KUMARA PARVATHA TREK
An enthralling experience!!!
Date – 17th Nov 2019
KUMARA PARVATHA TREK – An enthralling experience!!!
This is a detailed blog & I have narrated every small thing that has happened during the trek. It is a complete guide. Please read the entire blog to get a complete understanding.
Introduction to Kumara Parvatha Trek
I had this dream of trekking Kumara Parvatha (KP) from a very long time as it is the toughest trek trails of South India. I have done small treks like Rama Devara Betta, Skandagiri, Chennagiri near Nandi Hills & Kodachaadri.
I wanted to do this solo and was planning on how to execute this trek a week prior.
Kumara Parvatha Trek can be broken down to different phases as below (Only Ascend)
| Major Points of KP Trek (Pit Stops) | Distance covered |
| Kukke Temple to Bhattra Mane | 35% |
| Bhattra Mane to Kallu Mantapa | 25% |
| Kallu Mantapa to Shesha Parvatha | 25% |
| Shesha Parvatha to Kumara Parvatha | 15% |
| Kukke Temple to Kumara Parvatha | 100% |
SATURDAY & SUNDAY – Solo Trek allowed as there would be lot of trekkers. Convince the forest officials that you would be safe and return safe.
WEEKDAYS – Only Group Trek allowed. 2 women not allowed, Couples not allowed. Solo Trek not allowed.
KUMARA PARVATHA – My Experience!
I booked KSRTC bus from Bengaluru to Kukke and it was scheduled to leave Saturday (16th Nov) morning around 8.
My plan was to start the trek Saturday afternoon around 3, reach Bhattra Mane by 6, camp there for the night and start off from Bhattra Mane early next morning. Due to traffic jam after Sakleshpura, I reached Kukke at 5 in the evening. I started off with full enthusiasm and wanted to reach Bhattra Mane ASAP. I saw few trekkers who just had come down near a small tea stall just after Kukke temple and spoke with them. They suggested not to start so late as it would get dark & I was alone. Henceforth, I had to stay back at Kukke for the day. I decided to see the deity and went to the temple. I saw the deity twice as I had all the time in the world. I sat down in the temple for about an hour along with all the devotees. I had Ladoo prasadam and waited in the queue for Night Anna Prasadam (Meals served by the temple). I had Anna Prasadam and came out by 8:30 in the night. I thought of taking the room and enquired few places. Everywhere the room charges were 1000-1500 rupees per night as it was a weekend. During weekdays (Except Tuesday) the same rooms would cost around 300-400 rupees. I thought of renting a room but then I saw government free hall where people can sleep for free. I thought of experiencing this as I had never slept in an open red oxide flooring before. It was just like those houses in the village which has a sit out. It seemed interesting & I decided to stay there for the night. I borrowed free chaape (mat to sleep), pillow and blanket which is given out for free by the management. The experience was one of a kind.
TREK STARTS —- KUKKE TEMPLE TO BHATTRA MANE
I woke up early morning around 5:30, freshened up, changed to Tees and Shorts, Applied Dettol to my hands, legs & neck (Precaution for Leeches), had 2 idly, coffee for breakfast in a hotel and started around 6:15 from Kukke temple.
NOTE – I JUST HAD WATER BOTTLES (2 litres), ONE T-SHIRT & PANT & SMALL FIRST AID KIT. The lesser luggage you carry, the better.
I was waiting for the darkness to fade away. You will have to walk through left side of Kukke Temple, pass through Vyasa Mandir Hotel and walk though the concrete road for approximately 1 km to reach the start point of the trek. I reached the place where actual trek starts (there is a small temple on the left side before you enter the reserve forest gate – this is the start point of KP trek). Don’t follow Google Maps here. It shows a different route. Please check with the locals. I was a bit hesitant in the beginning and waited there for 20 min to see if any trekkers would join (For a first timer, the forest would freak you out). Nobody seemed to come, so I gathered courage and started off alone in the dense forest. The time was 6:35 AM.
