Wet and Wild: An exploration expedition atop Dudhsagar falls.

When you think of Goa you think of beaches, babes and booze. I stress on the ‘you’ because I can’t even recall the last time I was down there.  There is another side to the state that I discovered last weekend. One of quaint little laid back villages and evergreen forests.

I got a call from a friend who said he was organizing a trek for the Bangalore Ascenders in the Doodhsagar region and wanted me to join. This wasn’t the regular walk along the tracks to Doodhsagar falls; the objective of this outing was to explore tiny village trails atop the hills Doodhsagar cascades off.

Only problem with that was, I had recently moved to Mumbai. This meant I’d have to get to the trek start point, Castle Rock, on my own.  Our team from Bangalore was comfortably seated in a train while I had to take an overnight bus to Belgaum, switch buses and head to Londa to intercept the train there.

I set off from home on Friday the 26^th of July. I got into the Belgaum bound Volvo without hassle. But a few hours in I realised the bus was running late. My only connecting bus from Belgaum was to depart at 6.30am. I was up by 5am but I could see no signs of any urbanization till 6. Then at 6.15 the bus stopped at the Belgaum junction.  I managed to hitch a ride till the main bus depot and got into the bus to Londa in the nick of time.

The rain gods welcome us on our arrival to the streets of Castle Rock.

A pleasant 2 hour drive later I made it to Londa. To my relief the train was late which meant I could get in without breaking a sweat. We alighted at Castle Rock station as planned and proceeded to purchase supplies we would need for the Trek.

As this was an exploration trek I had a fairly good idea that we were going to get lost somewhere down the line. Little did I know that the first turn we took would be a wrong one.  We wandered aimlessly for most of the day following pipelines and jeep tracks in the constant rain. Just when we gave up hope and decided to head back we ran into a local who directed us to the correct route.

This little beauty made getting lost a little more worth it. Green Vine Snake

Thus began a mad dash on the trail, trying to make up as much ground as possible before night fall. We traversed across multiple overflowing streams and crossed a couple of meadows along the way.  I tried my best in keeping at the front of the pack and pushing the pace. We managed to put in about 6 kilometers in a little over an hour through some really tricky terrain.

At this point we stumbled upon a paddy field and a single house in a vast meadow. We decided to ask for directions there at the house. At that moment the rain increased ten-fold in intensity and brought us to a standstill. It was past 5pm and visibility was diminishing fast. We had no option but halt for the day.

A meadow with a large tree and temple

The house owners, the Sawant family, were kind enough to let us have a room to set up our sleeping bags. I wouldn’t have wanted to camp outdoors is such harsh weather.  Dinner was a communal affair with our hosts graciously preparing a meal while the masterchefs among our bunch tried to whip up their own a lip smacking addition.

The Need to Know Bit:

Castle Rock station comes under the South Western Railways network. Train is the best way to get here. There is a road to the town but I’m not aware of any public transport that plys here by road.

An ideal night halt on this route is either Kuveshi or Ghansoli.  The direct trail to either of these villages goes through Ghotga and a few scattered houses and fields. The area also has other tiny villages; all connected through a network of confusing trails and jeep tracks. A guide is not essential but make sure you take detailed directions from the locals before setting off.  Keep an eye out for painted arrow marks along the foot trails to Ghansoli and Kuveshi.

 

After a decent night’s sleep the Sunday began on a slightly sour note. Our brave leader Sudheer had a bit of a medical worry to deal with. This meant we would have to leave late and hence move at a fast pace again. It was 8am by the time we set off from the house, which I’m told was in Saunsarwadi. I have no idea where the rest of the wadi is, all I saw was a single house.

A view of the Sawant’s front yard.

The trail begins with a gradual climb through thick jungle and then opens up to a grassy plateau region. It was here where we were to meet a guide arranged for us by Mr. Sawant from Saunsar wadi. The man, Seetharam Naik, had been patiently waiting for us for more than an hour in the meadow under pouring rain.

This meadow appeared to be the highest point in the area.  There were markings indicating the border between the states of Karnataka and Goa. A small part of the trail is along narrow no-man’s-land between the states lined with bright pink flowers on both sides.

