Shimoga-Nittur-Kodachadri

KODACHADRI 2014

Date: 05th July 2014 and 06th July 2014

Team Members: Vishwanath [Shimoga], Viraj, Umesh, Harish and SATEESH

Route :Bangalore - Tumkur - Arsikere - Shimoga - Hosanagara - Nagara - Nittur.

Vehicle : Bolero Storm

Team left Bangalore on 04thJuly 2014 at 6-30 pm, 

My friend Vishwanath who is working in Bank at Shimoga informed him that we are reaching Shimoga, by  10-30 pm, he  kind-heartedly  welcomed us and all  together had a  good dinner (Onion-Potato Sambar) at his residence

05th July 2014

Next day morning  we had planned to take some photographs of birds in and around shimoga and Viswanath took us for bird watching nearby place called Purdal Dam in shimoga

Purdal is a small village nearby Shimoga city which has beautiful scenic view. There is a water reservoir to store the water from the nearby steep areas. Purdal dam is also the major water supply for Lion safari and forest around Purdal. A very calm place which receives less crowd. Purdal is best suited for family outings nearby shimoga. Purdal can be reached by two ways - one is from Sagara road and another is from Anupinakatte road. There is huge parking space next to the dam and evening is the most opted time to visit the location. A popular television hosted a reality game show at purdal few years before which made purdal to come into the public notice. A beautiful road leading to prudal with semi-forest is treat to watch.

PURDAL TEMPLE

Purdal is a scenic beauty which is equally good for photography.
Small animals like chameleon, red squirrels and other animals and variety species of birds, flora and fauna are commonly seen.

ROBIN

SUN BIRD

LAPWING

Had Breakfast at Vishwa Residence, we had prepared Upma (Uppittu) and left  Shimoga by 12-30 pm. (From shimoga nittur is around 110kms) Vishwanath called Manjanna of Kalyani Nisarga Dhama that we are proceeding to your place, and requested to arrange the stay over there at Kalyani Nisarga Vihara Dhama, owned by Mr.Manjanna (fondly called) a eco friendly, South India Yoga Champion, Humanitarian, Trekker and a good hearted person.

enroute we visited Karanagiri SiddiVinayaka Temple had darshan of Vinayaka proceeded further, [the distance from Shivmoga it’s around one  a half hour drive towards a place called Hosanagar. From Hosanagar it’s around 7 Kms to Karana Giri]

We reached Nittur at 2:00 pm (117 Kms in one hour 30 minutes- Driver Harish Speed counts here)

Nittur is a village located in Hosanagara Taluk, Shimoga District, Karnataka, India. The village is located in dense forest, on Shimoga-Kollur state highway and Kodachadri peak falls within the jurisdiction of Nittur Grama Panchayat

Nittur is starting point of one of the trekking routes to Kodachadri peak, which is located at about 15 km from the village
Kalyani Chowka is about 2.5 kms to Nittur and to be frank its better you have a Jeep though in these roads to enter Nisarga Vihara Dhama is most suitable rather than other vehicles.


KALYANI NISARGA DHAMA 

Inside the HUT, Kalyani Nisarga Dhama

Hosanagara – Kollur main road in between a small village called NITTUR (35 kms from hosanagara) Sharavathi River backwater a forest treat at Kalyani Chowka called Nisarga Viharadhama.

Nisarga Vihara Dhama is a retreat built amidst forest consisting of log huts and tents (on request) to stay overnight. Run by Mr. Manjanna with an ambitious and thousands of colorful dreams of exploring Shimoga Dist Tourist places, he has setup this Nisarga Dhama in his own land with support by many people..  Government of Karnataka has recognized the activities here and sanctioned two boats for sight seeing in Sharavathi Backwaters.

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After having Lunch  we started towards Hidlu Mane falls  to a point where the trail starts. The road is not all that good so always take a Jeep and never your car. It took about half an hour and some effort to reach the first stage of the fall

Route 

Start from Hosanagar on state highway 26 towards Kollur and pass Nagara to reach Sampekatte and take left turn towards Kodachadri hills. Drive for 13 km to take right turn and trek for remaining distance to reach the waterfalls. Hidlumane falls also has one more route which is on trekking by Nagodi  village.

Hidlumane falls is about 6-7 kms from the main road and there are many forks on the road. It is nearly impossible to find your way here without the villagers'  help.

