In the Midst of Agumbe Forest (Agumbeya Kaadinalli)

AGUMBE-SEETHANADI-KUDLUTHEERTHA

Agumbe is situated at a distance of about 380 Kms from Bangalore and 100 Kms from Mangalore.This hill station is also popularly referred as the Cherrapunji of the south for it recieves a high rainfall in the south and also the second highest in India.Agumbe with its magnificent sunsets,radiant sheen and sparkling luster of water streams and uncorrupted picturesqueness is an ideal hill station location for holidays.It was Agumbe which gave life for the film Malgudi Days,based on RK Narayan's novel for it was entirely shooted here.Agumbe and its surroundings are filled with thrilling and adventurous trekking routes.It is also referred by the people as trekker's paradise.Agumbe houses the Rainforest Research Station which is the only permanent rainforest research station in India.Now Augumbe is also equipped with India’s first automatic weather station exclusively to monitor changes in rain forests and the person behind this herpetologist and Whitley gold awardee Dr Romulus Whitaker.

Sita Nadi, located near Agumbe in the Shimoga district of Karnataka is must-visit for adventure seekers. Sita Nadi i.e. Sita River flows for approximately 60kms before meeting the Arabian Sea towards the west.This has made the region rich in natural beauty and one can expect to find beautiful, verdant forests and spectacular waterfalls here in the right season. The river is at its best during the monsoons, swelling to its fullest and visitors can enjoy tempestuous rapids. The rafters can chose between different rapids on Sita Nadi. One can opt for a stretch of 16 to 18 kms rapids or 22 to 28 kms rapids as well as for mild rapids or for a wild roller-coaster experience. Rafting on Sita Nadi takes between 6 to 8 hours depending upon the stretch of the chosen water course. Several experienced & certified organizers are available to impart instructions on rafting and they also provide the participants with safety and other equipment (such as life jackets and helmets) along with a guide on each rafting boat. Adequate precautions are taken to ensure the participants safety. Accommodation is available at local resorts and visitors must plan their trip early as this region is extremely popular and thus, sees a lot of tourist traffic almost through the year

Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary:
Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary has been named after Lord Someshwara, the presiding deity of the famous Someshwara temple located within the limits of the sanctuary.
Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Western Ghats in Udupi district. About 40 km from Udupi. It contains rare species of animals, birds and medicinal plants. Someshwara was declared a wildlife sanctuary on 5th June 1974. The area of Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary is about 88.4 sq. km. The sanctuary is constituted by eight reserved forests, 

Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary has semi-evergreen and evergreen forests. The sanctuary includes of two unconnected parts, the smaller part being situated to the Southwest of the major part. The Kudremukh National Park lies to the Southeast of this sanctuary.

Machilus Macrantha, Lophopetalum wightanium and Artocarpus hirsuta are some of the species of flora found in this sanctuary.

Mammals in the Someshwara Wildlife sanctuary include Tiger, Leopard, Wild Pig, Sambar, Spotted Deer, Wild Dog, Jackal, Gaur, Lion Tailed Macaque, Bonnet Macaque, Sambar deer, Spotted deer, Barking deer and Common Langur.

Birds like Ceylon frogmouth, Malabar trogon, Malabar whistling thrush and Malabar pied hornbill.

Reptiles like python, king cobra and monitor lizard.
Entry to Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary is open to visitors between 06:00 and 18:00 hrs.
The best time to visit this sanctuary is between October and April.

GANAPATHI TEMPLE, SOMESHWARA

SRINIVASA RAO ENJOYING NEER DOSE

NEER DOSE

Sitanadi Nature camp is a part of the Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary along the banks of Seethanadi river and the place is just awe-inspiring. The nature camp is located on the banks of river Sita overlooking the Somewhwara Wildlife Sanctuary. Sita river flows through some of the densest evergreen forest in the Western Ghats with good rafting stretches and offers scope for rafting during monsoon season, especially from June to October. Accommodation facility is available at the nature camp in the form of farmhouse, home stay or heritage stay at reasonable rates and one can easily spend 3 to 4 days at the nature camp as base camp and enjoy nature’s resplendent splendor and richness and submerge in the cathartic benefits it offers. Trekking activity is available to nearby waterfalls like Kudlu Tirtha, Jogigundi, and Onke Abbi Falls, which are situated inside the forest.