Here, the trail began meandering downward again and the rain eased up for a while. We again entered the lush green forest. The plants and creatures of these forests are a combination of those found north in Maharashtra such as the short grasses and wild turmeric and further south through Karnataka like the pink impatiens and giant millipedes.

A glimpse of the forest.

In the forest the trail reached a 2 way fork. We take the one on the right but quickly descend to a smaller, almost invisible trail to our left. We were told that this trail is the shortest way to Ghansoli. Soon we crossed another flowing stream and got to a wider trail. We spotted and crossed a single paddy field in the west which I could assume was a part of Ghansoli. The trail then took us along the banks of a raging Mandovi river which would drop down Doodhsagar falls.

We continued to head downwards till we reached a small meadow where we could hear the train running below us and get a clear view of the hills across the railway tracks. This was also the point where our guide took a diversion towards his home in Kuveshi.

A few kilometres and a stream crossing later we glimpsed upon a ruined railway bridge and descended onto the railway tracks. We were between the Doodhsagar waterfalls and the Doodhsagar railway station.  The falls being easily accessible by rail and road have become a crowded nightmare. We started moving towards the falls as per our Initial plan of walking to the next station, Kulem where we could hop onto a train and avoid the hordes of people that had arrived at the falls.

Five minutes on these tracks proved to be more taxing than half a day in the wilderness. I was hungry and exhausted. My rucksack weighed down upon me due to the wet clothes in it. Walking of the railway line stones is a punishing ordeal. Being completely drenched all day, my thighs had begun chaffing adding to my misery.

Walking along the tracks. Photo Credit: Prithayan Barua

It was way past 2pm at this point and we realised we wouldn’t reach the next station in time. We had no choice but wait for a couple of hours at Doodhsagar station for a train. We sat on the tracks and munched down on our remaining food supplies.  The weather changed for the worse and a relentless torrent lashed upon us and drenched us to the bone.
There we stood, upon the tracks, shivering, as the train slowly came to a halt. It was a mad scramble to enter the train due to the crowds but we eventually got in. The rest of the team had to alight at Londa but I took remained in the train till it reached Belgaum. There I got into a bus for Mumbai concluding a fun filled and hectic weekend.

The Need to Know Bit:

There are multiple routes heading to both Kuveshi and Ghansoli but not all are accessible in the rains. From Kuveshi one can get to the very top of Doodhsagar falls. But this can’t be attempted during the monsoon as it involves crossing a overflowing Mandovi river via a small  bridge.

The path to the railway tracks is marked with painted arrows. These arrows are difficult to spot though.

Doodhsagar is truly stunning but to truly enjoy it I suggest visiting on a weekday to avoid the unruly crowd.  Though Doodhsagar station is not an official stop for most trains, they halt there none the less. One can also try hitching a ride on the many goods trains and engines that pass the route.

Map of Region

Bandajje Arbi, Balarayana Durga Trek, Part 2: When Animals Attack.

Sleep was hard to come by during the night as the wind continued to howl. A large part of the night was spent just awaiting the dawn. I was the first one up in the camp. I hastily got ready and decided to head off for a morning stroll along the stream.

Morning view from the campsite

By now the sun had risen but still wasn’t visible due to the hills in the east. The banks of such streams are rather fertile. These are the only spots that tree growth can be observed at such altitudes in the ghats. I proceeded to sit by the stream take a  few shots of the stream and frogs I observed hopping nearby.

A frog by the Bandajje stream

On heading back to the campsite I had some cup noodles and packed up. It was now time to proceed to our next destination, Ballarayana Durga fort. There is no genuine path to the fort. Most of route involved navigating our way through the tall montane grass over a series of undulating hills. After completing a series of these we could finally catch a glimpse of the ruined fort through our binoculars. A rather straight forward path along the ridge of a few hills became apparent and the excitement was evident among the group.

Far away, on the path leading to the fort, we suddenly glimpsed movement. There were excited cries among the group of the possibility that we may have spotted an elephant. On closer inspection the animal appeared bovine. We quickly assumed it to be a bison (gaur), a terrific find none-the-less. I was still rather sceptical though and decided to put my 300mm of zoom to use and take a snap. On observing the image on the LCD we realised it was just a buffalo and chuckled at our naivety.

