Chikmagalur, Kemmangundi, Hunkal Woods Trip

Planters Court Hotel, Chikmagalur - Review.

Hunkal Woods - Review.

We did this 3 nights and 3.25 days trip by Train and Cab combinations, from Friday afternoon till Monday night. We had been to Chikmagalur and Hunkal Woods in 9-12 April 2009, but at that time we had missed Kemmangundi and the surrounding Hebbe Falls, Z-Point and Kallathigiri Falls. So when our son had an unforeseen 3-day week-end suddenly, we quickly planned for this trip.

Here is a high level summary of the trip.

23/Mar/12 (Fri):   Train: Bangalore Shimoga Express: From Bangalore City (16:30) to Kadur (19:56)

                              Cab: From Kadur to Chikmagalur (40 KM, 1 hour)
                              Stay: The Planters Court, Chikmagalur

24/Mar/12 (Sat):   Cab: Hebbe Falls, Z-Point, Kallathigiri Falls (About 110 KM round-trip)
                              Stay: The Planters Court, Chikmagalur

25/Mar/12 (Sun):  Cab: The Planters Court to Hunkal Woods (26 KM)
                              Stay: 140 year old British heritage bungalow in Thogarihunkal Group Coffee Estates
                              Trek: 16:30 to 18:15 - Temple Trees Walk (In the Estates, their very own Old Temple)

26/Mar/12 (Mon): Trek: 05:45 to 08:00 - Sidda View Point (Up the hill via Estates, and beyond)
                              Cab: From Hunkal Woods (15:30) to Birur Railway Station (16:30)
                              Train: From Birur (17:30) to Bangalore City (21:25)

Read on further... for more interesting travel destination details, lots of pictures, and see us as well.

The Planters Court Hotel, Chikmagalur

• The maintenance seemed to have gone down a bit compared to last time in April-09, but not too bad yet.They have done some renovation of front office and, it seems, many rooms as well. Due to week-end rush, we did not get a good room.
• We booked the room & the cab services at the mobile number on their website that turned out to be a travel agency. There were communication gaps that caused us inconveniences.
• The complementary vegetarian breakfast had a reasonable good spread with everything tasty: Cereals, Bread, Idly, Dosa, Vada, Kesari, Egg, Banana, Coffee and Tea. Though they could learn to serve it cleaner and with appropriate container bowls.
• Last time in April-09 the lawns were very green due to some rains in February / March that year. But this year since there has not been any rain for the past 3-4 months, grasses had dried.
• Planters Court is about a KM away from the town area, so there is not much you can get around you, though there is a petty shop just outside. And, very next door, you have Hotel Ashoka - Vegetarian Garden Restaurant that serves tasty south and north Indian food, and some Chinese / Manchurian as well. At night, they close a bit early, around 20:45 to 21:00.

Planters Court Hotel

Chikmagalur town

Room

Room

Lobby

0th Milestone of Chikmagalur

Hebbe Falls, Kemmangundi

•  Just about 2 KM before Kemmangundi there is a diversion where you have to get down from your regular cab and then hire a Jeep (Rs 200-250 per person) to go near Hebbe Falls.
• The 13 KM ride in the Jeep is very tough in a private mountainous and estate terrain. Steep ups and downs, curves and bends in rocky and muddy track. For some short stretches there are no tracks. You get shaken up. Your backs and necks would be toiled by the jerky travel. Be prepared. Our onward travel was from 11:25 to 12:05.
• The Jeep waits for us for about an hour and we need to come back to return to the main road.
• From where you alight from the Jeep in the estate, you have to walk for about 15-20 minutes (about 500-700 m) in a little bit convoluted terrain among trees and walk through to cross three very nice water streams. We walked from 12:05 to 12:30.
• The water falls inside the estate is quite tall at about 600 feet in two stages. 
• When we reached near the waterfall there were just about 15 people and it was peaceful. 
• After spending from 12:30 to 13:00 near the waterfall a lot more crowd had assembled there.
• The lost wallet: As we started walking back I found that my wallet was missing! I went back near the waterfall and checked around but did not find it. It did not have much cash, but it had all my ATM debit cards, credit cards, travel ID (driving license / PAN card) for return train journey, etc. We started suspecting all sorts of possibilities - whether it could have fallen in the Jeep or in the cab we came from our hotel till the main road or at the hotel itself. We also frantically started planning alternate options to go through in case we were not going to find it at all. We rushed back to the Jeep. And - very, very luckily... I found it - lying almost under the front seat! Though, actually I had traveled sitting in the side-seat in the rear half, but it had fallen behind my seat and seems to have jumped down one step into a pocket near the wheel cover, and then in to the next step down under the front seat! Lucky it had had not fallen off the vehicle through some opening somewhere!

