Jul 10, 2004 05:45 PM
18569 Views
(Updated Jul 10, 2004 05:45 PM)
How to reach: KSRTC bus from Majestic to Chikmagalur takes around 6 hours (around 250 kms). From there you can take a local bus to kemangundi, it will take around 1 to 1.5 hours. I guess direct bus is also available from Bangalore.
Where to stay: Horticulture Department guest house. There is quite a no. of simple rooms with basic amenities. Rate is Rs.200. But the Raj Bhawan at the top of the hill is much better. Rates are bit higher there, around 500-800. The food is simple and south indian. There is a very nice garden there maintained by the department.
The booking can be done from Bangalore at Director of Horticulture at Lalbagh. Phone: 26579231, 26573667
When to go: We went there in the month of Jan. Even then the days were warm, evening and night are cooler. May not be very pleasant during summer.
What to do: There are 2 water falls around 8-10 kms from this place. We took a guide from the guest house and went to Hebbe falls. The 8 km walk one way was ok, it went through the hills and jeepable roads. It will take around 2 hours to reach there. The waterfall is Kallahati which is around 10 kms.
Trek from Baba Budan to Kemangundi: This is a bit difficult one. We took a local bus from Chikmagalur to Baba Budan Peak. It took around 1 hour to cover the 30km. There is Peeth there which is very famous and considered holy by both muslim and hindu.
From that place you will find a horse route going towards Kemangundi, this route goes through the peaks of baba budan range. The route is scenic and you can see the valley down from there. This route crosses several small streams and jungle. The total distance might be around 12-14 kms and it should take nearly 4-5 hours to complete. Though it is advisable to take a guide as after half the distance it becomes very difficult to find the way through the grassland. We lost our way and had to take help of a local villager to reach Kemangundi.