At this point Phrabhakar began moving a little ahead of the group and assumed the lead. I was at the back and had lost sight of him till I saw our brave pioneer rapidly scampering backward while simultaneously taking photographs. A moment later we saw the cause for his panic, he was being chased by a rather angry buffalo.

Thats the one!

The group tried moving forward as one unit and tossing stones at the bovine, but sadly to no avail. It seemed to enrage the buffalo bull further and made us scamper up a nearby hill. Any further and we’d be forced off the cliff.

If you know me or have read my blog before I’m sure you saw that coming. This is the third trek I’m getting into bovine trouble. Anyways…….

The group being chased up the hill. Photo Courtesy: Siddharth

We thought of approaching the fort from an alternate route through the valley. This plan was soon scrapped on sighting more buffaloes grazing on the opposite hill.

Some of the guys were panic stricken by the number of buffaloes around us while others saw the funny side of it. Battle lines had been drawn, strategies meticulously planned and troops summoned….this was war!!

We observed that it was just a single individual and not an entire herd that was making life difficult for us. Eventually we decided to bide our time till the buffalo moved away from the path and then make a run for it. And run for it we did! Being towards the tail of the group I was forced to push myself hard. I sprinted and refused to look back till I was a thousand meters from the war zone.

From here on the path to the fort was a rather smooth one. We did see a few more buffaloes in the distance causing a little bit of panic in our ranks. But none of these seemed to take any interest in us. We quickly ascended to the fort with our cameras vigorously clicking away. We had won this battle and it was now time to celebrate with refreshments.

A panoramic view from the fort.

Not much is known about Ballarayana Durga. After a good bit of googling I’ve still been unsuccessful in finding information on the fort and would love it if you could provide me with some.  One thing is certain though, the views from here are breathtaking. I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

A view from the fort. HDR

As per the plan, we were to start our descent from here on. Our first attempt to do so saw us reach a dead end. In the distance we could see the rain clouds brewing and pouring on distant valleys. As be backtracked we happened to startle a rather large dark rat snake who decided to quickly slither away from us. On walking a bit further we could see something that resembled a jeep track in the distance, down in the valley. There appeared no visible way to get to the track though. Johan decided to lead the way. We followed him, along cattle tracks, through prickly grass down into a valley. Along the way, we managed to startle some more wildlife, a hare on this occasion. After an hour or so we hit a trail that we assumed would take us to the jeep track.

The open grasslands were now only a distant memory as be began traversing through dense forest again.  We all moved fast as we were hungry and were looking  for a place to have lunch away from the festering leeches. We soon hit the jeep track that further led to a house that I assume belonged to a local priest. With civilization just a stone’s throw away, we decided to break for lunch at the house.

A close-up of one of the many streams flowing through the forest.

It was at this point it dawned upon me that till that point we hadn’t seen a single other person apart from our group mates for the duration of two whole days.

Form here it was a rather straight path through fields then villages. Before we knew it we managed to get a jeep to drop us to Sunkasale village. Our first order of business here was a nice cup of tea, my first in two days. Next, we boarded a bus to the temple town of Hornadu, where we were catch a bus to Bangalore later that night.

On getting to Hornadu we freshened up and decided to seek blessings at The Annapoorneshwari  temple. This temple makes up almost half of the town, which just about tells you it’s prominence among the people.  The temple also offers an evening meal to its devotees. Kind of like a South Indian version of the Punjabi Langar.

With our bodies fresh and our stomach satiated we boarded our bus back to Bangalore.

Route:  (someone please confirm this)

To:  Bangalore>Dharmasthala>Ujire>Mundajje

Fro: Sultanpet>Sunkasale>Hornadu> Bangalore

GPS track compiled by Naveen.

Bandaje Arbi, Ballarayana Durga Trek, Part 1: The Hills Beckon Again.

I sat there, all alone near the peak of a nameless hill. The sun began to recede slowly, the light began to dim. The beauty of the dusk had once again set upon the Ghats. In the distance, I glanced upon the Arabian sea.  I enjoyed every moment up there, the rustle of the shola grass, the screaming wind, the sudden bouts of mist and thought to myself, ‘this is life’.