HIDLUMANE GURURAJ HOUSE

Hidlumane falls is a series of cascading falls with about 6 or 7 falls one after another. The beauty of these falls is that each of these falls are hidden from one another and they get better and better as you go up the cascade, culminating in a magnificent fall which is as secluded a waterfall as you can imagine! As we had gone in the monsoons, going up the cascade was anything but easy. The path was treacherously slippery with leeches feasting on you at every step.

HIDLUMANE GURURAJ FIELDS

First boulder is quite easy.But the second one is giant boulder.During monsoon its very difficult to cross. Some how we managed to climb that, It is really strenuous.  The trek uphill on a scale of 1 to 10 is around 6 where 10 is the worst and most difficult finally we reached Hidlumane Falls.. amazing..!! no words to explain after seeing that falls.

As we reached the main falls, the excitement was palpable as we began indulging..Since the visibility on the peak wasnt too great, 

Jeep and 2 wheeler can go till that house, Cars may not. No food is available anywhere on the way or at the spot. So carry your food with you. Please don't throw any non-biodegradable substance (plastics, water bottles, plastic plates etc..) there. Enjoy and be one among the nature.

Flora and Fauna in Manjanna Residence

More Information :

Transport

There is bus facility from Hosanagara which has stop at nearby villages. Buses from Sagara, Nagara, Shimoga has stop at Kodachadri. Most of the tourist come in hire vehicles as trekking till the peak is time consuming. Private jeeps are also available at the nearby village which charge according to the season.

Lodging and Hotel

There are hotels in Nagodi and Nittur village serves Malenadu style of food. There are few home stays available nearby Kodachadri hills and also there is an IB at the top of the hill and Priest's house nearby temple also have accommodation. 

Kalyani Nisarga Vihara Dhama
Nittur, Hoasanagara Taluk,
Shimoga Distt, Pin 577452

Manjunath (Populary known as Manjanna)

Main Highlights:

Beautiful Bamboo Hut, Plastic Tent houses varying according to your need and number of people
Delicious Meals, Breakfast of Malenadu taste
Caring staff  never let u down
Well constructed and maintained toilets
Natural dining tables ( Told he found these wooden logs deserted in forest and thought utilizing to sit and have food)
Arrangement for nearby tourist places, Backwater riding, trekking.
Near by places are mentioned on a big bill board.
Bird Watching, Water Sports, Fire Camp, Cultural programs 

What to look for

Visit nearby Kodachadri hills for its natural beauty of sunset and nature. 

Trekking experience to Hidlumane is memorable along with family and friends. 

Nearest health camp : Nittur,Kattinahole,Sampekatte.
Approach : 

There are 2 trekking trails are there to reach koadachadri.
1)From karakatte gate and santosh hotel.this is the easy trek route. It will take around 2.5-3 hrs to trek.
2)From nittur via hidlumane falls.this is the toughest trekking trail. It will take around 4-5 hrs to trek.During monsoon season it is not advisable.

Contact persons : Nittur Rajendra(9449145540)
Best time to visit : During Monsoon u can see nature at its best.
sep-jan is best time to hang around there.

Kodachadri - (12 km) 

Kodachadri is a miniature of Heaven on Earth. It’s a mountain peak (altitude - 1343 m above sea level) in the Western Ghats in South India (Karnataka State). The name comes from native word "Kodacha" or "Kodashi" which means hill and "Adri" a Sanskrit word, both combined together coined the word Kodachadri. It is also called "Kutachadri" and "Kodashi Parvatha". Kodachadri forms a picturesque background to the famous temple of Mookambika in Kollur. Situated in the middle of the Mookambika National Park, it is home to several endemic and endangered species of flora and fauna. The shola forest and rain forests loom in a perpetual layer of mist around the peak.

The peak is barren due to strong winds and as such, the forest covered nature is visible all around and also several smaller peaks and hills full of greenery makes a very good sight. The important animal life include Malabar Langur, King Cobra, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Great Pied Hornbill, and many more of which several are endangered. Its 115 kms away from shimoga

Kodachadri is home to many endemic and endangered species of flora and fauna.