SEETHANADI NATURE CAMP TENTS

SEETHANADI FOREST GUEST HOUSE

SEETHANADI NATURE CAMP DORMITORY

INSIDE DORMITORY

TREK TRAILS

Kudlū Theerthā Falls: About 42 km from Udupi. A waterfall located deep in the jungles of Western Ghats, close to Hebri town. This is a beautiful water fall in any standards, and may become very weak during Feb-May. With a height of about 300 feet, it falls directly into a pond which is considered holy by local people, because, sages meditated here thousands of years ago. There is one more water fall above Kudlu theertha, called Manga theertha (monkey theertha) named so because, only monkey can reach it as the path is very steep inside the forest

How to go - 20 kms from Agumbe, take a left detour before 6 kms to Hebri, another left after another 3-4 kms. The road will end at the banks of river Sita. There is a Burma bridge on the right side to cross the river (dont try to swim across). After that one has to walk for 4 kms inside the jungle. There will be a small stream which has to be crossed to reach the foothills. Trek 3-4 kms and you will reach the most beautiful falls in the entire state.

You can even request your driver to drive you across the river, this way you save 3 kms of trek. I did the same.
Remember, always go to your left along the water and if takes more than a hour, you probably came the wrong way

Mode of transport – If one wants to go there by public transport, then he can either go to Shimoga and catch a mini bus(which piles at frequent intervals to Hebri) and get down at the Koodlu gate. From there catch another minibus which will go upto a place called Dargas. Dargas is around 6 kms from the banks of river Sita. So one need to walk that extra 6 kms also. The other option is to go to Hebri(the bus will go via Dharmastala, Karkala,etc) and there you can catch the mini-bus to Nellikatte and get down at Dargas.

Travel Essentials :
Note: This is from my personal experience
Loads and Loads of Water, atleast 3 litres per head
Wear Shoes and loose pants, preferably a lower.
Take a cap, comes very handy against the sun
Camera and some yummy food
Some band aids, would come in handy for bruises
Salt, if and only if its raining

Brown Fish Owl

The Brown Fish Owl (Bubo zeylonensis or Ketupa zeylonensis) is an owl. This species is a part of the family known as typical owls, Strigidae, which contains most living owls. It inhabits the warm subtropical and humid tropical parts of continental Asia and some offshore islands.

The four fish owls were previously generally separated in the genus Ketupa. mt DNA cytochrome b sequence data is equivocal on which genus name is applied for them, and today they are commonly lumped with the horned and eagle-owls (Bubo) – which they also resemble osteologically very much – for sake of convenience. Depending on whether some little-studied tropical eagle-owls are closer to the fish-owls than to the typical eagle-owls, Ketupa might be a valid genus if these as well as the fishing owls (formerly Scotopelia) are included in it.

It is a large owl with prominent "ear" tufts, typically around 55 centimetres (22 in) in length and weighing 2–2.5 kilograms (4.4–5.5 lb) when fully grown. Subspecies differ in size and males are smaller than females, with the smallest birds not quite 50 cm (20 in) long and weighing as little as 1,100 grams (39 oz).

The upperparts are reddish brown and heavily streaked with black or dark brown. The underparts are buff to whitish, with dark streaks and finer brown barring. The throat is white and can be conspicuously puffed, while the facial disk is indistinct. The irides are yellow, the feet a duller yellow, and the bill is dark. Sexes do not differ in appearance except for size.

Its calls are described as a deep tu-hoo-hoo or a soft huphuphuphuphuphup or a loud huhuhuhuhuhuhu.[source : wikipedia]

Lion-tailed macaque

Conservation status:  Endangered 
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family: Cercopithecidae
Genus: Macaca
Species: M. silenus
Binomial name
Macaca silenus

The lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus), or the wanderoo, is an Old World monkey endemic to the Western Ghats of South India.

The hair of the lion-tailed macaque is black. Its outstanding characteristic is the silver-white mane which surrounds the head from the cheeks down to its chin, which gives this monkey its German name Bartaffe - "beard ape". The hairless face is black in colour. With a head-body length of 42 to 61 cm and a weight of 2 to 10 kg, it ranks among the smaller macaques. The tail is medium in length, about 25 cm, and has a black tuft at the end, similar to a lion's tail. The male's tail-tuft is more developed than that of the female.

Gestation is approximately six months. The young are nursed for one year. Sexual maturity is reached at four years for females, and six years for males. The life expectancy in the wild is approximately 20 years, while in captivity is up to 30 years.

SRI VENUGOPALA SWAMY TEMPLE, AGUMBE

ON THE WAY TO JOGI GUNDI FALLS

Jogigundi Falls like most of the falls in and around Agumbe is situated amidst the dense forests of the Western Ghats of Karnataka. But, this is your slightly different waterfall. Unlike your traditional waterfall that falls from a height or in multiple tiers, this one flows out of a cave that runs through the hill. 

JOGI GUNDI FALLS

Jogigundi Falls is situated about four kilometres from Agumbe. About 3 out of these 4 kilometres can be covered by vehicles and the last one kilometre needs to be trekked via a narrow and steep trail. 

A very pleasing and natural swimming pool greets you at the end of this trek. If you look to your left, you will find the Jogigundi Falls. One can bathe here, but please do avoid soaps or any chemical reagents as they can cause damage to the environment.

Kundadri [Kannada: ಕುಂದಾದ್ರಿ ] is a mountain peak with dense forests in the Western Ghats in South India (Karnataka State). This well-preserved land of Karnataka is home to 17th century Jain temple that is not much given to architecture. Two small silent ponds formed by the rock on one side of this temple leave you wondering at its presence on this height. Throughout the year you can find lotus flowers in the pool which is also a breeding ground for some fishes- both large and small

ON THE WAY TO KUNDADRI HILLS

Kundadri is at a distance of about 80 km. from the district headquarters, Shimoga and about 20 km from Thirthahalli town. From Shimoga, one has to take the National Highway NH-13 (Thirthahalli road) to reach Thirthahalli. Then take State Highway SH-1 (Agumbe Road) up to Guddekeri and then take left deviation. From Bangalore, one has to take the National Highway NH-206 to reach Shimoga and then take the above mentioned route. The total distance from Bangalore to Thirthahalli is 332 km. From Mangalore, one can take NH-13 to reach Thirthahalli. The distance from Mangalore to Thirthahalli is around 146 km. There are numerous mini-buses from Udupi to Thirthahalli. From Udupi Railway Station 86 km to Thirthahalli.

APART FROM ABOVE THE FOLLOWING ARE OTHER WATERFALLS IN AND AROUND AGUMBE

Barkana

This is a beautiful place which you a 7 kilometers drive from Agumbe.It got its name from "Barka", the mouse deer and "kana", meaning home.Barkana has a spectacular waterfall which falls from a height of 850 feet. A V-shaped valley is visible from the viewing platform nearly 2000 ft high above sea level with river Sita at the center.

Kunchikal Falls

Kunchikal Falls is supposed to be the second highest in India formed by Varahi River and it falls from a height of 1493 Feet.

Doddamane

This is more than a century old place in Augumbe and is the famous eat out here. The person in charge and who runs this eat out is "Kasturiakka" who is the most popular person in and around Agumbe.Along with food Doddamane also helps the tourists by providing home stays. Though the place doesn’t have any menu card it guarantees you a very healthy food.

Nishani Gudda

This is nothing but a bare mountain which is quite interesting for trekkers where the trekking trail run amidst dense forest. The trek is about 3.5 kilometers from Agumbe. There is also a 2 kilometer long trail from Jogi Gundi to Nishani Gudda.

Onke Abbi falls


Onake Abbi water fall comes from a height of about 500 feet and it takes a trekk of about 4 kms from Agumbe. You will have to trek through the Medicinal Plants Conservation Area and if lucky you get the sight of splendid rainbows. The hike of this fall is again filled with leeches.

JOG EXTRAVAGANZA-2013

When Jog falls comes roaring down the hills in Western Ghats in monsoon, you can not see the sky.

The area will be mist filled and you will see an array of beautiful rainbows. You can see the glory of the falls when the mist clears. This is only during the monsoon months of July and August.

On other months, it is trickle down the huge rocky precipice. With blue sky in the background it is still beautiful as water tumble down.

When my friend at Jog called, that the Linganamakki Dam is Full, they are releasing the water through the Crest gates, hurry up and come over immediately, then I called My friend Harish at Friday the the 2nd Aug 2013 at 9pm he was ready and decided to leave bangalore on next day morning 6 am along with Viraj and Srinivasa Rao, and another Viswa joined at Shimoga. The roads were pretty decent and we were covering good distance at a good speed. We were all meeting after a long time. So with lots of catching up to do, We took our first break at 8.30 am at Arasikere for breakfast at famous Ragahavendra Hotel had vada and dosa with chai.

from there we had seen some fine Sun Flower through the way, we had a small stop to take the pics of sunflower

We reached Shimoga by 11-30 am Saturday, reached Central Bank picked up Vishwa went to his residence packed Bisibele bath and Curd Rice with Tea and moved towards Sagara. all the way from Shimoga to Sagara heavy rains, The drive to Jog Falls from Shimoga was awesome, And by awesome I do not mean the quality of the road was good anyway instead it is the quality of the scenery that keeps you company all along. And the cherry on top was the lovely rain.

Fill your stomach first and then fill your senses seemed to be the motto!

Reached Jog Falls by 2-30 pm, heavy rain, moved towards PWD Guest House had packed Lunch over there and we had a fine view of Jog from the top of PWD Guest House, from there we a some had some extravaganza pics of JOG Falls

Jog Falls is the second-highest plunge waterfall in India, Located near Sagara, Shimoga District of Karnataka state, these segmented falls are a major tourist attraction. It is also called by alternative names of Gerusoppe falls, Gersoppa Falls and Jogada Gundi. Jog Falls is created by the Sharavathi River falling from a height of 253 m (830 ft), making it the second-highest plunge waterfall in india after the Nohkalikai Falls with a height of 335 m (1100 ft) in Meghalaya. ensued on the eventful day.

It is situated in the Shimoga district of Karnataka. Jog Falls is also known as Gerusoppe falls.
The history of the falls goes back to the year 1800, when the site was first discovered by Buchanan during one his journeys.
There are four different streams or tracks into which the River Sharavati is split, comprising the entire structure of Jog Falls, and these streams are: Raja, Rani, Rocket and Roarer.

The Raja Falls peacefully streams down; the Rani Falls follows a winding path, the Rover Falls bursts out of a rocky stretch, while the Rocket Falls gushes out in high speed remaining true to its name. The natural beauty and the forestry around add to the beauty of the falls and create a picture of natural abundance.

Before the onset of monsoon season, when there is not much water in the Linganmakki dam, the Jog Falls are only a pair of thin streams of water trickling down the cliff, as the water collected in the dam is exclusively for generation of electricity; during monsoons local rain-water is the source of water to the falls.

The power station has been operational since 1948, and is of 120 MW capacity, one of the largest hydroelectric stations in India at that time and a small source of electric power for Karnataka now. The power station was previously named Krishna Rajendra hydro-electric project, after the King of Mysore at that time. The name was later changed to Mahatma Gandhi hydro-electric Project. It was served by Hirebhaskara dam until 1960. After 1960, due to the ideas of Sir M. Visvesvarayya, Linganmakki Dam is being used for power generation.

J

PANORAMA VIEW OF JOG FALLS

HOW TO GET THERE

August-December is considered the season of best flow and the best time to visit. Jog is situated 30 kilometres (19 mi) away from Sagara, and 379 kilometres (235 mi) away from Bangalore. One can reach Jog from direct buses to Jog from Bangalore.

Nearest Bus Stations - Jog, Sagara, Siddapura. Alternative way is to take direct bus to Sagara from Bangalore and local bus from Sagara to Jog. Distance - 102 kilometres (63 mi) from Shivamogga, 30 kilometres (19 mi) from Sagara and 20 kilometres from Siddapura. Also 60 km (approx.) east of Honnavar, NH206 - bus can be taken from Karwar, Honnavar or Shivamogga

Nearest Train Station - Shivamogga. One can take the train to Shivamogga from Bangalore and then can catch a bus to Jog.

Airport - Mangalore airport is the nearest operational airport. Another convenient airport is Bangalore.
Next Day on Sunday, 04th August 2013 we had been to Sakkarebail Elephant Camp, Gajanur Dam and Tyarekoppa,

Sakkarebayalu Elephant Camp: 

You can hear elephants reciting their lessons. Yes it’s not a joke its fact that you can find here many elephants being trained by training professionals.  Elephant from the adjoining forests bathe at this spot before they re-enter their forest abode. Every morning these majestic creatures waddle down to waters and after playfully cleansed their bodies and satiated their thirst, they leave the waters before the rays of the sun get stronger. They are off to deal with their day's routine only to return the following day. To catch a glimpse of these mammoths play in the water, get there before 8 am.

Forest department has maintained the place very neatly and a separate camp has been arranged at the back water of Gajanur dam. Every year a small carnival is conducted where trained elephants show off their skills to the public which includes playing foot ball, Savari etc.

Timings - 8.30 am to 11.30 am

Entry fees – Rs.30/- (Indians), Rs.100/- (Foreigners)

Gajanur dam: Gajnur dam is one of the most visited tourist spot nearby Shimoga city which is the water reservoir supplying water to majority of agricultural land of Shimoga taluk. Recent expansion of Dam in water level and construction of few more water gates has raised the level of water. There is small guest house at Gajnur dam and well maintained park welcomes the visitors.

Tyavarekoppa Lion and Tiger Safari

Tyavarekoppa Lion and Tiger safari is maintained by the Karnataka forest department. The  department maintains lions, tigers, leopards, fox, Sambar deer , Black buck and lot of other small animals. The forest department provides safari in well insulated vehicles which can go near the animals. There are many animals maintained in cages like crocodiles and bears.