kodachadri trek

our group of 22 people went to trek kodachadri peak on 2nd, 3rd and 4th of jan, 2009.

tickets were booked for KSRTC (approx 300/-) a\we got into the bus at majestic at 8 o'clock sharp.
we were in kollur by 6. checked into rooms, packed our backpacks and got into a local but which goes towards sagar at 10:30, and got down at a place called kodachadri cross 12 kms from kollur.
we started our trek at exactly 11:30 in 2 groups.. 1st group contained 14 people and they went 10min ahead of us. we walked very slowely taking photograph of everything seen on road... its a 4km walk to santosh angadi (a tea shop where you ger idli, puttu and channa n\and cold butter milk). after 2 kms walk on very stony jeep track, the road becomes straight and after some 3 and a half kms there is one school and a large cricket ground and after the ground there is santosh angadi. we were in santosh angadi at 1:30. the 1st group was waiting for us. as son as we reached there 1st group left that place..
we had butter milk and idli and then left the place at 2:00.
after a 300mts walk from santosh shop the road deviates into two.. we took the right one which goes to kodachadri. there starts the real trek.

the path takes us through dence forests and path is 30 degree uphill and a walk of about 3 kms the forest ends and there opens up a grss land. we reached there at 3:00. our 1st group was waiting for us. we hasd chapatis and chocolates there and started our next streatch at 3:30.

a 45 degree uphill with grass is very tiring. its a 2km walk in the grass land. we were lagging behind as the 1st group was very much ahead of us.

after 2 kms hike in grass lands we entered a forest. in rainy season os early winter, there flows a small stream.
as there was no water in that we crossed it and walked furthur.. after a km of walk in the forest takes os u open area. we took rest for 15 min there and strated our last streach of about 1 1/2 kms which is very tiring and inside forest. and a walk of about 30 mins took us to PWD bunglow and there is 2 house which provides food and accomodation an request. there is a small temple of mookambika goddess.

we reached that place around 5:30.
our 1st group was already preparing dinner and after we went tere we pitched 5 tents.
there was just 20 mins left for sunset, we were in no mood to run to see sunset as the kodachadri top was 1 and 1/2 km from there.
it was too chill and windy, we had our dinner and slept of early.

got up at 89 in the morning.. shit we missed sunrise :(.
we prepared upma at 11 and had breanch (breakfast+lunch) then left for the peak at 2:30
had plans to go to a small water fall on the way to peak but cancelled due to shortage of time to see the sunset. again the 1st group went ahead and we were left behind.
there were two paths after the PWD rest house which goes to peak. we hit the left one which was a bit easy where as the right one is the toughest.

we walked for around a km we were at a place where the road goes towards a waterfall. as it was still 3:30, we decided to go to water fall as it was 20 min walk from there, on the way there was a cave and steep downs took us to stream. we took bath and again came back to the place where we took the deviation to stream.
there was a small shop where we drunk butter milk.
again we headed towads the peak at 5:00.
it was a walk of 500 mts which brought us to a ooen area, we decided to pitch our tents there and me, harsha, prabhu and nitin went collect wood.
we were back at that place by 6:00. we can see the peak from that place and its 1/2 km walk from there.
from that place we can see the sunset.
sun was getting ready to go down. we sat on rocks there and started to photograph the sunset.
by 6:30 it was dark and some people starte to prepare dinner and some started putting up the campfire.
it was too windy as our tent was trying to fly ;)
dinner was ready by 11:00 we had our dinner and had fun.
we slept off by 2:00 and again we woke up 1t 5:30 in the morning to watch the sunrise.
we were waiting waiting and waiting for the sun as it was a winter the sun gets up late.
finally he woke up 6:30.
we took photographs and starteed packing our backpacks.
it was 9:00 when we leaft that place. again we were walking very slow as lakshmi was very slow and she got cramp. finally we were down at the santosh shop wherer 1st group was waiting for us. we were there at 1:00. they had prepared lunch. we had luch and left that place at 2:00
we walked again for 4kms to he kodachadri cross and we were there at 3:15.

but there was no bus finally we got into lorry and we were there in kollur by 5:00
some people went to temple and we went to eat pani puri :)
finally the bus came at 7:00.
bus stopped at hosanagara for dinner.
we were back in bangalore at exactly 5:00.

level: easy to moderate
total distance: 12 kms
food availability: available in santosh shop and bhattara mane near PWD rest house.
if you are planning to stay on peak dont forget to take lots of water as there is no water available in the peak.