An adventurous trip with waterfalls, treks, camping and beaches! All in just two days. This itinerary works perfect  from Bangalore as it can be covered in just 2 days. 
This guide helps you to know the exact route of trekking Kodachadri via Hidlumane Falls and how to time it perfectly so you can also enjoy the beaches of Kundapura which are just 60 Kms away.

ITINERARY OVERVIEW

• Leave from Bangalore at night
• Arrive at Kodachadri and begin Trek
• Night stay at the peak
• Descend in morning and head over to Kundapura
• Lunch at Kundapura and Relax at Beach
• Return via night bus to Bangalore

QUICK GLIMPSE OF THE TREK

HOW TO REACH

Only buses go to Kodachadri as its deep in the western ghats. Nearest town is Nitur. In order to trek Kodachadri

• Catch a bus to Nittur where the trail starts
• Travel in Sleeper buses. They allow you to rest at night and not worry about parking your vehicles and drive long distances.
• KSRTC seating bus leaves from Majestic at 10PM. We traveled in it and it was a decent journey. It was around 400Rs. per ticket.
• It will drop you at Nittur at 7AM. 
• For the return ticket, book a sleeper bus from Kundapura as per your preferred time. We took a 9PM KSRTC sleeper bus which was around Rs.1100 a ticket. It was a good bus and the journey was hassle free.
• We booked the return ticket after reaching Kundapura on Day 2, as our plan was not fixed. You can decide on this as per your plan

WHERE TO STAY

• There are multiple guest houses at the base of the hill where you can come down to at night.
• We tried camping on the hill, but there are strict no camping and night halt signs all across the trail and on the peak, so we didn’t risk camping.
• There is a government guest house at the hill as well, however when we contacted the person for the stay before the trek, he informed us that it is only for group bookings of minimum 10 people. You can try reaching him on – 9449145540 Mr. Rajendra.
• The picture here is the house of the temple’s priest. This is just a little before the peak. We asked him if we can stay the night. And he permitted us to live in his house for Rs. 200 per person.
• We took the option and stayed the night in this cozy house.

ABOUT THE TREK

There are essentially 3 ways to the peak

1. Take a Jeep from Sampekatte till the top and trek the last part
2. Start the trek from Kollur (This Trail’s starting point is available on Google Maps). Take the Kollur bus for this option.
3. Trek from Nittur via Hidlumane Falls and reach the peak. (Around 8-10Kms)

The Hidlumane Falls has 6 small tiers before you reach the final Drop. However these 7 are evidently in force only during and post monsoons. None the less it is worth visiting as the place is beautiful.

For the trek, we took the 3rd option from the above mentioned routes.

ITINERARY

Day 0

Leave from Majestic Bus Stand Bangalore at 10PM for Nittur.

DAY 1

• Arrive at Nittur at 7 am.
• Have breakfast at Bus drop point and pack lunch for the afternoon from those shops
• Ask the locals for the Hidlumane Falls Trail
• Begin Walking the trail. 
• Keep asking the locals you meet on the trail about the way to falls just to be sure
• There will be several small trails protruding, but sticking to the main trail will be best, it will be easily identifiable
• You will reach a house where the rice fields are there. You need to cross through this. Take permission of the residents and they will point the way forward.
• Arrive at Hidlumane Falls, enjoy the fresh water and have lunch.
• From the falls, there will be a trail to the right for going further.
• Take this trail and continue the ascent.
• You will reach the Kodachadri View Point 2 in between. 
• From there you will see the jeep track going to the hill.
• Walk with the jeep trail all the way to the top. 
• Get refreshed at the jeep parking spot at the peak and begin final climb to the peak.
• Come back to the jeep parking and arrange for the night stay or discuss with  a jeep driver to take you down to the base of the hill
• You can stay up at the available options or descend in the jeep and find a guest house at the base point.

DAY 2

• We had decided to spend the night at the top of the hill
• Wake up early morning and head to the sunrise point or the Kodachadri View point -1 on google maps.
• You can see a spectacular sunrise if the fog permits.
• Post that get a jeep driver to drop you till the base. They should take Rs. 200 per person for one way journey,
• Reach the base and have a breakfast
• Catch a bus to Sampekatte from the point where jeep drops you
• Wait for a bus to Kollur from Sampekatte (If you find a direct bus to Kundapura take that)
• From Kollur bus stand take the bus to Kundapura
• These buses are all local buses passing at regular intervals, you will not find any details about them on internet, so keep asking the locals, they will be more than helpful
• Arrive at Kundapura by noon
• Have lunch as per your choice and head out to Marvanthe Beach
• There will be buses or autos taking you here.
• The ride to beach offers some spectacular views.
• Marvanthe beach is one of the beaches where you see the ocean on one side and a huge river meandering on the other. It’s one of the best experiences to have
• Enjoy and Relax at the beach, don’t head in too far in the ocean as the waves can be strong and no lifeguards are posted.
• Explore the long beach and head back to Kundapura via bus/auto, buses will stop for you if you wave a hand at them. Rs. 50 per person expected as the fare.
• Have dinner at Kundapura and wait at the bus stand to board the bus back to Bangalore.

VLOG BY XTE COMMUNITY MEMBER OF THE TREK

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

• Keep sufficient water and glucose on the trek with you.
• Try to keep your luggage to minimum, the trek is arduous.
• We have traveled in month of March, during the rains the falls are at full force and trails are slippery, be prepared.
• Keep warm clothes/blanket with you. The temperature at the peak during night gets cold.
• Be a little patient while waiting for public transports and local buses.

PICTURES FROM THIS TRIP

Ensure you travel responsibly and keep your carbon footprint to the minimum. Happy Exploring!

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