Kodachadri is famous for its wonderful sunrise and   sunset

It is declared as natural heritage site by Government Karnataka

 

The main attraction of Kodachadri is "Sarvajna Peetha" which is on the hilltop. It is believed that  philosopher "Adi Shankaracharya" performed meditation at this place. The closest base to Kodachadri  hills is Kollur which is at a distance of 20 kilometers. Kodachadri hills form a scenic backdrop of the famous Mookambika temple in Kollur.We decided to visit   the famous Kodachadri sunrise. Also since we were told that the path to Arsinagundi falls will be really tricky because of the rains, we headed straight back to Nittur 

Kodachadri Tea Owner's Mobile

Jog Falls-2013

JOG Falls-2013

When Jog falls comes roaring down the hills in Western Ghats in monsoon, you can not see the sky.

The area will be mist filled and you will see an array of beautiful rainbows. You can see the glory of the falls when the mist clears. This is only during the monsoon months of July and August.

On other months, it is trickle down the huge rocky precipice. With blue sky in the background it is still beautiful as water tumble down.

We reached Shimoga by 11-30 am Saturday, reached Central Bank picked up Vishwa went to his residence packed Bisibele bath and Curd Rice with Tea and moved towards Sagara. all the way from Shimoga to Sagara heavy rains, The drive to Jog Falls from Shimoga was awesome, And by awesome I do not mean the quality of the road was good anyway instead it is the quality of the scenery that keeps you company all along. And the cherry on top was the lovely rain.

Fill your stomach first and then fill your senses seemed to be the motto!

Reached Jog Falls by 2-30 pm, heavy rain, moved towards PWD Guest House had packed Lunch over there and we had a fine view of Jog from the top of PWD Guest House, from there we a some had some extravaganza pics of JOG Falls

After a sumptuous meal, we headed towards the view points and it was still raining.
Here’s the typical conversation that ensued on the eventful day.

Jog Falls is created by the Sharavathi River falling from a height of 253 m (830 ft), making it the second-highest plunge waterfall in india after the Nohkalikai Falls with a height of 335 m (1100 ft) in Meghalaya.

It is situated in the Shimoga district of Karnataka. Jog Falls is also known as Gerusoppe falls.

The history of the falls goes back to the year 1800, when the site was first discovered by Buchanan during one his journeys.

There are four different streams or tracks into which the River Sharavati is split, comprising the entire structure of Jog Falls, and these streams are: Raja, Rani, Rocket and Roarer.

PANORAMA VIEW OF JOG FALLS

The Raja Falls peacefully streams down; the Rani Falls follows a winding path, the Rover Falls bursts out of a rocky stretch, while the Rocket Falls gushes out in high speed remaining true to its name. The natural beauty and the forestry around add to the beauty of the falls and create a picture of natural abundance.

Next Day on Sunday, 04th August 2013 we had been to Sakkarebail Elephant Camp, Gajanur Dam and Tyarekoppa, this details will follow soon

Sakrebayalu Elephant Camp: You can hear elephants reciting their lessons. Yes it’s not a joke its fact that you can find here many elephants being trained by training professionals. Elephant from the adjoining forests bathe at this spot before they re-enter their forest abode. Every morning these majestic creatures waddle down to waters and after playfully cleansed their bodies and satiated their thirst, they leave the waters before the rays of the sun get stronger. They are off to deal with their day's routine only to return the following day. To catch a glimpse of these mammoths play in the water, get there before 8 am.

Forest department has maintained the place very neatly and a separate camp has been arranged at the back water of Gajanur dam. Every year a small carnival is conducted where trained elephants show off their skills to the public which includes playing foot ball, Savari etc.

Timings - 8.30 am to 11.30 am

Entry fees – Rs.30/- (Indians), Rs.100/- (Foreigners)

Tyavarekoppa Lion and Tiger Safari
Tyavarekoppa Lion and Tiger safari is maintained by the Karnataka forest department. The department maintains lions, tigers, leopards, fox, Sambar deer , Black buck and lot of other small animals. The forest department provides safari in well insulated vehicles which can go near the animals. There are many animals maintained in cages like crocodiles and bears.

Gajanur dam: Gajnur dam is one of the most visited tourist spot nearby Shimoga city which is the water reservoir supplying water to majority of agricultural land of Shimoga taluk. Recent expansion of Dam in water level and construction of few more water gates has raised the level of water. There is small guest house at Gajnur dam and well maintained park welcomes the visitors.