Agumbe – A Trek to the Cherrapunji of the South

So finally I have a collection of the places that I have visited and I am happy to see it coming on a blog. When you write about your experiences you not only relive it but also are happy that you are able to share it with people. So when I decided to go to trekking, I thought of calling up Badri my friend and in Bangalore. He was ready and he said his wife could also accompany us. I had come to Tiruppur to check out some materials for my brother in-law. So finally my brother- in – law also agreeing to join us, we reached Bangalore by bus. At Bangalore we halted overnight at Sirumugam’s house. Sirumugam and Annam, his wife were very welcoming and warm and were excited to join the trek. Both of them, naturalists by profession were keen followers of the diversity of flora and fauna and kept a record of it.

To reach a good  trekking spot near Bangalore, we zeroed in on Agumbe. It is one of the areas in the state of Karnataka which had the heaviest rains. Bangalore to Agumbe was around six hours by road and the State Transport Buses provided us good service. We enquired about the bus and booked ourselves by an early morning bus.

The next morning, braving the chill of the early morning surroundings, we left and soon we were speeding by on the highway in the bus. The National Highway No.4 took us to Tumkur. Here we halted for tea and then took the NH206 and reached Shimoga. Then the NH13 took us to Thirthahalli. The drive up to Agumbe was filled with verdant surroundings and the early morning sun seemed to smile on us as I saw the orange beauty through the tinted glasses of the bus. There was a slight drizzle adding to the chillness around. The lush green expanse relaxed our tired brains. We had spent the night discussing what we would do at Agumbe.

Finally at Agumbe, we located a hotel and checked in. After refreshing, we went around asking for a guide. Believe it or not, guides in Agumbe are reluctant to join to come with us to the Narasimha Parvata, where we wanted to trek. Strangely even the police were not ready to give us permission. They agreed only after we changed our initial route. The present route included a trek to Barkana falls and then come back. Barkana Falls is around 8 kms from Agumbe.

We proceeded immediately and the bus that was to take us was just choking to a start. We rushed in and sat down panting out of breath. The road went through forests filled with evergreen trees. Sirumugam and Annam were quite familiar with the trees and knew most of their names. MY brother in law Deepak was taking a lot of photos. I had just decided to enjoy. The journey was very bumpy and the ride along the Ghats was adventurous. Finally we reached our destination. The terrain was not very co-operative and the place certainly would have terrified a sensitive person due to its rugged travel.

Agumbe basically has three types of seasons. One is when it rains so heavily that it is called the Cherrapunji of the South. The other is when the season is very cloudy with clouds hanging over but not raining. The other is the rainy season when it rains as in other places.

We were out of the bus and we were now on foot. I clicked some pictures of algae growing on the windows of a shed nearby. This is a common feature in Agumbe. You could find algae and the grass growing here due to the moisture.

As we continued our trek I saw the houses along our road. There were beautiful huts with the roofs made of arecanut leaves. This was the first of its kind I saw.

“Agumbe is the region where the television serial of yesteryears Malgudi Days was hot.” Said Sirumugam. Deepak said that I wasn’t an avid television viewer so I wouldn’t know. I asked Deepak if he knew about the serial. He said he was very young then, but has heard others speaking about it.

“Come we will take you to Kasturakka’s house.” Said Annam. “Who is that?” I asked. Annam said she was the lady in whose house the serial was shot.

As we entered the house, the place enthralled me. The smell of arecanut being processed came whiffing in the air. There was a huge cauldron in which they were preparing the arecanut. Kasturakka’s house was bustling with kids playing around, and they were all eating and savoring roasted seeds of the jackfruit. There were many huts with thatched roofs around and the sight was something to cherish. Outside there were many women sitting around working and singing. They sang folk songs and it was such a memorable experience. Birds flitted by and cooed as they flew around. We couldn’t see the birds but heard them. The coconut and the arecanut tees and also the small green creepers curled up the big trees and enhanced the stretch of paddy in the distance.

We were in Kasturakka’s house for some time and then proceeded with our trek. The path led up to a forest. Then we reached a hill and started climbing up. WE were completely tired after some time and we saw some guides with another group of trekkers and we asked how long we had to walk. They were very smart enough. They said we had to go only for some more time. An hour passed and we were finding it very difficult to walk. The information that the guides were giving regarding the place was interesting but we wanted to rest. We reached the check post and here there was a steep cliff from where we could see the full view of the beauty below. Then we walked down the cliff which opened into a flat surface here. There was the land led towards the sea, and as we walked ahead, the scent of the sea waters floated in the air. After a lot of tiresome but exciting trekking, we reached the falls. Wow! What a sight it was. It had taken us around 2 hours. Though we had struggled yet the coolness of the falls thrilled us.

Onake means a stick used for pounding grains. The falls resembled a thin stick hence maybe the name. All of us were enjoying the coolness of the water. We had our packed lunch here and the food disappeared in minutes.

The sight of the waterfall against the background of majestic mountains and the scenic splendor was something that even a camera couldn’t take completely. It remains etched in my memories.

We returned back the same way and loved the roughness and natural feature of the roads. We took a bus from a place where we found the bus station. When we reached the hotel we were completely exhausted. That evening went in having a light meal at night and we got ready to go to the Barkana Falls next day.

The next morning saw all the four of us going to main Agumbe. This time we decided to go there by car. We hired a car and then parked it at a place in a village called Malandur. The rains had somewhat eroded the path and we had to literally grope our way through. Yet we were determined to go there. Sirumugam and Annam had come here many times so they had warned us that we might have to jump over trees and bend down and walk under trees with hanging branches. We also had to cross streams and were quite intrigued to see so many leeches. After all this we reached the Barkana viewpoint. This was a magnificent spot from where we could see the Barkana Falls. The rain forests surrounding the region of Agumbe, and the beautiful view that we got from the Barkana viewpoint is something that I would cherish always. We wanted to continue with the trek but in the absence of a proper guide, there were chances we could get lost. So we returned back to Agumbe. ON the way back, we were again witness to the innumerable leeches around.

“Look! “Cried Deepak. WE all saw a green snake lying. All of us took photos and then nervously proceeded ahead. We walked back to the place where we had parked the car, asked the driver to go and walked back to the village. Here we saw the sunset point and enjoyed the beauty. The beauty of both the waterfalls and the entire experience set our hearts racing and we were content with this lovely trek.

Rossaying: “Adventure is where Agumbe is.”