The initial trail inside the forest
The forest is really dense & one would completely get disconnected with the outer world after entering the forest. Fortunately, the trek trail is very clear and there is no chance for anyone to get lost inside the forest. On a few rocks, there are arrow marks painted as well. My phone signal had no problems and my internet was also working (Airtel). I trekked for almost 45 minutes alone to finally see a few trekkers who were coming down. Exchanged a few words like how much more time, how difficult it is etc. Many of them suggested me to not rush and be steady as there is a steeper climb ahead. I became mentally stronger, gathered more courage and moved on. I saw a group who were climbing and spoke to them (They had started before me). Their plan was to reach Bhattra Mane, camp there, see Kallu Mantapa, come back for the night and start off to Kumara Parvatha next morning. They were college students and were carrying a lot of stuff which weighed a lot. I wished them luck, motivated them and moved on. From this point I trekked continuously till 9AM and reached Bhattra Mane (Almost 7 KMS trek inside dense forest). I was not tired as I had satisfactory fitness levels.
I BELIEVE THAT TIREDNESS IS ALSO A MINDGAME. IF YOU FEEL THAT YOU ARE TIRED, YOU WILL BE. IF NOT, YOU WON’T FEEL MUCH.
Note – During small breaks, be sure to remove leeches from your shoes and keep checking your back. I had applied Dettol, but still kept checking regularly.
At Bhattra Mane – I took off my shoes, washed up my hands and legs, had breakfast again (Chitranna, Pickle and Buttermilk), filled my water bottles. Bhattru (His name is Mr. Girigadde Mahalingeshwara Bhat) suggested me to move off immediately as I was alone and reach the forest check post ASAP. The forest officials will not allow to trek after 10:30 AM as people will not be able to reach back before it gets dark in the evening.
I rushed to the forest office (300-400 meters from Bhattra Mane). Spoke to the officials, got my bags checked (they note down the number of plastic items you are carrying. Ex- I had 2 plastic water bottles, 3 shampoo packets —- Total 5 plastic items. I must get back all the 5 plastic items that I have carried. Else, I would be fined — STRICTLY NO LITTERING). The forest officials will not allow tents & other camping items beyond this point. Trekkers can camp in Bhattra Mane and near the forest office. I had to pay 500 rupees in cash (350 trekking charge and 150 deposit which they will return when you come back and report after the trek). The forest officials were co-operative & friendly. They didn’t restrict me though I was alone. I moved on and by this time I was very confident that I would conquer KP easily. I was not tired at all. The time was around 9:20 ish.
FOREST OFFICE TO KALLU MANTAPA
The terrain would change & in this stretch there is no forest. Mostly grasslands with rocky trail path. First 45 minutes was easy for me as I was in full enthusiasm. It gets a bit steeper as you would near Kallu Mantapa (for about 1km). I had to take small breaks and move on. Here’s where I met a couple of likeminded trekkers (Ami & Ronnie) whom I joined for the rest of the trek. Just before Kallu Mantapa, there is a water source (Like a downward stream). FILL THE WATER WHEREVER YOU FIND A WATER SOURCE. We found an amazing person Hemanth (he was coming down after seeing Shesha Parvatha) in Kallu Mantapa. I said I have water but was hungry. He offered me 2 thick & super tasty homemade Holige. He offered it to Ron & Ami as well. He also was so generous to give us 3 more holige to carry for the rest of out journey. We thanked him so much. The time was around 10:30 ish.
Between Forest Office & Kallu Mantapa
KALLU MANTAPA TO SHESHA PARVATHA
I started to trek along with Ron & Ami from here. They were super amazing folks from Bengaluru. They had camped in Bhattra mane the previous night and had started at around 8 in the morning. They had exp of trekking and had amazing trekking equipment with them. Moved with them to Shesha Parvatha. The trail was easy and I could easily move on amidst the grasslands. You will find amazing viewpoints here. Mountains and grasslands were treating the eyes. Before Shesha Parvatha (before 1.5 kms), the trail becomes steep. This takes more time as you would have to break frequently. Finally reached Shesha Parvatha (the shape of the mountain resembles the cobra, hence the name). It was around 11:45 am. I had trekked very quickly, but I made sure that I enjoyed the forest views, amazing mountains, grasslands & great nature.