Sunset.

I sat there, alone, thinking how fortunate I was to experience such a feeling again. It was just three months ago that I had a crazy bicycle crash on tour. I couldn’t walk for a month after and the effects lingered on till about a few days before the trek.

The trek I am talking about was one to Bandajje Arbi falls and Ballarayana Durga fort. It was organized by the Bangalore Ascenders group.  This route is located in the Charmadi Ghats area in the Dakshina Kanada district of Karnataka.

I set out from home on the night on Friday night, the 25^th of November. Needless to say I had butterflies in my stomach. Majestic bus stand, Bangalore, platform 14 was the spot designated to meet the rest of the travelling party. The group consisted of 12 guys, all rather experienced at such outings.  After a hasty round of introductions we were all seated in the bus. We arrived at our destination, a town called Dharmasthala, before the break of dawn. We had to wait for sunrise before we could get ourselves some breakfast and a ride to the base village of our trek, Mundajje. A little after daybreak we hired 2 gypsies and were off.

After navigating some non-existent roads for an hour we finally reached Mundajje. And so here began our trek. We quickly moved through the local fields and into the forest. The lack of moisture in the forest bed made sure the leech menace was minimal. The terrain was undulating till the first stream crossing.

The stream crossing was slightly tricky. The lucky ones only got their feet wet unlike others who happened to drop their belongings.  After this point the route got steeper, the sun rose higher and the humidity began to sink in.  Progress was slow and frequent breaks became necessary. Every gust of wind was greeted with smiles from the travellers and a cacophony of noises from the drying forest.

Johan standing under a particularly large fig tree.

After about 4 hours in the forest we finally hit the high altitude grasslands. These grasses called shola grasses are endemic to the south of the Western Ghats. Reaching the grasslands always brings renewed energy to a group on any trek. The wind blows freely here, the weather is cool and one can view the most beautiful vistas in all directions. After the monotony of the forest the grasslands are often a sight for sore eyes.

Bandajje Arbi Waterfall in the distance.

We were informed by our leader, Girish, that the Bandajje Arbi waterfalls were barely a few kilometres away. Soon the falls became visible in the distance and got the shutterbugs amongst us excited.  Our proposed campsite was in the direction of the falls so we continued to head in that direction. Halfway to the falls we decided to stop for lunch. Signs of the presence of wild animals in the area were evident. The ground was littered with elephant and bison dung.

We moved forward and reached the stream that would flow to culminate at the falls. Girish and a few others left to identify a campsite. I just decided to loiter around by the stream and click a few photographs. After an hour or so and a lot of gaffes the camp, …umm more like two flimsy sheets of tarpaulin were set up. It was now time for the restless among us to explore the area.

Bandajje stream flowing by our campsite.

Johan and Dan decided to ascend to the peak of this hill which looked to be the tallest in the vicinity. I decided to join them, hoping I’d get a few good clicks up top. What I got though was way more than any of us bargained for. The other side of this hill was more of a steep rock face. It provided us a panoramic view of the entire area. In the distance I glanced upon Ballarayana Durga fort, our destination for the next day.  The wind here was crazy and refused to let us stand still for more than a few seconds. After a few superman poses we decided to head down. At this point it was about 5pm. I decided to let the two of them carry on and wait half-way up this hill for the sunset in the west. Though the grand sunset I envisioned never occurred the time spent alone on that hillside was simply magical.

View from the hilltop.

As darkness began to set in I started moving towards base-camp.  As the entire team began to gather we had only one thing on our mind, dinner.  A three course meal in the middle of nowhere is a godsend. We started with soup; some awful MTR precooked rice and rotis and topped it off with canned Gulab Jamun.

The night was rather rough with constant gusts of wind sending shivers through our bodies. The fact that our tarpaulin structure collapsed in the middle of the night did not help our cause of getting some sleep.

PART 2

Kaas: The Plateau of Flowers.

As some of you may know I’ve been laid low by a bad knee injury off late. The road to recovery hasn’t been too smooth either. Though being confined at home gives you time to reflect. One of those reflections was to continue writing whenever I can.

