The western coast of India is flanked by the arabian sea and offers many beautiful beaches and back waters on display. The south western states have some of the most sought after tourist destinations in the world. Hills stations, forest and sanctuaries, it has all in its kitty. But a route less followed is a trekking expedition through these lush green and rainy undulating hills of the western ghat. While most of the tourists choose the luxury of cruises and resorts, a adventurer in me found the western hills hard to resist. Hence, we embarked on a mission to be with the nature in group of few friends.
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| The way to go.... |
What I should mention here is that trekking in itself is demanding and calls for real nerve to see it through , though the results are unimaginable and for nature lovers it's something that needs no replacement. Western ghat trek was no different. The whole trek was divided into five days with each night spent at base camps.
Day 1 : Trek to Shirve Gudda peak
The trek began with a five hour long trek to reach Shirve Gudda peak situated 3000 ft above sea level. Though the slope was gentle but the trek had few narrow patches to negotiate with stern warnings not to overtake fellow trekkers. Although an outreach of a rain forest, the slopes were hot and humid. But the view from the top of the peak was nothing short of being serene.
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| An old ruin |
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| At the summit |
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| Down under |
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| Feel the hills |
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| The peak from base camp |
Day 2 : Shirve to Malaggade
The real trek began on the second day. The trek route was marked in dense forest with the help of ribbons and white markers. It almost ran zig zag in between trees and thick bushes. Perhaps it was the first time I stepped into a dense forest. Tall trees, thick undergrowth and the stunning silence, it was a moment your heart takes a break. Every time out footsteps broke the silence, it was echoed by fervent bird chirping ringing around the trees.
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| Enroute...... |
As we walked past the forests, we reached a tribal hamlet. Placed in the lap of mother nature, the hamlet was as ancient as it could be. With no road connectivity, the tribals had managed to maintain a closely knit relation with nature meeting most of the daily needs from the forest and the little agriculture they had. Perhaps it was the first time I got a chance to get a close look at a primitive tribe. Few km from the tribal hamlet is their place of worship with the most primitive ways of worshipping done by a barely clad man.
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| Tribal hamlet |
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| The village |
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| Village temple |
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| A handy tool |
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| Place of worship |
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| A tribal man |
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| A lady doing daily chores |
The trek to next base camp had even more surprises in its kitty. Walking through dense forests, camp leader's advice of sticking together in a group to keep wild animals at bay, kept ringing in my ears. To add more challenge, the downward slope was so steep that we were screeing at regularly. It's under these conditions that you thank your stars for having a band aid kit with you.
The moment we reached downhill, we were relieved to a small village and a stream near by. The first dip in the icy waters made all the tiredness vanish in no time. And we headed to the camp.
Day 3 : kucheghar to kalche
It's a medium seven hour trek passing through various villages and rice fields and rocky formations on the day. The trek was a respite after the strenuous trek the day before and we had ample time to relax and enjoy the nature.
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| Donno what |
Day 4 : kalche to shivpur
The day started early in the morning and we left the base camp with lunch as soon as we could. It was going to be a long strenuous day with ample trekking on the way. The route was tough with almost no civilization nearby and route was marked through dense vegetation. The trek had Sathodi falls in the way. The way to Sathodi falls was marked along the slopes of a the adjcadja hills with thick forest cover making it the perfect place for wildlife spoting and bird watching.
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| In the woods |
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| An eagle |
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| Misty path |
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| Flora |
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| Local fauna |
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| Kali river |
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| Enroute to Sathodi falls |
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| At Sathodi falls |
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| Reservoir |
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| Hanging bridge |
A camera with tele- lens is an asset on any day on this route. The walk to Sathodi falls had steep slopes on one side and thick forest on the other. On a whole it was a risky but an interesting path to tred through, though the first sight of the falls, almost 15 mts high in between dense woods made our hearts pump with joy. After a refreshing bath at the falls we continued out trek by crossing through the Kali river over the hanging bridge making our way to the shivpur camp.
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| Finally the camp |
Day 5 : shivpur to Ulavi
The last day of the trek was a journey back to the populace. After a break of 5 days we were trekking back to the discharge camp to part ways inorder to fall back into the routine life of ours. The final leg of trek had Mahamane caves and akala gali caves to offer, a paradise for speleologists.
As we walked past the last ribbon, the last few days were flashing in front of my eyes. Those few days when I pushed myself to the limit with nature at the best of it had ever offered. That it would be fun was known but that it would be a moment to relish and a learning for lifetime was hardly thought of. But for the pristine milieu, I would have never thought of going for a trek again for which my heart now keeps pressing. On a whole, it was a demanding affair but had a lot of fun imbibed in it. Keeping my fingers crossed till the next trek.........
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