Jeep ride

Rough terrain

Jerky ride

Reached successfully

Stream cross - 1

Stream cross -2

Stream cross -3

2-stage 600' water fall

Limited crowd

Ready to return

Pristine

Myself and the waterfall

Lucky wallet!

Sri Krishna Rajendra (KR) Hill Station, Rock Garden, Kemmangundi

• From the Hebbe Falls junction on the main road within 2 min., at 14:30 we reached KR Hill Station, which is the base of Kemmangundi. For lunch at Kemmangundi there are no choices. There is just a small canteen that serves veg. meals @ Rs 60 and Poori @ Rs 40. If you are lucky to be there before they run out you will get food. Otherwise you will pass through some petty shops or cart wallahs selling bread-omelet.
• After lunch, on the way to Z-point, a short detour takes to Rock Garden.
• An old park, almost fully in ruined state. Just a few statues and some greenery still remain. Not many people seem to go there. You can spend about 15 minutes there.

Canteen at KR Hill Station

Dry hill tops

At the Rock Garden

Rock Statues

More

Ruined walk way

Resting shade

Some more statues

And some more

Nice design Public Tap - But broken

Z-Point, Kemmangundi

• Our cab driver dropped us at Z-point and drove down to the base level near the canteen. We spent a few minutes there and then walked down the steps in 15 minutes, looking around the surroundings and reached the cab.
• There is nothing much at Z-point. Some garden and view points. It is a high point in the area. It was all going through some renovation. The cab driver said Lalbagh Bangalore has taken up this space for renovation. We saw some cottages also being built.

Z-Point Garden

Valley-view points

Z-Point hillock

Altitude

New cottages coming up

Public Taps - Abandoned

Bread-Omelet

 Kallathigiri Falls, Kemmangundi

• Within 30 min. from the base canteen we reached Kallathigiri Falls, at 16:30. 
• Within 2 min. walk from the car park you see the water stream. The water fall which is suppose to flow as a gushing arch above the small cave temple here was running like a tap water. There was a lot of crowd dirtying the whole surroundings. We took a u-turn within 2 min. from there.

No water

Spoiled by people

Hunkal Woods, Hospet, Chikmagalur

• You have to book your package, that includes stay and food, at Hunkal Woods, in advance. Contact details are available on their website.
• We had been there on a Company outing in April 2009. This was our second visit within 3 years. So you know - we like it!
• Located at about 26 KM from Chikmagalur, and about 3.5 KM away from the nearest village - Hospet - that is on the the main road, Hunkal Woods is hidden away, deep inside Thogarihunkal Group Coffee Estates.
• The estate owners' family are running the 140 year old British heritage bungalow inside their estate almost like a home-stay resort.
• There is no TV, no Radio, no Daily Newspaper, almost no Cellphone signals (just some pick-up once in a while), nothing. You are far from traffic sound. Away from crowd. Amongst trees and estate in the vicinity. Quiet.
• There are 4 bedrooms and a mini (non-furnished) dormitory in the main bungalow and 2 separate asbestos-roofed rooms as well. A few Resident ladies and gents take care of cooking and serving in the nice stilt dining hut. The guide and coordinator, Nazim, is an excellent support guy, conducting and arranging all our treks and activities during our stay.
• Luckily for us when we checked-in on Sunday morning at 10:30, the previous guests have all left and we had the "entire" bungalow and the "entire" resort for us. We enjoyed the 24 hours, with four meals, lunch to lunch.
• Food is all vegetarian with occasional (chicken) eggs. All are Malnad style cuisine. Each meal's menu is a buffet arranged in some combination of Chapatti, Akki (Rice) Roti, Idly, Uddin (Urad) Vada, Chutney, Rice, Sambar, Huliyogare (Tamarind Rice), Vegetables, Rice, Gulab Jamun, Custard fruit-salad, Payasam, etc. Everything - very tasty to the drop. They can serve any mount of Coffee with milk for you without frowning any number of times, all completely on the house. By evening there is one serving of some snacks, something like Minsinkaai (Milagaai) Bajji.
• You can enjoy the place with multiple pass time activities. Hammock, Wooden log swing, Dart board, Rope ladder (Challenge - Try climbing till the top!), Tree-top view point (to be renovated), Machan (also to be renovated), Wooden log benches, Table tennis, Carom board, Chess, Cards, and so on.
• Hot water in the bathroom is made by using firewood water boilers built behind the bungalow and you can enjoy the nice, smoked, hot water flowing out of the tap in the bathroom.
• You will have some power cuts during the day and night, so you can spend some of your time in a pure, natural environment, with no modern utilities at your hand.
• The maintenance is spic-and-span and all the resident staff's hospitality is wonderful.
• They have modified and renovated the building compared to how it was last time when we went in April-09. Actually the front facade was much more attractive in the previous design. It has changed a bit less impressive now.
• Nizam will discuss with you to arrange the activities during our stay... he suggests us to pick a couple of options from several choices: Hunkal Creek Walk, Coffee Processing Walk, Camp Fire, Temple Trees Walk, Sidda View Point Trek, Hunkal Rock Trek, Breakfast by the Creek, Night Trek, etc. etc. We also picked two, that follows below.

