At a glance Trekkers paradise Kudremukh is 6,214 ft above sea level in Malnad, 95 km south-west of Chikmagalur
About the city On the route to Kudremukh it's a good idea to keep the driver caffeinated, though it will always be the scenery that will wake up the senses here. As you go beyond Chikmagalur and to the windward side of the Malnad coffee hills, spring would have already reached there. Coffee trees that still await the first shower in Chikmagalur are drenched in white blossoms in Kudremukh. With no apparent effort, the land here grows coffee, arecanut palms, cardamom and mango all at the same time, with quite a few hills also given over to mosaic-like tea plantations. Kudremukh is a landscape designed entirely by rain and there is an ease to life in these parts that is obvious in the freshly painted villages and the clean streets. Lying on the southern edge of Karnataka's border, its beauty makes an apt foreword to Kerala. But nature is not the only performer in these parts. Ask for coffee on this drive and your taciturn petrol pump attendant will immediately slip into a first world act. Wiping hands, he will don disposable plastic gloves and proceed to serve excellent machine-brewed stuff in golden yellow Coffee Day cups that have spill-proof lids on them. The price makes a statement too. At Rs 3 a cup, coffee is cheaper than tea in these parts.
How to reach Road: This is the best way to get to Kudremukh. Take NH48 to Sakleshpur. Head north to Mudigere. En route to Kudremukh, you drive through Kotigere, Kalasa and Karagadda. En route halts Tirumala Lodge (Tel: 08176-652080) at Channarayapatna offers meals, and has a medical and general store. Hassan has many good dining options. Journey Time Road: 7 hrs
Distances 351 km West from Bangalore 95 km South West from Chikmagalur Route(s) From Bangalore NH4 to Nelamangala NH48 to Sakleshpur via Channarayapatna and Hassan State road to Kudremukh via Mudigere and Kalasa
Best Seasons Avoid March and April. Besides a general lack of colour in this dry season, quite a few places are closed to visitors due to the danger of forest fires. Getting There
Places in and around Kudremukh Peak Kudremukh town was set up entirely by the Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited (KIOCL). Built like an American town with wide open spaces and low buildings, it's a pleasant place to stay but doesn't have very many tourist spots. Most places to see around have their own dots on the district map, which means a lot of driving. So this holiday is best done with your own car. If you are hiring one, go for a sturdy vehicle as roads are bad in parts. At 6,250 ft, this peak which means the horse face hill falls before the town and requires a small hike up. On a very, very clear day the blue edge of the Arabian Sea is visible from there. The peak is closed to visitors in the forest-fire season. Lakya Dam The dam, just outside Kudremukh, was built by KIOCL to deposit the red sludge from its mines. It has a stark industrial beauty and is a great place for an evening walk. Though there is a guard to post all warnings, under no circumstances climb over the rocks because the sludge is like quicksand it swallows everything including grazing cows that venture too near. Interestingly, to protect animals and the forests of the Kudremukh National Park, the park authorities had filed a case against the KIOCL, which is now disputing the Supreme Court order to stop mining by the year 2005. Timings Weekdays 4.30-6.30 pm, Sundays 9.30 am to 6.30 pm Kudremukh National Park The park, 10 km from the town, consists mostly of evergreen rainforests and is extremely beautiful. But forests here are so thick that big game sightings are rare. Inside the park (1 km from the Mangalore-Kalasa Road), you can stay at the Kudremukh Forest Department's Bhagwati Nature Camp (Tel: 08263-355998; Tariff: Rs 115). The camp has 6 tents (dbls) and the tariff includes stay and trek, but not meals. The facilities are quite basic. The camp is also temporarily closed during the dry season because forest fires are frequent. Information is also available at the Forest Department in Karkala (Tel: 08258-731183). Inside the forest are Hanuman Gundi Waterfalls (16 km) and Gangamoola (12 km), where the Tunga, Bhadra and Netravathi rivers originate, a scenic spot one can trek up to.