakfast at a nearby shanty hotel and finished our morning chores at a nearby guest house (just opposite to the forest office), where shockingly the bathrooms where humongous, nearly 12x12 feet size. Finally the forest guards arrived at around 9 am and we got our permission , but with one catch : that there is one stream which might be pretty strong in the this season and already 2 teams have returned back from this stream. This somehow made us to rethink our plan, but in the end we decided to proceed with it, the main cause for confusion being that the entire permission cost and Narimale Guesthouse rent came to a whooping 7.5K (for 12 of us). One of the most expensive treks in South India I suppose , but I understood the logic, more the cost, less will be the tourist inflow and only serious trekkers will be interested. Its more or the less the weeding out process. Also we were the only team attempting to scale the peak on this weekend.

After we reached the Irupu temple (9 kms from Srimangala), the starting point of the trek , there was some confusion between the forest guards with the forest guards at Iruppu Temple insisting that the route cannot be done in this weather. But after persistent effort by us we got on with the plan. Also note that a forest guard will be compulsorily accompanying us no matter what, since this is a protected sanctuary.

First 2 km of the trek is along the tourist friendly path to Iruppu falls from the temple. After waiting endlessly near Irupu falls for our guide he finally showed up and by this time we were all loaded up on anti-leech stuff(salt,calcium carbonate,tobacco,zandu balm etc) and started the actual trek at 11:30 am. This path was through dense leech infested forests and these bloodsuckers were clinging on within no time. Soon enough it started to rain, which more or less continues for the next 2 days with some small breaks in between for our photo breaks.

Reached the famed stream which was hyped up by all the officials , but surprisingly it was just a piece of cake to cross it, dont know if we were damn lucky with our timing or the forest officials were lying shamelessly . Finally reached Narimale Forest Guesthouse , a house in the middle of nowhere and interestingly all the raw materials for its construction were carried along same 5 km trek path which we traversed, it gotta have been a very tedious process. This guesthouse has 2 rooms and 1 hall, and lighting based on solar energy. We reached this Guesthouse withing 1.30 pm taking just about 1 hr 30 mins from the Iruppu falls.

Brahmagiri Guest house

Since the peak was 6 kms away the guide refused to attempt the peak on this day and we had all almost the entire evening for us to kill. Played some games to entertain ourselves till nightfall since even strolling out of the Guesthouse was not an option with the entire surroundings teaming with blood thirsty leeches. The entire night it rained and rained. It was quite reassuring that we were inside a warm and cosy structure and not out there getting drenched in the rain water. Also the GH has some utensils, so those planning to cook need not get one. Also the guide informed us that recently all trekkers who seek to trek from Kerala to Karnataka and vice versa along the Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary are not given permission due to some dispute and therefore permission for Karnataka side to Munikal Caves (in Kerala) is never entertained. Hence out goes our plan of exploring these caves. There is a small rivulet which flows pretty close to the GH, which being the main source of water for the GH.

Day 2 : June 12, 2011 (Narimale Guest House - Getting Lost(2kms detour) - Brahmagiri Peak - Narimale Guest House - Irupu Falls - Irupu Temple -----> 19 kms ) At 6 am our Guide woke us up saying we have to start early to order to scale the peak, since the rain had subsidized a bit. We were leaving back all our luggage at the GH since we had a long day ahead. We had expected the 6 km route from the GH to the Peak to be completely in grasslands and hence we wrongly assumed that we wont be bothered by leeches and hence no one took any precautions and this was probably the biggest mistake of the day. In the end we had a blood bath with some even getting 30 odd bites. Even in the grasslands the leeches were thriving bcoz of the total absence of sunlight.

The grasslands had become more or less marshlands with such heavy rains. Walking through these marshlands pretty much brought the memories of childhood when we used to splatter water puddles by jumping into it."SPLAAAAT !!!!!". With such heavy rainfall the sun dried grasslands had a transformation to lively green within a matter of weeks , giving us awesome views. At some point walking through the grasslands everyone got distributed with some of us taking a wrong route. This route headed towards Kerala border and man this route had both beautiful, breathtaking views and highest density of leeches anywhere in the trek, more or less in "femme fatale" kind of situation . When we were wandering in this route like a headless animal our guide appeared from nowhere and pulled us back to the main route. Later he informed that anyone wandering into Kerala Border will be detained and will have to take the motored roadway back to Karnataka and not the trek route.

During the time when we were lost and roaming aimlessly the team which were on the right path caught sight of 2 elephants grazing at a distance, and from the number of droppings we came across it can stated easily that there is a high density of tuskers in this wildlife sanctuary. Finally back on track and on the way we were getting some good views of the grasslands, pretty much to infinity and thus came into view the Brahmagiri peak , which from the base doesn't seem that difficult or intimidating. Infact the first impression is that its just a piece of cake , but the last section has the most difficult gradient of the entire trek. A nearly 60-65 degree upright climb and thanks to the incessant rains this part was damn slippery.

After a 30 min session of struggled climbing we reached the top .....and to no one's surprise there was no views thanks to the mist. Infact we were the first team to reach the top since the monsoons hit.... "1st team to successfully scale Brahmagiri peak in monsoons 2011"... sounds heroic :D.

The climb down from the immediate peak was much more difficult, with all of us slipping and falling down at least once and with some of us even pulling a muscle. The return journey back to the Guesthouse was eventless apart from regular rainfall and de-leeching activity. Reached the Guesthouse, quickly packed our belongings and started the return journey to civilization. As we neared to the Iruppu falls our guide decided to fatten his wallet and took an extra baksheesh from 2 separate groups, more or less double crossing us. Reached the falls and there we unloaded our trekking gear and more importantly removed our shoes, and seeing the bloodied legs, hands etc the normal tourists to the falls got freaked out and some of them ran helter-skelter without even visiting the falls :D. In the end my leech bites just made it to the double digit mark and for others it varied from 1 to 32. Had a refreshing bath at the falls , in ice cold water.

Boarded the bus and started the return journey back to Bangalore. Had lunch at a Kamath Hotel in Gonikoppa which was quite good and reached Bangalore and my home at 11.50 pm. Recently read a quote from George Mallory(1886-1924) when asked why he wanted to climb Mt. Everest and his reply was simply "Because It's There". This 3 letter quote has made itself as the "most famous three words in mountaineering history" and more or less our motto to keep conquering more and more peaks.

Trek Guru

Nithin Uliyar is working for Samsung India Software Operations as well as pursuing MBA (PGSEM) at IIM-Bangalore.He is an avid trekker, biker, cyclist and a travel freak for the past three years and never missed an opportunity to be outdoors. View Trek Guru Nithin Uliyar's personal travel diary at
http://nithinu.blogspot.com

Trek Itinerary

Day 1: Iruppu Temple - Iruppu falls - Narimale guesthouse - 5kms

Day 2: Narimale Guest House - Brahmagiri Peak - Narimale Guest House - Iruppu falls - Iruppu Temple - 19kms

Trek Facts


Trail Type	Outback, open with occasional forest covers. Easy gradients.
Rail/Bus head	Banaglore/Mysore is the nearest rail/bus head to the base camp.
Difficulty	Easy. No prior trek experience is required.
Base Camp	Reach Srimangala by train/bus/car from either Banaglore or Mysore.
Best Season	From Nov - Feb When the trail will be easy with minimum leeches and maximum greenery. For the adventurous lot June-Oct is also a good time when monsoon lashes this region. Also note in monsoons the trail becomes quite slippery.
Apprx cost of the trek	Total cost of the trek will come around to 1600-1800 per person Bangalore to Bangalore.

Trek route

Reach Srimangala by bus/car from either Bangalore or Mysore
.
Route:

Bangalore - Srirangapatna - bypassing Mysore to Hunsur (Virajpet route) - Gonikoppa - Srimangala - Iruppu Temple - Narimale Guesthouse- Brahmagiri and back.

Things to get

Good quality hiking boots.
Waterproof rucksack
One raincoat, One Umbrella, Climbing ropes
Two water proof tracksuits/trousers
Personal items like camera, phone, chargers, toiletries, slippers etc
Three sets of dry clothes
3-4 pairs of socks
One bed sheet, carry mat
Salt, calcium carbonate, Zandu balm etc against leeches

Photos of the trek

How to do the Trek

Day 1 (2-2.5 hrs): The first pointer to be remembered before venturing into this trek is get a verbal confirmation from the forest guards at Srimangala (08274246331, 09481989970). A call to them a couple of days prior to the trek would suffice unless you are planning to go in the peak season of Dec-Jan months. They only allow a certain number of trekkers at any given interval of time since this trek takes you inside the protected Brahmagiri Wildlife sanctuary, which is teaming with wild elephants.

If you planning to reach the base camp from Bangalore, and don’t have your own vehicle then catch a overnight bus from Bangalore going towards Virajpet in Coorg. Get down at Gonikoppa (16kms prior to Virajpet)and take a local bus to cover 16kms to the hamlet of Srimangala. Here is the forest office from where you need to take a formal permission, which is given without a fuss. The forest office opens at around 9 am onwards. By this time one can have breakfast in the nearby run down hotels. If one is really particular about having a good hygienic food, the last town is Gonikoppa.

From Srimangala you will have to travel the last 9 kms to Iruppu falls, the starting point of the trek using a shared auto/jeep depending on the team size. At the entrance of the Iruppu falls you need to submit the permission receipts at the ticket counter manned by forest officials and they will provide you with a mandatory guide accompanying you for the entire trek. From the ticket counter there is a well paved 2 km path to the cosy Iruppu falls , which is frequented by normal tourists. From Iruppu falls start the rustic trekking route flanking to the right of the falls. From Iruppu falls to Narimale Guest house one has to trek about 5 kms in a deep jungle trail with pretty easy gradients.

A considerably fit person can do the trek from the ticket counter at Iruppu temple to Narimale Guest House in around 2-2.5 hrs.

Narimale Guest House is built by the forest department in middle of nowhere in order to protect trekkers from elements of nature, which primarily being rain and ever omnipresent wild elephants. If one has reached the GH soon enough they can try hiking the peak the same day and return to the GH by nightfall. The GH has a cooking facility and you don’t need to carry anything other than food rations. A water stream flows quite close to the GH as a source for drinking and cooking. Camping anywhere else either at the peak or otherwise is not allowed.

Day 2 (6-7 hrs): The 6km trek from the Guesthouse to the Brahmagiri Peak primarily takes you through endless grasslands. The trail starts just behind the GH and the gradient up until the peak is pretty flat. If planning to trek the peak and return back the same day then it is advisable to start early. All the unwanted luggage can be left back at the GH. It is advisable to stay close with your guide since the pathways through the grasslands can be a bit tricky. There are also numerous streams which have to be crossed by balancing oneself on the trunk of a fallen tree. Until the base of the Brahmagiri peak the trek can be termed as easy.

From the base there is steep 60-70 degree climb till the top which can be quite exhausting even for a fit trekker. Care must be taken when climbing and descending this section during rainy season, which can make the path quite slippery. It takes close to 40 mins to scale the last section and reach the peak. Also keep in mind that during peak rainy season permission to trek this route can be denied by the forest officials.

After scaling the peak it is path back to the Iruppu temple retracing the steps taken the previous day after reaching the GH. One can have a really refreshing dip at the Iruppu falls which is situated enroute.