Shesha Parvatha is the best place for photos & has amazing viewpoints. I had carried India Flag and this was the best place to click some pics. We can get 360-degree view of the mountains from the top here. We clicked great pics with national flag. We had the remaining holige that Hemanth had given us. We also did some stretching as it would relax our body. Mainly on the hamstrings & calf muscles.
Note – From Shesha Parvatha, Kumara Parvatha is visible but seems very far. People give up here as they think they cannot trek for another 2 hours. The reality is, it seems far but the trail is simple and is inside the forest. We can reach Kumara Parvatha in about 45 minutes. DON’T GIVE UP HERE.
SHESHA PARVATHA TO KUMARA PARVATHA
We started around 12:15 from here. We were the last set of people. Nobody came to KP after us that day as people were happy to see Shesha Parvatha, take pics and descend back. The trek is through the forest here again. The forest has a stream which flows inside it. FILL YOUR WATER BOTTLES. There are small worms inside the stream, please investigate the water carefully before drinking. After you cross the forest, you would have to climb a small hilly rock, be careful here as it slips due to water presence on the rock. The trek trail is also not visible here and we had to ask the route from people who were descending from KP. We had taken a slightly wrong route, but we came back to the trail quickly and reached Kumara Parvatha. There is a small Shiva temple and Karnataka Flag is setup on it. It also has a board PUSHPAGIRI PEAK – 0 KMS. Kumara Parvatha is also called Pushpagiri. There are a couple of amazing viewpoints & one can take good pictures. It is indeed a thrill. An amazing experience. It gives great sense of fulfilment. I felt like I have achieved something big in life. NATURE IS SO GENEROUS.
We had reached KP at 1:15 PM. There were no people on the peak & we were the only group. We explored the hill, took some amazing pictures, rested for a while & introduced ourselves briefly. I held tricolour on the peak & the pride I felt of being an Indian can’t be described in mere words. The moment was absolutely priceless. Undoubtedly, one of the best moments in my life.
DESCENDING FROM KUMARA PARVATHA TO FOREST OFFICE
After all the thrill, we decided to descend & the time was 2:00 PM. There is one more way to reach KP from Somvarpet side. We saw the descending trail on the peak. We didn’t take that route though.
We started off and came back to the forest between KP & Shesha Parvatha, filled up our bottles. By mistake I stepped inside the water & my right shoe-sock were wet. Ron suggested me not to trek too long with a wet sock. We reached Shesha Parvatha & I had to put my sock to dry. We were here for about 20 min. the time was around 3 PM.
We moved on and started to descend continuously. We had to reach forest office soon. I personally feel descending is tougher than ascending. A trekker will have to focus more while descending, make the right judgements, take the right call on which rock should I step, where exactly I should place my foot etc. Descending requires more focus.
We reached Kallu Mantapa around 4 PM & were tired at this point. I was not tired, but my feet were aching a bit. We took a pitstop here for about 15 minutes. We ran out of water here as well. Fortunately, there is a water source (the downward stream) near Kallu Mantapa. We reached there filled water, had lunch that Ron was carrying. The lunch was packed from Bhattra Mane in the morning by Ami & Ron. We had lunch & started descending again. The sun was nearing his EOD. We trekked continuously & reached the spot where there are a couple of benches to sit. This is about a kilo-meter from forest office. We met an inspiring personality here. His name was Mr. Somanna (62 years old). He had completed the KP trek and his shoe was torn. He was walking bare-footed. We were amazed. I had personally seen people who were 25-30 years giving up near Kallu Mantapa & Shesha Parvatha on the same day. We congratulated him & clicked a couple of photos with him. He said he would be fine and would trek slowly along with his team.
We started descending again. The beauty on the sunset amidst those grasslands were like an amazing painting. It was one of a kind. We finally reached forest office by 5:45 PM. Ami & Ron had kept their huge trek bags in the forest office as they were not able to carry it any further. Their plan was to practise carrying weight for the Himalayan trek which they were planning in about 6 months from now. Unfortunately, they were not able to carry that weight beyond the forest office. Ami & Ron were packing up & I reported my return in the forest office. The officials checked my bag again (The number of plastic items etc.) & returned me the deposit amount of 150 rupees. I was having a casual conversation with them and found out that during the weekends 300-350 people come to KP trek. I was amazed. Most importantly, more than 90% of the folks will not be able to complete the trek. They either give up near Kallu Mantapa or at Shesha Parvatha.
We clicked a few pics with the forest officials and were planning to move from there. One of the officials asked me if I would be able to trek alone inside the dense forest to Kukke during the night. I said I am with Ami & Ron. He was fine with that. This is when the forest officials told us that they will not allow solo trek on weekdays due to safety reasons. We bid adieu to them and were all set to trek back from forest office to Kukke.
DESCENDING FROM FOREST OFFICE TO KUKKE TEMPLE – THE FINAL THRILLER…!!!!!
It was 6:30 PM in the evening and was almost dark. The only reason forest officials allowed us to descend is because we were 3 people and we had torches with us. Else, they would have asked us to stay back & leave next morning. Anyway, we started off & Ron was leading the trail. Unfortunately, we lost our way a bit after Bhattra Mane. We never went inside Bhattra Mane as it was very late. We just sat on a rock and Ami went to find the trail. The time was 6:45 PM.
After 10 minutes, we heard Ami screaming that he found the trail. Ron & I headed towards Ami (we were able to see Ami because of his torch). Ami found the trail & we were back on track. The time was about 7 PM & it was completely dark. During this period Ron was exhausted & he requested me to carry his heavy bag. I agreed & we exchanged our bags. We trekked & trekked. We took frequent number of small breaks inside the forest. During the late evenings it gets very humid inside the forest. We were losing a lot of water in the form of sweat but we had a lot of fun during breaks by switching off all our torches & enjoying the darkest forest. The trail never seemed to end (again it’s the mindset here.. if you feel & enjoy the trek, you’ll be fine… if you keep thinking when is this gonna end, it seems this trek is forever).
The three of us had a strong mindset & motivated each other. It takes a lot of physical & mental push to trek during the night inside the humid forest. We kept trekking by taking small 2 min breaks. It was 9:10 PM and finally we reached the trek end point (near that small temple). We were exhausted. My tees were fully wet with sweet summer sweat. My feet were aching as well. There was a small boy who sells kokum juice at the trek end point. We had kokum juice and butter milk. Relaxed there for 15 min & took an auto to Kukke KSRTC bus stop. We had dinner near the bus stop and took the bus. Coincidentally, all the three were in the same KSRTC bus. We enjoyed to the core. Ami & Ron were amazing people & I learnt a lot from them that day. We reached majestic bus stand at 5:30 AM & said goodbye to each other.
FINAL WORD
Kumara Parvatha trek has been an incredible experience in my life. It has taught me to be mentally strong no matter what. This trek would challenge you mentally, physically and take a lot out of you.
Yes, it takes a lot out of you but gives back infinite folds of great memories, thrill, fun, satisfaction & contentment. Do this trek at least once in your life. I recommend doing it in 2 days. I did it in one day as I had no choice. Please trek in 2 days.
I was doing fine the next day. I didn’t have any physical ache or pain. My body felt lighter than ever before. There were no bad aftereffects after the trek.
STATISTICS
- 15 continuous hours of trekking (6:15 AM to 9:10 PM)
- 45 thousand steps walked
- Total amount spent – Rs.1200
- Infinite memories
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