Entrance

Click to read in full view

So old!

Reception, and the 2 separate rooms are in this row

The original, old design, April-09

The current, new design, March-12

View from inside

One of the rooms

Bathroom

Hall and another room

Hall and TT room

Another room

Fire-wood water boiler

Click to read in full view

The overview!

Hammocks

Machan

Tree-top watch tower / view point

Coffee processing center

Stilt dining hall

Dining hall adjoins the forest-like estate

Relaxing dining

At the dining hall

Yummy

More Yummy

Some TT

Bungalow by night

Some wild Lily plants

Temple Trees Walk - Mild Trek

• Nizam took us in this walk / trek inside the coffee estate from 16:30 to 18:10. 
• During the walk, he shows and tells many tips about trees and vegetation, birds and other activities in the surroundings - The types of coffee there, silver oak trees, pepper, coffee husk manure, very spicy chillies plant, green barbet, bul-bul, etc. etc.
• All of a sudden, after walking from 16:30 to 15:10, deep inside their estate shows up this very old temple owned by the estate owners. It is a pleasant surprise to see a reasonably sized temple tucked deep into their estate surrounded by trees with no other sounds around.
• And the surprise became double when Nizam took us to another such temple within 5 min. walk from that location. It is another good size small temple.
• Nizam said around Kannada New Year Ugadi festival that just passed recently (23/Mar/12) rains were expected but have still be delayed. So coffee plants have not yet flowered. But one section near the second temple where young plants were groomed, they had sprinklers from a well there. Those plants in that surrounding have flowered in full bloom. The sight and smell was fantastic. Though, Nizam said, standing there in that smell for too long will cause giddiness.

Coffee Berry

Mini but super-spicy chillies

Arabica Coffee

Coffee husk manure

Plantation Tree Walk

Temple-1

Temple-2

Flowered due to water sprinklers

Source to the water sprinklers

More flowers - They had a lovely jasmine-like smell

Unique single-pole double-stepped ladder to pluck Pepper

Tired

Coffee

Minsinkaai Bajji

Sidda View Point & Hunkal Rock top - Trek

•  We had planned to go on our main Trek to the peak of the hills, on the Sahayadri Western Ghats, that is behind the Bungalow. That is called Hunkal Rock at the top where Shola forest and Grass lands are said to be present. It is on a huge rocky surface named Hunkal Rock by the estate people. 8 KM trek up the hills. We had planned to start at 5:30 AM as Nizam wanted us to see sun rise from the heights.
• We actually started at about 05:45 in pitch dark condition with a solo torch light  on Nizam's hand. The sounds of the dense trees and plantation in the estate was amazing. Nizam walks fast. We three had to keep pace. He only stops at a couple of resting points. There are some tractor trails we walk on. But there are many stretches we walk via the dense coffee plantation making way for ourselves, and there are some single step foot path climbs as well There are some stretches which are just butting the hill slope, pretty steep with cliff-edge like depth on the other side of us. A lot of fallen dry leaves made our steps skid and risky.
• Somewhere at about 3 KM distance, at 06:30, we were still at the far end of their estates but at a high altitude where we could watch the sun rise from. It was a nice view.
• Further up after 10 min. from there we crossed the rear boundary of the estate and suddenly we were at a flat sprawling open forest with the Shola forest very close by. The next steep climb to the Hunkal Rock continues from there. But this location had a spread of stray vegetation butting that foot hill.
• Couple of months ago, due to forest fires at the top of the hills, there as a barren dry shaved look. And we were told that several animals including tigers have strayed into the plantation side since then. And, on top of all, just a few weeks ago, just near the rear border of the coffee estate that we just passed, their plantation laborers saw a tiger sitting just 30 feet from them, as they all alighted from their morning drop tractor. As they got down, the tiger stood up and walked slow from that location. We treadled with fear.
• At one mud track stretch, Nizam showed us the pug mark of the tiger!!
• He also bent down a small trees branch and showed there a cute little nest of "Feather Pecker" bird and its pale blue eggs inside!!
• He also showed a Sambar Deer at the top on the slopes far away that was seen as a speck. It was probably grazing on the slopes and the speck was mildly moving from the distance we saw.
• On the other side within a few steps of rough walk through crude vegetation we were suddenly at this cliff with a nice view of the entire valley beneath and the view of the entire hills behind - We had reached Sidda View Point at 07:10. Pin drop silence and no movement of any mankind in that surroundings and we were sitting atop a hill surrounded by forest like vegetation. It was dry but looked pretty. We also suddenly got Airtel mobile phone signal there!
• We heard the Barking Deers bark very loudly just some 20-30 m from the spot where we were standing. Not sure if there were some wild animals in the vicinity.
• We were tired with legs paining. Our son was still not. But we still aborted out plan to trek all the way up to Hunkal Rock that stood some 5 more KM away from that Sidda View point. 
• We reached back the Bungalow at 08:10, fully tired, and ready to gulp a lot of breakfast.

Started at 05:45 in the morning

Climbing fast to catch sun rise

Support sticks

Climb further

06:30 - We caught the sun rise

Viewing the sun rise

Walking up beyond the Coffee Estate

Flower Pecker Bird's nest with eggs

In front of the Shola forests and Babu Budan Giri

Tiger's pug mark!

Peaceful silence with the mountains and valleys

No mankind sounds around

We zoomed in to the Sambar deer on the hill top

Enjoying the aloof locality

Noise free, dust free, crowd free

Still not willing to leave

Finally the walk back, down

Back to enter the Hunkal Woods gate - End of the trek

Trek guidelines

 Trip Tips

• Cost: A trip like this, covering what is described above, would cost about Rs 16-17k for three.
• Mode of travel: We felt that if we had driven on our own from Bangalore, we would have saved about Rs 3-4k in total. In fact we had gone to River Tern Lodge / Bhadra Dam near Lakkavalli driving on our own. We passed through Kadur and Birur and then Tarikere to Lakkavalli. You can read that posting here. Chikmgalur is almost similar distance only. But, if we had driven on our own, the issue would have been the other local drives to Kemmangundi, Z-Point, Kallathigiri Falls, etc. are not easy. So, in the end, we felt we did the right thing by Train and Cab combinations.
• Season: It is always better to visit Chikmagalur surrounding during Oct-Dec kind of time-frame. The greenery around the hill side will be amazing.
• Days: Week-ends and vacation times are generally crowded. So you might enjoy if you go on a Friday or Monday combined with a Saturday or Sunday. 
• Places to see: There are several other spots to visit around Chikmagalur: Mulliangiri (highest peak in Karnataka), Babu Budan Giri, Manikhyadhara Falls, Mahatma Gandhi Children's Park, etc. that we had covered in our earlier trip during April-09.

Some Pictures from the Trip showing local touch of the area

Mangalore Tiles in a mini truck

Sign maps seen at several locations

Agri lands waiting for rains

Good - Some vegetable harvested

Some greenery

16:55 - Ah, very thirsty!

A fully dried up tree

More dry trees

And then some green trees

Husk from the recent harvest

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