Mulliyangiri is the highest peak in Karnataka at an altitude of 1900 mts. It is about 260 KMS from Banglore and the terrain is a treat to behold. The nearest town is Chikmunglur (a pretty big town - much bigger than what we expected for sure) which has really neat infrastructure in place for all basic purposes and even more.
A group of 5 enthusiasts (including the author) - a couple of them first timers - decided to test this terrain and also the limits of our spirits. We boarded the train from Chennai to banglore at 15:30 on 03/07/09. With all travel needs pre booked, all we had to worry about was catching the bus/train on time. Upon reaching Banglore at around 21.30, we had our dinner in an eatery on the bus stop (believe it or not - it was a wholesome meal for Rs.15), and decided to wait for the bus (KSRTC - Rajahamsa) departing at 23:00 to Chikmanglur. There was a mini adventure between boarding the bus and dinner, which could have been straight out of a comedy show. Two of us decided to move out to find out which platform the bus departs from, and went near the platform to wait for the bus. It was about 22:55 when we realized that we were waiting on the right platform, but the wrong bus stop. Realizing this, we immediately called our friends to tell them that we have given them directions to the wrong bus stop and then tried giving the directions to the right one – only to realize that the other guys have already reached the right bus stop and waiting near the bus with the conductor shouting at us for being late.
Having experienced out first adventure late on the first night, we reached Chikmuglur at about 5:00 on the next day. We got into a lodge to just freshen up and at about 6:00, were ready to leave for Mulliyangiri. We dropped our luggage in the cloak room in Chikmunglur bus stop and put all the necessary items inside on big bag to be carried during the trek. We boarded a bus to Mulliyangiri which reached a place pretty close at around 6.30 and waited for another bus to take us to the point where we had to start our trek from. Realizing that busses are sporadic in this part of the county, we had our breakfast in a nearby eatery, and rented an autorickshaw to take us there. We reached the place we had to start our trek from and after taking the necessary precautions, we started our trek.
Once we started the trek at around 7:30, we immediately came to the conclusion that this was probably the best time of the year to trek given the mist surrounding us and also the cool breeze hitting our faces – only to change our opinion later. We first took a right, and after a few feet decided (for god knows why) that this was the wrong route and came down to take a left right at the start of the trek. But logic prevailed a few feet afterwards and it was then that we realized that we had initially followed the right trail and returned for the wrong one. So, please note, take the right at the start of the trek. The ascend was pretty good to start off with – that we missed the trails twice is another matter altogether. As we moved up, we realized that start of monsoons was probably not a good idea for this trek. Most parts of the trails were slippery and we had to literally crawl in many places.
Another fear was leeches – which thankfully decided to strike only one of us. In many places, we realized that we had to trek around the edge of the cliff, and with the path slippery, it made the whole experience nervous and exciting. If you are following the correct trail, you would hit a small nandi temple which can be used as a point of reference. Please take a left after the nandi temple - unless you decide to be overtly adventerous and take a left that leads to rocks - and you have to climb rocks which again leads to the same path if you had taken the left. There was a cave near the peak – which can be used as a reference point for people wanting directions and alos ideal setting for a caveman movie.
After halting for many clicks and enjoying the beauty of the nature, we reached the peak at around 10:15, which we realized was truly divine, with mist covering the entire area and winds gushing at speeds good enough to send out hushing sounds that can easily beat any
After taking some rest inside the temple and clicking more photos, we decided to trek our way down, when the rain gods started getting cruel upon us. It was literally raining cats and dogs. Weighing our options, we decided that descending through the same path would be near impossible considering the rains and that water would be running through the trails we used to trek and took the road down – which was a good 8 KM walk. Descending down, we were welcome by heavy rains and also beautiful forests where we took some more photos.
Fully drenched, we reached the point where we started our trek a good 2 hours later, at around 12:45. A heavenly soul decided to give us a lift, soon after we realized there would be no busses to take us to Chikmuglur for a while. We reached Chikmunglur at around 13:45, and here rests this tale of ours.
Some things to remember if you decide to trek to Mulliyangiri:
- Make sure you have some mode of transport to take you to the point of trek and then to take you back from the peak. It is best arranged in Chikmunglur. Public transport is pathetic like any remote area on
- Carry sufficient water and things to eat – you will not find anything on the way.
- If you are not really stupid in the name of adventure, please avoid the monsoon time. We had a really tough time with the rains. Considering the terrain, Nov-Dec-Jan should be the best time for the trek.
- Carry sufficient back up in case it rains. One of us didn’t, and I guess you can make out his agony from the photos.
- No permissions needed, and people are friendly. So just hit the place and chill out.
To view all the photos we cliked, visit:
