Nethravathi Peak Trek

Details

Your journey to Samse begins at Bengaluru when you are lost in the star-studded sky, with the city lights fading in the background. With excitement in the air, we begin with a few ice-breaking sessions - the best way to get to know your fellow trekkers and unwind from the long weekday stress. As the night lingers on, it’s best to settle down and fall into a short slumber - allowing your bodies and minds to get that much needed rest. Enjoy the calm and relax as we arrive at our start point for an exhilarating adventure ahead. 

Details

At 5:30am we will be in Samse right as the sky starts to lighten. With a short break and a hearty breakfast, our trek leads will take everyone through a short warm up, and explain to you what the day entails in terms of the trail, what it offers and how to pace yourself.

Soon you will jump into jeeps that will take you through 14 km deep inside the wilderness till the trek base. It is not a ride you expect, you will be standing in the back of the jeep and bumping along rough roads, muddy routes and over mist laden banana, tea and areca plantations. It is a rough and rocky road but also one of those travelling experiences where the destination is as thrilling as the journey itself.

There will be a brief halt at the forest department checkpoint to do materials check and get permits and a plastic check. There is always a chance that you have to pass your bags through the inspection process of forest guards, so choose to pack wisely and carefully. Although you may carry plastic items, do remember to take them back. Cameras and drones permitted but at an extra cost, everything else including local guides and permits are included.

It starts with an adventure or rather something of a challenge; a rocky steep climb that gets the heart pumping. However, only a kilometre down the road, the trail starts to level-off and you will also find yourself inside a dense forest with the sunlight barely able to penetrate the canopy. Your reward? The most beautiful two-level waterfall deep in the wilderness, the kind of sight that makes you stop at your tracks and breathe - taking it all in.

The woods begin to get scantier, and as you go on the path begins to lead out on undulating grassland. It is at this moment of silence that you are going to hear the murmur of a stream near you - this is the Nethravathi River. You may see the water flowing or not see it at all depending on the season but its presence is always felt.

The scenery here will not await: forests dissolve into fields, and hills will make a shy appearance, and disappear. You have already traveled approximately 4 km, and when you believe that you are approaching the peak, mountains begin to play small games: this peak is the false one. As you move up, you get to see yet another higher ridge - nature is teasing you!

Then it does, the actual summit greets you with open skies and valleys that are draped with clouds. It is the theatre of lightness and mist and you are sitting in the front row. During bright days you are even able to see the Kudremukh Peak glistening in the distance, almost 15 km away.

We will stop here and eat our packed lunch and enjoy the views that are almost like taken out of a dream. After everyone has relaxed and ready, you will go back the same route to the base, about 1.5 hours downhill, assuming weather permits.

Jeeps will be waiting at the base to drive you back to the homestay. At 5pm, we will go back to the homestay, muddy boots, hearts still full, and stories to be told. With a good bath, you finally get to relax, having snacks around the bonfire and having cozy chats. The sounds of the forest will remain with you as the night falls and we go to bed after having dinner.

Details

The last day on this trip starts with a healthy and tasty breakfast to get you prepared for the day. After you are prepared, you pack your bags, load it all directly into the bus, and say goodbye to the homestay forever, marking our departure to Bengaluru. 

You will first visit the Kalasa Hanging Bridge, which is a tranquil small place smuggled in the crevices of nature. As we are traveling to Bengaluru, we will use our time and stroll over the swinging structure, appreciate the scenery and perhaps capture some final images, to complete our set of memories.

At noon, we will take a lunch break on the way, to get back our energy to continue the trip.

After lunch we will reach the Chennakesava Temple in Belur which is a great creation of Hoysala architecture in Hassan district. This temple was constructed in the 12th century, but it needed 103 years to be finally built. Time has made its mark here, through periods of demolition, rebuilding, and repair but the temple is standing tall. Its complex sculptures, carved friezes, rich iconography and marvelous reliefs still surprise the visitors, revealing something new to admire with each visit.

By the time the sun sets, we will be getting into the bus and start taking the long journey back, watching the honey-coloured landscape change into a moving sequence of slideshows of the scenery passing by at a slow pace through the bus window. The bus is filed with a kind of peaceful quietness now, the vague kind that comes after laughter, sore muscles and a heart heavy with stories. Some will sleep, some talk quietly and others lose themselves to a game or the sweet rhythm of an engine.

We will do one more stop to stretch our legs and get dinner later in the evening. We would arrive at our destination by about 10pm. Saying goodbye is never easy, particularly when you had days to be together and became closer than expected. However, our bodies are tired and the chance to reunite is promised so we bid farewells... till the next big adventure calls