TADIANDAMOL COORG

Tadiandamol Trek!!!

• Tadiandamol trek is one of the most beautiful, though less known, treks in Karnataka. Tadiandamol is the highest peak in Coorg/Kodagu district with an elevation of 5740 ft.
• The trail takes you through the vast expanse of the Shola forests, through endless lush green grasslands and streams.
• It is a day trek which makes it even more doable for city folks- whether avid trekkers or beginners.
• Camping at Tadiandamol peak amid gusty winds is a completely enthralling experience. We were 9 friends, all travel freaks, who read about this trek on the internet and rushed to do it

DIFFICULTY:

Moderate

TRAIL TYPE:

Well-marked trail through grasslands and steep slopes

DURATION:

1 days

ROAD HEAD:

Madikeri

BASE CAMP:

Kakkabe

BEST SEASON:

September to February

Packing list:

  

Tadiyandamol is a just one-day trek. You will need the following things.

• Small 20L backpack
• Two litre water bottle
• A jacket or poncho in case of rain
• Snacks/Lunch

TREK DETAILS

The starting point of the trek has to be approached via Kakkabe from Madikeri or Virajpet. Since Madikeri is only around 250kms from Bangalore, we hired a 12 seater tempo traveler cab and left Bangalore around 1 am. As planned, we reached Madikeri at around 7 am. All of us wanted to start the trek early in the morning, so we had a quick breakfast in Madikeri, filled our bottles, bought some snacks, asked the locals for the directions to Kakkabe and set off. Kakkabe is about 35-40kms from Madikeri. It took us more than an hour to reach Kakkabe as the journey from Madikeri to Kakkabe was uphill. From Kakkabe the starting point is another 4kms and the closest landmark to the starting point is Nalakanad Palace.

The start point of the trek has no specific name as such but it’s not difficult to reach there. Once in Kakkabe, we asked someone on the roadside to guide us to Tadiandamol and he did. We had heard that some people start the trek in Kakkabe itself, covering this 4kms stretch between Kakkabe and actual trek starting point on foot. Since the path was good enough, our cab easily took us to the starting point. The 4kms stretch was just a single lane road with portions of soiled road in between. More so, some among us were beginners and we decided it was better if we started the trek from actual point.Once at the starting point, we could already feel that we were in for a lot of fun and some beautiful trails. This place, had a couple of water streams and the trees were so many with dense foliage that even at noon sunlight could not touch the main path. All excited about conquering the highest peak in Coorg, we we started on the mud path that was self-guiding with easy gradient.

This stretch with easy gradient was the longest and lasted for a while. It was exciting enough for us to repeatedly enter and exit the forest covers and the open grasslands without getting even slightly tired. Halfway through the trail we got the first view of the Tadiandamol peak.

It seemed too high and far away and initially couldnt identifying the peak. Then it dawned on us that it was the highest peak in Coorg. We had a light laugh about this and continued our walk. A few more strides and we could see the big rock. We were elated on seeing our first landmark on the trail as we had read about it on the internet. Everyone just rushed towards the rock, climbed it and after 40-45 minutes of walk, we were lying on this giant rock under the sun, already feeling extremely satisfied.

The big rock is a large single rock and is one of the guiding landmarks on the trail. It served as an ideal resting place, offering enough space for the nine of us. If someone is looking forward to camping, this is a good spot as the top of the peak may not accommodate more than 4-5 tents and the weather may not be favorable to camp there due to strong winds and cold temperature. The serenity of the place itself was very relaxing. We could see the tall Tadiandamol peak to our left and other smaller peaks all around. We could also hear a water stream at some distance, though we couldn’t see it. After the big rock the trail became steeper at once.

After 20 minutes of rest and zealous photography, we climbed down the rock and continued our journey on the slightly steep stone trail. Though the journey till now wasn’t very tiring, it’s good to stop for a while as the forthcoming trail does require some effort, especially if you are looking forward to maintain the same pace. Subsequently the slope was getting steeper and as it was a sunny day, 3 of our friends already started feeling exhausted but they knew better than to give up and return. After a 20 minute break, all of us finally reached the entrance of the Shola forest cover. We took some time to take a few pictures and admire the beauty of the landscape before our packs were on our backs and we were ready to roll again.

This was the second time we traversed a forest on this trail but it was nothing like the previous one. This time it was greener, denser and steeper. Everything was in full bloom after the rains and for once, we were a little reluctant while making way through the thick drooping foliage all around us. The greenery was exhilarating and some photographers among us with their DSLR cameras could not stop themselves from capturing piece of it.

The trail was mostly muddy with lots of thick tree roots and stones. The trail through forest was moderate, but the steep slopes made it pretty exhausting. At a few places, it was like climbing up heighted stairs. It took us another 20 minutes to cross this jungle before we were out in the open again. After getting out we realized that the shade of trees and the temperature drop inside the forest was like heaven. Though we could feel the temperature drop as the altitude was increasing, the scorching sun and exertion wasn’t letting us appreciate it. Trekking in summers is surely more difficult.

At some height ahead, we saw a peak again, the same one we had spotted before and to our satisfaction, it wasn’t much farther now. Though later we found  out that it was a masquerade and ‘the highest peak’ was just behind it. Since some of our friends were too tired and decreased their pace, a group of 4 guys took the lead and moved ahead. A couple friends and I got into backing up and motivating others to push their limits further so that they don’t miss the experience of reaching the top.

The trail was mostly a ‘steep’ slope but easily doable as the stones provided good enough grip to move forward with confidence. As we moved ahead, there was a part, where we were slightly circling around the peak and there was a sudden slope on the other side. Those who are scared of heights, braces yourselves as this might take your nerve away. Since everybody was excited that we were about to reach, they gave away the last bit of energy left in them, which later resulted in a disappointment as it was just a ‘false peak’. The highest peak was further ahead and we could see a straight thin abrupt stone trail to the top. With this we realized that the peak that we were aiming for from the beginning was not the Tadiandamol peak. It’s was just another peak standing in front of the highest peak and fooling people. We relaxed here for sometime and took a lot of photographs at the edge of the cliff as we were already at par with most of the visible peaks around.

At that instant, I moved ahead with a couple of friends, leaving other behind because the feeling to get on the top was just pulling us. The last part of the trail was very steep, mainly consisting of a stone path. It can take a toll on you if you have lost stamina at this point. Rest enough before you make a move as it’s difficult to stop in between. As we reached the top of the peak, the feeling of accomplishment flushed all the exhaustion and the tranquility and stillness of nature embraced us. Apart from us, there was just one couple on the top. We were expecting more as we crossed so many other trekkers on the way, and some of them even came with tents and sleeping bags with the intention of camping at the peak. It was not difficult to make out that we were sitting on the highest peak as all the other peaks around looked trivial.

Finally,  around 30 minutes later, the last set of people joined us, all fatigued and drained. The biggest mistake we made was carrying just a couple of liters of water amongst 9 of us and most of it was over before getting to the top. Everyone was craving for water and nothing else. We just loitered around the peak taking on the heavy wind, clicked photographs with all sorts of combination amongst us, sat on the cliff and lazed on the grass for an hour before starting the return journey. We could have stayed longer but we didnt have the basic amenities like water.

While returning, though all of us started together, we got split in groups as some of us wantd to get down soon. Five of us reached the big rock in around 40 minutes flat without stopping once. Once again we had crossed a group of trekkers who we saw before starting our trek. Another thing we noticed was that some trekkers were returning in between the trail. They may have found it difficult for reasons unknown to us. I was pretty sure that they missed the “larger-than-life” experience of getting on top. We waited for another 45 minutes for our other friends to join us at the big rock before we started our voyage again. The break was too long and fatigue began to set in. The last portion, till the end felt really long and tiring. After at last after 45 minutes of decent, all of us were back in the cab.During our return, our cab broke down somewhere in between Kakkabe and Madikeri. On enquiry, some locals told us that there are buses available to Bangalore from both Madikeri and Napoklu, another small town in between Madikeri and Kakkabe. Since Napoklu was closer, we gathered our belongings and reached Napoklu which was hardly 3 kms from there and got bus tickets for the 8:30 pm bus. There are five buses (both sleepers and semi-sleepers) that leave from Napoklu to Bangalore daily between 8 pm and 11 pm and all these buses also stop at Madikeri. Though Madikeri had better options and more number of buses to Bangalore, Napoklu was close by and the buses were pretty good and punctual. We were all very hungry and tired after the day’s exertion but Napoklu had no good restaurants. We decided to get inside the bus and have a good dinner at Madikeri instead. Every bus from Napoklu stops for an hour at Madikeri, so we could easily plan to have our meal there. The bus finally reached Kempegowda bus stand (Majestic) at 6am in the morning and we parted ways, looking forward to more adventurous trips and experiences.

FARE DETAILS:

Cost Plans :

• Plan 1
  - 3299 INR per person :

INCLUDED

• Transportation(Non AC) to and fro from Bangalore
• Sharing basis accommodation in homestay/rooms.
• Food ( 2 breakfast – 1 lunch – 1 Dinner)
• Experience that you gain
• Guide and entry charges Campfire

NOT INCLUDED

• Anything not included in the inclusions above
• Any kind of insurance
• Personal Expense(snacks, mineral water etc.)

***TOUR IS CONDUCTED FROM VIJAYAWADA 

AT AN EXTRA COST OF 1500/- PER TRAVELLER.***