After almost two months I finally felt comfortable doing another trip. A trek was out of the question but a photography trip was the best option available. The destination chosen was Kaas Plateau in Maharashtra, also known as the plateau of flowers. This trip had been on the card for some time but never materialised.

Meadows of Kaas

A blow-by-blow account of our trip isn’t the most exciting. What I would like to share is the stuff you should look forward to if you happen to visit this place, especially as a photography enthusiast.

First and foremost, the ideal time to visit is mid to end September. We were a couple of weeks late to visit.  I’m not complaining though. I was just happy being back on the road.

The closest town to Kaas is Satara. Any bus going from Bangalore to either Pune or Mumbai should pass through Satara. Just make sure it stops there. Due to the festive rush we were forced to book an overpriced and rather crappy bus (Manowj Travels) that reached Satara 3 hours late.

ST bus heading back to Satara from Kaas.

We had left Bangalore at 8pm the previous night and Reached Satara at 1pm. Our Team comprised of Neelima and Me from B’lore and Vivek and Dhanashree, joining from Pune and Mumbai Respectively. On arriving we dumped our bags at a hotel and headed straight to Kaas.
Public transport is available on the route. But rickshaws are also available, costing Rs 500 for a return journey totalling about 40 kilometers.

Oriental Turtle Dove: I followed this guy for almost 20 minutes.

The road to Kaas is a pleasant ascent but rather bumpy in patches. On reaching the plateau we were rather disappointed to see that peak season was over and the flowers were on the wane. The two most common species present were the yellow ‘Sonki’ (Senecio grahamii) and the small white Tuberiferum.

We alighted near the Kaas Lake, hoping to get images of a sun set. This was not to be though due to dicey weather. Though I did get enjoy myself stalking the lakeside doves.
We then headed towards the plateau. The light was fading fast. We barely managed a few shots when rain began pouring forcing us to run for cover. A rather disappointing session, nevertheless we decided to return next morning and try our luck.

Sunrise on the way to Kaas

Our plan for the next day was to set off at 4am and view the sunrise from the plateau. Alas, this was not be as our rickshaw was late. By the time we started our ride the sun and began its ascent. Making the most of the golden hours, we stopped along the way snapping away at the glorious sunrise.

Crested Lark: A fine pose(er)

We made it to the plateau a little after 8am. I set off alone along a path to the south. Macro shots seemed to be the most fruitful during the session. Though, I ended up missing a few birds due to my inability to remove my macro filter fast enough.

I’d like to know what flower this is.

We decided to leave back for Satara at around 11am, as the light got too harsh to take any more images. The ride back was rather uneventful apart from a pit stop for taak. We did have plans for going to other nearby locations but those got scrapped as plans for a Dusshera lunch materialised.

So that about concludes this short trip. The rest of the team headed off to their respective cities as I decided to head to Sangli to meet a few relatives and awesome home cooked food.

A few tips if you are planning to do this trip:

Inquire about the abundance of flowers shortly before your trip.

A weekday is your best bet as not many tourists will be present.

Try making it to the plateau at dawn and spending the day there. If the weather gods oblige you may be in for a treat.  Or better yet, camp at one of the villages on around the plateau. I inquired and found out that they were willing to accommodate travellers.

The sight of flowers may be exciting but try not to damage the flowerbeds and life forms dependant on them by accidently trampling them. I for one initially made the same error.

In peak season cops petrol the plateau and can be a nuisance at times.

‘I stand alone’

Geographical Co-Ordinates: 17°43’21.59″N, 73°49’27.08″E.

Conquering KP

After excessive traveling in the holidays I was experiencing withdrawal symptoms on my return to Bangalore. My feet were itching to run to the hills. A birding trip to Bannerghatta and a short trip to Skandagiri did little to quell this urge. It was time to bring out the big guns.

They don’t come much bigger than Kumara Parvata. Situated in the Western Ghats border between Dakshina Kannada and Kodagu districts, 230km from Bangalore, Kumara Parvata is the third highest peak in Karnataka and is reputed to be one of the harder treks in the state, especially in the monsoon.

The trip was to be conducted by Bangalore Mountaineering Club (Bad choice, but more on that later). We left Bangalore on the night of Friday, 20^th August. After a bumpy ride in the tempo-travler we reached the base village, Subbramanya at about 7am freshened up and started our ascent.

The group consisted of 28 individuals, a good mix of veterans and first-timers. I started off rather quickly, even with a large camera and inconvenient backpack weighing me down.  The group fragmented, a bunch of us leading and a large group of stragglers following the way. About a kilometer in the leech onslaught began. This was my first experience with leeches.

Unknown Toad.......ID please.

The forest was dense and weather extremely humid. The climb wasn’t all that steep but exhausting nonetheless. No significant wildlife sightings to report apart from a bright yellow toad. At the three kilometer mark we were exhausted, the sun rose higher and the leeches had their fill. The lead pack had broken up into 2 groups. Ours, the trailing group consisted of myself, Vinay, Vijay and Sam.

The Shola Forests.

Things changed dramatically within the next kilometer with the forests opening into grassy meadows and a drop in humidity. The fatigue disappeared and was replaced with new vigour. We dropped our pace further to enjoy the environs. The stragglers were still a kilometer away and so I happily began snapping away.

We arrived at Bhattramane, The Bhat’s house, in about 3 hours.  This was kind of a base-camp for trekkers heading  to the peak. The priests staying here provide meals and a place to stay for traveling parties for a nominal rate.

Montane grass covered meadows.

We rested here for about an hour, had lunch and then set off to conquer the peak. It was about 2pm when we left. We decided to ascend quickly unsure about the duration required to reach the peak. I had no intention to be lost in these hills after nightfall.

Orchids on a rockface.

About a kilometer into the ascent the rain-gods awoke. KP was engulfed by a raging storm. So much for photography, hell, I don’t even own a waterproof camera case.  Oblivious to the perils in store we carried onwards.

A few brave pioneers among us began setting the pace. Myself, Partha, Chaitra and Vinay tried catching up but our efforts were futile. After traversing almost 3 hours and 7 kilometers along zig-zag pathways through montane grasslands we couldn’t see a sole ahead or behind us. The fact we were standing well within the storm clouds didn’t assist our efforts.  Suddenly in the distance the ‘false peak’ of KP became visible. I thought to myself, its a start, but we had no idea how much further the real peak was.  Ten minutes and one emergency chocolate break later we had ascended the false peak and could see the true one. I was relieved to see it could be reached within 10 minutes.

By this point our brave pioneers Arif, Sam and Harsha had already began their descent and egged us forwards. And forwards we went right to the very tip of the peak. I so wanted to scream. I opened my mouth but my vocal chords betrayed me and I was left there shivering.  Visibility here was a mere 5 meters but peering into the cloud from the edge of the cliff was a heavenly experience.

Thus KP was conquered and it was time to move on to newer challenges, the first one being getting back to Bhattramane before sundown. Fortunately it was only 5pm. We ambled down the slope at a gentle pace greeting the stragglers along the way. A long conversation and a few falls on my ass and we were almost there.  But alas, trouble reared its ugly head and horns too. The bulls of Bhattramane were obstructing our path and seemed pretty pissed at our presence. At this point the sun had begun setting and the rains were stronger than ever. My specs kept getting fogged and in this light I am almost blind without them. Taking a steep detour off the path into the valley we finally made it by 7pm. Phew.

In my exhaustion I’d completely ignored the leech menace.  Only on spotting the bloodstains in my clothes did I realise the number of bites I’d suffered. We dried ourselves up, enjoyed a nice warm dinner and were off to sleep in our sleeping bags.

A chance for nature to exploit you back.

Morning brought renewed enthusiasm to the camp. A warm cup of tea and we begun descending back to Subbramanya.  The descent was swift, almost uneventful. I kept staring at the grassy meadows, valleys and dense forests wondering when I’ll see them next.

Spotted on the way back to Subryamanya. Again...an ID would be appreciated.

A quick bite in Subbramanya and we were back in the tempo-travler. This time I made sure I got the window, the drive till Sakleshpur is a treat.

The path to KP. I love this one.

Geographical Co-ordinates:  12°40′N 75°41′E