Nishani motte

ABOUT THE PLACE

Nishani motte is situated in kodagu district, karnataka, India. Kodagu is famous for lush green sceneries and the pleasant climate.

The nearest place to reach is Bhagamandala. Bhagamandala is a small town which is 40km away from Madikeri (towards talacauvery) with pretty good bus facility. Talacauvery is 8km from this place. Please check the karnataka state transport website for the timetable

We did not get proper information regarding the guide, stay and the trek.

The blogs we went through spoke about the trek distance, place, and experience. But the crucial information like the process to get permission, availability of stay and other info weren't there!

Allowed season: The trek is usually allowed only in the monsoon and post monsoon seasons. That is from june to february. In the meantime the trek is closed, but you can always call the department and check for permissions before your plan.

How to reach : There are KSRTC bus facility available from bengaluru, directly to bhagamandala. The bus availablilities can be cheked online in the ksrtc.in portal. Apart from this, there are bus availablity from madikeri also. You can either take the direct bus from bengaluru, or come to madikeri, and then take bus from madikeri.

Reaching by car : The drive from bengaluru is 300km approx, and there are homestays/lodges in which you can park the car. If not, you can park near the Bhagamandala temple. The temple and triveni sangama is right next to the bus stop.

BRIEF DETAILS ABOUT THE TREK

The trek distance is around 14-15km up and down. So, it will take you around 5-6 hours if you walk in a normal pace. The trek difficulty is easy-moderate. There are some places that are steep, but will last not more than 10 minutes, otherwise the trial is not really steep and difficult.
The Starting point and the end are not to the same places. The end point is on the other side of the mountain, with easy reach to buses and autos. You can choose to opt for a jeep pickup(talk to the person who dropped you), or you can get a bus (not too frequent, the guide will know the timings). Or you can hire an auto that pass by. Since, it is a main road the options are several.
The descend is extremely easy, you can choose to have lunch/snack at the top, or there is an anti poaching camp on the way down. You can eat their, take rest for some time. However, stay is not allowed in that place.
The last 2-3 kilometers are just normal roads inside a village, that can be frustrating!
You can also expect leeches.

THE MAIN DETAILS

Trek permission and guide

Stay

Forest permission

You need forest permission to trek nishani motte. The forest department office is also near the bus stand, walk to the forest department takes just 5 min from the bus station. You can ask anyone for the directions, or google maps can help. (DM me if you need the forest guard details)

Permission cost

The permission fee is around Rs.350 (in 2021). Take a photocopy of your ID proofs and originals to the department and the forest staff will take your details and provide a challan ticket.

Guide

A guide will be assigned to you by the department if you do not have any contact of the guide(like us) who will accompany you through out the trek. The guide fees was Rs. 500 per group in Feb 2021

Timings

We started the trek at 10AM. But, it is said that you can start as early as 6AM. So, the time depends on your arrival. If you are reaching by bus, try to book a bus that reaches early in the morning.

Starting point

The starting point is not bhagamandala. It is around 5-6km from bhagamandala. You can take to auto rickshaws for dropping there. You can find them in the bus stop. Or the forest guard will help you to get a vehicle. The auto charges are minimal(probably around rs.200), or the jeep can cost you somewhere from Rs.300 - Rs.600.
Negotiate the price even before boarding. Because, we had thought that the jeep fee is Rs.300 based on the price quoted by the guard, but the jeep driver demanded Rs.600. We could not negotiate the price since we had already reached the start point. So, negotiate before boarding.

Food

There are small hotels in the bus stop if you want to have the breakfast. Take packed lunch with you based on the time you are leaving. Or, there is a KSTDC hotel near the forest department.

After the trek

There are many places to visit after the trek. One can visit the Bhagandeshwari temple. The temple is very beautiful. And triveni sangam.
Talacauvery temple is just 8km, you can hire a jeep or an auto or choose a bus based on your convenience.
If you still have time, You can reach madikeri which is almost 1-1.5hrs of journey from bhagamandala. Raja's seat and madikeri fort are the nearby places.

Things to carry for the trek

• 1 ltr water bottle
• Snacks - Biscuits/chocolates
• Raincoat
• Shoes
• Basic first aid kit
• Leech repellant (can be tobacco leaves or any repellant cream)
• Phone and other gadgets
• Torch & Sunglasses

ABOUT US

This is a trek done by a group of friends, who has a mission to trek all places in karnataka. Join and support #operationParvatha
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E-Mail : operationparvata@gmail.com