The Narasimha Parvatha Trek will take you 380 km from Bangalore to Agumbe, a high-altitude village in the Malnad region of Karnataka. Known as the ‘The Cherrapunji of the South’, it is surrounded by the Western Ghats and lush rainforest. It’s known for many waterfalls, such as Onake Abbi, Bakarna and Jogi Gundi falls.
The Sunset View Point overlooks forested valleys. Tigers, leopards, and king cobras live in Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary to the south. The peak, which forms part of the Kudremukh National Park, is accessible from Mallanduru and Kigga, the former being higher in terms of trek distance and difficulty level. This will also be the trail we will take for our trek to Narasimha Parvatha.
The 12 km ascend shall take anywhere between 6-7 hours, whereas the 6 km descend via Kigga can be completed in a couple of hours. You can enjoy spectacular sunsets, sparkling streams, verdant village vistas, and an unspoilt rustic ambience from the peak.
This peak offers a panoramic view of the beautiful Agumbe. The beautiful Kudremukh range is also visible from atop the peak. There is a vast valley between Narasimha Parvatha and a nearby village called Malandur is visually pleasing. The mountain peaks have Shola grasslands.
Trek Level: Moderate (Difficulty Level is subjective)
Trail Type: Trekking, Waterfalls, Camping, Temple visit
Trek Distance: 18 – 20 km (to and fro)
Post covid, my thirst for some travel was at an all-time high. I jumped at this opportunity when my husband asked, “solo trip, you in?” and I was packed with my bag the next moment.
My first venture outdoors is post-pandemic, a trek to Narasimha Parvatha in Agumbe, the highest peak in the Agumbe region that stands at 1150 m from sea level.
Darshan and I randomly stumbled upon PTU (Plan the Unplanned) and went ahead with the booking, considering the reviews. The PTU team planned the trek, starting from transportation to accommodation and food. We were a small group of 8 members, including a content creator and two trek leads.
We drove down to Agumbe from Bengaluru, a 6 hours’ drive at night. The following day, we had our breakfast at our homestay (Nisarga Homestay), took our parcelled lunch boxes and began our journey to the summit from Mallandur at @7:30 am.
There are two routes for reaching the summit. One was from Agumbe, and the other was from Kigga. We took the Agumbe route. Our guide, Devandra, led the way as we entered the forest. Along the way, some bushes were way over my head. In the dense forest, there was no sunlight, and you could hear loud chipping buzzing all around.
We reached the Barkhana falls. Seetha river descending from 260 m height forming the Barkhana falls one hell of a fantastic view. We spent some time at the falls, and off we started again.
From the falls, the elevation was steep. As time passed by, my body started giving me the usual signs. You know that feeling. You want to do something at all costs, but your mind plays tricks on you, making you think you are at your limit when you are not. I guess I intervened with these thoughts and pushed myself about 4/5 times before reaching the top of the mountain. Looking at the other trekkers moving along gave me a lot of strength to keep chugging.
We hit a long stretch of dry grassland with the sun above our heads, and as I kept moving forward, I could see us reaching the summit. Was it worth it? Look at this picture, and you be the judge and tell me?
It was worth the effort. Yes, the view was wholly serene, but what made it more special was that I made it—the feeling of the wind in my hair which just calmed me down. We stayed put for a while at the summit, rejuvenating and taking it all in. Nature has its way with you. You feel pure at the core, making it so much easier to reflect on our lives.
My knees had given up on me, but I had the demons, the blood-sucking leeches giving me some reason to push forward. The moment you stop, they hop on to you to greet you. My legs at this time were running like flowing water. All that was carrying me around was the momentum; if I stopped at any point, I thought I would stop and call it a day. I just wouldn’t let that happen with my first trekking experience.
The most beautiful thing is how some mere words can give you so much motivation and that final push. “Chalo bas ho gaya, arey agaye.. Chalo chalo“. That’s all they had to say to keep me on my toes. We reached the bottom and walked a couple of km to get into the vehicle to drop us back at the homestay.
A hot bath, yummy dinner and a bonfire awaited us all as we ended this beautiful day. It is not easy to take the first step, to decide the right moment. It was my first trek, and it was the first time I left my munchkin at home alone with daddy dear. I have been away from social media for one whole year. Well, in all honesty, my WhatsApp was still running. I had no choice there with official matters at stake. I reinstalled my apps again just after this trip. The “We were on a break period” phase of my life was over until I met it again.
I usually don’t write travel blogs, but something refreshing about my first trek made me pen it down. Until next time, bye.
VC: Co trekkers- Venugopal and Sharath Hegde.
PC: All my fellow trekkers.
READ MORE:
https://www.plantheunplanned.com/bangalore/narasimha-parvatha-trek-agumbe/
Edited by: Supriya
